Affliction Warlock Abilities and Talents Guide - Midnight

By Kalamazi Updated: 2026/08/12

Baseline Affliction Warlock Spells Offensive Abilities

Unstable Affliction (UA) - Your main resource spender as Affliction.

Shadow Bolt (SB)- Your default filler spell.

Corruption - One of affliction's DoTs. Has various modifiers to its damage and behavior.

Agony - Another baseline DoT, affliction specific.

Offensive Cooldowns Defensive Cooldowns

Unending Resolve (UR)- 3 minute cooldown, 25% damage reduction. Can be improved with talents.

Drain Life (DL)- Drains life from your target and restores it to you.

Utility Abilities

Summon Imp, Summon Sayaad, Summon Felhunter, Summon Voidwalker - Your pet is one of your main default abilities as a warlock, without talenting into anything. Because all of your pets do roughly the same damage (outside of Summon Voidwalker), your choice boils down to utility here. Need an interrupt? Use Summon Felhunter. Need a magic dispel or want a consistent ranged DPS pet that doesn't run from target to target? Use Summon Imp.

Drain Life - Not a core part of your rotation unless you're talented into a specific talent, this is just a last resort way to heal yourself if there are no other options.

Fear - A basic way to disrupt your enemies if you can't interrupt or otherwise disable them. Can be spammed to lockdown an enemy outside of PvP at the cost of being unable to do damage.

Soulstone - Warlock's version of the battle resurrection, now available to many other classes in the game. Warlock's Soulstone differs from other battle resses in the game due to its ability to be pre-placed on important targets so they have the resurrection ready to go the second they die. Warlocks should never hardcast this button mid combat unless there are literally 0 other options available, as other resses have more benefits to the raid, such as more health/mana/foodbuff etc.

Create Soulwell - The only source of Healthstones in the game. An extra health pot on your entire raid/party is very strong.

Ritual of Summoning - The only way outside of dungeon/raid meeting stones to summon people to your location. Very useful for getting a group together, or making swaps in raid.

Passive Abilities

Soul Shards - Secondary power, passively regenerates up to three Soul Shards when out of combat.

Soul Leech - A portion of your damage dealt is transferred to an absorb shield on you.

affliction Warlock Hero Talents Hellcaller Afliction Warlock TalentsKey Talent

Wither - Turns Corruption into Wither. An instant cast DOT effect that is affected by Corruption damage amps.

Capstone Talent

Malevolence - A 1-minute cooldown that makes targets affected by your Wither take additional damage and get more stacks of Wither. Additionally, you gain a haste buff for this duration, and spending Soul Shards on damaging abilities grants any Wither targets an additional stack.

Choice Nodes

Choice Node 1:

Aura of Enfeeblement - When Unending Resolve is active, you apply Curse of Tongues and Curse of Weakness to all targets within 30 yards of you.

Curse of the Satyr - Curse of Weakness is changed into Curse of the Satyr, increasing time between enemies attacks by 20%, and casting time of spells by 30%.

Bleakheart Tactics - Wither damage is increased by 20%, and when Wither gains a stack from Blackened Soul it has a chance to gain an extra stack.

Hatefury Rituals - Hatefury Rituals damage is increased by 30%, but its duration is 15% shorter.

Illhoof's Design - Reduces your maximum health by 10%, but allows your Soul Leech to absorb an additional 15% of your maximum health.

Zevrim's Resilience - Dark Pact heals you every second while active.

Passives

Xalan's Ferocity - Your fire abilities grant a 2% damage increase and an additional 10% more critical strike chance from all sources.

Blackened Soul - Whenever you spend Soul Shards, Wither gains 1 stack. Each timer Wither gains a stack there's a chance it collapses, losing 1 stack every second, dealing extra damage until it only has 1 stack.

Xalan's Cruelty - Your shadow abilities grant a 2% damage increase and an additional 10% more critical strike chance from all sources.

Mark of Xavius - Increases the damage of Wither by 25%, and Blackened Soul by 2% per stack of Wither.

Seeds of Their Demise - When Wither reaches 8 stacks, or your target reaches 20% health, Wither collapses, losing 1 stack per second until it has 1 stack. additionally, Blackened Soul damage has a chance to grant a stack of Shard Instability.

Mark of Peroth'arn - Wither critical strike damage increased by 10%. Wither has a chance to gain a stack when it crits.

Soul Harvester Affliction Warlock TalentsKey Talent

Demonic Soul - Deal increased damage when you have a Succulent Soul proc and do additional Single Target damage from the Demonic Soul.

Capstone Talent

Shadow of Death - After casting Soul Rot, gain three guaranteed stacks of Succulent Soul.

Choice Nodes

Choice Node 1:
Gorebound Fortitude - Empower your Create Healthstone to always have the effect of Soulburn without consuming a Soul Shards.

