Affliction Warlock Leveling Guide

King of DoT leveling with endless sustain. Drain-tank, multi-DoT, and let your pet hold threat while you kite.

Updated 2026 DoT / Sustain DPS Supports Classic / TBC / WotLK

Why Affliction in Classic?

Unmatched sustainability. Life Tap + Drain Life + Spirit Tap lets you chain pull forever. Voidwalker tanks early; succubus for faster kills later.

Strengths

Near zero downtime with Drain Life/Life Tap.
Multi-DoT multiple mobs and kite.
Strong self-healing and CC (Fear/Seduce).

Weaknesses

Pet micromanagement required.
Lower burst on short-lived mobs.
Needs wand early; gear for spell power.

Talents by Level (Classic 1-60)

Early (10-29)

Improved Corruption (instant) and Suppression for hit.
Improved Life Tap/Drain Soul for shard efficiency.
Nightfall for Shadow Bolt procs.

Mid (30-44)

Siphon Life for sustain.
Shadow Mastery for DoT damage.
Fel Concentration for pushback resistance.

Late (45-60)

Dark Pact for mana from pet.
Shadowburn (Destruction) for executes.
Ruin optional for crit Shadow Bolts.

Standard pull: Corruption → CoA → Siphon Life → Fear kite → Drain Life/Drain Soul; keep Life Tap rolling to convert health to mana and Drain Life back.

Rotation & Playstyle

Single Target

Corruption (instant) → Curse (Agony) → Siphon Life.
Shadow Bolt on Nightfall procs; wand to finish early levels.
Drain Life when tapped; maintain DoTs, keep pet on target.

Multi-DoT

Tag 3-4 mobs with Corruption/CoA; kite with Fear.
Drain Life a central target; keep Voidwalker or Succubus managing threat.
Howl of Terror for escapes.

Survival

Soulstone yourself; Healthstones always crafted.
Use Voidwalker Sacrifice bubble when in danger.
Keep Demon Armor, and bandage during Fear.

Zone Route (Classic)

Bracket	Zones	Notes
1-20	Starter → Barrens/Westfall	Voidwalker quest early; wand is huge.
20-35	Stonetalon/Ashenvale/SM	SM Library for wand; Siphon Life power spike.
35-50	STV/Tanaris	Dark Pact soon; multi-DoT grinding is strong.
50-60	Felwood/Plaguelands	Devilsaur/undead areas great for Fear-kiting; farm runecloth.

Why Affliction in TBC?

Unstable Affliction, Siphon Life, and Dark Pact make Affliction a top dungeon and quest spec. Sustained damage with zero downtime.

Spec: Unstable Affliction, Siphon Life, Shadow Mastery, Contagion, Dark Pact. Destruction splash for Shadowburn/Devastation.

Talents by Level (TBC 60-70)

Early (60-63)

Shadow Mastery, Contagion.
Unstable Affliction early for dispel protection/damage.
Dark Pact for mana.

Mid (64-67)

Siphon Life; Improved Corruption/Agony.
Fel Concentration; Empowered Corruption.
Shadow Embrace for debuff.

Late (68-70)

Destruction splash: Bane/Devastation for Shadow Bolt.
Shadowburn execute.
Optional: Amplify Curse for burst.

Rotation (TBC)

Single Target

UA → Corruption → Siphon Life → CoA/Elements → Shadow Bolt filler.
Maintain Life Tap + Dark Pact for mana.
Shadowburn for execute; use Felhunter for interrupts/regen.

Multi-DoT

Spread UA/Corruption/CoA on 3-4 targets.
Fear-kite; use Howl of Terror to peel.
Drain Life and Dark Pact to stay topped.

Utility

Felhunter Silence/Devour Magic; Succubus for Seduce if PvP.
Soulstone/Healthstones for group.
Banish demons/elementals; Curse of Tongues on casters.

