castsequence reset=target/combat,4 Curse of Agony, Corruption, Drain Life Here’s a macro you may find useful for low-level drain tanking: Drain-tanking warlocks do not worry when their demon loses aggro, because they can take the damage when it comes their way. Up to this point, warlocks have been squishy casters without any way to heal themselves (aside from First Aid), and their demons serve as tanks who should take and hold aggro. When dealing with multiple mobs, dot them all up before using Drain Life, and don’t hesitate to Fear them away if they are causing too much damage. After you apply your DoTs ( Corruption, Curse of Agony, maybe Immolate) to the target, use Drain Life to keep healing yourself while doing damage. Drain Life takes health away from the target and gives it to you via a bright green channelled spell. As you level, you’ll get better at this so that the only time you have to stop is to loot.Īt level 14 Warlocks gain the spell Drain Life, the first core ability of drain tanking.

Using a combination of high Stamina, Spellpower, and Life Tap, skilled drain tankers can run through a pack of mobs and emerge with full health and full mana, resulting in zero downtime. As long as this is true, warlocks do not need their demons to tank for them. The core idea of drain tanking is that the warlock will heal themselves faster than the mob can damage them. (That said, when the mobs die, they die in very, very convenient heaps.) It’s mana-intensive, it doesn’t replenish any of your resources, and it requires a lot of movement before damage is inflicted and the mobs die. While Destro AoE grinding is a fun, quick way to kill a lot of mobs and leave them in convenient loot piles, it does suffer from several flaws. So much movement! So much jumping and flying and BAM BAM BAMing! So much damage taken! So much like a mage! Wait until you see how an Afflock handles that situation! Remember my post on Destruction Warlock AoE Grinding? Well, if you play an Affliction warlock, you probably looked at that with a bit of amusement and, quite probably, inter-class derision. When done properly, drain tanking allows affliction warlocks to enter a Kali-state, or God(dess) of Death Mode, where they slaughter mobs without ever stopping. Drain tanking is a technique used by Affliction warlocks that allows them to dispatch mobs without taking very much damage at all.

Tanking guide + battle for azeroth