GUIDE SCOPE
Built for repeatable Phase 3 raid execution
This searchable web edition is adapted from the original MCK Boost carrier handbook. It focuses on the included class, specialization and role only; it does not create placeholder coverage for missing specializations.
- Build
- 0 / 21 / 40
- Role
- DPS
- Raid tier
- Phase 3
- Source
- 26-page PDF
TALENT BUILD
0 / 21 / 40
Demonic Sacrifice and Ruin scale the primary filler while deep Destruction supplies critical-strike and spell-power multipliers.
The exact point allocation is documented in the chapters below. The linked calculator opens the correct TBC class tree for verification.
View chapter index
01 - Raid plan
Deliver damage and raid debuffs
One Warlock can change an entire caster stack. Every Warlock must manage curses, threat, shards and health as deliberately as damage.
0/21/40. Sacrifice Succubus for Shadow or Imp for Fire. Maintain the assigned curse, then cast the correct filler without interrupting movement or threat calls.
41/0/20. Bring Malediction and Shadow Embrace, maintain the full DoT package and accept lower personal throughput for raid value.
| Before pull | During combat | After every pack |
|---|---|---|
Soulwell, Soulstone, 25+ shards | Assigned curse; Soulshatter before cap | Drain Soul safe targets; restock |
Confirm Shadow or Fire support | Life Tap only inside healing plan | Resummon/sacrifice correct demon |
Equip boss-hit or trash set | Seed only where detonation is safe | Check Soulstone duration |
Non-negotiable carrier habits
02 - Raid plan
Gnome and Orc are the damage defaults
Racial value is smaller than execution, but the optimal choices are clear for a new raid character.
Alliance damage default; 5% Intellect.
Excellent mechanic recovery.
Horde spell-damage burst; align with trinkets.
Pet value for Affliction or any unsacrificed demon.
| Faction | Recommendation | Why |
|---|---|---|
Alliance | Gnome | Expansive Mind is the best sustained caster racial; Escape Artist has real progression value. |
Horde | Orc | Blood Fury is the strongest damage racial; Command supports utility-pet configurations. |
Alternatives | Human / Undead / Blood Elf | Playable, but their racials do not beat the above raid-DPS packages. |
| Pair | Use |
|---|---|
Tailoring + Engineering | Best carrier path: crafted cloth plus explosives for Hyjal waves. |
Tailoring + Enchanting | Two ring enchants when trash engineering is already covered. |
Tailoring + Leatherworking | Use only when the assigned party still needs Drums coverage. |
Profession route
03 - Talents
0/21/40 is the Phase 3 endpoint
Demonic Sacrifice and Ruin scale the clean one-button filler while the Destruction tree supplies crit and coefficient multipliers.
15% Shadow or Fire damage from the correct demon.
Critical strikes deal doubled bonus damage.
Adds spell-power scaling to Shadow Bolt and Incinerate.
Cuts Shadow Bolt cast time.
Shadow crits amplify raid Shadow damage.
Core crit chance.
Fire lane multiplier.
Crit plus instant cast after taking damage.
| Tree | Allocation |
|---|---|
Demonology - 21 | Improved Healthstone 2, Demonic Embrace 5, Fel Intellect 3, Fel Domination 1, Fel Stamina 3, Master Summoner 2, Unholy Power 4, Demonic Sacrifice 1 |
Destruction - 40 | Cataclysm 5, Bane 5, Improved Shadow Bolt 5, Devastation 5, Shadowburn 1, Destructive Reach 2, Improved Searing Pain 3, Ruin 1, Emberstorm 5, Backlash 3, Shadow and Flame 5 |
04 - Raid plan
Choose the school your raid supports
Both lanes use 0/21/40. The raid debuffs, encounter resistances and available caster group decide the filler.
Default with Shadow Priest / Shadow Weaving support.
Higher ceiling with Fire Mage Improved Scorch support.
Shadow Bolt crits benefit all Shadow damage.
