HDL

Right now, Demonology and Affliction are the highest DPS builds. The benefits of Haunt and improved life draining abilities can not be understated for many of the Naxxramas fights.

Something like this build gives you hit, faster cooldowns, and enough Destruction to give you Ruin.

This build gives you all of the Demonology for raiding you want. I am not sold on Metamorphosis, but people seem to like it. (Don't ever pop it in PVP unless you like being obliterated by Retribution Paladins.)

I am a fan of Affliction, especially with the current state of Warlock damage.

http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=IZfxc0cZEchVrMu0sAfot

I'm going to try this Dem/Dest build.  I'm curious as to how much dps I can generate with Chaos Bolts.  Afterwards I will try an Affl/Dem spec and compare.

Baseline for Comparison: 1150-1200 dps with current spec in heroics

Chuck, I think your build will work out well. Just use Immolate/Incinerate/Conflagarate/Chaos Bolt as your rotation and you should see your DPS rocket. You may also want to look at this build:

http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=IZfxc0cZVchVrMuVsAfot

to get Emberstorm. Your rotation probably won't have as many Shadowbolts and Emberstorm reduces cast time and Fire damage.

That spec FAILED.  Aparently we didn't realize there's a 12 second cooldown on Chaos Bolt and it doesn't almost no damage unless it crits.  I ended up with the Affliction Spec anyway...

Chaos Bolt works fine. As I said, though, Demon and Afflict are the better builds now.

Chaos Bolt actually sucked.  It hit for 2600 normally, where my shadowbolt hits for 4-5k normally.  Chaos Bolt critted for about 7k and my shadowbolt crits for about 6k+.  The only thing Chaos Bolt has going for it is that it ignores all absorbing effects and such. A 12 second cooldown is way too much for a spell that doesn't hit hard imo. 

The Immolate/Incinerate/Conflagorate/Chaos Bolt rotation doesn't work with a 12 second cooldown.  I tried Immolate/Incinerate/Conflagorate/Shadow Bolt/Immolate/Incinerate/Conflagorate/Chaos Bolt and ended with less dps than just Immolate/Incinerate/Conflagorate/Shadow Bolt.  Which makes sense because Shadow Bolt hits harder.

Overall the spec looks nice on "paper" but sucks in actual use.  Chaos Bolt miht be nice for PvP, but you would have to figure out some way to make it hit harder.  With even mages having over 14k hp or more in PvP gear (that's probably low for PvP gear), even a 3k hit every 12 seconds is not going to bother them.  It just doesn't make any sense.

It may just be my fustration talking, but that's my opinion as it stands right now.

I don't know what you're doing differently from everyone else. Hell, look at the base stats alone:

Chaos Bolt, Rank 4: Sends a bolt of chaotic fire at the enemy, dealing 1036 to 1314 Fire damage, cost 7% base mana.

Shadow Bolt, Rank 13: Sends a shadowy bolt at the enemy, causing 690 to 770 Shadow damage, cost 17% base mana.

There really is no such thing as a set rotation any more. I'd try rolling Chaos Bolt earlier in the sequence.

From the stats and the number crunching, there is no way that Chaos Bolt should underperform if you are specc'd correctly. You can verify on WWS runs from good guilds. Warlocks in blues are pushing more than 5000 DPS with Chaos Bolt.

I don't know.  Maybe their crit is higher than mine.  But for some reason my rank 4 Chaos Bolt wouldn't hit for more than 3k unless it crit.  Which is why i'm pissed because it's base dmg is higher than Shadow Bolt's.  Maybe it's broken right now and it's not getting the bonus sp like Shadow Bolt is.  I don't know.  I just know that it is weak compared to Shadow Bolt for me.

Did you train up extra ranks of the spell? :)

so now that i am starting to get some gear im looking to spec back into affliction right now im running with the Fel/emberstorm build
http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=IZ0xIzsgRV0sxzZVshVr0uV
which has been giving my undergeared self 1.3-1.5k dps in heroics basicly casting CoA and Corruption to proc molten core, then Immolate and spam Incinerate

but I cant decide which affliction build I should use:

http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=IfxMbzMAoVq0IstZEzbV
which should have me covered as far a specing into hit cap across the board while allowing for molten core to proc, i can also move the molten core talent over to cataclysm and be set for hit.

or should i go for the SL and benefits of increased spell power with Demonic Aegis and Fel Armor and forget about cataclysm and Imp SB
(the only qualms i have about this one is SB is used as a filler, and improved shadow bolt will increase shadow damage by 10% so will the increase in spell power even matter?)

what is gonna give me the most DPS so i dont feel ashamed at the end of a run?

I like Dark Pact, Skree. I would find a way to throw that into your build.

I'm Affl atm as you know, and I'm honestly considering trying out a Dest spec I saw recently.  Guy was pushing 4k dps as Dest/Dem (heavy on destruction).  Course his gear was stupid good too, but still...

Here is his wowamory:

http://www.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Zul%27jin&n=Cramit

Looks like he respecced since I last looked unfortunately.

Demonology: http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=IZ0xIzsgMq0sxzZVchVrzuVZ is a valid raiding spec.

Affliction spec cookie cutter: http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=IdxMMurAkViM0st0gczsMZZ

If you want to maximize your raid potential in 3.0.8, you go as Demonology or Affliction. Period.

my armory

http://www.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Zul%27jin&n=Skree

What is your usual spell rotation?