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Complete guide on becoming a viable Priest DPS by descending into the Shadow's Specialization Tree
You can find all our Pocket Guides for other WoW Classic Classes builds right here: Best WoW Classic Builds
If you have just started leveling your Priest, you may want to check out our Priest leveling Guide first
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Overview
According to the Warcraft lore, Undead who were Priests in life became the first Shadow Priests in death. They woke up to the new life-after-death only to discover that the power of Light, that they've devoted their lives to, now burns them and causesagonizing pain. These first Shadow Priests did not have much choice, they had to forsake the Light to survive. The "new" Shadow Priests have the choice, however, and only the most dedicated will remain loyal to the ways of Shadow, while most of them will end up as sad Holy Healers.
Shadow Priests have a unique ability that allows them to leech the life force out of their enemies and mend their group members with it. They are also in possession of one of the most powerful Spells of Classic - the Mind Blast. Moreover, they can Shield their group members orleave their Shadow Form and support their Raidwith Healing if needed. However,PvE Shadow Priests have a multitude of problems that overweigh their benefits, the largest of them being low damage output and severe sustain issues. This is why most guilds force aspiring Spriests to respec Holy. However, one lucky follower of the Shadow is often allowed to not forsake his ways and provide Raid's Warlocks with the Shadow Weaving buff that considerably increases theirDPS.
Pros | Cons |
The "Cool" priest | Low Sustain |
Provides powerful Shadow Weaving debuff | Low overall DPS |
Can passively Heal his group members thanks to the Vampiric Embrace ability | Competes for gear with a class that is better at dealing damage - Warlocks |
Great at PvP | Usually, there is only a single spot for a Shadow Priest in a 40-man Raid |
More resistant to Physical Damage than other casters | Constantly asked to respec Holy |
The Best Race Choice
Race choice is more impactful for Priests than for other Classes because Priests get a race-specific "Priest Racials" in addition to the standard set of Racial traits.
Note:Here, we will point you only towards the best PvE DPS Shadow PriestRace. If you'd like to know more about other race picks, please check our WoW Classic Beginners Guide, where we dive deep into all available Mage's race choices for both factions.
Alliance | The Dwarf is a clear winner here as He receives a set of very powerfultools that affect Shadow Priest's gameplay. Firstly, he gets Fear Wardthat is essential for encounters like Onyxia, where it allows the Priest to shield a Tank from Fear mechanics present in the fight and is also incredibly powerful in PvP. Secondly, he receives the Stoneformthat considerably increases his survivability, and for emergencies, he gets access to the Desperate Prayer. On top of that, Dwarf is also the best choice for PvP. |
Horde | Because of the debuff slot limits, Troll comes out on top as the best PvE Horde Shadow Priest Race. His Berserkinghas a direct impact on DPS and it does not take up a valuable debuff slot. Moreover, Troll is also the best for Healing. However, if you'd like to do some PvPing you'll be better off picking Undead (the power of the Will of the Forsaken should not be underestimated). |
The BestProfessions Choice
Sadly,Truefaith Vestments, theBoP Priest-specific Chest made by Tailoring is not suited for Shadow Priest gameplay at all (it gives Healing power and not Spell Power). This leaves justone profession that makes a realimpact in Raids- Engineering(Alchemy is also a decent option, but you can buy Flasks, Elixirs, and Potions from other players, which makes it much less impactful). It gives you access to powerful explosives that increase yourAoE and Single-Target DPS. Moreover, Engineering gadgets come in handy in many back-to-the-wall situations. The fact that Engineering is also considered the best PvP profession is an added benefit to its power in a PvE environment.
At the start, you should pick Mining to supplement your Engineering Skill, you can always switch it to another profession of your liking later on. There are also other profitable ways to earn Gold in WoW Classic which you can find out more about in this article.
Note: If you want to know more about all available professions and secondary skills, please check our detailed WoW Classic Professions Guide.
Statistics Priority
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Statistic Priority for a Shadow Priest: Spell Hit Cap⇒ Spell Damage/Shadow Damage ⇒ Mp5⇒ Intellect⇒Spell Critical Chance⇒Spirit |
The Best Talent Builds
Proper Talent allocation is essential for maximizing Damage output. Here, we will describe the most optimalspec and lead you through the Talent Trees level-by-level to explain some choices.
Shadow Priest's Talent Build should depend on his current Gear. Raid-ready Spriestshould go for the more aggressive setup, while beginnershould aim for Talents that will allow him to stay useful when he inevitably runs out of mana:
- Entry-level Shadow Priest Build- Shadow Priests are famous for running out of Mana incredibly quickly, especially when they are undergeared. This build tries to offset that fact by securing Talents, like Spirit Tap and Wand Specialization. Thesecreate a solid backup plan for situations when Priest's mana runs out - finish off a trash mob, pull out a Wand, and Shoot Targets while your mana regenerates. While solid in 5-man Dungeons, this strategy will not work too well in Raids, which means that this version of the Build should only be used to farm pre-Raid BiS items (this is why it closely resembles a leveling build). As soon as you build-up enough Spell Power andhigh enough mana pool, you should switch to the Build featured below (Spell Power makes Wanding obsoleteand high mana pool allows you to maximize your Mind Blast usage which considerably increases your DPS).