Maintain only in the supported Fire lane when profitable.
| Condition | Use Shadow | Use Fire |
|---|---|---|
Raid support | Shadow Priest; other Shadow Warlocks | Fire Mage maintains Improved Scorch |
Sacrifice | Succubus | Imp |
Weapon enchant | Soulfrost | Sunfire |
Weakness | Shadow resistance or missing Shadow support | Fire resistance, missing Scorch, Immolate movement cost |
Carrier default | Safer roster-independent lane | Use only when the raid commits to the Fire package |
05 - Gear & items
Build to 16% boss hit - no more
Level 73 bosses require 16% spell hit after the unavoidable 1% miss. Party buffs change the amount that belongs on gear.
| Support | Hit from gear | Rating target |
|---|---|---|
None | 16% | 202 spell hit rating |
Draenei only | 15% | 189 rating |
Totem of Wrath only | 13% | 164 rating |
Draenei + Totem of Wrath | 12% | 152 rating |
| Stat | Rule |
|---|---|
Spell power / school damage | Primary reliable throughput after cap. |
Spell haste | Strong Phase 3 stat; re-check Life Tap rhythm and latency. |
Spell crit | Excellent for Ruin and Improved Shadow Bolt, but volatile. |
Intellect | Mana and a small crit contribution; never gem it over damage. |
Stamina | Life Tap resource and survival, not permission to stand in mechanics. |
After hit cap
06 - Gear & items
Curse, filler, movement spell, threat reset
Destruction wins through uninterrupted casting and correct resource timing, not a complicated priority list.
Maintain if assigned; Affliction amplifies it.
Physical raid assignment when Elements is covered.
Shadow filler.
Fire filler.
Tap during planned low-value windows.
Movement/execute only; consumes a shard.
Use before threat forces downtime.
Emergency survival or movement global.
| Window | Execution |
|---|---|
Pre-pull | Sacrifice correct demon; potion plan; pre-cast filler to land after tank contact. |
Stable | Assigned curse, then continuous Shadow Bolt or Incinerate. |
Movement | Refresh assigned curse if due; Shadowburn only when its shard and ISB cost are justified. |
Mana | Tap before empty, preferably before incoming raid healing; never tap into lethal damage. |
Threat | Soulshatter around 70-80% when the fight will last; stop immediately on tank call. |
07 - Encounter
Seed detonation control is the Hyjal skill
Seed of Corruption is extraordinary only when targets live long enough, the tank owns the pack and detonations do not break control.
Apply across different healthy targets.
Engineering burst after the pack is stable.
AoE threat is still threat.
Tap between waves, not during lethal focus.
| Pack state | Action |
|---|---|
Gathering | Wait. Do not pre-Seed mobs still pathing into the tank. |
Stable and healthy | Seed different targets; avoid overwriting your own undetonated Seed. |
Nearly dead | Direct damage a priority target or prepare the next wave. |
Controlled target present | Exclude it; detonation can break Fear/Banish plans. |
Threat unstable | Stop, Soulshatter if valuable, then resume after the tank call. |
08 - Raid plan
Assign every curse before the pull
A duplicated curse is wasted raid value. A missing Elements or Recklessness curse can cost more than any personal rotation error.
Caster damage and resistance reduction; Affliction adds Malediction.
Physical damage support and armor interaction.
Personal damage only when it can complete 60 seconds.
Shorter-lived target personal curse.
Manual control with a cancel/stop plan.
Elemental or demon control; track duration.
Encounter/trash utility only by plan.
Assign healer/tank recovery target and refresh duration.
| Priority | Rule |
|---|---|
1 | Elements and Recklessness coverage according to raid composition. |
2 | Encounter control curse such as Tongues when explicitly assigned. |
3 | Doom or Agony only after raid curses are covered. |
4 | Affliction maintains its assigned amplified curse; do not overwrite it. |
09 - Raid plan
The demon completes the school package
Destruction normally sacrifices. Affliction may keep an Imp or Felhunter according to group and encounter utility.
Sacrifice for +15% Shadow damage.
Sacrifice for +15% Fire damage or keep for Blood Pact.
