Dark Pact (Classic)

Dark Pact is a warlock instant ability which transfers mana from your pet to you. This spell is acquired as a talent, requiring 30 points in the Affliction tree.

• 1) Minimum level to acquire the talent.

The amount of mana transferred receives 96% of your +spellpower bonus.

Using this talent does not stop your mana regeneration, or your pet's, or cancel an Imp's Phase Shift (imp ability).

Dark Pact generates threat.

This talent is actually pretty great, as you would expect from something at the top of a talent tree. At one talent point, it is considered a "must have" for any Warlock that is deep in the Affliction build, and many Warlocks invest 31 points into the tree primarily for this ability.

Dark Pact allows you to continually steal your pet's mana. It is often used with a Felhunter with the Improved Felhunter talent, which usually can regenerate mana faster than you can spend it. Prior to obtaining the felhunter, a phase-shifted imp set to "passive" can be used as a mana battery as well.

While Dark Pact contributes significantly in PvP, Raiding and Instances, it may shine best in simple grinding. It effectively results in no downtime for a Warlock that is grinding for experience or drops. Combined with Improved Drain Soul and one of these pets, Dark Pact can see a Warlock cycle through 10-20 equal level non-elite targets indefinitely, very rarely needing to draw on Life Tap. Grinding sessions of 1/2 an hour to an hour or more, without need for food/water, are very typical.

An interesting application of this is right after dying. The first thing you do (regardless of what pet you actually want) is to summon an imp. You can then steal all his mana, buff yourself up and fill your own mana pool before summoning whatever pet you actually want. It winds up being a faster way of getting back on your feet.

This appears to be an alternate version of the Liches' Dark Ritual ability from Warcraft 3:

By sacrificing one of his/her minions, the lich or warlock is able to absorb the energies from his/her comrade, replenishing his/her dark magical magical powers.

• Dark Pact (Heroes of Azeroth), TCG card