- Raid-ready Shadow Priest Build - This version of the Shadow Priest build forgoes utility and sustain-related Talents, and instead focuses on maximizing DPS. To use it effectively, you'll need at least pre-Raid BiS gear and a hefty stock of consumables (Mana Potions, Runes, Mana Regen Food, etc.). In the Raid environment, youwill not be required to support healers with Shieldsand the only instant-cast spell you'll be using in your rotation is Shadow Word: Pain, which means thatImproved Power Word: Shield and Mental AgilityTalents are completely redundant. This means that 8 Talent Points can be spent elsewhere: Thanks to 4/5 Improved Mind BlastSpriest's rotation becomes much smoother - 6 seconds (the new Mind Blast's cooldownlength) is enough to cast two Mind Flayswhich allows you to use Mind Blast ⇒ Mind Flay ⇒ Mind Flay⇒Mind Blastsequence without clipping into Mind Blast's cooldown (which would happen if you used 5/5 Improved Mind Blast). However, usingMind Blast more often creates a Threat problem. This is why 4 remaining points were used for5/5 Silent Resolvewhich should minimize the problem.
Entry-level Shadow Priest PvE DPS Build Discipline Tree:
Shadow Tree:
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Raid-ready Shadow Priest PvE DPS Build Discipline Tree:
Shadow Tree:
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Where to get Pre-Raid/RaidBiSGear
In order to maximize your DPS, you should aim to assemble the best possible Gear. This applies to both Pre-Raid and each of the Raid Tiers/Phases.
Note1: The list will be updated with new items concurrently with the introduction of new Raids/Phases, so remember to visit this page after a new Raid opens for an update on what current best Shadow Priest items in each lot are.
The Best Shadow Priest Items | |
Main Hand |
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Off-Hand |
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Ranged |
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Trinket 1 |
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Trinket 2 |
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Neck |
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Ring 1 |
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Ring 2 |
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Head |
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Chest |
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Legs |
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Gloves |
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Boots |
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Shoulders |
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Wrists |
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Belt |
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Back |
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The Best Enchants and Consumables
Proper enchants and consumables will greatly increase your Damage output. While getting enchants is a one-time-deal, farming consumables might be a real chore, but it is still worth itas numbers clearly show.
The Best Enchants | |
Weapon (1H) | Enchant Weapon - Spell Power (+ 30 Spell Damage) |
Weapon (TH) | Enchant Weapon - Spell Power (+ 30 Spell Damage) |
Head | Lesser Arcanum of Voracity(+8 Intellect, available from Libram of Voracity Questin Burning Steppes) |
Chest | Enchant Chest - Greater Stats(+4 to all stats) |
Legs | Lesser Arcanum of Voracity(+8 Intellect, available from Libram of Voracity Questin Burning Steppes) |
Hands | Enchant Gloves - Riding Skill(Minor Raiding Speed Increase) |
Feet | Enchant Boots - Minor Speed (+8% Run Speed) |
Shoulders | Chromatic Mantle of the Dawn(+5 to all Resistances) |
Wrists | Enchant Bracer - Mana Regeneration (+4 Mana per 5 seconds) |
Back | Enchant Cloak - Greater Resistance (+5 to all Resistances) |
The Best Consumables | |
Flask of Distilled Wisdom | +2000 maximum Mana for 2 hours; effect persists through death. Created by Alchemy. The recipe can be dropped from Balnazzar, Stratcholme. |
Major Mana Potion | Restores 1350 to 2250 Mana. Created by Alchemy. Recipe drops from various high-level mobs, elites, and Bosses. |
Greater Arcane Elixir | +35 Spell Damage for 1 hour. Created by Alchemy. The recipe can be dropped from Fireguard Destroyers in Blackrock Depths and Scareshield Raiders in Blackrock Spire. |
Elixir of Shadow Power | +40 Shadow Damage for 30 minutes. Created by Alchemy. The recipe can be bought from Alchemy Supplies Vendors in Stormwind and Undercity |
Demonic Rune | Restores 1356 mana at the cost of 862 life. Drop from Demons in Azshara, Felwood, and Blasted Lands (Satyrs and Fel Guards). |
Mageblood Potion | +12 Mp5 for 1 hour. Created by Alchemy. The recipe can be bought from Rin'wosho the Trader, located in north Stranglethorn Vale |
Cerebral Cortex Compound | +25 Intellect for 1 hour. Obtained from "Infallible Mind" repeatable Quest, Blasted Lands |
Nightfin Soup | It provides 8 mana per 5 seconds for 10 minutes. Created by Cooking. |
Brilliant Mana Oil | +12 Mp5 and +25 Healing Power for 30 minutes. Created by Enchanting. This is applied to a Weapon. |
Rotations
In Classic, Shadow Priest's Rotation revolves around applying and maintaining 5 stacks of the Shadow Weaving debuff while trying not to prematurely run out of mana.
Note1: Avoid using Vampiric Embrace and Devouring Plague in Raids. These spells take a valuable debuff slot and provide very little in return.
Note2:Consumables that restore mana are Shadow Priest's best friends, always have a hefty amount of them in your bags.
Please use the following Priority List for sustained Single-Target Damage output:
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Tips and Tricks for aspiring Shadow Priest Raiders
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END NOTE
This Guide should help you to prepare yourself for that legendary Vanilla Raiding Experience and allow you to progress through Raid Tiers efficiently and with a good amount of fun.
We hope that you have found this guide useful and informative. If we have missed a piece of information that is important to you, please let us know!
Please do note that this is an early version of our guide, and we will be happy to receive constructive criticism, that will help us improve it, so leave your suggestions in the comments section below.
Pictures used in this article are theintellectual property of Blizzard Entertainment Inc.
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