Keep for Devour Magic / Spell Lock assignments.
Verify the buff after deaths, summons and zone transitions.
| Situation | Demon plan |
|---|---|
Shadow Destruction | Summon Succubus, sacrifice, verify Shadow-damage buff. |
Fire Destruction | Summon Imp, sacrifice, verify Fire-damage buff. |
Affliction caster group | Imp for passive firebolt and possible Blood Pact assignment. |
Utility encounter | Felhunter only when dispel/interrupt value exceeds the damage loss. |
After battle resurrection | Recreate the intended demon/sacrifice state before resuming filler. |
10 - Gear & items
Four-piece Tier 6 defines the endpoint
Malefic Raiment adds 6% Shadow Bolt and Incinerate damage. The off-piece depends on hit, school and contested loot.
Tier 6 anchor.
Tier 6 anchor.
Tier 6 anchor.
Use with Vestments off-piece.
Hit-sensitive neck.
Powerful only if its hit is used.
Excellent off-piece chest.
Crafted endpoint.
Strong when hit is useful.
No-hit endpoint boots.
High-value shared caster ring.
Strong Phase 3 ring.
Highest Phase 3 priority; lasts longest.
Crit-proc alternative.
Paper weapon endpoint, highly contested.
Strong hit wand.
11 - Gear & items
Save complete sets, not a single BiS outfit
Phase 3 gear carries abundant hit. The correct item is the one that completes the current support and spell-school package.
Stat-rich only after protecting 4pT6.
Fire lane no-hit neck.
Practical no-hit cloak; avoids healer Shroud conflict.
No-hit belt alternative.
Off-piece legs with T6 robe route.
One-hand path.
Best off-hand if its hit is useful.
One Warlock can provide the raid Shadow-damage aura.
| Saved set | Purpose |
|---|---|
Boss / no support | Full 202-rating target. |
Boss / Totem of Wrath | 164 rating; remove wasted hit. |
Boss / Draenei + Totem | 152 rating; maximize damage stats. |
Hyjal trash | Only 3% hit required against level 70 targets; emphasize power/haste. |
Mother Shahraz | Resistance-compliant set without breaking the assigned raid threshold. |
12 - Gear & items
Activate Chaotic, cap hit, stack damage
Socket bonuses matter only when they help the exact hit target or pay back the color compromise.
Ruin meta; mandatory.
Best pure spell damage.
Damage plus hit.
Emergency pure hit.
Blue contribution; use best damage/stamina hybrid available.
Head spell power + hit.
Aldor realistic endpoint.
Leg spell power.
Shadow weapon enchant.
Fire weapon enchant.
Non-negotiable cloak threat reduction.
Movement speed plus stamina.
| Slot | Enchant |
|---|---|
Chest / wrists / gloves | Exceptional Stats / Spellpower / Major Spellpower or hit as required |
Rings | Spellpower on both rings if Enchanter |
Weapon | Soulfrost for Shadow; Sunfire for Fire; never mix the school package |
13 - Consumables
Bring damage, mana and survival inventory
Use a school flask and potion plan that matches the encounter. Soul shards are a raid resource, not optional bag clutter.
Shadow lane flask.
Fire lane flask.
Burst window.
Long-fight sustain.
Apply when weapon setup allows.
Spell-damage food.
Fire lane pre-planned use.
Off-potion mana.
Equivalent farmable rune.
Party haste if assigned.
Hyjal stacked waves.
Mother / planned Shadow damage.
Survival cooldown.
Personal emergency heal.
Carry at least 25; more for progression.
| Fight length | Potion rule |
|---|---|
Short | Destruction Potion if mana cannot become the limiter. |
Medium | Burst potion, then reassess tap/healer plan. |
Long | Super Mana Potion early enough to permit another; use rune on a separate cooldown. |
14 - Abilities
Make threat and control one keypress away
Macros should remove targeting delay, never automate encounter judgment.
