Warlock Leveling Guide

INTRODUCTION
Stop asking what the best spec for leveling is. AFFLICTION is the best grinding spec at least up to 56. Affliction is taken at these levels because it has the strongest early and later talents for providing solo DPS.

Demonology suffers because it obtains very little solo DPS talents until level the later levels, but even then it lacks versatility until Felguard gets all of his skills and you have more space for talents (ie around 60). Destruction suffers from poor management of mana and health.

Keep this in mind: Demonology and Destruction are VIABLE leveling talent builds, BUT they are LESS EFFICIENT than Affliction if you plan on soloing. Boredom causes you to check your myspace instead of leveling up your Warlock. If Affliction causes you to be bored to tears, you can try out Demonology or Destruction for grinding.


SPEC
A build like THIS is your immediate goal to 50:

http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=IAMrVMrkVtbo

Here is the order which you will place points if you want to level EFFICIENTLY.

5/5 Imp Corruption
2/2 Improved Drain Soul
2/2 Soul Siphon
1/2 Improved Life Tap
5/5 Fel Concentration
2/2 Nightfall
2/2 Grim Reach
2/2 Improved Life Tap
1/1 Siphon Life
1/5 Shadow Embrace (only 1 point; for Soul Siphon)
3/5 Suppression
5/5 Shadow Mastery
1/1 Dark Pact
5/5 Contagion
2/2 Improved Howl of Terror
2/3 Empowered Corruption
1/1 Unstable Affliction

After that point, it doesn't really matter where you put them. I recommend going for Bane asap to maximize instance DPS. You can also choose to get Demonic Embrace if you're paranoid, but it's better to increase DPS. Finishing up Emp Corruption helps, and Improved Curse of Agony if you refuse to move outside of Affliction.

Get lots of +shadow gear, but don't completely neglect your stamina stat. SPIRIT is WORTHLESS. Intellect is NOT VERY GOOD. Just mass +dmg and +sta.


PROCESS
For most of your Warlock's career after ~30 or 40, your Warlock will be leveling through a method called DRAIN TANKING.

HERE IS HOW YOU DRAIN TANK:
Use Succubus with all auto-casts off or Imp with Fire Bolt turned off. Imp if you have +dmg; Succubus if you have practically none, OR if you're on a PvP server grinding in a terrible place like STV.

-Locate mob
-Start Immolate/UA/Shadow Bolt, generally you'll only have time for one
-Apply instant DoT's
-Drain Life until mob is dead, using Nightfall Shadow Bolt procs as they occur
-Mash Dark Pact as you confront your next mob

This is for single mob grinding. For multiple mobs, you will be applying your instant DoT's to all of them, and you will kite them by running. MAKE SURE YOU KEEP APPLYING DOTS ONCE IN A WHILE, OR THEY WILL DEAGRO. When they get close, Howl of Terror if you're in a safe area.


Multi-mob DoTing
Simple. Open up on one mob with 4 DoTs, then start running around DoTing more mobs up, with Siphon Life first for the health regeneration. Try to pull them away from where they'll call for help. When all of the mobs round up to your position, you can either wait for them to die or go for a Howl of Terror to keep them off of you. Drain Life if your health goes low, try to use Dark Pact over Life Tap.


AFTER 60
You can either spec Felguard or stay Affliction. Try it out and spec accordingly to playstyle.