World of Warcraft: Shadowlands pre-expansion 9.0.1 update brings with it a multitude of class changes, and the warlock was no exception. Many classes will find some of their most popular abilities that were removed many expansions ago, and their skill acquisition adjusted due to the huge level reduction introduced in this same update.
Not all classes received massive adjustments, but Warlock certainly saw a good amount of class changes. Below is the full list of class changes made to Warlock in Shadowlands pre-expansion Update 9.0.1. For the full patch notes, be sure to check out the link here, where additional class changes are listed.
Warlock – Shadowlands Update 9.0.1 Class Changes
GENERAL
- New Ability: Fel Domination – Your next Imp, Voidwalker, Succubus, Fel Hunter, or Felgard summon spell has its casting time reduced by 5,5 seconds.
- New Ability: Ritual of Doom – Begins a ritual that sacrifices a random participant to summon a Doomguard. Requires the caster and 4 additional party members to complete the ritual.
- Demonic Circle is no longer a Talent and is now learned by all Warlocks at level 41.
- Demonic Gateway no longer disappears when the caster dies. When the gateway is about to disappear, it begins to dissolve out of sight to warn the caster and allies that they may wish to replace it.
- Enslave Demon has been renamed Subjugate Demon.
- The Eye of Kilrogg can now be used in Arenas and Battlegrounds, can be killed by enemy players, and has 1% of the caster's health (down from 100%).
- Sprite, Voidwalker, Fel Hunter, Felgard, and Succubus summon cast time is now 6 seconds (was 2,5 seconds).
- All Warlocks can now use the following abilities:
- Curse of Tongues – Forces the target to speak in demonic, increasing the casting time of all spells by 30% for 30 seconds. A warlock can only have one active curse per target.
- Curse of Weakness – Increases the time between an enemy's attacks by 20% for 2 minutes.
- Curse of Exhaustion – Reduces the target's movement speed by 50% for 8 seconds.
- The following talents have been adjusted:
- New Talent: Howl of Terror (replaces Demonic Circle) – Unleash a terrifying howl, causing 5 enemies within 10 yards to flee in fear, disorienting them for 20 seconds. Damage can cancel the effect.
- Dark Pact now also provides additional HP over 20 seconds.
- Darkfury now also increases Shadowfury's radius by 2 meters.
- PvP Talent Changes:
- New PvP Talent: Amplify Curse – Your next Curse of Exhaustion, Curse of Tongues, or Curse of Weakness is amplified.
- Curse of Exhaustion: Reduces the target's movement speed by an additional 20%.
- Curse of Tongues: Increases casting time by an additional 30%.
- Curse of Weakness: The enemy is unable to critically strike.
- Gateway Mastery is now available to all Warlocks – Increases the range of your Demonic Gateway by 20 yards and reduces casting time by 30%. Reduced the time between how often players can take your Demonic Gateway by 15 seconds.
- Curse of Tongues reduced to 15% effectiveness in PvP. This can be increased to 30% effectiveness with Amplify Curse Talent.
- Curse of Fragility renamed to Bane of Fragility.
- Entrenched in Flame has been removed.
- New PvP Talent: Amplify Curse – Your next Curse of Exhaustion, Curse of Tongues, or Curse of Weakness is amplified.
AFFLICTION
- New Ability: Malefic Rapture – Your damaging periodic effects burst on all targets, causing Shadow damage per effect.
- Unstable Affliction duration is now 16 seconds (was 8 seconds), no longer costs a Soul Shard, and no longer stacks.
- Unstable Affliction damage backlash when dispelled has been greatly increased.
- Sowing the Seeds now embeds Demon Seeds into 2 additional enemies (was 1).
- Shadow Embrace is no longer a Talent and has been learned by all Affliction Warlocks in Shadowlands.
- The following talents have been adjusted:
- New Talent: Inevitable Demise (replaces Deathbolt) – Damaging an enemy with Agony increases the damage of your next Drain Life by 15%. This effect stacks up to 50 times.
- New Talent: Dark Caller (replaces Shadow Embrace) – Reduces Summon Darkglare cooldown by 1 minute.
- Nightfall now triggers more often as the Corruption spreads to more targets.
- Writhe in Agony now causes Agony damage from 4 stacks and can now scale up to 18 stacks (was 15).
- Deathbolt has been removed and is now a PvP talent.
- Haunt duration is now 18 seconds (was 15 seconds).
- Dark Soul: Misery no longer has a global cooldown.
- PvP Talent Changes:
- New PvP Talent: Creeping Afflictions – Unstable Affliction can now be applied to up to 3 targets
- New PvP Talent: Deathbolt – Launches a bolt of death at the target, dealing 60% of the total remaining damage of your damage over time effects to the target. With Absolute Corruption Talent, count up to 14 seconds of damage from your Corruption. Costs 3 soul fragments.
- Soulshatter now consumes all of your Corruption effects on the 5 nearest enemies instead of damage over time effects, and you no longer gain Haste for each enemy hit by Soulshatter.
- Curse of Shadows has been renamed to Bane of Shadows.
DEMONOLOGY
- Wild Imps now spawn more immediately after Hand of Guldan, and 2-3 Imps spawn faster. Additionally, if they fail on their way, they now teleport to the warlock.
- Ax throwing now interrupts stun immune targets, such as dungeon or raid bosses. It does not affect PvP combat.
- Felguard's Gangstorm is now capped at 8 targets.
- The following talents have been adjusted:
- Power Siphon now adds 30% damage to your next 2 Demonbolt casts.
- Demonic Calling reduces the cost of Dreadstalker Calling Fragments by 2.
- Doom no longer has a small chance to summon a Doomguard when killing the target.
- From the Shadows is now triggered by Dreadbite (formerly Call Dreadstalkers).
- The attack power summoned by random demons has been increased by 21%.
- The attack power summoned by nether portal demons has been increased by 21%.
- Demonic Consumption no longer sacrifices imps. Now drains 15% health from all active demons, growing stronger based on HP consumed.
DESTRUCTION
- The following talents have been adjusted:
- Soul Fire now generates 1 Soul Shard (was 4 Soul Fragments), applies Immolate, has a 3,5 second cast time (was 1,5 seconds) and a 45 cooldown seconds (instead of 20 seconds).
- Shadowburn, now costs a Soul Shard, has 50% critical strike chance on targets that have 20% or less health, and its cooldown is now reduced by Haste.
- Fire and Brimstone now generates 2 Soul Shard Fragments (was 1).
- Inferno now also increases Rain of Fire damage by 20%.
- Grimoire of Supremacy renamed Rain of Chaos and now each Soul Shard you spend has a 20% chance to summon an additional Infernal that lasts 10 seconds (was increasing Chaos Bolt damage by 8%).
- Roaring Blaze has been redesigned – Conflagrate increases your Soul Fire, Channel Demonfire, Immolate, Incinerate, and Conflagrate damage on the target by 30% for 8 seconds.
- Channel Demonfire primary target damage increased by 10%.
- Dark Soul: Instability no longer has a global cooldown.
