Demonology Warlock Guide 12.1.5: Talents, Rotation, BiS and Tier Set

Diabolist is the Demonology hero tree for Mythic+, raid cleave, PvP and most raid single target in patch 12.1.5, The Promise of Tomorrow, live October 13, 2026. Soul Harvester survives only on pure single target raid bosses, where Icy Veins clocks it about 3 percent ahead and Method still says no. The 12.1.5 notes contain zero Warlock changes, so Season 2 talents, the tier set and the rotation carry over untouched. Stack item level, keep Crit and Haste close, finish the 4-piece, and feed your first 10 Ascendant Venomstones to the weapon.

This Demonology Warlock 12.1.5 guide splits everything per hero tree: builds, rotation, stats, tier value, BiS and Venomstone order. Pick a tree, read its half, ignore the other. You will still blame the imps, but at least with data.

What 12.1.5 Changes for Demonology

Nothing inside the class. Demon Hunters, Druids and half the roster got poked, Warlocks got silence. Everything that matters to you is new content and new gear levers.

• The Unbinding of Kith’ix is a single boss raid against a C’Thraxxi general, with Lady Liadrin fighting beside you in Story, LFR, Normal, Heroic and Mythic.
• Mythic Kith’ix takes a flexible group of 15 to 25 players, and its loot was cut on the PTR from item level 344 down to 324.
• The Labyrinth of Kindo’jan is a nine chamber mega dungeon run with Valeera Sanguinar, and its weekly quest chain hands out two Myth armor pieces of your choice.
• Aqir Invasions hit Eversong Woods or Zul’Aman for ten minutes every hour, with six scenario types and eight affixes.
• Ascendant Venomstones raise fully upgraded Season 2 weapons, trinkets and necklaces past the normal cap.
• Orin Straylight offers one extra Nebulous Voidcore per week from the week of October 6 for gold, Voidlight Marl or Veteran Mistcrests.
• The weekly Mistcrest cap is lifted the week of October 20.

Kith’ix difficulty	Item level	Track
Raid Finder	285	Veteran 3/6
Normal	298	Champion 3/6
Heroic	311	Hero 3/6
Mythic	324	Myth 3/6

The Two Hero Trees

The Diabolist vs Soul Harvester argument has one honest answer for most players: Diabolist. Every one of the top 50 Demonology Mythic+ players on Murlok runs it, Method and Kalamazi recommend it for raid too, and only Icy Veins gives Soul Harvester the pure single target crown.

Tree	What it does	Play it for
Diabolist	Shard spending feeds Diabolic Ritual, which ends in Demonic Art: your next Hand of Gul’dan summons an Overlord, Mother of Chaos or Pit Lord.	Mythic+, raid cleave, raid single target (Method, Kalamazi), PvP
Soul Harvester	Shards carry a Succulent Soul that detonates for Shadow AoE through Demonic Soul, and your Tyrant refills shards with souls.	Pure single target raid bosses (Icy Veins), Delves

Diabolist

Diabolic Ritual starts when you spend a Soul Shard on a damaging spell and lasts 20 seconds, losing 1 second per shard spent. When it expires, Demonic Art empowers your next Hand of Gul’dan into an Overlord, Mother of Chaos or Pit Lord. The Pit Lord grants Ruination and the Mother of Chaos grants Infernal Bolt, so you track which demon is next and line it up with adds or burn phases.

Abyssal Dominion makes Summon Demonic Tyrant deal 70 percent more damage and buffs all demons by 20 percent while it is up. Infernal Machine cuts an extra second off Diabolic Ritual for every shard spent during Tyrant, so Demonic Art summons land inside the window. The result is deterministic burst stacked on the Tyrant minute, which is exactly what Mythic+ and cleave fights want.

Soul Harvester

Demonic Soul marks generated shards with a Succulent Soul, and consuming one deals Shadow damage to every enemy within 10 yards of the target, reduced past 8 targets. Shadow of Death makes Summon Demonic Tyrant grant 3 Soul Shards, each holding a Succulent Soul. Wicked Reaping raises Demonic Soul damage by 30 percent and makes every consumed Demonic Core fire an extra Shadow hit.