Friends In Dark Places - Dark Pact has an increased shielding effect.

Shared Fate - After killing any target that you hit, deal AoE damage around another living target nearby.

Feast of Souls - After killing any target that you hit, you have an additional chance to gain a Succulent Soul.

Eternal Servitude - Reduced cooldown of Fel Domination.

Gorefiend's Resolve - When used, Soulstone grants additional health and mana.

Passives

Necrolyte Teachings - Increase the damage of Shadow Bolt or Drain Soul and their damage bonus further from Nightfall.

Soul Anathema - When your Demonic Soul deals damage, apply a DoT on the target which stacks damage with itself upon multiple procs.

Demoniac's Fervor - Deal additional damage with Demonic Soul.

Wicked Reaping - 10% damage buff to Demonic Soul, allows you to proc Demonic Soul by consuming a stack of Nightfall.

Quietus - Consuming a stack of Nightfall activates either Shared Fate or Feast of Souls and increases the damage of your Soul Anathema DoT.

Sataiel's Volition - Causes Corruption to do damage faster and casting Haunt grants a stack of Nightfall.

Affliction Warlock Talents Warlock Class Talents

Fel Domination - Helps alleviate the long cast time of warlock pets every 3 minutes.

Soul Leech - A portion of your damage dealt is transferred to an absorb shield on you.

Burning Rush - A toggled movement speed increase, at the cost of health. Also makes it so your base movement speed can never go below 100%, which is nice for movement slows.

Fel Pact - Reduces the cooldown of Fel Domination. Not very useful, as you shouldn't be using this spell that often.

Demon Skin - Nearly doubles the baseline effectiveness of Soul Leech, and adds a free extra small absorb shield passively every second.

Fel Armor - Another augment for Soul Leech, reducing your damage taken both passively and when damage is taken from your Soul Leech.

Fiendish Stride - A small augment for Burning Rush - reducing the damage taken over time, as well as a tiny movement speed increase. Not really all that point efficient.

Demonic Embrace - Basic additional stamina.

Choice node:

Nightmare - After your Fear expires, makes the target move slower.

Horrify - When a target is afflicted by Fear, it trembles in place instead of fleeing.

Demonic Fortitude

Banish - Banishes a target, making them immune.

Curse of Exhaustion - Slows your targets movement speed.

Curse of Tongues - Slows your targets cast speed.

Infernal Beneficiary - Increased the healing done by Drain Life.

Mortal Coil - Single target horrify that heals you for 20% of your health, usable as a heal against immune targets as well.

Pact of the Annihilan - Passive increase to your Critical Strike chance.

Demonic Circle (DC) - Personal portal/movement ability given baseline. Allows you to drop a circle at any location which you can teleport back to given you are in range of the circle. Can also remove movement impairing effects.

Pact of the Satyr - Passive increase to your Haste.

Improved Mortal Coil - Increased the range and healing of Mortal Coil.

Dark Pact (DP) - Sacrifices health from yourself for a large shield on you, usable always even if stunned.

Foul Mouth - Makes any of your casted curses apply to all enemies within 10 yards.

Empowered Healthstone - Increased effectiveness of your healthstone healing.

Abyss Walker - After using your personal or group portal you take less damage.

Fortified Soul - Improves Soul Leech absorb.

Teachings of the Black Harvest - Empowers your primary pet with an additional ability.

Gorefiend's Avarice - Drain life is channeled quicker and heals faster.

Choice node:

Ichor of Devils - Reduces the sacrificed health when Dark Pact is used, does not make the absorb larger.

Frequent Donor - Reduces the cooldown of Dark Pact.

Pact of the EredarPact of the NathrezimDemonic ResilienceEmpowered Drain Life

Choice Node:

Strength of Will - Empowers Unending Resolve to reduce additional damage.

Dark Accord - Reduces the cooldown of your major damage reduction cooldown, Unending Resolve.

Demonic Gateway

Howl of Terror - Instant cast AoE fear.

Shadowfury - Instant cast AoE stun.

Swift Artifice - Quality of life cast time reduction on Soulstone and Create Healthstone.

Soul Link - Enables you to take extra damage reduction, which is transferred to your pet.

Frequent Traveler - Reduces cast time of Demonic Gateway and allows you to use it twice before going on cooldown.

Fel Synergy - Provides you with additional healing from Soul Leech.

Oppressive Darkness - Reduces the cooldown of Shadowfury or Howl of Terror, increases radius or fears additional targets.

Pact of Gluttony - When you conjure a Create Healthstone for yourself it transforms into a Demonic Healthstone that can be used multiple times during an encounter which also gives you a healing over time effect when used.

Soulburn (SB) - For the cost of a Soul Shard, empowers various utility spells to have an additional effect.

