Shadow Priests source their might from the dark powers of the Void. But they always keep in control and never lose their minds. Although, sometimes thay might get madly… lethal.
Let’s take a closer look at the weakest and the strongest aspects of this specialization:
Advantages:
Wonderful multi-dot allowing to deal damage to dissociated targets;
Disadvantages:
Almost no AoE;
Long damage dealing acceleration.
Basic information on the spec:
A Shadow Priest has 2 resources. Mana – the one all specs of the current class have. Shadow uses this resource for various auxiliary and healing spells. Their main resource, however, is Insanity. All the key attacking abilities generate this resource. It is spent with an accelerating rate once you enter Voidform.
(Area of Effect) is basically the area where this of that effect is actuated regardless of whether its damage or healing. This command is usually used to act in a team/raid on several targets. It is also used to describe any ability of a Boss with the aforementioned effect.
Buff stands for any positive effect. Always reflected to the left of the mini-map, by its upper edge.
Burst is an ability to do – in multiple ways – massive damage within a short period of time.
Gear is what it is.
GCD (Global Cooldown) is the overall ability recovery time.
Debuff stands for negative effect. By default, it’ reflected to the left of the mini-map by its lower edge.
DoT stands for Damage over Time.
DPS (Damage per Second) is a measure that reflects the damage done within one second.
Cleave is an ability to damage secondary targets through damaging the main one with no (or minor) loss in the damage done to the main target.
Cooldown (often CD) primarily refers to the ability recovery time. Can be often applied to bursts and various protective abilities.
Melee and Range. Melee is the close-range combat zone, also used in the titles of all the classes and specs that do effective damage in this zone. Range usually refers to a zone that is not a close-range one and is used, respectfully, in the titles of all classes and specs that do effective damage remotely.
Trait is a name for the ‘talents’ your artifact has.
Void Bolt is an instant cast dealing Shadow magic damage to a selected target, and prolonging Shadow Word: Pain and Vampiric Touch by 3 secs on the selected target and all the enemies in close vicinity. Generates 16 Insanity. Restoring time 4.5 secs.
Vampiric Touch deals Shadow magic damage for 24 secs and restores the Priest Health equal to 50% of the damage dealt by it. Whoever dispels your Vampiric Touch, runs away for 3 secs.
Mind Flay is a channel spell dealing damage over 3 secs and slowing the target down by 50%. During its whole active period, generates 12 Insanity.
Shadow Word: Pain is an instant spell dealing minor Shadow magic damage, and more damage over the following 18 secs. Generates 4 Insanity.
Shadow Word: Death instant deals major Shadow magic damage to a target. Applied to the targets with 20% or less HP. Generates 15 Insanity. If the spell kills the target, it generates 30 Insanity. 2 charges. CD 9 secs.
Void Torrent allows you to cast a channel 4-sec long spell which deals Shadow magic damage to the selected target. Maintaininf this spell does not spend Insanity.
The trait Mind Quickening allows your Void Torrent increase the Haste Rating by 800 for 15 secs to you and 4 your allies.
Bursts, important CDs and passive effects
Shadowfiend summons a familiar who’s going to attack your target for 12 secs. CD 3 min.
Mind Sear makes your Mind Flay, once cast on a target tagged with your Shadow Word: Pain, deal minor Shadow magic damage to all the closest targets. Each target hit like this generates you 1 Insanity.
Voidform is triggered upon a successful utilization of Void Eruption. This form replaces Shadowform increasing your shadow magic damage by 25%, reducing the restoring time for youe Mind Blast by 3 secs, and increasing your Haste by 1% per sec. When you’re in this form, your Insanity level will drop at an increasing pace until it’s at 0 after which your Voidform will be over, and your Shadowform will be back.
Shadowy Apparitions make the critical strikes by your Shadow Word: Pain‘s periodic effect summon a shadowy spirit which flies slowly to the target. Once the spirit reaches the target, they deliver minor Shadow magic damage.
Call to the Void is your artifact’s golden trait which gives you the following effect: Mind Flay has certain probability of spawning a Void Tendril which applies Mind Flay to your target for 10 secs.
The trait Lash of Insanity allows your Void Tendrils generate 3 Insanity every time they deal damage.
Deffensive abilities
Vampiric Embrace enables you for 15 secs to restore the closest ally Health equal to 40% of the damage you are dealing with your single target spells. CD 3 min.
Dispersion transforms you into a ‘cloud for 6 secs. In this form, you take 60% less damage but you lose the ability to attack and cast any spells. Can be used when stunned, numbed or feared. Casting this spell also cancels any movement-impairing effects on you, it also makes you immune to them for the whole active period of Dispersion. During this action while in Voidform, your Insanity is not spent.
The trait Thrive in the Shadows allows you to restore 50% of your max HP count over the whole active period of the spell.
Power Word: Shield allows you to tag an ally or yourself with a damage absorbing effect which can absorb a medium amount of damage. The shield’s active time – 15 secs. CD 7.5 secs.
Shadow Mend restores medium HP to an ally but leaves behind an effect which deals damage once a sec for 10 secs or until the target leaves combat. The damage equals 50% of the healing produced.
