Blood Pact: Tough lock… the SL/SL build

April 6th, 2008 at 10:08am Under PVP Arena Guide+ Warlock Guide

V’Ming, a lock who spends his time between Arenas laughing ominously in AV, tanking Olm with his own minions and pondering troll fashion from Zul’Aman, is away on a hellish vacation. He won’t be able to brag about 8k Shadow Bolts this week because, as Amanda noted, he’s acting as a practice piñata for the WoW Insider weekend interns.

Vims is away this week, so I took the opportunity to sneak into his Warlock’s sanctum and play with his toys. For this week’s Blood Pact, we’re going to take a look at the notorious SL/SL spec that’s so popular in PvP. SL/SL stands for Soul Link / Siphon Life, the two talents which are the cornerstones of this build and define its playing style.

Let’s get one thing out of the way: SL/SL is not a damage build. It has no burst and it doesn’t capitalize on damage talents. It is designed for high survivability, utility, and low healer maintenance; to outlast instead of outdamage. In Level 70 Resilience-centric PvP where instagibs are virtually a thing of the past, SL/SL’s endurance is a force to reckon with in Arenas and wreaks complete Havoc in Battlegrounds.

The build
As much as Warlocks depend on Stamina, SL/SL depends on it even more. The more Stamina, the longer the Warlock stays alive. The build depends on the synergy of Soul Link, which transfers 20% of all damage taken by the Warlock to her pet, and Siphon Life, which transfers life from opponents to the caster. This talent combination goes together like panna cotta and honey. Or ham and cheese. Or whatever two things you like to eat together. It’s healthy and yummy and full of warlock-y goodness. Or, as Vims would put it, wonderfully OP.

The 23/38/0 build is a cookie-cutter Arena spec with a variation of one or two points, and it works extremely well. Many attest that it is the Arena spec, and with the world’s top Arena Warlocks sporting the build, it’s hard to argue. The spec has pretty much everything it needs to last in an Arena battle. Coupled with high Resilience and Stamina, an SL/SL Warlock can survive long enough for her non-optimal damage to eventually wear down opponents.

From the first tier of the Demonology tree, there’s Demonic Embrace which increases the Warlock’s Stamina by 15% and Improved Healthstone, which is about the best consumable you can take in an Arena match. From the second and third tiers, Fel Intellect, Fel Stamina, Demonic Aegis, and then Fel Domination to get to Master Summoner. Because of Soul Link, the Warlock’s pet needs to be able to take some punishment, so Fel Stamina helps. Master Summoner is important because many opponents will smartly eliminate the Warlock’s pet, negating Soul Link.

Unholy Power and Master Demonologist on the fourth and sixth tiers give the pet a bit more utility, which is good since you really want it to be around for the duration of the whole match. This makes the fifth tier talent Demonic Sacrifice, absolutely useless. But Warlocks need to pick it up in order to get to Soul Link. And then on the seventh tier there’s Demonic Resilience which necessarily contributes to survivability. Demonic Knowledge (is it just me or are there just too many ‘demonic’ talents?) is pure utility because since the pet needs to be around the whole time, anyway, the Warlock might as well get a bit of punch out of it. And of course, there’s Soul Link.

From the Affliction tree, there’s Improved Corruption. Because SL/SL consists greatly of tanking opponents, it entails a lot of kiting, so instant cast Corruptions are part of the menu. One point goes into Suppression, to close the gap on the 4% base resist rate of equal level PvP targets (two to get a 99% spell hit rating, although this can also be obtained through gems). On the second tier, there’s Improved Life Tap, which helps a self-healing Warlock to keep on fighting indefinitely. Soul Siphon, also on the second tier, makes for a more efficient Drain Life, which really is a fun thing to have while you’re Fearing an opponent and sucking the life out of them at the same time. On the third tier there’s Fel Concentration, which the Warlock needs because when they’re not running around, they’re channeling either Drain Life or Drain Mana; and Amplify Curse, which is cool, but really more important as a pre-requisite for Curse of Exhaustion, which is a kiter’s staple.

On the fourth tier, there’s Grim Reach, and finally on the fifth tier there’s Siphon Life and the previously mentioned Curse of Exhaustion. One point is put into Shadow Embrace because it counts as an Affliction effect, thereby contributing to Soul Siphon. It is also an additional debuff, giving more important debuffs some dispel protection. The last few points are discretionary, with some Warlocks opting for two points in Nightfall, since SL/SL will have many periodic damage effects going on at the same time. Others put points into Empowered Corruption, for more damage, and still others, particularly drain-oriented Warlocks, choose to put a point into Mana Feed.

The play
Siphon Life receives 100% of the Warlock’s spell damage coefficient, which makes it an extremely efficient and powerful spell. The idea is to keep Siphon Life applied on every target, refreshing each time it expires or is removed. The more targets with Siphon Life, the more health the Warlock regenerates, easing the strain on allied healers. Care must be taken to keep the Warlock’s pet alive, as it’s essential to the combo. In Arenas, that pet is usually a Felhunter, which has a relatively decent amount of health as far as Warlock pet selections go. That said, 6k still isn’t much, specially against other players.