Quietus speeds up and strengthens Soul Anathema, and Manifested Avarice gives each consumed Succulent Soul a growing chance to unleash the Demonic Soul for 9 seconds. Blizzard nerfed these nodes four times since launch, which is why the tree only wins on long single target fights where its steady proc damage has time to add up.

Diabolist Talents: Raid, Mythic+ and PvP

The Demonology talents 12.1.5 builds below are the Season 2 builds, because nothing moved. Class tree core for Diabolist: Burning Rush, Demonic Circle, Dark Pact, Soul Link, Soulburn and Pact of Gluttony. Spec core: Summon Demonic Tyrant, Reign of Tyranny, Grimoire: Imp Lord and the apex Dominion of Argus, which opens a portal on Tyrant so every second Hand of Gul’dan summons a subjugated demon.

Diabolist raid single target

Import string from Method: CoQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAwMzMzoZjxmZGzyAAAAAAAAGzYYBGYb0GNsYwMLzyMzMmBAmhZmZmZAGzYMbAAgZmZmZGzwyMGwA

• Reign of Tyranny is mandatory here because it lets Tyrant extend your Dreadstalkers.
• Abyssal Dominion and Infernal Machine are the reason the tree exists, so never skip them.
• Summon Doomguard costs 1 shard on a 2 minute cooldown and loses 3 seconds of cooldown per Demonic Core you consume.
• Infernal Vitality or Infernal Bulwark is your defensive choice node, and Bulwark is the safer pick on heavy damage bosses.

Diabolist raid cleave and Mythic+

Import string from Method: CoQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAwMzMzoZjxmZGzyAAAAAAAAGzYYBGYb0GNsYYmZZ2mZmxMAwMMmZmZAGzYMbAAgZmZmZGzwyMGwA

The Demonology Mythic+ build 12.1.5 that top keys actually run (Murlok, 50 of 50 players rated 3822 to 4090) always includes Implosion, Dreadlash, To Hell and Back, Antoran Armaments, Reign of Tyranny, Grimoire: Imp Lord, Inner Demons and Dominion of Argus. Half of them take Mark of Shatug, which swaps your Vilefiend for Summon Gloomhound.

Situation	Take	Drop
Stacked packs	Implosion, Dreadlash, To Hell and Back, Antoran Armaments	Single target fillers
Pure key pushing	Grimoire: Imp Lord for Singe Magic	Doom and Summon Doomguard (0 of 50 top players use them)
Interrupt short group	Grimoire: Fel Ravager for Spell Lock	Grimoire: Imp Lord
Raid cleave	Doom and Summon Doomguard (Method)	Mark of Shatug if adds die fast
Fear heavy pulls	Annihilan’s Bellow for a 25 second Howl of Terror	Soul-Etched Circles

Diabolist PvP

Demonology Warlock PvP Midnight ladders belong to Diabolist: 43 of the top 50 Solo Shuffle Demos and 35 of the top 49 in 3v3 run it. Annihilan’s Bellow turns Howl of Terror into a 25 second cooldown, and the deterministic Tyrant burst makes kill windows predictable for you and your healer.

• Impish Instincts, Soul Rip and Gateway Mastery are the default PvP talents.
• Nether Ward replaces Gateway Mastery against heavy casters.
• Call Fel Lord comes in against melee cleave.
• Bonds of Fel got 100 percent more damage and a 12 yard radius in 12.1, so it is viable in rated battlegrounds.
• Class tree picks are Soul Link, Frequent Donor, Abyss Walker, Frequent Traveler, Demonic Calling, Mortal Coil and Shadowfury.
• Burst by banking 4 shards, then chaining Call Dreadstalkers, Grimoire: Imp Lord, Tyrant and Hand of Gul’dan spam.