Choice Node:

Blight of Weakness - Summon a mist that surrounds targets within a 10 yard range, reducing their time between attacks and critical strike chance.

Blight of Tongues - Summon a mist that surrounds targets within a 10 yard range, reducing their cast speed.

Affliction Specialization Talents

Shadow of Nathreza - Empwoers your Haunt, calling upon a Demonic Soul to haunt your target, dealing Shadow damage to it and 3 surrounding enemies.

Shadow of Nathreza - Increases the initial damage of Haunt by 50% and Haunt increases damage dealt to its host by an additional 2%.

Shadow of Nathreza - Damage dealt by Haunt has a chance to release the demonic soul haunting its target. When released, it unleashes a devastating attack before being banished back to Nathreza..

Agony (UA)- A staple Affliction DoT and main shard generator.

Unstable Affliction - Our new Shard spender in Midnight.

Seed of Corruption (SOC)- Spell used to apply Corruption in AOE and for AOE damage.

Nightfall - Corruption gives you a chance to increase the damage of your next Shadow Bolt/Drain Soul and make it instant cast/channel faster.

Haunt - A flat damage amp to the target it debuffs.

Shared Agony - Our main way of spreading Agony in 2+ Target settings.

Drain Soul (DS) / Improved Shadow Bolt - A choice between improved Shadow Bolt damage and cast time, or Drain Soul which offers shard sniping.

Improved Haunt - Increases damage of Haunt and reduces its cast time

Absolute Corruption (AC) / Siphon Life - Either 15% buff and Perma duration to Corruption, or a 30% damage increase, but needs to be refreshed.

Cunning Cruelty - Talent that causes your filler spell to have a chance to proc a Shadow Bolt Volley at your targets.

Withering Bolt - Shadow Bolt and Drain Soul deal 8% increased damage, up to 24%, per damage over time effect you have active on the target.

Creeping Death - Flat out, makes your DoT effects tick 10% faster. No longer has the downside of decreasing your DoT duration by 10%. Extremely strong.

Dark Harvest - Spell that does damage to each target with active DOTs and heals the player.

Practiced Pestilence - Passive Mastery Talent.

Summon Darkglare (DG) - Affliction's only major cooldown, increases all of your DoT durations once summoned, and does more damage per DoT active on any target.

Summoner's Embrace / Grimoire of Sacrifice - A choice between a 3% flat damage increase, or the ability to sacrifice your pet, gaining its ability and an extra damage source.

Cull the Weak - Reduces the cooldown of Dark Harvest for each UA or Seed cast by 1.5 seconds.

Malediction - Increases the critical strike chance of Agony, Corruption, and Unstable Affliction by 5%.

Sudden Onset - Agony deals 10% increased damage and starts with 3 stacks.

Eye Contract - Increases the duration of Darkglare by 5 seconds.

Malefic Grasp - Causes all active DOTs to deal 30% of their damage when channeled.

Nether Plating - Causes Darkglare's Eye Beam to AOE onto 4 additional targets.

Sacrolash's Dark Strike - Increases Corruption damage as well as curse duration.

Contagion - Increases critical strike damage dealt by Agony, Corruption, and Unstable Affliction by 15%.

Shard Instability - Grants your filler abilities a small chance to make your next Unstable Affliction free and instant.

Niskaran Methods - A 10% increase to Agony and Corruption damage.

Potent Soul Shards - A 5% increase to Unstable Affliction and Seed of Corruption damage.

Nocturnal Yield - Increases Corruption damage by 10% and Nightfall additionally makes your next Seed of Corruption cost no Soul Shards and cast instantly..

Xavius' Gambit - Reduces the cast time of Unstable Affliction and increases its damage.

Ravenous Afflictions - Critical strikes from your Agony, Corruption, and Unstable Affliction have a chance to grant Nightfall.

Seeds of Destruction - Reduces the cast time of Seed of Corruption and increases its damage.

Fatal Echoes - When Unstable Affliction expires, it has a 10% chance to reapply itself.

Cascading Calamity - Casting Unstable Affliction on a target affected by your Unstable Affliction increases your Haste by 5% for 15 sec.

Death's Embrace - Agony, Corruption, Unstable Affliction, Seed of Corruption, Drain Soul/Shadow Bolt deal up to 40% increased damage on targets below 35% health. Damage increase is higher against lower health targets.

Patient Zero - PIncreases damage dealt by Seed of Corruption to its host by 50%..

Sow the Seeds - Seed of Corruption now embeds demon seeds into 2 additional nearby enemies at 50% effectiveness.

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Comments

Comment by Sportzy1964

Hello! Is it only me but I don't see shadow bolt at all in my spell book when I am spec'd Affliction. I see it here in the guide as a filler spell but not in my spell book.

Affliction Warlock Abilities and Talents Guide - Midnight

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