WoW Forever Warlock Guide (2026): Demons, Banes and Troll Warlock

Warlock is the class that looks most like Classic on the surface and changed most underneath. Two of its curses are now Banes, its stones are imbues, its pets scale from you, and Demonology has a talent that lets the Voidwalker hold threat for a small group. Trolls can be Warlocks for the first time. This guide covers the changes, the three specs, Voidwalker tanking, races, every demon and mount quest, leveling, groups, talents, gear, PvP and the tuning that lands on 10 November. Facts are from Blizzard's Rogue & Warlock class deep dive (7 Oct) and the dev notes and hotfixes up to 6 November, checked 8 November 2026.

What changed for Warlock in Forever

Blizzard describes the Warlock as physically weak and dependent on its demons, and the changes lean into that: the pet matters more, the curse slot is cleaner and the class's resources are less awkward.

Pet abilities still come from Grimoires. Blizzard also confirmed that crowd control — Banish and Fear among it — "continues to have a place" in Forever dungeons, which keeps the Warlock's control useful in every group.

Affliction, Demonology and Destruction

Wowhead's early DPS prediction for level 60 (3 Nov, "all specs can clear all content") lists Demonology and Destruction in S and Affliction in A — before the 10 November Affliction change, so expect that to move.

Voidwalker tanking with Demonic Brand

There is no Warlock tank spec. What Forever adds is a Demonology talent, Demonic Brand, that makes tank pets like the Voidwalker generate extra threat. The 8 October notes narrowed it: the high threat applies only to Shadow damage, so don't expect it to behave like a tank stance. Durability has been the problem since:

1. 3 Nov · dev notesPet health from Stamina cutPets get 2 health per point of the Warlock's Stamina, down from 7.5.
2. 6 Nov · hotfixVoidwalker base health raisedAbout +40 base health.
3. 6 Nov · tuning post"Not as durable as tanks as we would like"A Voidwalker fix is scheduled with the class tuning.
4. 10 Nov 2026Voidwalker tuning landsCheck the current notes before you plan a dungeon around it.

Our read: the Voidwalker is a solo and small-group tank, like the Hunter's pet. No source rates it as a dungeon main tank, Wowhead's tank prediction doesn't mention Warlocks at all, and the real tank specs are in our tank guide.

Races: Troll Warlock and the rest

Troll Warlock is one of Forever's six new race and class combinations. Horde Warlocks can be Orc, Undead or Troll; Alliance Warlocks Human or Gnome. Racials at their 3 November values:

Every race has two active and two passive racials; the full list is in the races and classes guide.

Demon and mount quests by level

Warcraft Wiki's Forever ability list (edited 19 October) has every demon and both mounts behind a quest. Warcraft Tavern's riding guide confirms Warlocks get their mounts through class quests; the wiki's entry for the Felsteed is a quest item cell that is a little ambiguous, so check with your trainer at 40.

1. 1
   Imp

   Your first demon — no quest needed

2. 10
   Voidwalker

   The Binding — the tank pet

3. 20
   Succubus or Incubus

   Both are available

4. 30
   Felhunter

   Felhunter quest

5. 40
   Felsteed

   Summon Felsteed — listed as a quest reward

6. 50
   Inferno

   Kroshius' Infernal Core

7. 60
   Ritual of Doom

   Suppression

8. 60
   Dreadsteed

   Dreadsteed of Xoroth

Leveling a Warlock

No reputable site has published a Forever Warlock leveling guide yet, so here is what the changes mean in practice. Pets scale from you, so Stamina is pet health. Life Tap scales with Spirit, so Spirit is mana. And with the Voidwalker at 10 you have a tank from the start of the talent game.

1. 1–10: Imp and a Bane.

   Corruption and Bane of Agony are the low-level damage over time; Agony is a Bane now, not a curse.

2. 10: The Binding.

   Get the Voidwalker as soon as the quest opens and keep it out while questing.

3. 20–30: Succubus or Incubus, then Felhunter.

   Both the Succubus and the Incubus are available at 20, and the Felhunter quest follows at 30.

4. 40: Felsteed and dual spec.

   The mount quest and a second spec for groups — Demonology with Demonic Brand is the obvious pair.

5. 10 November: re-check.

   Affliction and the Voidwalker change mid-leveling for most players; reread your build after the patch.

The zone route is in the Forever leveling guide.

Dungeons and raids

Forever has no automatic dungeon finder and no summoning stones, per Warcraft Tavern's BlizzCon report, so the Warlock's ritual saves groups real time. On 9 December 2026 Barrow Deeps (10 players), Hyjal Summit (20) and Onyxia's Lair (40) open. Like every DPS, respect threat: Blessing of Salvation was removed, and tanks were given much higher threat bonuses instead. Compare the casters in the ranged DPS guide.

Talent highlights

Blizzard's post names these talents but not all their tiers or numbers, so build with Wowhead's launch talent calculator and read the talents guide for dual spec and respec costs.

Gear and stats

The ranking is ours, from the sourced mechanics: hit is one stat, caster weapons grant spell damage, Life Tap scales with Spirit and pets scale from you. Firestone and Spellstone are now weapon imbues rather than items you hold. Blizzard's PvP post promises one blue and one epic Honor set per class, and the new 60 dungeons — Blackmaw Hold and Shaper's Terrace — sit beside the classic ones for pre-raid gear.

PvP notes

The only PvP data so far is the beta tournament Wowhead covered (about 27 October): Warlocks won 79% of their matches, and the winner and runner-up both played Warlock. Warriors won 27% and Mages 25%. It was the beta, before the pet-health cut and the 10 November tuning, and a small tournament — but it is the best signal so far. The rank ladder and Honor sets are in the PvP ranks guide.

Professions

Wowhead's user-submitted pairings guide (20 Oct) suggests Tailoring and Enchanting, or Herbalism and Alchemy for raid preparation. Crafting skill also counts toward Legacy Challenges at 150, 225 and 300. More in the professions guide.

Common Warlock mistakes in Forever