Soul Harvester Talents: Raid, Mythic+ and PvP

Class tree core for Soul Harvester: Burning Rush, Demonic Circle, Dark Pact, Soul Link, Soulburn and Pact of Gluttony. Spec core: Summon Demonic Tyrant, Reign of Tyranny, Grimoire: Imp Lord and the apex Dominion of Argus, which opens a portal on Tyrant so every second Hand of Gul’dan summons a subjugated demon. Hero utility is Gorebound Fortitude for stronger Healthstones, Friends In Dark Places for a 50 percent bigger Dark Pact, and Gorefiend’s Resolve for a better Soulstone.

Soul Harvester raid single target

Import string from Method: CoQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAwMzMzoZjxmZGzyAAAAAAAMWWGYADYGWCZsZwMLzyMzMmBAmhZmZAmZGzYMbAAgZmZmZGzwyMGwA

• This build lives on Demonic Core generation, because every consumed core fires Wicked Reaping and feeds Quietus.
• Doom and Summon Doomguard both go in, and every core you spend shaves 3 seconds off the Doomguard cooldown.
• Reign of Tyranny stays in to extend Dreadstalkers under Tyrant.
• The hound slot is a swap: Mark of Shatug gives Summon Gloomhound, which got 35 percent more damage in 12.1.

Soul Harvester Mythic+ and raid cleave

Import string from Method: CoQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAwMzMzoZjxmZGzyAAAAAAAMWWGYADYGWCZsZYmZZ2mZmxMAwMMmZAmZGzYMbAAgZmZmZGzwyMGwA

Method calls its stacked five target cleave strong, built on Dreadlash, Implosion and Summon Doomguard. The ladder disagrees: only 6 Soul Harvester Demos show up on Murlok’s Mythic+ list, the best at 3539. Play it in keys if you enjoy explaining yourself.

Situation	Take	Drop
Stacked packs	Implosion, Dreadlash, Summon Doomguard	Single target hound swap
Self dispel needed	Grimoire: Imp Lord for Singe Magic	Grimoire: Fel Ravager
Interrupt short group	Grimoire: Fel Ravager for Spell Lock	Grimoire: Imp Lord
Long single target boss	Doom and Mark of Shatug	Implosion if imps rarely stack

Soul Harvester PvP

Icy Veins builds its PvP page around Soul Harvester, but only 7 of the top 50 Shuffle Demos agree. Run the same PvP talents as any Demo: Impish Instincts, Soul Rip and Gateway Mastery, with Nether Ward against casters and Call Fel Lord against melee cleave. Class tree picks stay Soul Link, Frequent Donor, Abyss Walker, Frequent Traveler, Demonic Calling, Mortal Coil and Shadowfury. Wicked Reaping was cut by 50 percent in PvP in August, which explains the empty ladder.

Diabolist Rotation

The Demo Lock rotation Midnight loop is generator into spender: Shadow Bolt and Demonbolt build Soul Shards, Hand of Gul’dan and Call Dreadstalkers spend them, and everything bends around the one minute Tyrant. Diabolist pools to 5 shards before Tyrant because the whole tree pays out inside that window.

Diabolist opener

1. Pre-cast Power Siphon about 5 seconds before the pull if you run Inner Demons, otherwise pre-cast Demonbolt.
2. Pre-cast Shadow Bolt so it lands on the pull.
3. Cast Call Dreadstalkers.
4. Cast Summon Doomguard if talented.
5. Cast Grimoire: Imp Lord or Grimoire: Fel Ravager.
6. Build to 5 shards with Shadow Bolt.
7. Cast Summon Demonic Tyrant together with trinkets and potion.
8. Spend every 3 shards on Hand of Gul’dan while the Dominion of Argus portal is open.
9. Cast Implosion at 6 imps while holding 1 Demonic Core or fewer.
10. Fill with Demonbolt on cores and Shadow Bolt when shards run dry.

