Cookie Cutter Warlock

Not sure how to spec your Warlock?  Thats why this post is here. I am making it and bookmarking it so I can just link it everytime someone asks.

Some Tips

TALENTS TO AVOID -Read it. Knowing what NOT to do is just as important as knowing what to do.

Also Important - No Warlock Skill tree sucks. They do however have their own goals in mind. Realize the pros and cons of each and choose the one that fits to your playstyle.

***DISCLAIMER***

Redoing or re-spec~ing your talent builds is serious business. Each time you do it the price jumps drastically. Before you know it you can be spending 50G+ for a respec. NEVER do it on impulse. If you truly want to change your build due to unhappiness or poor decisions sit back. Do some research on each build. Play with Blizzards talent point calculator. Ask questions and finally when you do make a switch do so in an informed manner.

Cookie Cutter Builds and Break Downs

31 - Affliction

31 Affliction. Feel free to take 5 points out of destruction to put into demonic embrace for the stamina boost.

Pros
-Probably the most effective lvl 1-59 leveling build. Extremely mana efficient and makes the most of your DoT spells (Damage Over Time) such as Curse of Agony, Siphon Life, Corruption etc. Great for grinding mobs efficiently and steadily.

-The most Instance friendly talent build because at level 40 you effectively have unlimited mana. Simply summon Imp for blood pact, put it on passive and you now have an inexhaustable mana well. Long after the mages and other spell casting classes are out of mana you are still chugging along spamming Shadowbolt. This is also helpful while grinding to keep mana up along with Siphon life, Life tap etc.

Cons

-While Extremely versatile for leveling and instance work it lacks both the Pure DPS of a Destruction warlock or the survivability of the DM warlock.

-Also after putting 5 points into Improved Corruption and 2 into Improved Life Tap you have 3 talent points that you need to waste in questionable abilities in order to get to the next tier of the talent tree. Either put them into Supression or Improved Drain Life. Your Choice.

31 Demonology

31 Demonology with the rest broken up between Affliction/Destruction. I recommend grabbing Improved Corruption and possibly Improved Life Tap and putting remaining points into destruction.

Pros

- Survivability. It takes a very good rogue to kill a mediocre DM warlock. Played well you are extremely hard to kill. A lot of players at lvl 60 choose this build for BG. Still very effective in Instances also.

-Improvement to pets. 20% threat reduction from Imp is great for instances. Felhunter is now great for BG work seeing as how Increased Paranoia lets you spot rogues and their spell lock abilities truly flustrate casters/healers. Improved Sucubuss allows for better charm/crowd control.

Cons

- You are nowhere near as mana efficient as an Affliction Lock. However with Life Tap and Drinks instance work is still easy.

-I find it not quite as effective grinding/farming as a DM lock compared to Affliction.

-Not as Soul Shard intensive as some would have you believe but they are still an issue.

31Destruction

I have to admit this is the build I am least knowledgeable about.

Pros

-Perhaps one of the most powerful DPS classes in the game. However this fact is tempered by the fact that they are easiest of all warlock builds to kill.

-with the right +dmg gear and +spell crit gear the dps thrown out is once again truly astonishing. This is the build that people fear running up against in BG when facing a lock.

Cons

- You die fast. Yes you have crazy dps but dont cry when someone kills you in a couple hits.

-all your fire spells are not much help in Molten Core.

-Your DPS can actually be a hinderance during Instance runs. Sure critting a boss for insane DPS is great but when tank can no longer hold aggro and you die as a result things arent fun. In fact expect your party to get angry if you cant control aggro you receive.

Hybrids Cookie Cutters

SM/Ruin - Called the SM/Ruin because it's end goals are getting you Shadow Mastery (10% increase to shadow damage) and Ruin which adds 100% dmg increase to crit hits.

DM/Ruin- Pet bonuses plus the beauty of ruin.