Amongst the spellcasters of Blizzard's hit Warcraft MMO, the Warlock has the potential to become the most versatile. After all, unlike the Arcane-focused Mage, the Fel-focused Warlock can tap into hexes, summon minions, and unleash a barrage of debilitating spells against their enemies. Moreover, their flexibility enables Warlocks to become effective single-target DPS allies, or AOE-specialized juggernauts.
However, Warlocks in World of Warcraft seem to have more secrets than they reveal, even to their own players. In fact, fans of Warcraft lore might be interested in learning just what else Warlocks study and learn outside their adventures that led them to gain such tremendous power.
10 Reliance On Summoning, Curses
Contrary to their Arcane Magic counterparts, Warlocks specialize in tapping into Fel Magic in order to summon infernal allies or inflict curses among their enemies. Interestingly, this often results in tremendous damage numbers that, combined with a curse's damage-over-time, can quickly decimate opponents. Warlocks tap into Fel Magic using three specializations: Affliction, Demonology, and Destruction.
Destruction, in particular, taps into the fires of chaos to quickly eliminate foes - be it through single-target or AOE spells. Meanwhile, Demonology allows Warlocks to enslave and summon various kinds of demons, all of which with different abilities, to do their bidding. They use Fel Magic's trademark quality of tapping into life-force to sustain their summons. Lastly, Affliction allows Warlocks to twist the innate chaos in their victim's bodies to force them to suffer in various ways.
9 Pressure Enemies With Damage Over Time
Whereas Mages act as glass cannons, Warlocks easily make a mark amongst players as strong support characters. Thanks to their innate damage-over-time, debuffs, and summons, Warlocks can either push for high damage numbers with pets or let their curses do the work for them. Moreover, player-based raids and arenas rely on Warlocks to generate pressure in the form of hexes, forcing enemies to retreat and heal instead of attacking.
Meanwhile, Warlocks also rely on their tremendous damage-over-time to wreak maximum havoc to their spells. Essentially, a Warlock's kit allows them to engage multiple hostiles at once. Moreover, their quick cooldowns and cast times allow them to adjust to situations at a moment's notice.
8 The All-Consuming Fel
Unlike Mages, Warlocks tap into the chaotic energies of the Fel. Essentially, while the clashing of Light and Void created the universe, its most unstable energies became the Twisted Nether. Moreover, demons and forces of chaos have come from the Twisted Nether itself. Due to the unstable nature of the Fel, those exposed to it always runs the risk of being corrupted by its energies. Moreover, whereas Sargeras used Fel Magic to create the Burning Legion, so too did the Warlocks who sought to oppose them.
As a whole, Fel Magic works exactly like Arcane Magic. Unlike the orderly Arcane, Fel Magic has more explosive effects due to its chaotic nature. Moreover, Fel Magic has a radioactive effect to it, almost always corrupting all that it touches. Additionally, Fel Magic can utilize life force itself to empower its spells, explaining why some Warlocks use soul gem or soulstone to summon and enslave the most powerful of demons.
7 Eredar, The First Warlocks
When Sargeras created the Burning Legion, he wanted an army of servants who could tap into Fel Magic. Unfortunately, ordinary demons couldn't make the cut due to their lack of intelligence. In turn, Sargeras turned to Argus and their gifted Eredar to corrupt them into wielding Fel Magic.
Unfortunately, Sargeras succeeded. Moreover, this corruption led to the creation of two of his most formidable servants. As a result, Archimonde and Kil'jaeden, both Eredar, became two of the most powerful and oldest warlocks in the Universe. It's Velen, their companion, that escaped Sargeras' control and, alongside other refugees, became the exiled Draenei - forever running away from the Legion.
6 Orcs, The Dark Successors
When the Legion reached the Orc homeworld of Draenei, Sargeras and his lieutenants saw the bloodlust in the Orcs as a means to tap into the Fel. As a result, Sargeras slowly corrupted Gul'dan into becoming a Warlock. Moreover, it's Fel Magic that created the Orc Horde, corrupting them in the process.
Of the Orc Horde, those with potential eventually became trained to be Warlocks and Necromancers. Back in the First War, these Orcs tapped into Fel Magics to summon demons and control them. Moreover, Orc Warlocks and Necrolytes had great power over fire, perhaps leading to the association between fire and Fel Magic.
5 A Shadowy Council
Whereas the earliest Conjurers organized themselves into the Kirin Tor for the defense of Azeroth, it seems Warlocks of the Burning Legion also organized themselves into a clandestine "upper echelon." As such, the Shadow Council serves as the Kirin Tor's Burning Legion counterpart, most of which comprised of Warlocks and dark magic users. Essentially, Gul'dan created the Shadow Council to ensure the stability of the Old Horde and manipulate all Orcish clans into using dark magic.
Unfortunately, much of the Shadow Council's lieutenants and leaders met their doom throughout the course of Warcraft history. However, it seems remnants of the Shadow Council remain for as long as belief in the Burning Legion exists. Nowadays, anyone can join the Shadow Council provided they believe in the tenets of the Burning Legion.
4 Fighting Fire With Fire
When Warlocks first arrived with the first Burning Legion invasion, Azeroth and its Mages were unprepared for the havoc they have caused. Moreover, due to the Mages' fear of Warlocks back then, exploring Fel Magic has become a taboo amongst spellcasters. However, the subsequent Second and Third Wars forced both the Alliance and the Horde to reconsider. As a result, both factions started recruiting Warlocks into their forces.
Essentially, Warlocks give both factions an opportunity to fight fire with fire. After all, who better to fight the Burning Legion than those who tap into the Fel themselves? However, due to the prejudice that still remains among the populace, Warlocks generally practice their craft in secret.
3 Some Still Do Not Trust Warlocks
Interestingly, despite the potential Warlocks have to turn battles into their favor, a lot of races refuse and cannot become Warlocks. These include the Night Elves, the Pandaren, the Draenei, and the Tauren. Essentially, all of these races cannot risk the potential of being corrupted with Fel energies, an ever-present risk for Warlocks.
For instance, the Night Elves have seen how Queen Azshara, once the most powerful Mage alive, succumb to the power offered by Sargeras - resulting in her Naga transformation. Meanwhile, Draenei knows for a fact that some of their oldest ancestors, Kil'jaeden and Archimonde of the Eredar, became corrupted Warlocks. Even Illidan the wielder of the Warglaives of Azzinoth, a Mage turned Demon Hunter, fell under scrutiny due to his use of Fel Magics - effectively making him sort of like a Warlock.
2 A Prestige Class In The TTRPG
In the Warcraft TTRPG, Warlocks were once considered a Prestige Class, or specialization instead of a core class. Moreover, in their lore, the demons Warlocks make contact with were "once mortal" but transformed by demonic beings. In the RPG, Warlocks can also come in the form of Shadowmages and Eredar Warlock.
Shadowmages specialize in the manipulation of raw entropy. These Warlocks use the shadowbolt and other spells to weaken the bodies and minds of their enemies. Meanwhile, the Eredar Warlock constantly consume life around them in order to command some of the most destructive arsenals out there.
1 Tap To Life Force Via Soul Gems
Unlike other classes, Warlocks can tap into another source of power to fuel their Fel Magic - life force. Moreover, Warlocks can constantly siphon life energy out of living things around them to cast more potent spells. Warlocks often store these energies into soul gems of soul stones. In fact, this is the reason why the Warlock's conjured item Soulstone can grant resurrection once upon death.
Moreover, Warlocks rely on soul stones in order to summon demons and force them under their command. As such, Warlocks tend to store the souls of powerful beings into soul stones in order to command it or even command entire armies.