Diabolist single target priority

1. Cast Power Siphon or Implosion when imps are ready, unless you already hold 3 cores.
2. Cast Call Dreadstalkers on cooldown, holding only a few seconds for Tyrant with Reign of Tyranny.
3. Cast Hand of Gul’dan at 3 or more shards, and Ruination whenever the Pit Lord grants it.
4. Cast your Grimoire on cooldown.
5. Cast Summon Demonic Tyrant with 2 to 3 cores and 4 to 5 shards banked.
6. Cast Summon Doomguard on cooldown.
7. Cast Demonbolt with a core, instantly when you sit at 4 cores.
8. Cast Infernal Bolt from the Mother of Chaos, then Shadow Bolt as filler.

Diabolist AoE

• Implosion at 6 or more imps comes first, and To Hell and Back turns every 2 sacrificed imps into a cleaving Imp Gang Boss.
• Summon Doomguard fires Doom Bolt Volley at up to 5 targets.
• Doom goes out with instant Demonbolts on targets that lack it, ideally through a mouseover macro.
• Every Hand of Gul’dan inside the Tyrant window matters, because every second cast through the Dominion of Argus portal summons another demon.
• Tyrant stays on cooldown for packs that die in under 20 seconds, since the window outlives them.

Diabolist cooldown windows and what not to clip

• Enter Tyrant with 4 to 5 shards and 2 to 3 cores, because Infernal Machine pulls Demonic Art summons into the window only if you have shards to burn.
• Never overcap Soul Shards at 5 or Demonic Cores at 4.
• Never sit on Call Dreadstalkers without Reign of Tyranny talented.
• Keep 1 core spare for movement or a Doom refresh.
• Plan around where the next Tyrant lands, not the current pack.

Soul Harvester Rotation

Soul Harvester runs the same generator into spender loop: Shadow Bolt and Demonbolt build Soul Shards, Hand of Gul’dan and Call Dreadstalkers spend them, and the one minute Tyrant is the anchor. The difference is shard math: Shadow of Death gives you 3 souled shards on Tyrant, so you enter it low instead of capped.

Soul Harvester opener

1. Pre-cast Power Siphon about 5 seconds before the pull with 2 imps out.
2. Pre-cast Shadow Bolt so it lands on the pull.
3. Cast Grimoire: Imp Lord.
4. Cast Call Dreadstalkers.
5. Cast Summon Doomguard if talented.
6. Cast Summon Demonic Tyrant at around 2 shards together with trinkets and potion.
7. Alternate Hand of Gul’dan and Demonbolt, building to 3 shards and spending until the Dominion of Argus portal closes.

Soul Harvester single target priority

1. Cast Power Siphon or Implosion when imps are ready, unless you already hold 3 cores.
2. Cast Call Dreadstalkers on cooldown, holding only a few seconds for Tyrant with Reign of Tyranny.
3. Cast Hand of Gul’dan at 3 or more shards.
4. Cast your Grimoire on cooldown.
5. Cast Summon Demonic Tyrant at about 2 shards so Shadow of Death does not overcap you.
6. Cast Summon Doomguard on cooldown.
7. Cast Demonbolt with a core, instantly when you sit at 4 cores, since every core feeds Wicked Reaping.
8. Cast Shadow Bolt as filler.

Soul Harvester AoE

• Implosion at 6 or more imps comes first.
• Succulent Souls already splash every enemy within 10 yards of your target, so keep the mobs stacked.
• Summon Doomguard fires Doom Bolt Volley at up to 5 targets.
• Doom goes out with instant Demonbolts on targets that lack it, ideally through a mouseover macro.
• Every Hand of Gul’dan inside the Tyrant window matters, because every second cast through the Dominion of Argus portal summons another demon.
• Tyrant stays on cooldown for packs that die in under 20 seconds.

Soul Harvester cooldown windows and what not to clip

• Enter Tyrant at about 2 shards, because 3 free souled shards on top of a full bar are wasted shards.
• Never overcap Soul Shards at 5 or Demonic Cores at 4.
• Never sit on Call Dreadstalkers without Reign of Tyranny talented.
• Keep 1 core spare for movement or a Doom refresh.
• Spend cores steadily outside Tyrant too, since Wicked Reaping pays per core and Manifested Avarice ramps per soul.

