I want to be a Warlock -- what should I prepare for now?

[The Griff]

<DIV>Dargesh is only 10th level -- he just became a sorcerer -- but I ultimately want him to be a Warlock.  What I'm wondering is, is there anything I can do *now* to start getting ready for playing a Warlock when I hit 20?  I'm not talking about getting gear or creating spells, I'm thinking more along the lines of developing and practicing tactics for group and solo play.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I don't even know if its even worth it trying to think about such things this far ahead.  Still, seems like its something worth asking about...</DIV>

[Junaru]

Nothing really.. At level 18 use can start you Warlock quest..I suggest getting10 Blaze13 Painful Meditation13.4 Freezing WhorlTo atleast AppIII or even AdeptI.. All will be hard to find and will cost alot if you can't find them.. I got my Blaze AdeptI and PM AdeptI from BB in the Brewery room..At level 23 I still use ALL of these spells in EVERY fight..

[Dae]

Be prepared for crappy tanks. It's possible to generate a lot of aggro and some tanks will have a hard time keeping the mobs off you. This is especially true if the tank hasn't bothered to get his or her adepts for taunts etc. Running like hell until the tank gets aggro back is my preferred method but this wastes time. Sometimes it's better to leave a second or two between casts.Debuff, debuff, debuff. I can't stress enough the difference keeping Freezing Whorl (and other resist debuffs) on a mob makes. While reducing overall resists you will see a nice boost in damage as well. As you get higher level and start nuking harder this becomes more noticeable.Get used to using Painful Meditation as much as possible. At lower levels and less powerful versions of the spell it may seem to suck hardcore. At level 25 the ratio still isn't great but over time it's a very nice way generate extra power. This can save you and your group from horrible deaths. Working it into your spell rotation (while your more powerful abilities are still cycling) is important.Only solo if you absolutely have to. Be it to finish off a quest or level or whatever. Grouping affords faster xp and a lot of quests require a group to accomplish goals. Soloing for me generally involves pulling with Freezing Whorl, landing Curse of Darkness and Incinerate and then just burning the mob down as fast as possible while tanking it. Good for the defensive skills too. I find rooting while soloing just slows down the kill.Don't stand in front of mobs. They'll barrage you to death. Shout at tanks who drag mobs over you and don't turn them away from the party.Other than just work out the most efficient order for casting your various spells.

[The Griff]

<DIV>Thanks... I'd planned on doing that with all my spells (I'm a scholar and I figure I might as well improve myself and improve my skillset at the same time, heh) but it's nice to know they keep their utility at least until the early 20's (since from what I understand form this forum it's not until 23 that we get our first really cool Warlock spell).</DIV>

[Junaru]

<blockquote><hr>The Griffin wrote:<DIV>Thanks... I'd planned on doing that with all my spells (I'm a scholar and I figure I might as well improve myself and improve my skillset at the same time, heh) but it's nice to know they keep their utility at least until the early 20's (since from what I understand form this forum it's not until 23 that we get our first really cool Warlock spell).</DIV><hr></blockquote>Yeah just watch out at 23. I got DD and had AdeptI sitting in my bag.. Check out my <A href="http://www.durangosuv.com/parse2.htm" target=_blank>parsed logs</A>.. Notice the damange taken? I found out the hard way that if I'm grouped with a "soso" tank I grab aggro very easy. Normally I would tose on FW and blast with blaze before DD yet I still found I would gain aggro. It seems to limit my DPS alot since I sit back wondering if I should nuke the mob with DD..Good Tank = Killer Warlock DPSBad Tank = Dead Warlock