Silence tags your target with numbness for 5 secs. If the target is not a player, a successful cast interruption would prevent the target from casting another spell from the same school for 3 secs.
Mind Vision enables you to see the world with your selected target’s eyes for 1 min.
Resurrection allows you to resurrect an ally out of combat.
Mind Control allows you to control one selected enemy if their level is no more than 1 point higher than yours. The spell can be used on any enemy except for demons, mechanisms and the undead. It is on the same diminishing as disorientation effects.
Levitate allows you to tag a friendly target with a positive effect for 10 min which enables them to float in the air above the ground, the water, and reduces the falling speed. Any incoming damage cancels the effect.
Mass Dispel allows you to cancel all the negative effects on 5 allies and 1 positive effect on 5 enemies within the area with 15 m of radius. Allows to dispel special spells which may not be subject to regular dispels. CD 15 secs.
Psychic Scream makes 5 enemies within the range of 8 m run away in terror for 8 secs which is a disorientation effect. CD 1 min.
Purify Disease cancels all the disease effects on an ally. CD 8 secs.
Dispel Magic cancels 1 positive magic effect on your enemy.
Shackle Undead allows you to paralyze an Undead enemy for 50 secs. Any damage dealt to the target cancels this effect. Only one enemy can be subject to the spell at a time.
General information. On achieving several new levels you’ll get access to new talent ‘Tiers’. Talents may have different effect on abilities: add new features, replace old ones, modify passively different effects and spells. Talents can be changed in Sanctuaries or any recreational zones. However, if you don’t have any of those places nearby you can use the Codex of the Tranquil Mind which allows you to switch channels within a minute. You can’t change talents in combat. You can’t change a talent if the talent you’ve picked in the last Tier is on Cooldown. You’ll have to wait until it’s restored first.
Tier 1. Lvl 15
Twist of Fate. Applying attacking spells on targets with below 35% Health, you get a 10-sec buff increasing all your outgoing damage by 20% and also increasing the efficiency of your healing by 20%.
Masochism. When using Shadow Mend on yourself, its periodic effect now restores Health and reduces the incoming damage by 10%.
* Your default pick would be Body and Soul. Mania can be used at a pretty high ilvl with a high Haste Rating as Voidform‘s uptime with high Insanity rates is great. Masochism is good for constant damage reduction.
Tier 3. Lvl 45.
Mind Bomb. Replaces Psychic Scream. Tags the target with a respective effect which, in 2 secs or upon the death of the target, explodes and stuns all the enemies within the range of 8 m for 4 secs.
Dominant Mind. Allows you to control your character during mind control effects thus making the controlled target your familiar for 2 min. Doesn’t work against players.
* Mind Bomb is the best choice for most situations, because having a mass stun can come in handy quite often. It also helps you trigger Sephuz’s Secret per CD. Dominant Mind is hardly every useful. Psychic Voice is never used.
Tier 4. Lvl 60.
Lingering Insanity. Once you’re out of your Voidform, your Haste bonus would go down by 2% per sec instead of vanishing right away.
Reaper of Souls. Shadow Word: Death now can be cast on targets with HP at 35% and below, and the Insanity generation would always be as if the spell had killed the target.
Void Ray. Every time your Mind Flay or Mind Sear deal damage, they deliver 10% more of it for 6 secs. Stacked up to 4 times.
Shadowy Insight. Whenever Shadow Word: Pain deals periodic damage, there is a 10% chance that the remaining restoring time for your Mind Blast is finished instantly, and the spell can be cast instantly.
* Auspicious Spirits is the only talent on his Tier that’s ever used. San’layn can be interesting for heavy multi-DoT encounters with very high haste raiting. Shadowy Insight is not currently used in any of the situations.
Tier 6. Lvl 90.
Power Infusion. Increases your Haste by 25% and Insanity generation by 25%. Active for 20 secs. CD 2 min
Mindbender. Replaces Shadowfiend. Summons, for 15 secs, a Guardian which would attack your target. Every attack generates 8 Insanity.
* Mindbender is the most effective talent on a single target and a small cleave as it allows you to stay in Voidform for longer. Power Infusion could be interesting when playing with Surrender to Madness. Misery might be effective on a large number of targets, sometimes used in Mythic+.
Shadow Crash. Throws a slow-moving energy bolt into a selected point. Upon landing, deals minor Shadow magic damage to all the enemies within that area. Generates 15 Insanity. CD 30 secs.
Surrender to Madness. All abilities generate 100% more Insanity and spells can be cast on the go until your Voidform is over. After you are out of your Voidform, you die.
* Legacy of the Void is the best talent in most cases. It allows you to keep your Voidform‘s uptime high which leads to a high uptime for the Haste boost. Surrender to Madness is relevant for very short combats or ones where you need to deal massive damage during the last phases. This would deprive you of a lot of damage over the course of combat, though. Shadow Crash looks terrible in any scenario, even with a huge AoE.
So, we can boil it all down to the following builds:
The standard raid one: This one is also okay for Mythic+ (you can replace Mindbender with Misery).