Stat Priority Per Tree

The Demonology stat priority 12.1.5 fight is old news: Method puts Crit first, Kalamazi puts Haste first, Icy Veins wants Haste to 22 percent, Wowhead calls Haste and Crit equal. Translation: item level wins and you sim the rest on Raidbots.

Diabolist stats

• Item level beats every secondary stat.
• Haste and Crit sit together at the top for raid, with Icy Veins valuing Haste up to 22 percent.
• Mastery, through Master Demonologist, buffs your demons and climbs on multiple targets, which is why top Mythic+ Diabolists carry 41 percent of their secondaries in Mastery.
• Versatility is last in PvE.
• PvP flips it to Versatility, Haste, Mastery, then Crit.

Stat	10% diminishing returns at
Haste	1320 rating
Critical Strike	1380 rating
Mastery	1380 rating
Versatility	1620 rating

Soul Harvester stats

• Item level beats every secondary stat.
• Crit and Haste sit together at the top on single target, which is the only place this tree belongs.
• Mastery buffs your demons through Master Demonologist and matters more on multiple targets than on one boss.
• Versatility is last in PvE.
• PvP flips it to Versatility, Haste, Mastery, then Crit.

Stat	10% diminishing returns at
Haste	1320 rating
Critical Strike	1380 rating
Mastery	1380 rating
Versatility	1620 rating

Tier Set: Damned Necrolyte’s Shattered Restraints

The Demonology tier set Season 2 is Damned Necrolyte’s Shattered Restraints, and it is all about Wild Imps. The cloth tokens are Venomwoven and drop in The Venomous Abyss, shared with Mages and Priests, so expect to lose rolls.

Bonus	Effect
2-piece	Wild Imp damage increased by 10%. Implosion damage increased by 20%.
4-piece	When their energy depletes, Wild Imps have a 20% chance to fling themselves at their target and Implode at 350% effectiveness to the main target and 315% to others.

The 4-piece was hotfixed in August from 250 to 350 percent on the main target and from 225 to 315 percent on others. Any guide or sim profile still quoting 250 is stale, and so is every conclusion built on it.

Slot	Tier piece	Token	Boss
Head	Skull of the Damned Necrolyte	Venomwoven Effigy	The Twin Fangs
Shoulders	Spires of the Damned Necrolyte	Venomwoven Remnant	The Lost Explorers
Chest	Damned Necrolyte’s Rattling Robes	Venomwoven Icon	Vashnik the Malignant
Hands	Damned Necrolyte’s Charred Grasps	Venomwoven Idol	Entombed Sentinels
Legs	Damned Necrolyte’s Leg Bindings	Venomwoven Relic	Sszorak
Any slot	Your choice	Slumbering Coil Curio	Ula’tek

Fastest route to 4-piece

1. Kill the five token bosses every week on the highest difficulty you can survive.
2. Trade the Slumbering Coil Curio from Ula’tek to Kirana near the Catalyst in Silvermoon City for your missing slot.
3. Spend Catalyst charges on non-set pieces, which arrive at 1 per season start and 1 every 2 weeks up to 8.
4. Catalyze Grasps of the Eternal Shadow from The Coiled Altar into tier hands, and keep Venomkeeper’s Horrific Cowl as a non-set head once four tier slots are covered.
5. Take a raid token from the Great Vault whenever it offers a missing slot.
6. Remember that catalyzed pieces now keep their secondary stats, so catalyze the best rolled item, not the first one.

How Diabolist uses the tier set

Diabolist Mythic+ builds run Implosion and To Hell and Back in every top key, so the 2-piece’s 20 percent Implosion bonus is constant value and the 4-piece adds random Implodes on every pack. By the tooltip’s wording only imps that expire on their own can roll the 4-piece, so imps you Implode or Siphon early ride the 2-piece instead. Value: very high in Mythic+ and cleave, high on single target.

