Hello dear Shadow priest players and to these which now want to try it out. My ingame nick is Swiz, already known from some old Cataclysm players as Svviz, one of the best Shadow priests in whole Molten past 3 years with most activity and top results for best class ingame. My history about Shadow priest is longer then 6 years spread into Private servers and Retail. This Cataclysm and Mist of Pandaria guides will introduce you from my point of view and my knowledge in shadow speciality, how we are in these two expansions. Currently both guides are on daily based program, which getting changes on the way as you gear ingame. Any suggestions and ideas about improve in guide, will be welcome to me. Feel free to leave comments below.
Note: This guide is based for use here into Molten mechanics. I hope to be functional at first and good example for future.
Pros:
- More healing while we DPS
- Spell which save from dying player (Void Shift)
- We has best utility.
- Very good Multi-target DPS.
- More processes to DPS while moving.
Cons:
- Lowest Single-target DPS (but not last)
- Devouring Plague now require Orbs to be casted.
- No more 24/7 AoE healing.
This will be updated daily, with information and status everyday.
1. [Solace and Insanity] - Status: Confirmed
2. [Halo] - Status: Confirmed
3. [Devouring Plague] - Status: Fixed
4. [Shadowy Apparitions] - Status: Confirmed - Seems working, waiting update in bugtracker.
5. [Dot/Hot Clipping] - Status: Confirmed
6. [Divine Insight] - Status: Fixed
We got a lot of changes, will write some of important.
[Devouring Plague]: Now you need 1+ orbs to open it. More preferable is to use it when are 3 orbs to gain max of it.
[Renew]: Now can be used while in Shadowform, this may help in some situations.
[Prayer of Mending]: Also can be used in Shadowform.
[Mass Dispel]: Now is with 15 seconds Cooldown, but remove almost everything from player/target.
[Vampiric Embrace]: Now is Cooldown spell and healing is way more then previous version, while it was aura buff.
[Inner Fire] and [Inner Will]: Now are Auras instead of Buffs with period of time.
[Shadow Protection]: Buff is removed.
[Dispel]: It's removed from Shadow speciality.
I will write only three from each faction and why do I suggest you them.
Alliance faction.
Every Man for Himself |
Removes movement & control impairing effects (2 min cooldown)
Mace & Sword Specialization |
3 expertise, when equip Mace and Sword.
The Human Spirit |
3% spirit
- Best race for us in MoP are Humans, with most balanced recials ingame. You can escape a impairing/movement effects, 1% expertise, which now is equal to 1% spell hit and 3% spirit which for shadow are 3% Spell hit. So if we calculate it normally you get a 4% already caped hit from recials, so this left you with 4% free stat.
Viciousness |
1% critical strike to all kind of attacks.
Darkflight |
Increased movement speed by 40% for 10 seconds (2 min cooldown)
- Second is Worgen known for the best race in Cataclysm now become on second place, but it is also good enough to Human, you have mobility with speed boost and 1% critical for DPS.
Heroic Presence |
1% melee and spell hit (raid boss hit cap = 841 hit rating)
Gift of the Naaru |
Heals the target for 20% of their total health over 15 sec. (3 min cooldown)
- Last is Draenei, which help you with survival with a heal and reaching of hit by 1%, which left you to put this 1% to some other stat.
Horde faction.
Berserking |
20% increased spell haste for 10 seconds (3 min cooldown)
Regeneration |
Health regeneration rate increased by 10%, 10% of total regeneration during combat
Beast Slaying |
5% damage versus beasts
- Best choice from horde is Troll with spell haste boost. However, Berserking is best used when coordinated to burst damage where the potential effect could probably be 50% higher than using it purely on cooldown.
Time is Money |
1% spell speed
Rocket Jump |
Jump forward (2 min cooldown, shared with Rocket Barrage)
Rocket Barrage |
Launches rockets at enemy (2 min cooldown, shared with Rocket Jump)
- Second equal to Worgen is Goblin with escape from an hot spot and passive recial for 1% haste. Some people prefer to use [Rocket Barrage] with bursting.
Will of the Forsaken |
Removes charm, fear, and sleep (2 min cooldown)
Cannibalize |
Regen 7% health and mana, every 2 seconds for 10 seconds (2 min cooldown)
- Third is Undead more viable for PvP, they have a equal escape racial like Human and regen of health and mana can be used while in combat from human and undead corpse.
No more talent trees, you create your talents on incoming situation, so read tooltip on spells, practice and learn.
Tier 1 CrowdControl group of spells. My Choice is
[Void Tendrils]
- [Void Tendrils] - If mobs are not immune to roots, then this one is good to stop them for a while. Also mobs, players need to attack it to be unleashed, so you also save a time being hit.
