As seen on Raider.io, Affliction Warlocks currently represent less than 1% of players completing Mythic+ keys at level 12 or higher. This is disappointing, especially given that Affliction is one of the most iconic specs in the game.
I don’t believe this is due to a raw power imbalance—Affliction can output competitive damage. The issue lies in the spec’s current gameplay loop, which feels clunky, unengaging, and unnecessarily punishing.
The core mechanics around spreading and maintaining DoTs are part of the problem. After opening with Vile Taint to apply Agony, players are forced to tab-target and manually reapply Agony on individual enemies, which is tedious and inefficient. Additionally, applying Corruption and Wither via Seed of Corruption consumes two soul shards and requires two global cooldowns. Few other specs are forced to spend 66% of their starting resources just to begin establishing their damage profile.
A simple, elegant solution would be to have Seed of Corruption apply Agony in addition to Corruption/Wither. This change would streamline Affliction’s opener, reduce frustration, and significantly improve player satisfaction—all without affecting the spec’s power level.
We have “amazing” talents to like Dark Virtuosity, Kindled Malice, Sargerei Technique, Socrethar’s Guile with zero inspiration and game changing…Many things can be done but devs ignoring every single feedback…
They read the forums when it suits them or regret asking for feedback.
It’s shame. There is so much they can do to bring the class and the specs to modern wow. Upgrade our fantasy (i.e. demonic gateways to major cities, modernise our spells, etc).
So many suggestions. The issue is when change is made people lose their minds. Everyone keeps referring back to Legion. That’s going backwards. Let’s move forward. Moving forward means change.