How Soul Harvester uses the tier set

Soul Harvester single target builds lean on cores and souls rather than Implosion, so most of its tier value comes from the 10 percent Wild Imp damage and from 4-piece Implodes on imps that run out of energy naturally. That still procs plenty, because Soul Harvester lets more imps expire instead of sacrificing them. Value: high on single target, very high in the Mythic+ build that takes Implosion. No public sim isolates the per tree gain yet.

Best in Slot Gear Per Tree

The Demonology BiS Midnight Season 2 list is identical for both trees in every slot except trinket order. Raid BiS comes from Method and Wowhead, Mythic+ picks from Icy Veins. Season 2 tracks: Veteran 282 to 295, Champion 295 to 308, Hero 308 to 321, Myth 321 to 334, with Myth crafted gear at 318 to 331 for 80 crests.

Diabolist BiS

Slot	Raid	Mythic+
Head	Venomkeeper’s Horrific Cowl (Ula’tek)	Worldroot Canopy (The Blinding Vale)
Neck	Aqirbane Reliquary (Ula’tek)	Graft of the Domanaar (Voidscar Arena)
Shoulders	Spires of the Damned Necrolyte (tier)	Spires via Catalyst
Cloak	Silken Voodoo Drape (The Coiled Altar)	Speakeasy Shroud (Murder Row)
Chest	Damned Necrolyte’s Rattling Robes (tier)	Rattling Robes via Catalyst
Wrists	Martyr’s Bindings with Arcanoweave Lining (crafted)	Martyr’s Bindings (crafted)
Hands	Damned Necrolyte’s Charred Grasps (tier)	Charred Grasps via Catalyst
Waist	Martyr’s Waistwrap (crafted) or Caustic Chain-Wrapped Sash (Sszorak)	Ethereal Netherwrap (Voidscar Arena)
Legs	Damned Necrolyte’s Leg Bindings (tier)	Leg Bindings via Catalyst
Feet	Cackling Soultreads (The Coiled Altar)	Tempestuous Sandals (Murder Row)
Ring	Apex Brute’s Claw Ring (Sszorak)	Charged Sandstone Band (Temple of Sethraliss)
Ring	Vile Alchemist’s Band (Vashnik)	Signet of Snarling Servitude (Murder Row)
Main hand	Jan’thrazet, the Soul Fang (Ula’tek)	Polished Lightwood Channeler (Altar of Fangs)
Off hand	Spine of the Hissing Abyss (Entombed Sentinels) or crafted Aln’hara Lantern	Aln’hara Lantern (crafted)

• Trinket order for Diabolist in Mythic+ is Vile Vial of Volatile Venom first, then Gebbo’s Bottomless Bag.
• Trinket order for Diabolist in raid is Gebbo’s Bottomless Bag first, then Vile Vial or Method’s on-use pick Stormbound Emblem of Dazar.
• Embellishments are Arcanoweave Lining on wrists plus Darkmoon Sigil: Hunt per Method and Wowhead, or Hunter’s Ritual Stone per Icy Veins, which Blizzard already nerfed once.
• The Great Vault should go to weapon or trinket first, then any missing tier token.
• Nebulous Voidcore bonus rolls go to Jan’thrazet first, then Venomkeeper’s Horrific Cowl.

Behind on gear? Run Aln’hara Cane with Hunter’s Ritual Stone early, slot Wavecaller’s Seastone, Hex Lord’s Dooming Idol or Freightrunner’s Flask as placeholder trinkets, and use the two Labyrinth of Kindo’jan Myth pieces on your weakest slot. Kith’ix adds Twisted Horror’s Tendril, a stacking Crit trinket nobody has ranked yet, and cantrip armor that reportedly keeps its effect when catalyzed into tier.

