Warlocks in World of Warcraft have it easy. They have pets to keep them safe, they have fears to keep the aggro off of them, and they have a wide array of spells for any occasion. With all the choices available, it is often hard to decide which talent tree you want to specialise into.
Starting from level 10, affliction takes the lead.
Leveling a Warlock in the affliction tree will teach you valuable survival tactics, as the tree is not reliant on your pet to keep you safe. Oftentimes, the pet is used for either a mana source or for added damage. The primary pets you will use are your imp and succubus. The Fel Hunter can be used in PvP or when facing multiple casters.
Staple talents for an affliction warlock are:
Improved Corruption - Makes Corruption an instant cast, which allows you to cast on the run.
Soul Siphon - Drain Life is your lifeblood, anything that improves it is a must have.
Fel Concentration - Reduce pushback while casting Drain Life.
Nightfall - Instant cast Shadowbolts occasionally.
Siphon Life - A DoT that works as a health tick for you.
Contagion - Damage increase, but needed for...
Unstable Affliction - An extra DoT that goes boom if dispelled.
Haunt - An extra DoT that will heal you.
There are a few other nice spells to have, like Dark Pact. You will also want to get anything that improves your spell damage, but not at the expense of one of the above talents.