In Battlegrounds, which is much more chaotic and requires much less coordination than Arena play, an SL/SL Warlock can wreak so much havoc simply by applying Siphon Life on all her enemies — including pets. The life gain is so massive that unmolested, a Warlock will have a tough time casting spells fast enough to use up mana, Life Tap, and get life back. Even in PvE, SL/SL is the perfect farming spec, enabling the Warlock to tag numerous mobs with Siphon Life, bringing them all together (thanks to the Voidwalker, of course), and detonating a Seed of Corruption — or two, or three — in their midst.

As fun as that all sounds, SL/SL is not a high damage build and given the talents outlined above, is not intended for raid or 5-man DPS. There are far superior specs that can deal damage. An SL/SL lock certainly won’t be shooting out 8k Shadow Bolts. It is built for endurance, and strategies will necessarily revolve around survival. This is why SL/SL works very well in a drain team set up, wearing down opponents’ mana (or even health, with Drain Life) until their options are exhausted while the Warlock still has near full health and mana. While DoTs can be dispelled, Drain Mana is harder to shake off. In fact, the SL/SL Warlock coupled with a well-managed Felhunter is a mana-user’s bane. Very high Stamina and self-healing also give it a fighting chance against a Warlock’s natural foils such as Rogues or Warriors.

Many players consider SL/SL to be a boring spec, which doesn’t require much strategy. Some criticize its lack of burst or dispel protection for its DoTs, while others simply prefer to have more weapons in their arsenal, such as Shadowburn or Unstable Affliction. To a degree, the critics are right: SL/SL is extremely — even mind-numbingly — simple. But that’s precisely why it works. The synergy of the two talents contributes to pretty much one goal: survivability. If a player’s goal is to PvP, then SL/SL is definitely worth exploring. There is no question that a Warlock without Soul Link under its portrait is an easy and tempting target for focus fire in Arenas. Want to survive in Arenas, particularly in 2v2 and 3v3? Go SL/SL.

In a nutshell, SL/SL is one of the easiest (some would say cheesiest) ways to experience Warlock power. Beyond the basics, the spec is only strengthened further by superior kiting skills and pet micro-management. Despite not having too much offensive power, DoTs must continually be applied on opponents in order to keep the pressure on them. Force heals. Encourage mana use. Mana Drain. Outlast opponents. Profit. Is it boring? That’s debatable. Under the right conditions, it is an extremely fun spec to play. Is it OP, as Vims would put it? Oh, absolutely.

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15 Minutes of Fame: Confessions of a teenage warlock

January 31st, 2008 at 11:01pm Under Warlock Guide

15 Minutes of Fame is our look at World of Warcraft players of all shapes and sizes – both the renowned and the relatively anonymous. Know an interesting player you’d like to see profiled? E-mail us your tips.

The subject of this week’s 15 Minutes of Fame is not a rare drop – he doesn’t have a novelty schtick or an unusual lifestyle, nor is he a WoW culture mini-celeb. Seldorm, a level 70 warlock on Exodar, is that guy you PuGged with yesterday: the guy with solid if not stellar PvP gear who handled himself well and lent a witty, gracious and friendly note to the group. Based on the way he presented himself, you assumed he was 20something – but you’d have been wrong.

Here’s what a guildmate had to say about this 15-year-old Canadian: “On the young and incredibly funny and mature front is Seldorm. He’s in grade 10, although he became my guildie in grade 9 (and one of the only upper level officers, actually). People who don’t ask are completely floored when they eventually find out his age. I’ve never seen him display an even remotely immature bone in his body, even when goaded or insulted. He’s trustworthy, hilarious, loyal and very generous.”

Meet Seldorm and get a glimpse inside the views of a player from “that” age group, after the break.

15 Minutes of Fame: So tell us a little about yourself, Seldorm. What makes Seldorm tick?

Seldorm: I’m 15 years old and mostly play my 70 warlock on Exodar. Currently working on my gear for the step up to raid content. In a small, family type guild called <Iron Skin>. It’s not big, but it’s ours. Mostly just trying to get to raiding and havin’ fun doin’ it. Personal interests: literature (loves me a good book), other vidya games, and I dabble in my old Lego.

How long have you been gaming? What about World of Warcraft?

I started playing WoW about two years ago, and have been off and on for real life reasons.

About video games, I was always into games that were deep in story and sort of complex. Sadly, not a huge amount of those anymore. Then I just got into party games, fun games for me and my buds. Used to like games like those old Ogre Battle games, the Legend of Zelda series. But now I deal in the online shooters and party games like Halo 3, Rainbow 6: Vegas and Rock Band.

Tell us about your guild.

