| Backlash | |
|---|---|
| |
| Requirements | |
| Class | Warlock |
| Properties | |
| Affects |
All spells, additional effect to  [Shadow Bolt] and  [Incinerate] |
Backlash is a warlock talent which increases spell crit chance and gives a chance for instant-cast Shadow Bolt and Incinerate.
Rank table
| Rank | + % Crit | % Chance of melee proc |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 2 | 2 | 16 |
| 3 | 3 | 25 |
Notes
This is an effect similar to Nightfall.
This will probably have greatest effect against melee attackers with very fast swing rate such as hunter pets and druids in cat form. Nuke to the face, close range!
Destro spec'ed Warlocks with 1 point in 
[Devastation] and 3 points in Backlash will increase their baseline spell critical rate for all Destruction spells by a whopping +8%. In combination with the additional DPS afforded by 
[Ruin], Warlock direct damage capacity improves significantly. This is further enhanced by numerous Nightfall and Backlash procs if the Warlock is Afflic/Destro spec'ed.
Such a build will find its best form in Instances, where DoT's may not have many chances to reach their full duration, thus making direct damage attacks more beneficial to overall DPS and to mana efficiency. The build is less effective in solo play, where DoTing multiple targets is more efficient when striving for a high number of kills per minute.
In pve raiding this talent becomes a lot less useful. You are unlikely to get hit so the proc will never happen (unless you get attacked by adds or something). That effectively make this a 1 point = 1% crit talent. This is a lot worse than devastation which is 1 point = 5% crit talent. Before you have any points in this for purely pve make sure you have devastation first.
Patch changes
Patch 3.1.0 (2009-04-14): Has been moved up to tier-5, up from tier-7. Now requires Intensity (pre-req).
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