Soul Harvester BiS

Slot	Raid	Mythic+
Head	Venomkeeper’s Horrific Cowl (Ula’tek)	Worldroot Canopy (The Blinding Vale)
Neck	Aqirbane Reliquary (Ula’tek)	Graft of the Domanaar (Voidscar Arena)
Shoulders	Spires of the Damned Necrolyte (tier)	Spires via Catalyst
Cloak	Silken Voodoo Drape (The Coiled Altar)	Speakeasy Shroud (Murder Row)
Chest	Damned Necrolyte’s Rattling Robes (tier)	Rattling Robes via Catalyst
Wrists	Martyr’s Bindings with Arcanoweave Lining (crafted)	Martyr’s Bindings (crafted)
Hands	Damned Necrolyte’s Charred Grasps (tier)	Charred Grasps via Catalyst
Waist	Martyr’s Waistwrap (crafted) or Caustic Chain-Wrapped Sash (Sszorak)	Ethereal Netherwrap (Voidscar Arena)
Legs	Damned Necrolyte’s Leg Bindings (tier)	Leg Bindings via Catalyst
Feet	Cackling Soultreads (The Coiled Altar)	Tempestuous Sandals (Murder Row)
Ring	Apex Brute’s Claw Ring (Sszorak)	Charged Sandstone Band (Temple of Sethraliss)
Ring	Vile Alchemist’s Band (Vashnik)	Signet of Snarling Servitude (Murder Row)
Main hand	Jan’thrazet, the Soul Fang (Ula’tek)	Polished Lightwood Channeler (Altar of Fangs)
Off hand	Spine of the Hissing Abyss (Entombed Sentinels) or crafted Aln’hara Lantern	Aln’hara Lantern (crafted)

• Trinket order for Soul Harvester in raid is Gebbo’s Bottomless Bag first, then Stormbound Emblem of Dazar or Vile Vial of Volatile Venom.
• Trinket order for Soul Harvester in Mythic+ is Vile Vial first, then Gebbo’s Bottomless Bag.
• Embellishments are Arcanoweave Lining on wrists plus Darkmoon Sigil: Hunt per Method and Wowhead, or Hunter’s Ritual Stone per Icy Veins, which Blizzard already nerfed once.
• The Great Vault should go to weapon or trinket first, then any missing tier token.
• Nebulous Voidcore bonus rolls go to Jan’thrazet first, then Venomkeeper’s Horrific Cowl.

Behind on gear? Run Aln’hara Cane with Hunter’s Ritual Stone early, slot Wavecaller’s Seastone, Hex Lord’s Dooming Idol or Freightrunner’s Flask as placeholder trinkets, and use the two Labyrinth of Kindo’jan Myth pieces on your weakest slot. Kith’ix adds Twisted Horror’s Tendril, a stacking Crit trinket nobody has ranked yet, and cantrip armor that reportedly keeps its effect when catalyzed into tier.

Ascendant Venomstones: Where the First 10 Go

Ascendant Venomstones Warlock math is short: 10 stones, one item, no take-backs. They drop from every Heroic and Mythic raid boss including Kith’ix, from Mythic+ at +10 and above, from Tier 11 Bountiful Delves and from Nightmare Prey Hunt chests. Unlock them with the quest Ancient Depths, Ancient Venom from Orin Straylight, then use them near the Catalyst in Silvermoon City.

• Only fully upgraded Season 2 Hero or Myth items and maximum quality Tidal Crafted items qualify.
• Only weapons, trinkets and necklaces can take the upgrade.
• PTR data shows a Hero 6/6 item going from 321 to 328 and a Myth 6/6 item going from 334 to 340.
• An Ascendant item cannot be upgraded again, so never stone a Hero piece you expect to replace with Myth next week.

Diabolist Venomstone order

1. Put the first 10 stones into the weapon, Jan’thrazet in raid or Polished Lightwood Channeler for Mythic+ only players, because it carries the largest Intellect budget on your character.
2. Put the next 10 into Vile Vial of Volatile Venom if you push keys, or Gebbo’s Bottomless Bag if you raid, since trinket effects scale with item level.
3. Put the third batch into your other trinket.
4. Put the last batch into the neck, which only gives secondary stats and is the weakest gain.