Ah, the guild. <Iron Skin> itself isn’t all that big, maybe 50 people total, but only two to five actually exist. Rest are alts or quitters. It’s what I like about <Iron Skin> though — it’s just me and another at one time: chatting, questing, dungeoning, whatever. No burdens, responsibilities, that stressful junk. Joined because my RL friend was in it, but he doesn’t play anymore. I’m not playing a job, I’m playing a game. And I will play it however much I like. Sometimes a lot, sometimes a little.

Being on the younger end of the “serious” play spectrum, have you run into any discrimination or caught any ‘tude based on how old you are? What about voice chat – are you ever afraid of sounding too youthful to other players?

Voice communication is something I haven’t been using frequently, just when I’ve been invited to some Kara runs and a few heroics. I suppose I’ll come to embrace it soon enough, but I can contort text into however I feel fit. Ironically enough, age still doesn’t factor in with voice. Turns out I’m rather baritone.

Age actually doesn’t come up all that much, and I find this interesting. Everyone is free to sort of imagine what everyone looks like in real life, but that just sort of takes me and them out of the game. I just craft imaginary accents based on grammar, profanity frequency and comprehension. I don’t actually listen to the stock voices, I drown them in music.

Speaking of music, the absence of music. My parents are deaf and as such, growing up, I had no music. When I got older — 10ish — I became paranoid that when I heard nothing, I became deaf myself. I dug rock at the time and as I grew, my tastes did. The second language is totally worth it though. My parents are pretty respectful of what I do and mostly just give me my space and trust me. Although, I think this has less to do with being deaf and more to do with being a good parent.

On that note, let’s talk about parents. What do your parents think about your gaming? Do they keep a tight rein on your game time?

My parents don’t talk to me about WoW. They rarely bother me in my sort of cave. They are, however, very supportive of anything I do and respect my decisions.

How often do you play?

I play WoW pretty much every day on weekdays after school, for a few to several hours. Weekend WoWing is rather sporadic though. Sometimes all day, some days not at all. What I do in the time I play also varies. Usually dailies, then look for a dungeon group. A few times, I go off on abstract missions such as attune myself to old world raids, level an alt, farm something I don’t need but someone else does … that sort of thing.

So what are you into when you’re not online in WoW?

In grade 10 now, just tryin’ to get by, have fun, that junk. Frankly, I don’t really have a passionate direction towards post-secondary and need to do a little more looking. I like to just figure stuff out. Off WoW, I just rifle through the internet and think. Figure stuff out, like human behaviour, how quantum physics work, how TVs are made. Anything, really. I like to know.

What about in game – where are you headed there?

Back to the WoWz, I’m currently working with some online buds to get into end-game content, hopin’ to make PuGs a little-used option (as opposed to the only option). If I gotta leave <Iron Skin>, I ain’t. I’m bringin’ it with me.

<Iron Skin> is small, but it’s characters are apparently very popular. We’ve got a few tells and whispers about a guild merge as we are small, but awesome. Just being an intelligent, friendly player gets you places.

Sounds like you’re going to be getting places, yourself. Best of luck and good gaming to you, Seldorm!

Who’s your daddy? 15 Minutes of Fame is looking for guild leaders and officers of the hardcore variety. Is your uberguild on the bleeding edge of raid content? Does your raid leader keep it together with skill and aplomb? Shoot us a tip and show us your leader’s kung fu.

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How to beat a Demo Lock with an Affliction Lock

January 7th, 2008 at 11:30pm Under Warlock Guide

Affliction lock vs. Demonology lock (lvl60+)

Here is a short guide I have created for you locks out there that are having trouble with our demonology counterparts in duels:

Prior to the duel make sure you have done the following things:

• Equipped a spell stone
• Summon your succubus out
• Active demon armour
• Create a healthstone

Step 1

Seduce the lock then dot his felguard with COS to reduce shadow resistance, then banish it.

Step 2

Active fel armour (If you have it) to increase magical damage then cast UA on the lock then dot him with corruption, COA, siphon life and immolate. (Do all your casting dots first)

Step 3

After casting the dots fear him and use your Life drain, (make sure you watch the timer on fear because as soon as its about to fade out you will have to recast it).

Step 4

Make sure you keep an eye on the felguard’s banish timer because if its breaks you will have to dot him with COS again and banish once more.

Step 5

Keep the lock feared and doted, if the felguard breaks free and does some decent amount of damage to you before you can banish it again make sure you make some distance with it by using DC and to get some of that lost life back. (Or at this point would be a good idea to use a healthstone)

Step 6

Finally to end the duel seduces the lock and dot him with COS then spam him with SB’s until he dies. (Personally I just keep life draining him until he is dead)

Things to remember: make sure that you use your spell stone if you get doted by the other lock because you will need all your health to regain your mana by life tapping.

The key point in this duel is to keep the lock and the felguard separated, because without his pet the lock is a sitting duck. This is why he will try to fear you or DC you as much as possible to buy enough time to get this felguard back into the duel, therefore you must make sure you keep him constantly under fear and the felguard banished.

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