SM/Ruin in PvP (Need help)

[Klanlock]

So, tips on how to work with this spec in PvP? It's the spec I've gotten used to and very much enjoy playing, and I've heard good things about it for both PvP and PvE aspects. However, I could use a bit of help on figuring it out as far as PvP goes. I'm alright at PvP, but I have a feeling I might be doing shit a bit wrong or that there's a better way of playing SM/Ruin.

How do I survive better, and overall just be a better player at this spec? Do I cast CoS all the time in PvP or only against certain players? If so, which do I cast CoA at? Should I ever cast fire spells such as Immolate or Searing Pain? Thanks.

[Sethzer]

So, tips on how to work with this spec in PvP? It's the spec I've gotten used to and very much enjoy playing, and I've heard good things about it for both PvP and PvE aspects. However, I could use a bit of help on figuring it out as far as PvP goes. I'm alright at PvP, but I have a feeling I might be doing shit a bit wrong or that there's a better way of playing SM/Ruin.

How do I survive better, and overall just be a better player at this spec? Do I cast CoS all the time in PvP or only against certain players? If so, which do I cast CoA at? Should I ever cast fire spells such as Immolate or Searing Pain? Thanks.

SM/Ruin is more of a full-offensive PvP spec for us warlocks, but it's also more team-focused than solo 1v1 or duo 2v2. You have very little defensive tools available aside from usage of pets. Melee will have an easier time against you unless you have gear enough to drain enough of the damage you will take. IMO you should be able to dot up as much as you can if you know you won't be interrupted, especially against melee whom are at a distance. Succubus helps the most against melee while Felhunter is king against casters in most situations.
I personally rarely use CoS in PvP aside from running with succubus or planning to use rocket helm. CoA mainly against melee if no succubus and then CoT against casters/shamans/paladins/healers.
Let's say you are in AB and are part of a mass-fight at the Blacksmith node. Here you should toss out curses on the enemy team, especially healers. Then make sure you have a target feared if possible. See if anyone are calling targets, else focus on crowd control. If you are alliance then also help out on stomping totems with your wand.
If you see someone over-extend from the enemy team (like warriors charging too far into your team so they are too far from their healers) then punish them for doing it by dotting them up and line up a shadowbolt/shadowburn combo for max burst and hope that you get some nightfall procs.

Fear is key to success (despite it being kinda broken here with it breaking more rarely than intended) so use it as much as you can (if timing is right, like warriors outside zerker stance and against undead players if alliance and if you know that their WotF racial is on cooldown. There are addons out there that shows you when your enemies are using abilities and some even list their cooldowns on a timer bar).

Immolate/Searing Pain are both good to use, so that if you get interrupted then you won't be locked from using your shadow spells (unless silenced).

If you have engineering then you will get enough tools to control your enemies (grenades, rocket helm, net-o-matic trinket, rocket boots etc.). If not, then you should really think of getting it if you are really into getting more tools for your own good in PvP.

It's also important to not waste cooldowns randomly, especially in situations where you might panic. Try to think ahead of what your enemy might do and adapt to it so you are more prepared.

Last thing is the ability to fake-cast. Don't overdo it since you will lost valuable time to deal damage if you try to fake-cast too much, but try to bait an interrupt from your enemies so you can freely cast and drain afterwards if they fall for it.

These are just some standard tips. There are certainly more ways to improve (I'm not a "master of warlock PvP") but it also depends on the way you approach the class and spec. People have different playstyles so they adapt differently.

[Thefilth]

Last thing is the ability to fake-cast.

If you're being attacked by a hunter, rogue or warrior, remember to take into account that the cast pushback from their fast attacks will make your cast take many seconds longer to complete.

Fakecast against mages for sure though.

[Setup]

Hold your deathcoil to be used on warrior/rogue only.

Take immolate off your bar, searing pain is higher DPS and can't be dispelled.

In lower gear levels, your playstyle will need COA/corruption.

As you get higher up, SM ruin locks can stop using DOTs because their shadowbolts 1-2 shot people.

Bind all your felpup actions. Felpup is much better than succubus, which is only useful for the rogues/wars you can handle with deathcoil.

Positioning is 80% of the skill of the class.

Get used to the fact that at higher gear levels, rogues will always eat you. Compensate with thousands of gold to be spent on living action potions.

Over the thousands of hours I played a 60 warlock on feenix, SM/Ruin was always my favorite spec. But you don't want to use it in pve until we get 16 debuff slots, since like 15% of the damage of that spec is from corruption.

[waddafak]

what about the skill's level to use? do u use max lvl skills or there are some you use with low lvl to waste less mana ( only one I recall to use low lvl is siphon soul at lvl1 just for shard)?

[Cousy]

The only way I'd consider using a succubus is if I was an UD lock but even then Felhunter is better. Bind a macro for targetting yourself to dispel and a macro for dispeling your target (btw, anyone have a macro for mouseover felpuppy dispel?) and a macro for spell lock. I use mouse wheel up for dispel myself and mouse wheel down for dispelling target.

I find Immolate pretty useful as dps and searing pain is highly underrated as a closer / Counterspell target. Smart usage of curses is a must. Curse of Exhaustion is incredibly strong if used correctly (it has a higher range than a warrior charge so using CoE just as it hits it's max range will keep the warrior at bay) although it does have bugs here in that amplify doesn't work with it (still, after 3 months on the tracker, ugh) and I'm unsure improved CoE actually works but I think it does. Curse of Tongues everything all the time, even mages and druids while you're moving to better positioning as it wastes a GCD for them (some mages and druids are really bad and keep it up also) and it's better than reapplying DoTs. In teamfights, make sure to CC everything as much as possible. Spell lock healers, Tongues, fear targets, CoE, corruption anything that isn't going to be sheeped / sapped.

[diogenes]

and I'm unsure improved CoE actually works but I think it does.

Imp CoE? What talent is that? Are you talking about curse of exhaustion? For clarity's sake, the warlock community decided to abbreviate that CoX many many years ago. Not trying to be nitpicky, but its confusing as hell, (not to mention when rogues hijacked the CoS acronym in tbc QQ).

Curse of Tongues everything all the time, even mages and druids while you're moving to better positioning as it wastes a GCD for them (some mages and druids are really bad and keep it up also) and it's better than reapplying DoTs. In teamfights,.

Also, something you didn't mention that is somewhat noteworthy: CoT costs a significant more amount of mana to dispel than it does for us to cast. So never feel like its a waste of time to have a curse/decurse battle with CoT. Additionally, don't be afraid to have rank 1 corruption and CoA If you notice that someone is dispelling/decursing constantly. These spells will keep the dispeller/cleanser/decurser very busy, and waste WAY more mana for them than it will for you.

[durabigael]

1 good advantage of that spec is you can max range dest and aff spell. you can throw all your main spell at 36 instead of 30. Everyone said mostly everything , but someone said
"Get used to the fact that at higher gear levels, rogues will always eat you"

I dont think so. The only class that really giving me hard time is hunter. Their pet is a real nuissance

[Thefilth]

Felpup is much better than succubus, which is only useful for the rogues/wars you can handle with deathcoil.

Speaking of Death Coil, have you noticed how it is practically always resisted in PVP?