Soul Harvester Venomstone order

1. Put the first 10 stones into the weapon, Jan’thrazet in raid or Polished Lightwood Channeler for Mythic+, because it carries the largest Intellect budget on your character.
2. Put the next 10 into Gebbo’s Bottomless Bag, because this tree lives on raid single target where Gebbo’s is the passive BiS.
3. Put the third batch into your second trinket.
4. Put the last batch into the neck, which only gives secondary stats and is the weakest gain.

Consumables, Enchants, Gems and Embellishments

No source splits these by hero tree, so Diabolist and Soul Harvester buy exactly the same shopping list. Where the big sites disagree, both options are listed.

Slot	Pick
Flask	Flask of the Shattered Sun
Combat potion	Light’s Potential, or Potion of Recklessness if your Versatility is low
Health potion	Silvermoon Health Potion or Concentrated Silvermoon Health Potion
Weapon oil	Thalassian Phoenix Oil
Augment rune	Void-Touched Augment Rune
Food	Royal Roast, Spellfire Filet or the Silvermoon Parade feast
Weapon enchant	Jan’alai’s Precision, or Acuity of the Ren’dorei per Icy Veins
Chest enchant	Mark of the Worldsoul
Legs	Sunfire Silk Spellthread
Ring enchant	Eyes of the Eagle
Boots enchant	Lynx’s Dexterity
Helm enchant	Empowered Rune of Avoidance
Shoulder enchant	Flight of the Eagle
Diamond	Indecipherable Eversong Diamond through Heroic, Powerful Eversong Diamond at Mythic
Other gems	Quick Garnet and Deadly Crit gems, one of each color for the diamond
Embellishments	Arcanoweave Lining on wrists plus Darkmoon Sigil: Hunt or Hunter’s Ritual Stone on the off hand

Macros and Addons That Matter

WeakAuras has no Midnight version, because the addon API lockdown killed combat tracking for third party addons. Your tracking now lives in Blizzard’s own UI, and macros still work.

• A mouseover Demonbolt macro spreads Doom without losing your target, and it only matters for builds with Doom talented.
• A Felstorm autocast toggle is a single target optimization from Wowhead for players who want to time Felstorm manually.
• A mouseover Axe Toss macro turns your Felguard into a second interrupt.
• Blizzard’s Cooldown Manager tracks Tyrant, Grimoires and Summon Doomguard without any addon.
• Diabolist players should track which demon Demonic Art summons next, since Pit Lord and Mother of Chaos change what you press.
• Soul Harvester players already see Succulent Souls on the shard bar, so no extra tracker is needed.
• Raidbots is still the only honest answer to every stat and trinket question.

Mouseover Demonbolt: #showtooltip Demonbolt /cast [@mouseover,harm,nodead][] Demonbolt. Felstorm toggle: /petautocasttoggle Felstorm. Mouseover Axe Toss: #showtooltip Axe Toss /cast [@mouseover,harm,nodead][] Axe Toss. Put each command on its own line in game.

Where Demonology Stands in 12.1.5

Tree	Raid	Mythic+	PvP
Diabolist	A: strong single target and cleave, the safe default	A: owns every top 50 key slot for Demo	B+: the ladder pick in Shuffle and 3v3
Soul Harvester	A minus: about 3% ahead on pure single target per Icy Veins	C: six players on the board, best at 3539	C: Wicked Reaping halved in PvP

Worth maining into 12.1.5? Yes, if you enjoy babysitting thirty demons and pressing Hand of Gul’dan like it owes you money. The spec is untouched, the tier set was buffed after launch, it brings Demonic Gateway, Soulstone and Healthstones, and it survives well. The catch is weak funneling, no spread cleave and a ramp that punishes short packs. Pick Diabolist, finish the 4-piece and stone your weapon.