Warlock Farming Build for Vanilla WoW: Demonology Soul Link Drain Tank Talents for Solo Gold

The safest way for a warlock to farm alone is to share the damage with the pet. Soul Link sends part of every hit you take to your demon, Master Demonologist makes the Voidwalker or Felhunter even tougher, and Demonic Embrace gives you a deep health pool to Life Tap from. With Corruption and Curse of Agony ticking on several mobs and Drain Life keeping you up, a Soul Link warlock can hold two or three mobs at once and outlast them all. This warlock farming build covers the talents, stats, the multi-mob loop and the camps where it pays, for a level 60 warlock on a vanilla-era realm such as WoW Forever.

Who this build is for

It suits warlocks who want to farm for hours with very few deaths. Soul Link makes you hard to burst down, the pet holds most of the camp, and your damage-over-time spells keep working while you drain, fear or reposition. It handles humanoid camps, slow elementals and caster groups well, and it forgives a patrol walking into a fight.

What it gives up is burst and big area damage. Kills come from damage over time, so each mob takes a while, and Rain of Fire or Hellfire cost a lot of mana or health. If the pet dies, or you use Demonic Sacrifice, Soul Link goes with it, so pet health becomes part of your own. Soul Shard upkeep also takes a little time and bag space.

Talents

The order below reaches Soul Link at 40, then adds the Affliction damage-over-time talents.

• Soul Link. Part of the damage you take goes to your demon instead, and both of you deal a little more damage; it is the core of the build.
• Master Demonologist. Gives you a bonus based on the active pet; with the Voidwalker you take less physical damage, with the Felhunter you gain resistances against casters.
• Demonic Embrace. A large Stamina bonus that deepens your health pool, which Soul Link, Life Tap and Drain Life all make use of.
• Nightfall. Corruption and Drain Life can give you an instant Shadow Bolt, which speeds up kills that would otherwise be slow.

Stats and gear

Stamina is first. It feeds Life Tap, it keeps you standing when three mobs hit at once, and Demonic Embrace multiplies it. Shadow damage comes second because every Corruption, Curse of Agony and Drain Life tick scales with it, and the healing from Drain Life grows too. Intellect keeps the mana pool deep enough for long fights, and Spirit matters least, since Demonic Embrace reduces it and Life Tap covers most mana needs.

Wear cloth with Stamina and shadow or spell damage; many dungeon and crafted pieces at 60 combine both. A staff or a one-hand weapon with an off-hand item both work, so pick whichever gives more Stamina and spell damage. Keep a good wand for finishing low-health mobs without mana.

How to play it

Each pull follows a loop of pet, curses and drains.

1. Summon the Voidwalker for melee camps or the Felhunter for caster camps, keep Demon Armor up, and make sure Soul Link is active.
2. Pull two or three mobs and apply Corruption and Curse of Agony to each one.
3. Let the pet take the group with Torment and Suffering on the Voidwalker, or keep the Felhunter on the casters.
4. Channel Drain Life on the mob hitting you, and cast Shadow Bolt at once whenever Nightfall triggers.
5. Use Health Funnel when the pet drops low, and Life Tap when your mana is low and your health is high.
6. Finish the last mob with Drain Soul when you need shards, then loot, recover with Life Tap and Consume Shadows, and pull again.

Where to farm

In the fifties, the Dark Iron dwarves of Burning Steppes come in groups that a Soul Link warlock handles well, and the Burning Steppes Dark Iron farming guide lists the camps. At 60, the Twilight cultists in Silithus are a classic warlock farm for cloth, coin and Twilight Texts, covered in the Silithus farming route.

The furbolg camps in the Winterspring farming route suit the multi-mob loop and give Runecloth and Timbermaw reputation. For a wider view of what pays at 60, see the best gold farms at level 60, ranked.

Running it with ForeverBot

In the Farming section, walk the camp once with Record loop to save the Route, and add the mobs you want with + Current target, so the Targets list holds only that camp. Tick Auto loot, Sell gray items and Go to a vendor when bags are full, and keep space for Soul Shards. In the Leveling section, set Eat below HP fairly high, roughly 45–55%, because Life Tap spends health, and Drink below mana low, around 20–30%.

The curses, drains, Fear and pet control are yours. Watch your pet's health as closely as your own, because losing it ends Soul Link. In Settings, set Route mode to safest, and track Kills, Gold and Gold/hour in the Current status panel to compare camps. Automation breaks the rules of many realms; check yours before you run any bot.

FAQ

Why Demonology for farming instead of Affliction?

Soul Link. Deep Affliction kills a little faster, but a Soul Link warlock takes much less damage and can safely hold more mobs at once, which matters more over a long session. Fewer deaths and fewer rests usually mean more gold per hour. The 20 Affliction points still give instant Corruption and Nightfall, so damage stays reasonable.

Voidwalker or Felhunter for farming?

The Voidwalker for camps of melee mobs: it holds threat on several targets and, with Master Demonologist, cuts the physical damage you take. The Felhunter for caster camps: it interrupts spells, dispels harmful effects and gives you extra resistances. Many warlocks switch between the two depending on the camp, so keep spare Soul Shards for the summon.

Can I level with this build?

Yes, from level 40, when Soul Link arrives. Before that, the Demonology points give a tougher pet but less damage than Affliction, so leveling is slower. Many warlocks level with the Affliction build and respec into this one at 60 for farming. If you prefer safety over speed, this build levels comfortably through the forties and fifties.