- [Psyfiend] - Fear random target in version like Psychic scream but in one place, instead of running around. More viable at PvP, really this one is life saver.
- [Dominate Mind] - Next level of known Mind Control, but not prefer for a PvE from players.
Tier 2 Based on Movement. My Choice is
[Body and Soul]
- [Body and Soul] - When you cast Power word: Shield on you or player he get 60% movement speed for 4 seconds, enough to run from every possible situation. It will not remove movement impairing effects already present.
- [Angelic Feather] - Possible of use 3 feathers on floor, once someone run over them, he will get 60% movement speed for 6 seconds, pretty viable for situation to help player without change target, but rumors about used in PvE.
- [Phantasm] - Compare to other spells in this tier, just ignore this. Really may be good for PvP but even then is not yet preferable.
Tier 3 Real DPS increase and really important. My choice is
[Solace and Insanity]
- [From Darkness, Comes Light] - Best choice if the fight is more of movement and a lot of adds to carry of. If you plan to do multi-dotting a lot in next fight, then pick this.
- [Mindbender] - If the fight is based on burst, pick improved version of Shadowfiend, once you learn it replace current version of your pet.
- [Solace and Insanity] - By far best option in this tier, increase burst while doing normal rotation. If the fight is single target and you not move pretty much, choice this.
Tier 4 Survivability. My choice is
[Angelic Bulwark]
- [Desperate Prayer] - Known spell from a long time, life saver. Can be casted in Shadowform and increase survivability.
- [Spectral Guise] - Very good to blind enemy for a while, sometimes work like Fade, but not big deal with it in PvE.
- [Angelic Bulwark] - Equal to Desperate Prayer, but less CD and triggered when you needed.
Tier 5 - Interesting group of spells, which you choice is fine. My choice is
[Power Infusion]
- [Twist of Fate] - Best option, if the fight are with mobs which dying regularly to keep this all time.
- [Power Infusion] - If you plan to do burst on something very fast, choice this. Stack with Haste effects, Troll racial and Heroism.
- [Divine Insight] - Very good for fight with many mobs for multi-dotting, increase the chance to get more orbs for Devouring Plague.
Tier 6 - Balanced spells from healing/damage side. High recommend to use on CD, during fight. My Choice is
[Halo]
- [Cascade] - Fights with spread out adds is where this shines.
- [Divine Star] Great for Dungeons and PvP where is small amount of players/targets.
- [Halo] - Single traget also work pretty well into Massive group of adds, Healing and Damage in same time.
Major Glyphs
Only few from major glyphs are good and also can swap by situation. Will write only useful and some in situation, there is more major glyphs for priest. But I choice to add only these, which are used more often.
Useful
[Glyph of Inner Sanctum] - Based on survivability, most used by shadow priests in PvE.
[Glyph of Mind Flay] - Reduce movement slow from spell and replace it with a movement speed to you with 15% and has 3 stacks, so also one of the best to choice.
[Glyph of Vampiric Embrace] - Converts an additional 10% of the damage you deal into healing, but the duration is reduced by 5 sec. Use it when in some phase your group need massive AoE heals.
[Glyph of Weakened Soul] - Reduce a 2 seconds from debuff. Good for using with Body and Soul talent, so you speed up more often.
Situational
[Glyph of Dispersion] - Reduce 15 seconds from Cooldown, if you lack mana or you try to survive more often, then pick this.
[Glyph of Fade] - Now give a 10% reduce damage and remove all threat as before.
[Glyph of Fear Ward] - Reduce 60 seconds from cooldown on spell.
[Glyph of Focused Mending] - Cause Prayer of Mending to bounce only between you and target. New for 5.4, high potential during AoE damage.
[Glyph of Inner Fire] - Increase 50% armor.
Intellect>Hit/Spirit>Haste>Mastery=Critical
Intellect: This is first and get maximum of it.
Hit/Spirit: 14%(4760) if you are Draenei and 15%(5100) for all other races.
Haste: Only Mind Quickening(5% Haste from Shadowform)
1st: 8085 (24.7%) for +1 tick into Shadow word: Pain and Devouring Plague.
2nd: 10124 (30.01%) for +1 tick on Vampiric Touch.
3rd: 14873 (41.74%) for +1 tick into Shadow word: Pain and Devouring Plague.
Mastery and Critical: I set them equal to each other, because you better to be in balance with them. Mastery is good for multi-dotting and Critical is good for single target and burst.
Do your reforging in this order:
1. If an item does not have haste on it, reforge Crit, Mastery or Hit/Spirit if you are caped.
2. If an item has haste, reforge the secondary stat to hit/spirit until 15%.
3. After steps 1 and 2, if you are still under hit cap, sacrifice haste to reach cap. If you are over hit cap, trade some hit for critical or mastery (whichever is stronger for you).