Zone & Dungeon Path (TBC)

Level	Zone/Dungeon	Notes
60-62	Hellfire / Ramps / BF	UA/SL sustain; Felhunter great vs casters.
62-65	Zangarmarsh / SP / UB	Multi-DoT packs; watch threat.
65-68	Terokkar / Sethekk / SLabs	CoT on casters; Fear carefully.
68-70	Netherstorm / Mech	Dark Pact + Life Tap = infinite mana; grind efficiently.

Why Affliction in WotLK?

Everlasting Affliction keeps Corruption rolling; Haunt adds burst and healing; Drain Soul execute is insane. One of the best levelers and dungeon specs.

Spec: Haunt, Everlasting Affliction, Eradication, Siphon Life (passive), Improved Felhunter. Destruction splash for Shadowburn.

Talents by Level (70-80)

Early (70-73)

Improved Corruption, Suppression, Siphon Life passive.
Eradication for haste procs.
Haunt unlock ASAP for damage/heal.

Mid (74-77)

Everlasting Affliction to refresh Corr with Drain/Haunt.
Improved Felhunter for mana return.
Malediction for damage; Shadow Embrace upkeep.

Late (78-80)

Pandemic for crit on DoTs; Death's Embrace for execute.
Destruction splash: Bane/Shadowburn.
Optional: Improved Drain Soul for mana/aggro dump.

Rotation (WotLK)

Single Target

Haunt → UA → Corruption → CoA/CoE → Siphon Life (passive) → Shadow Bolt filler.
Refresh Corruption via Drain Life/Soul or Haunt (Everlasting Affliction).
Drain Soul sub-25% for huge execute; keep Haunt up.

AoE/Multi-DoT

Spread Corruption/UA/CoA on 3-4 mobs; Seed of Corruption for packs.
Howl of Terror to peel; Shadowflame if safe.
Use Felhunter for mana/interrupt; Voidwalker if you need tanking.

Survival/Utility

Haunt healing + Siphon Life keep you topped.
Demon Armor for healing bonus; Glyph of Siphon Life helps.
Soulshatter if threat spikes; Healthstone yourself often.

Zone & Dungeon Path (WotLK)

Level	Zone/Dungeon	Notes
70-72	Howling Fjord / Borean	Haunt early; quest + UK/Nexus.
72-75	Dragonblight / AN/OK	Seed packs; keep Felhunter out.
75-77	Zul'Drak / Drak'Tharon	Excellent AoE grind spots; Drain Soul for shards.
77-80	Icecrown / Storm Peaks	Heroics for badges; Haunt+Drain Soul melts elites.

Gear, Stats, and Enchants (All Versions)

Stat Priority

Spell Power > Hit (6-9% leveling) > Haste (WotLK) > Crit.
Spirit converts to spell power via Fel Armor (WotLK); helpful for regen.

Weapons

High-damage wand; staff/off-hand with spell power.
Classic: SM/BRD/Strat wands; TBC: Coilfang/Badge wands.
WotLK: quest/badge wands; Titansteel Guardian if needed.

Enchants

Classic: +Spell Power, +Spirit to weapon.
TBC: Major Spell Power; +Int/Spirit to gear.
WotLK: +63 SP/Black Magic; Icewalker if low hit.

Pro Tips & Utility

Leveling Speed

Multi-DoT 3-4 mobs; Drain Life to full; Life Tap often.
Use Felhunter for mana/interrupts; Voidwalker for heavy pulls.
Keep Soulstone/Healthstones ready; Soulshatter if needed.

Group Utility

Summoning stone, Soulstone, Healthstones.
Curses: Elements/Tongues situational.
Banish demons/elementals; Seduce for CC.

Survival

Demon Armor + Siphon Life healing; Drain Soul for shards while executing.
Fear/Howl of Terror to reset; use Demonic Circle (WotLK) to kite.
Carry pots/bandages; keep pet on defensive when questing.

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