DoT uptime

[capnpop]

One of the single biggest boosts to a lock's dps is keeping all your DoTs going.  While I haven't leveled my lock yet (maybe next...but i'm feeling unambitious) I have noticed notable differences between warlocks who are maintaining a rotation and those that are not.

I'm not in a position to reliably coach anyone on how to do better, but I will give you this:

http://elitistjerks.com/f80/t37900-dots_you_affliction_warlock_thread/

It has a suggestion of how to get started (opening with Shadow bolt is UNWISE) but this should not be taken as scripture.  Simply summarized: Don't let a DoT fall off, refresh when the DoT ends but not until after the last tick has happened. Try to keep Shadow Embrace stacked and Haunt up. 

[Grendeel]

In general this is a very very good guide.   Very easy to read and gives a nice list of gear to obtain.   EJ has been promising this was coming for sometime now.  Its overdue.

Im not sure if it was intended Cap but Shadowbolt IS recommended and the best spell to open with.  This triggers the Shadow Embrace debuff which is a 5 point talent and stacks twice.  Each stack gives a 5% dot damage increase.  This effect can only be triggered by shadowbolt, or haunt.  Since we are using a 6 dot rotation, not casting shadowbolt to start , wil cause us to go ~10 secs without the 5% dot bonus of the missing stack.   

Much of what is in this thread is attributed to Fallingmen.  If you are a lock, you should be reading any posts this guy makes (Clearly as well ).  Most of this is a copy and paste from these 2 locks.  With that in mind, here is a quote from the thread which was copy/pasted from a Fallingmen post:

If you can pre-cast, you should start with a shadowbolt, and then haunt. Now, many people often ask why you would do this, and some people are even under the misconception that casting haunt after your DoTs is somehow more efficient. Think about it this way: Haunt should have 100% uptime for the entire fight. And since DoTs receive the bonus no matter when the debuff went up (before the DoT was cast, after the DoT was cast, makes no difference), it only matters that the debuff is up. So, why would you cast DoTs first, and have the first several ticks not get any benefit from Haunt? If you're going to have Haunt up the entire fight anyways, wouldn't it be better to have ALL ticks benefit from Haunt? Of course. The same goes for shadow embrace. The first stack is put on by that shadowbolt, and the second stack by Haunt.

So, your intial cast rotation will look like this:

Shadowbolt > Haunt > UA > Immolate > CoA > Corruption > Siphon Life. After that, you're now into what is called "filler" time.

As you will note,  Shadowbolt is the first spell cast to start your rotation off.

This link is very well organized and i think it should be stickied for future reference

[Grendeel]

Capn is quite right in that dot rotation is very very important.  There isn't  anything in this game that will increase your damage done (significantly too) than optimizing our dots.

I would suggest (even daily if necessary) to get to the target dummys and practice it.  It sure does seem overwhelming to start, however with practice it becomes fairly easy.   I also would suggest, that on these practice dummys, start with just one or 2 dots in the rotation.  As you master refreshing them, add another dot. Eventually you will get comfortable with all 6 dots.

This is now one of the more complicated (if not the most) dps classes to play, but i can tell you its very self rewarding once you master this.  So don't be lazy.  Do it!

[capnpop]

Im not sure if it was intended Cap but Shadowbolt IS recommended and the best spell to open with.  This triggers the Shadow Embrace debuff which is a 5 point talent and stacks twice.  Each stack gives a 5% dot damage increase.  This effect can only be triggered by shadowbolt, or haunt.  Since we are using a 6 dot rotation, not casting shadowbolt to start , wil cause us to go ~10 secs without the 5% dot bonus of the missing stack.   

Yep, I got that from reading the post but I was thinking that opening with a "nuke" like that could steal aggro, although for the most part I know that the couple seconds of the tank working on the boss (plus cast time of shadowbolt) gives enough time for it to not be an issue.  I was looking at it from the "shadowbolt whizzing over the shoulder of the tank as s/he swings for the first time" is bad perspective, although this will never be the case.