WoW Shadowlands – Update 9.0.1 Warlock Class Changes

World of Warcraft: Shadowlands pre-expansion Update 9.0.1 brings with it a bevy of various class changes, and the Warlock was no exception. Many classes will find some of their more popular abilities that were removed many expansions ago returned, and their skill acquisition adjusted due to the massive level squish introduced in this same update.

Not every class received massive adjustments, but Warlock certainly saw a healthy amount of class changes. Below is the full list of class changes 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, Felhunter, or Felguard 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 despawns when the caster dies. When the gateway is close to despawning, it begins dissolving out of view to warn the caster and allies that they may wish to replace it.
• Enslave Demon has been renamed to Subjugate Demon.
• 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 (was 100%).
• Summon Imp, Voidwalker, Felhunter, Felguard, and Succubus 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 Curse active 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) – Let loose a terrifying howl, causing 5 enemies within 10 yards to flee in fear, disorienting them for 20 seconds. Damage may cancel the effect.
  • Dark Pact now also provides additional health over 20 seconds.
  • Darkfury now also increases Shadowfury radius by 2 yards.
• 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: Enemy is unable to critically strike.
  • Gateway Mastery is now available for all Warlocks – Increases the range of your Demonic Gateway by 20 yards and reduces the cast time by 30%. Reduces the time between how often players can take your Demonic Gateway by 15 seconds.
  • Curse of Tongues is reduced to 15% effectiveness in PvP. This can be increased to 30% effectiveness with Amplify Curse Talent.
  • Curse of Fragility has been renamed to Bane of Fragility.
  • Entrenched in Flame has been removed.

AFFLICTION

• New Ability: Malefic Rapture – Your damaging periodic effects erupt 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 increased substantially.
• Sow the Seeds now embeds demon seeds into 2 additional enemies (was 1).
• Shadow Embrace is no longer a Talent and 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’s cooldown by 1 minute.
  • Nightfall now procs more often as Corruption spreads to more targets.
  • Writhe in Agony now causes Agony’s damage to start at 4 stacks and may now ramp 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: Rampant 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 on the target. With Absolute Corruption Talent, counts up to 14 seconds of your Corruption’s damage. Costs 3 Soul Shards.
  • 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 in faster succession. In addition, if they path fail, they now teleport to the Warlock.
• Axe Toss now interrupts stun immune targets, such as dungeon or raid bosses. This does not affect PvP combat.
• Felguard’s Felstorm now capped at 8 targets.
• The following Talents have been adjusted:
  • Power Siphon now also adds 30% damage to your next 2 casts Demonbolt.
  • Demonic Calling reduces shard cost of Call Dreadstalkers by 2.
  • Doom no longer has a small chance to summon a Doomguard when it kills the target.
  • From the Shadows is now triggered by Dreadbite (was Call Dreadstalkers).
  • Inner Demons random demons summoned attack power increased by 21%.
  • Nether Portal demons summoned attack power increased by 21%.
  • Demonic Consumption no longer sacrifices imps. Now instead drains 15% health of all active demons, empowering itself based on HP consumed.

DESTRUCTION

• The following Talents have been adjusted:
  • Soul Fire now generates 1 Soul Shard (was 4 Soul Shard Fragments), applies Immolate, has a 3.5 second cast time (was 1.5 seconds), and a 45 second cooldown (was 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 to Rain of Chaos and now every Soul Shard you spend has a 20% chance to summon an additional Infernal that lasts 10 seconds (was increase Chaos Bolt damage by 8%).
  • Roaring Blaze has been redesigned – Conflagrate increases your Soul Fire, Channel Demonfire, Immolate, Incinerate, and Conflagrate damage to the target by 30% for 8 seconds.
  • Channel Demonfire primary target damage increased by 10%.
  • Dark Soul: Instability no longer has a global cooldown.