MoP Classic Shadow Priest — Guide (Phase 5)
viewsAbout the Class
Shadow Priest is the priest's damage specialization, running on mana and Shadow Orbs while in 
Shadowform.
All of its damage is built around never letting 
Shadow Word: Pain and 
Vampiric Touch fall off, while three Shadow Orbs are spent on 
Devouring Plague; the gaps are filled by 
Mind Flay and 
Mind Blast. In a raid it is a steady multi-dot that also heals the raid through 
Vampiric Embrace and brings a full utility kit.
Strengths
- Excels on multiple targets thanks to its cheap multi-dot.
- Strong off-healing and utility: Vampiric Embrace,
Void Shift, 
Leap of Faith, 
Mass Dispel. - Consistently high and even damage.
- Damage barely drops while moving, since it relies on periodic effects and instant casts.
Dispersion is one of the best personal survival cooldowns among casters.- Brings
Power Word: Fortitude and mana-restoration utility to the raid.
Weaknesses
- Weak burst damage: the periodic effects need time to ramp up.
- Heavily gear-dependent for haste breakpoints.
- Losing dot uptime on target swaps or downtime is costly.
- Without Dispersion and
Shadowfiend, mana can become a problem.
Stat Priority
- 1Intellect
- 2Hit, Spirit, and Mastery up to the 15% spell hit cap
- 3Haste
- 4Critical Strike rating
- 5Mastery
15% spell hit (equivalent to 5100 rating) is mandatory. Spirit is preferable to pure Hit: for Shadow it converts into Hit while also returning mana. There is no need to specifically chase Mastery. Haste is the best secondary stat, and you stack it up to the breakpoints that add extra ticks to Devouring Plague, Shadow Word: Pain, and Vampiric Touch: the first extra tick appears around 3.12-4.75% haste, and two extra ticks around 18.97-23.81%. Goblins reach the breakpoints slightly earlier thanks to 
Time is Money.
Talents
Rotation (Ability Priority)
The opener is a set sequence of abilities you use as you engage an enemy. Memorising it helps initiate your rotation in the most optimal way possible.
- 1Power Word: Fortitude
- 2
Inner Fire - 3Shadowform
- 4
Potion of the Jade Serpent - 5
Mind Spike - 6Vampiric Touch
- 7Shadow Word: Pain
- 8Mind Blast
- 9
Power Infusion - 10Shadowfiend
- 11Devouring Plague
- 12Mind Flay
- Shadow Word: Pain — apply it and never let it drop
- Vampiric Touch — apply it and never let it drop; it also returns mana
- Devouring Plague — only at 3 Shadow Orbs, the strongest damage per cast
- Mind Blast — on cooldown while you have fewer than 3 orbs; it is the main generator
Shadow Word: Death — on targets at 20% health and below, it fires twice in a row- Mind Flay — a channeled filler that hits harder while Devouring Plague is up
- Shadowfiend — as soon as it is available, for damage and mana
Key Abilities
Best in Slot (BiS)
Best in Slot (BiS)Tier 16 Set — Regalia of the Ternion Glory
Tier 16 Set — Regalia of the Ternion GloryIn practice you collect 4 set pieces and fill the head slot with a non-tier item.
Enchants, Gems, Consumables
Enchants
Gems
ConsumablesRaces
Power Infusion — the best raiding race for Shadow.
Best Professions
Synapse Springs is the strongest profession damage bonus, plus Nitro Boosts for mobility.
Lightweave Embroidery on the cloak beats any regular cloak enchant.
Socket Bracer and 
Socket Gloves — two extra gems.
Fur Lining - Intellect on the wrists gives more intellect than the standard enchant.
Author
Fouren
Fouren has been playing World of Warcraft for over 15 years. He is an active player with 12 Cutting Edge achievements under his belt, and has reached the top 1% and 0.1% multiple times on various classes. His main classes are healers, particularly Holy Paladin.
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