PurposeMacroFocus Banish#showtooltip Banish
/stopcasting
/cast [@focus,harm,nodead] BanishMouseover curse#showtooltip Curse of the Elements
/cast [@mouseover,harm,nodead][] Curse of the ElementsEmergency Soulshatter#showtooltip Soulshatter
/stopcasting
/cast SoulshatterPet interrupt#showtooltip Spell Lock
/cast [@focus,harm,nodead][] Spell LockDrain Soul shard#showtooltip Drain Soul
/cast Drain Soul15 - Raid plan
Review uptime, support and wasted casts
A Warlock log is meaningful only when compared with the same spell school, curse assignment, party buffs and kill time.
| Metric | Target / diagnosis |
|---|---|
Active time | 95%+ meaningful activity on safe stationary encounters. |
Assigned curse uptime | Approach 100%; explain every gap. |
Filler casts per minute | Compare only against similar haste and movement. |
Life Tap globals | Move taps into movement, transitions and low-value windows. |
Threat downtime | Soulshatter timing, Subtlety enchant and tank threat support. |
Seed damage | Targets seeded, detonations, overkill and threat deaths. |
Affliction DoT clipping | Refresh timestamps must follow the final tick. |
Deaths | Health before raid damage, Seed aggro, missed control or late movement. |
| Track | Display |
|---|---|
Boss debuffs | Your curse, Malediction ownership, ISB charges, Scorch/Shadow Weaving. |
Resources | Mana, health, potion/rune timers, Soulshatter, shard count. |
Control | Focus frame with Banish/Fear duration and pet interrupt cooldown. |
UI checklist
16 - Encounter
Win eight waves without stealing the pack
Warlocks dominate Hyjal trash when they wait for the tank, choose healthy Seed targets and arrive at the boss with mana and shards.
Different healthy targets.
After the stack is stable.
Only marked escape target.
Hold assigned elemental/demon.
Between waves when safe.
Drain Soul dying safe targets.
| Wave phase | Carrier action |
|---|---|
Spawn / path | Stand at assigned lane; no early Seed. |
Tank gather | Apply assigned curse to priority target; wait for ownership. |
Burn | Spread Seed across durable mobs; direct-cast marked kill target if requested. |
Cleanup | Drain Soul safe target, refresh sacrifice, tap/drink and move. |
Before boss | Stop shard farming in time; arrive full health, mana and cooldown plan. |
17 - Encounter
Five bosses, five resource plans
The largest losses come from movement delay, unsafe Life Taps and missing curse coverage - not from choosing the wrong trinket by two DPS.
| Boss | Execution |
|---|---|
Rage Winterchill | Spread for Death and Decay; move immediately on Icebolt/ground effects; maintain curse through movement. |
Anetheron | Stay in healing range; assigned Warlock handles infernal control only by plan; avoid tapping before Carrion Swarm. |
Kaz'rogal | Mana is survival. Use potion/rune early, minimize unnecessary DoTs and stop tapping if Mark threatens health. |
Azgalor | Respect Rain of Fire and silence range; Soulstone recovery target; save health before dangerous windows. |
Archimonde | Tears equipped, fear break plan, immediate fire movement. Personal survival is the only parse that matters. |
18 - Encounter
Naj'entus through Teron
Front-load movement planning, curse ownership and threat resets before damage habits become automatic.
| Boss | Execution |
|---|---|
Naj'entus | Healthstone ready; stop tapping before shield break; burst after the shield collapses and healing stabilizes. |
Supremus | Maximum range; instant movement from volcanoes; use movement globals without delaying safe relocation. |
Shade of Akama | Seed stable add packs; preserve threat margin and arrive at Shade burn with damage cooldowns. |
Teron Gorefiend | Clean filler uptime; pre-plan Soulshatter. If ghosted, execute construct controls instead of staring at bars. |
19 - Abilities
Threat discipline beats automatic casting
These encounters punish a Warlock who continues the rotation after the fight changes state.
| Encounter | Execution |
|---|---|
Gurtogg Bloodboil | Stay with assigned Bloodboil group. Stop immediately on threat call and dangerous Fel Rage transitions; never tap before incoming group damage. |
Reliquary - Suffering | Mana regeneration is disabled. Follow the phase resource plan; Rank 1 utility and interrupts matter more than filler. |
Reliquary - Desire | Every damaging cast reflects damage. Cast only inside healer/raid plan; no automatic DoT refresh or Seed. |
Reliquary - Anger | Wait for tank threat, then controlled burst. Soulshatter is a planned threat tool, not a panic button. |
Phase-specific permission.
