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| Class races | DK | DH | Dr | Ev | Hu | Ma | Mo | Pa | Pr | Ro | Sh | Wl | Wr |
| Quests | DK | DH | Dr | Ev | Hu | Ma | Mo | Pa | Pr | Ro | Sh | Wl | Wr |
| Abilities | DK | DH | Dr | Ev | Hu | Ma | Mo | Pa | Pr | Ro | Sh | Wl | Wr |
| Trainers | DK | DH | Dr | - | Hu | Ma | Mo | Pa | Pr | Ro | Sh | Wl | Wr |
| Armor sets | DK | DH | Dr | Ev | Hu | Ma | Mo | Pa | Pr | Ro | Sh | Wl | Wr |
| Useful macros | DK | DH | Dr | - | Hu | Ma | Mo | Pa | Pr | Ro | Sh | Wl | Wr |
| Class Halls | DK | DH | Dr | - | Hu | Ma | Mo | Pa | Pr | Ro | Sh | Wl | Wr |
Warlocks manipulate and summon demons and have profound control over shadow and fire magic. Although traditionally considered evil, Horde and Alliance leaders have tentatively accepted them to bolster troops.
History
- Warlock - From the Old English wærloga; "oath-breaker" or "deceiver".
The eredar of the Burning Legion are credited as the original warlocks and wielders of dark magics, corrupted from the powerful and magically attuned eredar of Argus.
In most societies, the warlocks now live on the fringe of civilization, tolerated but not trusted. Human warlocks meet in secret in the basement of a bar in Stormwind. Thrall has expressed discomfort with the warlock but understands the necessities in using them. Conventional spellcasters often see warlock magic as a vain attempt at gaining power.
Although many that consort with demons fall to darkness, the warlocks of a Horde and Alliance advocate bending demonic forces to its will without succumbing to complete corruption. These spellcasters can summon demons to serve them, and they also cast many painful spells that slowly eat at the life of enemies. Warlocks are usually physically weak compared to classes, but they compensate for this deficiency with their potent array of spells and their demonic minions. Compared to other spellcasters, warlocks are among the strongest and often depend on the sacrifice of their own blood to fuel their magical powers.
In the world of Azeroth, there are many races who presently wield the dark power of the Nether. Playable ones including humans, gnomes, orcs, forsaken and blood elves. Each has its own history in the dark arts.
Human and gnome warlocks
Originally, humans were taught the ways of the arcane by the high elves in exchange for their help in defeating the trolls during the Troll Wars. However after the war, the human magi who were taught by the elves started to pass their knowledge and powers onto the younger generations who had no concept of responsibility that the original Human magi had. They started to delve further into the arts for their own personal gain rather than the advancement of their race and eventually started to penetrate the darker aspects of the Arcane. Eventually the agents of the then banished Burning Legion were drawn to this increasingly reckless use of magic and demons started to appear in Azeroth, especially around the new magic capital of Dalaran where the huge amount of wielded magic caused the fabric of reality to weaken.
The Kirin Tor tried to cover it up but the local populace started to become suspicious of their mage leaders. Eventually the elves intervened and decided to tell these human mages about the dark demonic past and their narrow escape from oblivion during the collapse of the Well of Eternity. They formed a secret pact with the humans which aimed in protecting the world from demonic influence. This secret organization was called the Order of Tirisfal. They chose powerful magi to become Guardians and act as the right hand of the Order. These Guardians wielded demonic magic against the demons themselves. However, publicly, anyone found still using these dark energies were thrown of out the Kirin Tor and ejected from society.
Many of the human warlocks pledged their lives and services to the Lich King just prior to the invasion of his undead Scourge. In the Lich King's service many of these warlocks became skilled necromancers. In addition, the Lich King granted many of his undead servants limited warlock abilities as well. When the portal to the Twisting Nether was finally opened and the demons began pouring through, it seemed that the heyday of the warlocks was at hand. However, many of the human warlocks after the third war are former mages, fresh from the destruction of the Violet Citadel, who seek revenge, embracing the path of the warlock in order to turn the fel energies of the legion against itself.
Gnomes are also known as proficient warlocks, and they appear to have a more accepted role within their respective society than, for example, orcs or humans, but demonic magic has been outlawed in Ironforge causing many Gnomish warlocks to train in Stormwind. It is probably safe to assume that Gnomes were probably influenced by their human counterparts in their decision to study the way of the shadow.
Forsaken warlocks
Prior to the Third war, human warlocks still existed, albeit on the edge of society. Many of these warlocks were killed and eventually reborn into the Scourge. When Sylvanas Windrunner liberated herself and many of the now uncontrolled members of the Scourge, they formed the Forsaken.
These Forsaken, as they began to call themselves, found that, while still undead, they had regained their free will. Consequently, many of the Forsaken embraced their demonic tendencies and became warlocks. Forsaken society is perhaps the only one in which the warlocks are accepted as legitimate magic users.
Orc warlocks
Orcs, while chronologically not the first to use this magic, were perhaps the first modern (playable) race to be given the power of warlocks from the masters of it in the Burning Legion. Some of the most powerful mortal warlocks in history were orcs.
Orc Warlock
During the First and Second Wars, the formerly shamanistic orcs were transformed into a warlike juggernaut of destruction by their demon-influenced shaman leader Ner'zhul and later, the orcish warlock Gul'dan -- Master of the Inner Circle of the Shadow Council and Destroyer of Dreams. The Horde soon added warlocks in various forms to their armies, and orcish and ogre warlocks came to be feared within the ranks of the Alliance.
The first orc warlocks were the apprentices of the elder shaman Ner'zhul as Kil'jaeden's pawn, but were ultimately loyal to the elder shaman himself and not the Burning Legion. The second generation, created and led by Gul'dan, were more successful. They succeeded in turning the orcs against the draenei and poisoning the orcish race by tricking the chieftains into drinking the blood of Mannoroth. In order to police the clans, the Warlocks formed the Shadow Council. Only six of the 25 major clans resisted (the Frostwolves, the Shadowmoon, the Thunderlords, the Laughing Skull, the Bonechewers and the Shattered Hand). Despite the Council, civil war wiped out all but 11.
Gul'dan was later contacted by Medivh, and the two worked together to bring the Horde into Azeroth. (Sargeras, at the time controlling Medivh's will, was aware that Kil'Jaeden had enslaved the orcs and it was easier to bring the orcs than the Legion.) Gul'dan led 7 of the remaining clans of orcs (Stormreaver, Twilight's Hammer, Bleeding Hollow, Black Tooth Grin, Dragonmaw, Burning Blade, Frostwolf) through the Dark Portal along with several refugees who later formed the Blackrock Clan. The warlocks continued to operate normally until Doomhammer seized power and had them exterminated.
In modern times, the orc warlocks still exist on the outskirts of the new horde, headed by Thrall. While they are looked down upon for their hand in handing their race over to the demons, they are still allowed more or less within the society as they have pledged to use their powers against the Legion and vowed never to succumb to its corruption.
Blood elf warlocks
There is not much lore behind blood elf warlocks, save that the Blood Mages of the elves used magic that is very similar to the spells that warlocks use, such as draining mana and banishing enemies. Also, since Prince Kael'thas has allied with the Burning Legion in order to feed his people's addiction to magic, it is acceptable that several blood elves may have adopted their new ally's form of magic. In addition, since The blood elves use enslaved demons as a source for magic, it is logical that they would begin manipulating the fel energies they harvest.
Notable warlocks
Here is a list of both historical and current warlocks of each race: