Warlock pets in Battle for Azeroth offer players a distinct blend of burst damage, survivability, and flexible utility. This guide walks through current specs, tuning changes, and practical choices for both PvE and Mythic+ play.
Understanding how pets scale, when to swap forms, and which talents improve your bond with your demonic companion helps you maximize damage while keeping your warlock alive in demanding encounters.
| Pet Type | Primary Role | Best For | Scaling Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Felhunter | DPS / Utility | Affliction, Demonology | Intellect, Spell Power |
| Felguard | Tank / Survive | Guardian roles, survivability | Strength, Armor |
| Voidwalker | Tank / Control | Legacy DPS, movement-heavy content | Stamina, Health |
| Succubus | DPS / Utility | Sustained damage, interrupt tools | Critical Strike, Versatility |
| Imp | Sustained DPS | Burst windows, mobility | Attack Power, Multistrike |
Affliction Warlock Pet Synergies
Pet Choice and Soul Swap
Affliction warlocks favor pets that sustain DoTs and provide utility through Fear or Silence. Felhunter shines with its Glyph of Felhunter talent, which extends Silence to interrupt channeled spells, while also contributing solid damage. Pairing a Felhunter with Soul Swap ensures your dots remain refreshed on targets even while moving.
Grimoire of Sacrifice and Pet Healing
Grimoire of Sacrifice remains a strong choice because it trades your health for a shield on your pet, increasing uptime in hectic phases. This mechanic works especially well with pets like the Felguard, whose defensive tools let you maintain pressure without worrying about quick burst damage ending your pet early.
Demonology Warlock Pet Mechanics
Mastery: Demonology and Call Felguard
Demonology warlocks use Call Felguard and Call Dreadstalkers to dictate fight pacing. Felguard provides a tauntable shield and the opportunity to cast Touch of Chaos for large burst, while Dreadstalkers offer cleave and on-hit procs that scale with your spell power. The synergy between these summoned allies and your artifact or legendary powers defines your damage peaks.
Empowering Braziers and Pet Survival
Spreading Empowering Braziers ahead of damage phases ensures your pets survive longer in brutal encounters. The aoe nature of Demonology talents means your pets often face concentrated burst, so positioning them behind pillars or using defensive cooldowns at the right moment keeps your damage window intact.
Survival and Utility Options
Guardian and Anti-Cap Tools
Warlock survival tools like Spellstone, Dark Covenant, and the Guardianstone trinket are designed to keep you and your pet alive through lethal damage. Using these on cooldown while your pet is protected by armor buffs from Felguard or the absorb from Voidwalker creates layered defenses that bosses struggle to break through.
PvP Crowd Control and Utility
In arenas and battlegrounds, your pet functions as both damage source and enabler. Fear from Felhunter or Seduction from Succubus can turn the tide of a duel, while the movement speed and damage from Imp or Voidwalker help you secure objectives or escape dangerous lineups.
Pet Management in Mythic+ and Raids
Positioning, Line of Sight, and Swapping
Mythic+ environments reward smart pet positioning. Kiting bosses behind pillars while your Felguard taunts and your Succubus applies interrupts maximizes damage uptime. Swap to Voidwalker in tightly packed trash packs for better survival, then return to your high-damage pet during burn phases.
Cooldown Alignment and Legendary Effects
Aligning cooldowns like Dark Soul: Knowledge with pet damage trinkets leads to huge spike windows. Legendary rings and neck pieces that increase pet damage or your own shadow damage amplify these phases, so track procs and recast shields or heals at optimal moments to keep your damage pet alive and active.
Optimizing Your Warlock Pet Strategy
- Choose Felhunter for Affliction and heavy interrupt needs, Felguard for tank mimicry and burst.
- Sync cooldowns like Dark Soul: Knowledge with pet damage trinkets for maximum windows.
- Use Empowering Braziers and defensive trinkets to keep pets alive through boss phases.
- Adapt pet swaps to dungeon layout, moving between safe spots and high-damage areas.
- Track legendaries and artifact traits that specifically enhance your chosen pet’s role.
FAQ
Reader questions
Which pet should I use for single-target Affliction in BFA?
Felhunter is generally the strongest choice for single-target Affliction thanks to Silence and reliable damage, especially when paired with Glyph of Felhunter and Soul Swap to maintain dot uptime.
How often should I swap pets in Mythic+ dungeons?
Swap to Voidwalker or a tankier option in dense packs or when movement is heavy, then return to your primary damage pet during safe, sustained phases to optimize damage output.
Does Demonology pet damage benefit from haste or mastery?
Haste improves overall damage and reduces cast times for Call Dreadstalkers, while Mastery increases pet damage directly; prioritize whichever stat gives bigger damage spikes for your legendaries and trinkets.
What legendary rings work best with warlock pets in BFA?
Ring of the Falling Tide and Band of the Greatmother both provide strong pet damage or survivability bonuses that translate into higher damage and better uptime for your minions.