Home › Class comparisons › Mage vs Warlock
Mage or Warlock: Which Should You Play in WoW Forever?
Pick the Mage if you want faster leveling, more gold and strong dungeon and raid damage. Pick the Warlock if you want to grind with almost no downtime and win more duels.
Mage vs Warlock verdict
4 Mage 2 Warlock
The Mage wins for most players. Frost levels quickly with area pulls, portals save travel time, Fire puts up big raid damage, and area farming makes good gold.
The Warlock wins in solo play and PvP. It drains health from enemies, lets a demon tank for it and rarely stops to rest, and Fear and drains make it hard to beat in duels.
Mage vs Warlock: head-to-head comparison
| Category | Mage | Warlock |
|---|---|---|
| Leveling speed | Winner Quick with area-of-effect pulls; Frost kites safely and portals cut travel time. | Steady drain-tanking with almost no downtime, but single-target and slower. |
| Solo play | Fragile; cloth and mana punish careless pulls, and breaking your own sheep ends runs. | Winner Drain-tank with a demon bodyguard; the grind does not stop. |
| Dungeons | Winner Crowd control plus Fire's burning damage over time for top group numbers. | Dots, curses and Bane of Havoc splash; strong, but threat management is constant. |
| Raiding | Winner Fire's Heating Up Pyroblast burst for top raid numbers; always wanted. | Shadowburn and Conflagrate hit hard, but Destruction drinks more and pulls threat faster. |
| PvP | Frost control is real, but a warlock's fear and drains are the hardest matchup. | Winner Excellent in 1v1: Fear, dots, drain-tank. |
| Gold farming | Winner Area-of-effect farming is the best gold per hour. | Grinds endlessly with no downtime, but cannot match mage AoE gold. |
Playing Mage in this matchup
Frost is the safest way to level a Mage. Slows and roots keep enemies off you, and once you learn area pulls you level faster than a Warlock. Conjured food and water and portals save time and gold.
At 60 Fire is the raid spec, built around Heating Up shortening Pyroblast after crits. Arcane uses Arcane Blast and Missile Barrage, and Frost uses Fingers of Frost with Ice Lance.
Where the Mage falls short
Cloth armor and a limited mana bar make mistakes costly. A broken Polymorph or a mob in melee range can end a fight quickly.
Playing Warlock in this matchup
Affliction is the Warlock leveling spec. You apply damage over time spells, let your Voidwalker hold the mob and use Drain Life and Life Tap to keep going. You rarely need to stop and rest.
At 60 Affliction gains Pandemic, Wrack and Soul Siphon. Demonology keeps its Demonic Sacrifice buff with Demonic Pact, and Destruction has Incinerate, Conflagrate and Bane of Havoc for two-target fights.
Where the Warlock falls short
You manage several demons, curses and Soul Shards, and Fear can send mobs into other packs. Warlocks can summon players but cannot make portals.
How WoW Forever's talent changes shift this matchup
Mages lost Frost Blast on 2 November, but Ice Lance now deals 300% more damage to Frozen targets, Ice Barrier adds 15% Frost damage and Precision gives 6% hit with all spells.
Warlocks had their main changes earlier in testing: Pandemic, Wrack, Soul Siphon, Demonic Pact and Bane of Havoc. Both classes got the general damage increase at launch, and the Orc Mage and Troll Warlock are new race options.
Which should you pick: Mage or Warlock?
- Leveling fast with area-of-effect pulls is the priority.
- Portals are worth more to you than any pet or summon.
- You want the best gold farming.
- Crowd control and top raid numbers are your idea of group value.
- The Orc mage is new in WoW Forever and the playstyle clicks.
- You accept fragility in exchange for speed.
- You want to drain-tank elites while your demon holds aggro.
- Duels are your endgame and fear is your favorite spell.
- The Affliction dot engine, Pandemic through Soul Siphon, excites you.
- Free mounts beat portals when the economy is fresh.
- You would rather never stop grinding than burst and drink.
- Dark caster flavor wins over the mage's utility kit.
Mage and Warlock race options
Mage has 6 race choices and Warlock has 5. Races marked new could not play the class in Classic Era. See the racials guide for what each race brings.
| Faction | Mage | Warlock |
|---|---|---|
| Alliance | Human, Gnome, Skyborne High OrderNew | Human, Gnome |
| Horde | OrcNew, Undead, Troll | Orc, Undead, TrollNew |
Plan your Mage or Warlock build
Plan your points before paying for a respec. Open the Mage talent calculator or the Warlock talent calculator, or try a starter build for your preferred role. The class picking guide compares all nine classes if you are still undecided.
Mage vs Warlock: common questions
Which one makes more gold?
The Mage. Area pulls kill many mobs at once. A Warlock farms steadily without resting, but one mob at a time.
Portals versus summons: Which matters more while leveling?
Portals, for most players, because they save travel time every day. Summons help when your group is spread out.
Which is easier to level?
The Warlock is more forgiving: your demon tanks and you drain health back. The Mage levels faster but punishes mistakes.
I mostly want to raid. Which cloth DPS gets invited?
Both get invited. Fire Mages bring big burst and crowd control, and Warlocks bring strong damage and curses. Pick the playstyle you enjoy.
Which races can play Mage and Warlock in WoW Forever?
Mage: Human, Gnome and Skyborne High Order on the Alliance; Orc, Undead and Troll on the Horde. Warlock: Human and Gnome on the Alliance; Orc, Undead and Troll on the Horde.
What is the best leveling spec for Mage and Warlock in WoW Forever?
For leveling from 1 to 60, play Frost Mage or Affliction Warlock. Both are S tier on our leveling tier list. Each class leveling guide has a talent path from level 10 to 60.