Unlike talents, in the weapons branch there is no choice of what you can and what you can’t take. With the current Artifact Knowledge, the order of artifact acquisition is insignificant as to open all the traits, you only need to earn 2.23 billion artifact power which is extremely easy to do just over the first few minutes after you’ve reached level 110.
Relics
The current spec is using 2 Shadow and 1 Blood relics.
Here are the traits listed with their weapon ilvl equivalent:
The traits that are not mentioned here may be considered equal to zero.
If you face situations where you’re not sure, we recommend you use the raidbots.com web-site which has a convenient interface for figuring out if it’s worth replacing Relic A with Relic B.
A Shadow Priest has access to the total of 14 Legendaries.
Let’s single out the best and the good Legendaries:
Sephuz’s Secret gives you, passively, 2% Haste and 10% moving speed. The proc that can be triggered with your interruptions, stuns or fear increases Haste by additional 25%, and the moving speed by 70%. Best legendary.
Prydaz, Xavaric’s Magnum Opus gives you a huge number of stats and allows you to get a damage absorbing shield for 25% of your max Health once every 30 secs. In terms of DPS it does lose a bit to other Legendaries, but its defensive effect can be extremely useful when exploring new bosses, ot on high-level Mythic+, when survival > DPS.
Celumbra, the Night’s Dichotomy is a craft Legendary. Okay for fresh characters if you’re willing to put in the gold and the agents for creating it. Replaced as soon as you receive the first two Legendaries.
If you’ve got different Legendaries out of the first list and want to figure out which one of them would be better for you, we recommend you use Simcraft.
The damage dealing model with Shadow Priest looks as follows: there are 2 phases – during the first one you generate Insanity, in the second one you activate Voidform and try to keep it on for as long as possible. A grand share of the damage dealing are DoTs which helps you deal major damage to several long-living targets. This advantage is particularly obvious as compared to the others when you have targets located remotely from each other.
Having collected 100 Insanity (or 65, if talented with Legacy of the Void), you can enter Voidform by using Void Eruption. From this moment on, you start spending your Insanity, and the spending is getting faster with every second you spend in the form; and Void Eruption is replaced with Void Bolt.
Shadow Word: Death. – 1 time, to avoid idling 2 charges. – 1 more time, to use it as a security policy, in case you have run out of means to maintain Voidform, and your Mind Blast should be on CD.
Maintain your Shadow Word: Pain and Vampiric Touch DoTs. – Prolonging your Void Bolt DoT should be enough, but under the risk of losing one of the DoTs, you need to apply them manually.
If you’re combatting against several targets, maintain DoTs on all of the reachable long-living targets (long-living = 20+ secs). Keep in mind that in Voidform your Void Bolt prolongs your DoTs on all the enemies within the 8-m range around the main target which allows you to clear up a huge number of GCD for maintaining DoT. The rest of the priorities coincide with those for single target.
If your targets are short-living, maintain the DoTs only on the main target which should be later hit with Mind Flay.
Void Torrent is also to be used as frequently as possible, and only from Voidform, because it deals more damage on its own, plus it helps prolong the form as it does not spend Insanity for its operation. The same relation to Void Torrent is that of the Haste rating, as Haste increases the number of ticks of his spell. This, in its turn, helps it deal more damage. One more thing that’s important is a particular ability when playing with Surrender to Madness.
You should use:
– If your DoTs on the target have 5+ secs of duration.
Apart from being a very potent defensive cooldown, Dispersion is also a great DPS cooldown – it does not allow your Insanity to be spent during the whole duration of it effect which is also crucial when playing with Surrender to Madness.
Surrender to Madness
This talent may cause multiple questions.
To provide that talent’s max uptime, you need to know how to utilize Void Torrent correctly, leave Dispersion as a DPS cooldown; and you should also understand how much time your fight with your boss is going to be over in. You should also check your own abilities so that you clearly understand for how long you can stay in Surrender to Madness.
Your priorities are the same as usual, with a minor exception. You aer bound to stack up an enormous Haste Rating which means you can switch to the following arrangement as soon as at 122%:
Haste increases the casting speed, reduces the intervals between your DoTs’ ticks, reduces GCD. It also reduces the restoring time of your Mind Blast, Void Eruption and Void Bolt.
The last 3 characteristics are quite close to each other. That’s why is recommended, once you receive new equipment, you use Simcraft or Raidbots.com. There is no way to get a more precise answer to which stat to focus on first, but through a simulation.
Based on the aforementioned characteristics and results of your character’s own simulation results, you can draw conclusions on Gems, Chants and Raid Chemicals.
2 pieces: Whenever your Vampiric Touch deals damage, you accumulate 1 Insanity.
4 pieces: For 2.5 secs after taking Voidform, the restoring time of your Void Bolt is reduced by 100%.
t20:
2 pieces: Once your Mind Flay deals damage, your next Mind Blast deals 3% more damage and allows you to accumulate 1 more Insanity. The effect sums up, up to 10 times.
4 pieces: During Voidform, the speed of Insanity spending slows down 10%.
t21:
2 pieces: Additional damage delivered during Mind Flay and Mind Blast critical strikes grows by 50%.
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