Your aim with reforging should be to have the most haste possible and secondly to reach as close to your hit cap (15%) as possible without being over. Check below the ways of reforge.
1. Critical ->Hit/Spirit until cap ->Haste
2. Mastery ->Hit/Spirit until cap ->Haste
3. Hit/Spirit if above cap ->Haste ->Mastery or Critical your choice.
4. Over Haste cap ->Mastery or Critical
Enchants
Shoulders: [Greater Crane Wing Inscription]
Back: [Enchant Cloak - Superior Intellect]
Chest: [Enchant Chest - Glorious Stats]
Wrist: [Enchant Bracer - Super Intellect]
Gloves: [Enchant Gloves - Greater Haste]
Waist: [Living Steel Belt Buckle]
Legs: [Greater Cerulean Spellthread]
Boots: [Enchant Boots - Pandaren's Step]
1H or Two hand: [Enchant Weapon - Jade Spirit] or [Enchant Weapon - Windsong]
Off hand: [Enchant Off-Hand - Major Intellect]
Gems
Blue: [Energized Wild Jade]
Yellow: [Quick Sun's Radiance]
Red: [Reckless Vermilion Onyx]
Meta: [Burning Primal Diamond]
No more important Cooldowns and processes which to carry on, at least not that much as in Cataclysm. I will give you a Normal rotation and AoE rotation which to follow.
Normal rotation is very simple, from opening till processes and end of it. As always suggest to practice, even if is not that hard, but practice make it better you know.
Opening of rotation:
1. [Halo] - (Probably this proc your stuff, like trinkets, extra proffesion enchants etc)
2. [Potion/Trinket] and [Mind Blast]
3. [Shadow word: Pain]
4. [Vampiric Touch]
5. [Shadowfiend/Mindbender]
6. [Mind Flay]
Priorities in this rotation:
#1 - [Devouring Plague] with Shadow orbs x3.
#2 - [Mind Blast] on CD, especially Divive Insight procs.
#3 - [Shadow Word: Death] x2 below 20% target hp.
#4 - [Mind Flay] while Devouring Plague is on target and as filler.
#5 - [Shadow Word: Pain] and [Vampiric Touch] to be all time on target.
#7 - [Halo] and [Shadowfiend/Mindbender] to be all time on CD.
AoE rotation is based on many DoTs to be applied on targets around, so to bring maximum of our spec into it. Strong suggest to cast
[Shadow Word: Pain] and
[Vampiric Touch] on targets which will be alive for the period spell time. Otherwise spamming Mind Sear is also an variation, but again more DoTs = more processes and more DPS.
Fight with 1-5 mobs
1. [Shadow word: Pain]
2. [Vampiric Touch]
3. [Potion/Trinket]
4. [Mind Sear]
Fight with massive mob groups 5+
1. [Potion/Trinket]
2. [Mind Sear]
3. Focus all other stuff on an special mob(boss or marked mob from group)
Note: Right now is on test are some rotations taken from retail, so you can use the ones right here for now, till I figure out an potential rotation for future. Feel free to suggest in comments below your rotations aswell.
522 iLVL BiS List (Raid mode) - Possible with Coins and some ingame.
- Helm: [Hood of the Exorcist] - Coin Shop - 24 coins
- Neck: [Megaera's Shining Eye] - Coin Shop - 18 coins
- Shoulder: [Shoulderguards of the Exorcist] - Coin Shop - 21 coins
- Back: [Deadly Glare Cape] - Coin Shop - 21 coins
- Chest: [Raiment of the Exorcist] - Coin Shop - 24 coins
- Bracers: [Twisting Wind Bracers] - Coin Shop - 14 coins
- Gloves: [Crystal-Claw Gloves] - Coin Shop - 18 coins
- Waist: [Cord of Cacophonous Cawing] - Coin Shop - 18 coins
- Legs: [Leggings of the Exorcist] - Coin Shop - 21 coins
- Feet: [Dam'ren's Frozen Footguards] - Coin Shop - 18 coins
- Ring1: [Eye of Oondasta] - Coin Shop - 18 coins
- Ring2: [Jin'rokh's Dreamshard] - Coin Shop - 18 coins
- Main Weapon: [Torall, Rod of the Shattered Throne] - Coin Shop - 18 coins
- Offhand: [Lei Shen's Orb of Command] - Coin Shop - 16 coins
- Two-Hand: [Dinomancer's Spiritbinding Spire] - Coin Shop - 24 coins
- Trinket1: [Unerring Vision of Lei Shen] - Coin Shop - 18 coins
- Trinket2: [Breath of the Hydra] - Coin Shop - 18 coins
NOTE: Look carefully in tooltip information about every item, some of them are with broken stat or low type.
