Premades and the Warlock

[Drayner]

Warning: Wall of Text Incoming



This is a subject I used to know a ton about. I have been twinking locks longer than most of the twinks around have been twinking. I have been in many premades as a lock. I have also premaded as a hunter and rogue and done well, but still feel an offensive warlock is needed. Fearing healers, dotting up the opposition to slowly wear them down, etc...



Sadly, I haven't been in many premades lately. Everytime I get set to roll with a guild that will premade, someone pisses me off and I bail on them.



With locks being able to stack so much SP these days at 19, more and more are playing locks. I know that I can change the course of a game on my locks in more than one way, but like I said, it's been a while since I've premaded on my locks. The last 2 premades I have been in have been on huntards.



What are your thoughts on needing locks in a premade.



With good priests and mages dispelling, are they still viable? I guess it doesn't make a lot of difference to me on my toons now since I am going druid and all, but I am working on strats for my current (and original) guild.



PS. My apologies to guilds that had my locks and I bailed on.

 

[Druiddroid]

great on offense for putting up debuffs that require two types of dispelling (magic/curse). fears are nice but you have to be unattended and unLoS'd, plus it's dispellable.



premades, at least nowadays, seem to be more about the players than the class anyways. sometimes if our guild has like 4 or 5 of one class, we might switch one, but if we have healers, an FC, and dps, a premade's pretty much set. all classes are viable IMO if played right.

 

[Naturaltalnt]

Warlocks can be a powerful tool, while my 19 expierence is limited, my lock at higher levels was a perfact combintion with the mage and druid FC O, howl of terror, curse of exhusation, fear, seduce/pets, etc.



not to mention they can slow down entire groups of enemys with dots

 

[Highhealz]

great on offense for putting up debuffs that require two types of dispelling (magic/curse). fears are nice but you have to be unattended and unLoS'd, plus it's dispellable.



premades, at least nowadays, seem to be more about the players than the class anyways. sometimes if our guild has like 4 or 5 of one class, we might switch one, but if we have healers, an FC, and dps, a premade's pretty much set. all classes are viable IMO if played right.

I agree with this, I think warlock fears are devastating when player don't have a way out (trinket on cooldown.. etc.) but, even when dispelled it still can interrupt a heal, and that can make the difference sometimes.

 

[Animalmother]

i agree, i know with my lock, in a premade she can be devastating to the opposition. being a gnome and sometimes harder to see (standing in the bushes etc lol), spamming dots and fears on healers is a great offense, as well as defense. even throwing out immolate and using searing pain / drain life is equally deadly on an FC or killing someone in pursuit of our FC.



/agree that locks are very valuable in premades.

 

[Manguy]

Absolutely.



I feel the role you described for Warlocks as a general damage dealer to everyone in sight is a perfect description of how we can assist in a premade. Their fears, while still interruptable, have the tendency to make people a bit crazy behind the keyboard, especially when spammed. This notion is furthered by the fact that Warlocks are one of the the easiest and arguably most effective classes to sustain constant damage combined with CC on a large group of people.

With good priests and mages dispelling, are they still viable?

Quite simply, if decursing classes are decursing, then they are not doing other jobs. If you as a Warlock do your "job" and keep dots ticking, healers feared, an generally piss people off then one of two things usually happen:



1 - the opposition gets so crazy mad at you for being a pain that they do stupid things like focus you while you laugh and keep dotting, leaving them vulnerable to quick caps and being out maneuvered.



2 - the opposition ignores you and only tries to counter your abilities (with decurses) but in doing so they remove themselves from their other roles (usually healing).



Mages (in my mind) will always be a Warlocks worst counter in a WSG because of their ability to CC and snare so well while providing damage, but these days I am seeing fewer and fewer Mages rolling around at 19. A team generally takes Priests, Paladins, and Druids as healers - if they are so busy trying to decurse then they are not healing.



Meanwhile you keep dots up on support classes and the cycle continues. Warlocks are still one of the more powerful classes at 19 in my mind.

 

[Tetox]

i agree that warlocks are once again very good in premades...probably the best offensive cc...when the 100% debuff is up, they are godly...healers dont have time to dispel so they're dots actually begin to be a problem for the whole offense and timely fears can easily get the fc killed



also...dont rule locks out on D, a lock mage combo on D and u practically wouldnt have to heal, a fear on the offensive dispeler and a frost nova = free getaway

 

[Lucris]

Locks on offense aren't bad, but I would rather have them on Defense. That way your putting a little pressure which will eventually kill off a few of their DPS, fear will break their team up.