Beat Affliction Warlock

What they want to do

Park Unstable Affliction on the healer, Fear the partner who could peel, then Haunt and Soul Rot the kill. In Solo Shuffle they win long rounds if the damage-over-time effects sit and nobody ever trains the warlock.

Main danger

Unstable Affliction lockout from a panicked dispel, plus Fear isolating the kill. The damage looks small until Haunt and Soul Rot overlap.

Interrupt priority

1. 1 Fear

   Kick Fear first. Fear on the partner who could peel is the whole window. Do not spend the kick on Haunt while Fear is being cast. Dispel Fear if it lands.

2. 2 Haunt

   If Fear is down, kick Haunt during the Soul Rot window. Haunt is the damage amp. Break line of sight if you cannot interrupt.

3. 2 Soul Rot

   Their damage cooldown. Interrupt if Fear and Haunt are not in flight. If Soul Rot lands, press a defensive — that is when Affliction kills.

4. 3 Spell Lock (on you)

   Felhunter interrupt on you. Do not start a big dispel or heal in Spell Lock range when Unstable Affliction is ticking. Crowd-control the pet or leave range.

Watch for

• Unstable Affliction sitting on your healer before any Fear — do not dispel it. The lockout is worse than the damage-over-time.
• Fear on the partner who could peel as Haunt and Soul Rot start is the kill. Interrupt Fear, then Haunt.
• Unending Resolve or Dark Pact covering the first swap onto the warlock — the health bar dropping is the absorb, not a kill. Check the buffs before you dump.
• Demonic Gateway used to reset after Dark Pact — click the portal, do not chase.

Offensive cooldowns

• Unstable Affliction. Healer prison. Do not dispel it. Dispelling Unstable Affliction locks your healer out of magic, which is worse than the ticks. Purge Corruption instead.
• Haunt. Damage amp on the kill. When you see Haunt, Soul Rot is next. Interrupt Haunt if Fear is down; break line of sight if you cannot.
• Soul Rot. Their kill window. This is when Affliction kills, not the filler Agony ticks. Interrupt if Fear and Haunt are not in flight, or press a defensive.
• Malevolent. Window buff. Haunt plus Soul Rot plus Malevolent overlapping is the kill. Press a defensive or already be gone. You cannot interrupt Malevolent.
• Agony / Corruption. The long-round engine. Purge Corruption if you can; never purge Unstable Affliction. Agony sitting through your defensives is how Shuffle rounds leak.

Defensive cooldowns

• Unending Resolve. The wall. Stop the swap. They are cloth without it. Wait the duration, then continue onto the warlock.
• Dark Pact. Absorb that spends their health. The bar dropping is the absorb, not a kill. Check for Dark Pact before you press offensive cooldowns.
• Demonic Gateway. Reset, and sometimes Fear into the gate. Click the portal; do not chase. Keep a stun for the landing.
• Mortal Coil. Peel that also heals them. Dispel the horror on whoever got hit. Do not let Mortal Coil eat the only stun you had for Soul Rot.

Crowd control

• Fear
• Mortal Coil
• Howl of Terror
• Demonic Gateway

Dispels

• Never dispel Unstable Affliction — you lock yourself out of magic.
• Fear, Howl of Terror, and Mortal Coil on your team are the real dispels. Corruption is the damage-over-time you can purge; Unstable Affliction is not.

Mobility

Demonic Gateway is the kit. They are slow cloth without it. Cut the gate and keep a stun for the landing. Do not let Fear plus a gate turn into a second Fear on the exit.

Kill windows

• Unending Resolve down and Fear on cooldown
• After Haunt and Soul Rot without a kill — they spent the round's damage
• They gated and landed in the open with Dark Pact already used

When to run

You do not outrun the damage-over-time effects. Stop the Fear, stop the Haunt, and do not let your healer dispel Unstable Affliction.

When to attack

When Unending Resolve is down and Fear is on cooldown. Best after they spent Haunt and Soul Rot without a kill, or gated into the open with Dark Pact already used.

Common tricks

• Unstable Affliction goes on the healer first so the panicked dispel is already poisoned. Call the dispel: Corruption yes, Unstable Affliction no.
• They Fear, gate, Fear again. The second Fear is the one that wins the round — save an interrupt or a dispel for it.
• Dark Pact makes the first swap onto the warlock look free. Check the buff. Wait it out, then continue the swap.

Common mistakes against them

• Dispelling Unstable Affliction off your healer.
• Ignoring the warlock to pad damage on their kill target.
• Dumping a go into Unending Resolve or Dark Pact.
• Kicking Haunt when Fear is being cast.