496 iLVL BiS List (Raid mode) - Obtained in Current open raids.
- Helm: [Guardian Serpent Hood]- Sha of Fear - Terrace of Endless Spring
- Neck: [Stomphowl Pendant]- Galleon - World Boss
- Shoulder: [Guardian Serpent Shoulderguards]- Lei Shi - Terrace of Endless Spring
- Back: [Cloak of Overwhelming Corruption] - Protectors of the Endless - Terrace of Endless Spring
- Chest: [Robes of Pinioned Eyes] - Sha of Fear - Terrace of Endless Spring
- Bracers: [Cuffs of the Corrupted Waters] - Protectors of the Endless - Terrace of Endless Spring
- Gloves: [Undying Shadow Grips] - The Spirit Kings - Mogu"shan Vaults
- Waist: [Healer’s Belt of Final Winter] - Tsulong - Terrace of Endless Spring
- Legs: [Dreadwoven Leggings of Failure] - Sha of Fear - Terrace of Endless Spring
- Feet: [Sandals of the Blackest Night] - Tsulong - Terrace of Endless Spring
- Ring1: [Ancient Primalist's Seal] - Quartmaster into Isle of Thunder
- Ring2: [Watersoul Signet] - Protectors of the Endless - Terrace of Endless Spring
- Weapon: [Regail’s Crackling Dagger] - Protectors of the Endless - Terrace of Endless Spring
- Offhand: [Fan of Fiery Winds] - Feng the Accursed - Mogu’shan Vaults
- Two-Hand: [Jin’ya, Orb of the Waterspeaker] - Lei Shi - Terrace of Endless Spring
- Trinket1: [Light of the Cosmos] - Elegon - Mogu'shan Vaults
- Trinket2: [Essence of Terror] - Sha of Fear - Terrace of Endless Spring
NOTE: Updated list for possibility to obtain items from Raids and to prepare yourself for future.
489 iLVL BiS List (Pre-raid mode)
- Helm: [Yalia’s Cowl] - Justice Point Vendor - 2250
- Neck: [Links of the Lucid ] - Justice Point Vendor - 1250
- Shoulder: [Tenderheart Shoulders] - Justice Point Vendor - 1750
- Back: [Static-Collecting Cloak] - Quartmaster into Isle of Thunder
- Chest: [Vestments of Thundering Skies] - Justice Point Vendor - 2250
- Bracers: [Bracers of Inlaid Jade] - Justice Point Vendor - 1250
- Gloves: [Sunspeaker’s Flared Gloves] - Justice Point Vendor - 1750
- Waist: [Klaxxi Lash of the Seeker] - Justice Point Vendor - 1750
- Legs: [Poisoncrafter’s Kilt] - Justice Point Vendor - 2250
- Feet: [Void Flame Slippers] - Justice Point Vendor - 1750
- Ring1: [Simple Harmonius Ring] - Justice Point Vendor - 1250
- Ring2: [Ancient Primalist's Seal] - Quartmaster into Isle of Thunder
- Main Weapon: Try to get highest ilvl item here. No matter stats
- Offhand: [Inscribed Red Fan] or highest ilvl. - Inscription BoE
- Trinket1: [Blossom of Pure Snow] - Justice Point Vendor - 1750
- Trinket2: [Relic of Yu’lon] - Inscription (Darkmoon event) BoE
All food buffs last one hour. Alchemists get about 30% more effect and an extra hour from Flasks and Elixirs.Pandarens get twice the food buff.
Food:
[Mogu Fish Stew] - 250 Intellect
[Braised Turtle] - 250 Intellect
Flask:
[Flask of the Warm Sun]: 1,000 Intellect for an hour.
Potions:
[Potion of the Jade Serpent]: 4,000 Intellect for 25 seconds.
Yay I made another guide again, hope you like it and with love friends.
Peace.
Changelogs: Incoming a lot details, features, editing and categories to everything.
NEW 1.11.2014 - Editing information in category Skills change
NEW 1.11.2014 - Editing information with Major Glyphs, will not add links for now.
NEW 8.11.2014 - Statistics category will stay as is it for now.
NEW 8.11.2014 - Rotations is added a tip into Normal Rotation.
NEW 1.12.2014 - Added a Race choice category.
NEW 2.12.2014 - Best in Slot 496 iLVL list.
NEW 21.2.2015 - Formatting guide
NEW 03.3.2015 - Adding category Bugtracker for Shadow speciality only.
NEW 09.3.2015 - Adding Best in Slot for 522+ iLVL and Pre-raid.
NEW 25.3.2015 - Update into Best in Slot 522 iLVL list and 496 iLVL list. Notes in spoiler.
INCOMING - Big edition and making guide compact and fast to read.
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