Warlocks and Priests on PVE

Hi all! I am a considerably new player around here and I'd like to hear some comments comparing, pointing differences or (dis)advantages of SPriests vs Warlocks on PVE only (I'm still very very bad on PVP). Even though I suck, I don't like playing classes with very repetitive rotations, so I think these two could fit me well (correct me if I'm wrong please). I know Priests have the bonus of maybe re-specing into healing, but as I mentioned, I'm still very bad at the game, and a DPS character would suit my playstyle better. If you also think healing as priests is very easy to learn, I'd love to hear about it. Anyway, sorry for the newbie/repetitive post, hope you all have great time playing ^_^

Both off these classes have set rotations, with a small added bonuses for a warlock when he has his proccs. If you want to play a class without a "SET" rotation, but with "priority spells" you should consider playing ret paladin.

Warlock!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bloou

Hi all! I am a considerably new player around here and I'd like to hear some comments comparing, pointing differences or (dis)advantages of SPriests vs Warlocks on PVE only

Warlocks:
- As Affliction, somewhat better single target DPS than Spriests. Both Demonology and Affliction are built to do significantly more damage when the boss is at low health. This is something that could be useful on fights like Anub'arak or Sindragosa.
- As Demo, very powerful burst AoE (every 2 mins)
- As Affliction, very powerful multi-target DPS (multi-target meaning multiple enemies that aren't necessarily stacked close enough to each other that you could simply AoE them)
- As Demo, you bring a very powerful raid-wide spellpower buff. Most raids will try and have at least 1 Demo Warlock for that reason. Both specs also bring Curse of Elements and +5% spell crit vulnerability on enemy targets, which can be a useful thing for you to provide in 10 mans and such.
- As Affliction, you have pretty powerful passive self-healing. As Demo, you don't have nearly as much passive self-healing, but you have passive damage reduction effects that make you VERY durable in comparison to most other DPS specs (you get 20% less damage taken via Soul Like, and another 5% via Master Demonologist from having your Felguard out).
- Warlocks have great utility in general. You have your Demonic Teleport thingy which is amazing on Lich King, as well as things like Soulstone and Shadow Ward, which are likewise particularly great on that encounter. In a pinch, you can also self-heal with Death Coil/Drain Life.

Spriests:
- Much better sustained AoE damage.
- Very powerful multi-target damage as well.
- Decent single-target damage, and your single-target DPS is very consistent with no major fluctuations at any point apart from factors external to the spec like trinket procs and Bloodlust.
- You're also one of the most durable specs in the game. Not only are you always taking 15% less damage from all sources because of Shadowform, but your constant self-healing is also pretty insane. On top of all that you also have Dispersion which reduces all damage taken by 90% for a short period. These all make Spriests very forgiving to play in raids where you're new and therefore likely to mess up certain tactics.
- Outstanding utility, in the form of a passive party-wide heal, and raid cooldowns like Divine Hymn and Hymn of Hope. As a hybrid spec, you're also able to help the raid out with healing if it's needed even outside of your Divine Hymn.
- Able to provide the 3% hit debuff, Replenishment, and priest buffs, which could be helpful in 10 mans where you might be the only person able to provide said buffs.
- Your primary filler spell is Mind Flay, which is a channel rather than a nuke. Mind Flay's channeling mechanic might be a bit unintuitive. It can take a while before you're used enough to the spec that you don't clip the ability wrongly anymore.

These are what occur to me off the top of my head.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bloou

If you also think healing as priests is very easy to learn, I'd love to hear about it.

I think healing in general involves a much harsher learning curve than DPSing. You have to learn to incorporate the use of suitable addons and/or mouseover macros so you're able to deliver your healing more effectively than you'd be able to otherwise, and you also have to set up those addons and configure your UI such that you're tracking the appropriate buffs or debuffs (for instance you'll want to track debuffs that need dispelling, as well as certain buffs like your Shields and HoTs, raid members' personal cooldowns and the like). You also have to have a pretty intimate knowledge of your encounters, so you're better able to anticipate damage and take the necessary pre-emptive measures. To some extent all of this applies to DPS specs too, but it's usually more punishing to raids to have a healer mess up than it is to have a DPS mess up.

Wow, that was awesome, thank you so much for taking the time to write all of that! I'm thinking I'll stick with the Priest for the moment and maybe when I'm more comfortable I'll start healing!

You bought a really interesting point. The idea of "priority spells" really interests me, but from what I've heard, the server is already overpopulated with Rets (or most of Paladin are Prot/Holy?). I was thinking of Priest or Warlock because the thing I want the most is feeling "rewarded" (either by very good DPS or saving/buffing allies) for playing well and pulling a good rotation, and I've heard these classes could do that. You think Ret would be good for that?