Planned threat point.
Emergency only.
Survive reflection windows.
20 - Encounter
Late Black Temple execution
Resistance compliance, target discipline and survival are the final carrier checks.
| Boss | Execution |
|---|---|
Mother Shahraz | Meet the raid Shadow-resistance threshold exactly. Greater Shadow Protection Potion and health consumables are part of the set; react instantly to Fatal Attraction. |
Illidari Council | Attack only the assigned target, respect immunities and interrupts, and stop casts on threat/reflect calls. Curse coverage follows the raid target plan. |
Illidan | Phase curses and threat separately; control assigned demons only by plan. Move from eye beams and parasites immediately; save health for unavoidable damage. |
Pre-pot per resistance plan.
Extra health before danger.
Assigned demon control.
Only if strategy calls for it.
Recovery target refreshed.
Phase threat plan.
21 - Raid plan
Turn preparation into a repeatable checklist
The character should enter every pull with the correct school, support, inventory, curse and threat plan already decided.
Correct demon sacrificed Shadow or Fire enchant/set equipped Boss hit target verified Assigned curse confirmed Soulshatter timing marked Potion and tap plan ready
Malediction assignment confirmed Shadow Embrace expected DoT bars visible Shadow Bolt hit checked separately Pet utility assignment confirmed Dark Pact pet mana visible
| Window | Work |
|---|---|
Days 14-10 | Finish attunement, resistance set, gems/enchants and 25+ shard bag state. |
Days 9-6 | Target dummy school rotation; Seed targeting; focus Banish/Fear; Life Tap timing. |
Days 5-3 | Save boss-hit, supported-hit, trash and resistance equipment sets. |
Days 2-1 | Buy full consumes, repair, verify Soulstone targets and review raid curse sheet. |
Raid day | Log review after each block: curse uptime, deaths, threat downtime and activity. |
14-day preparation sprint
22 - Raid plan
Current references and clickable data
Spell, talent and item names throughout the handbook link directly to their TBC Wowhead entries.
| Reference | Use |
|---|---|
| Wowhead TBC / guide/destruction-warlock-dps-bt-hyjal-phase-3-best-in-slot-gear-burning-crusade | |
| Wowhead TBC / guide/classes/warlock/dps-talent-builds-pve | |
| Wowhead TBC / guide/classes/warlock/dps-rotation-cooldowns-abilities-pve | |
| Wowhead TBC / guide/classes/warlock/dps-stat-priority-attributes-pve | |
| Wowhead TBC / guide/classes/warlock/dps-enchants-gems-pve | |
| Wowhead TBC / guide/classes/warlock/dps-consumables-raid-buffs-pve | |
| Wowhead TBC / guide/classes/warlock/dps-macros | |
| Wowhead TBC / guide/classes/warlock/dps-overview-pve | |
| Wowhead TBC / guide/tier-6-set-overview-burning-crusade-classic | |
| Wowhead TBC / guide/shadow-resistance-gear-mother-shazraz-black-temple-bt-burning-crusade-classic | |
| Wowhead TBC / guide/trash-mobs-hyjal-summit-strategy-burning-crusade-classic | |
| Wowhead TBC / news/best-changes-coming-to-tbc-anniversary-account-wide-attunements-guild-bank-379328 |
Network. This independent handbook is a performance reference.
Research checked July 22, 2026. Live raid mechanics, hotfixes and loot policy always supersede a static document.
ORIGINAL MCK BOOST HANDBOOK
Download the complete PDF edition
Keep the original designed handbook for offline reference. It includes the full layout, linked identification references and printable preparation cards.
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