Shadow Priests have become significant in the game for Retail WoW, but in the Classic version of World of Warcraft, they have historically lagged behind.
Though they are more than capable of topping the meters in the former, they are weaker casters in earlier iterations that struggle to emulate classes like the Mage or Warlock. Unfortunately, during the first phase of Season of Discovery, the level 25 cap means that they will be missing some key talents and abilities, and major issues will likely go unaddressed.
That said, there is still plenty of reason to be hopeful about the class, and it will undoubtedly improve significantly as the game progresses through the phases, all the way up to level 60.
Disclaimer: Though there is a fair amount of information out in the wild, there are still some mysteries heading into Season of Discovery. As more emerges following the game’s release on November 30, this guide will continue to be updated to ensure it provides the most accurate representation of the class/spec as possible.
Season of Discovery DPS Priest complete guide
The massive changes heading into Season of Discovery will change how many classes work, but DPS Priest is arguably one of the most preserved. The fact that the class has two healing specs has led Blizzard to prioritize Runes that assist with those over DPS buffs.
The primary issue that remains unaddressed is mana usage, with Shadow Priests still able to quickly burn through their entire supply in dungeon or raid encounters. These problems will be further compounded by the lack of talent points on offer in Phase One, ruling out immense abilities like Shadowform.
As with all classes, Runes will help address some of the issues, at least partially, but with the power boosts other classes are receiving, there is little to suggest Priests will be particularly competitive at this early stage. That said, the first phase is the one where it should be possible to play any class in any setting. By the time the complete original raids arrive, further Runes and talents may have changed their viability entirely.
Bearing all of that in mind, it may be a solid idea to build into a more hybrid version of the class in this initial release, offering healing and damage in equal measure where possible.
DPS Priest Talent Guide
Priest is in a tough spot for talents because many of those available in the Shadow talent tree won’t be particularly useful in increasing DPS. With the sixteen talent points on offer at this stage, almost every Shadow Priest will build precisely the same way.
Maxing out Spirit Tap for the 100% spirit boost after killing an enemy is a no-brainer and, as Shadow Word: Pain will be one of the primary sources of damage, it’s worth the Rank 2 improvement to increase the duration by six seconds.
Going 5/5 in Shadow Focus reduces Shadow Resistance by 10%, and it’s worth putting two points in Shadow Affinity for the reduced threat. A point in Mind Flay is necessary, purely to add more options for the damage rotation and leaving Affinity on 2/3 leaves one point left over for Shadow Weaving. The latter has a 20% chance to proc vulnerability to Shadow damage, which will provide a nice boost when it does.
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DPS Priest Rune Engraving guide
As with the talent tree, one standout Rune in each slot should see most Shadow Priests build in the same way. For those who are not aware, the initial phase of Season of Discovery will allow players to use three Runes on Glove, Chest and Leg armor pieces.
The first play for Priests is Void Plague in the Chest slot, chiefly because it provides a solid boost to Damage over Time and fleshes out the limited rotation on offer. Twisted Faith would be the other damage-focused option, buffing Mind Flay and Mind Blast damage against enemies afflicted with Shadow Word: Pain, but it’s difficult to argue that it’s worth taking over the raw damage of Void Plague.
Shadow Word: Death is absolutely the play in the Glove slot, with the additional damage at the end of the rotation a massive boon for the class overall. Penance is an excellent hybrid choice, offering healing or damage depending on the target for those who want to have the chance to operate in both roles. While Mind Sear is a powerful AoE spell, the insane mana cost makes it difficult to argue for its inclusion.
In most cases, the final Rune choice for raw damage output is likely to be Homunculi. This Rune allows the Priest to create three copies of themselves, attacking any nearby enemies. Shared Pain is the passive damage Rune option, but it’s likely to be far less effective in this slot. Power Word: Barrier is the healing/hybrid choice, protecting all characters at the target location.
DPS Priest Gear guide
This section will be completed when the game releases and the full set of gear options become available, particularly considering the loot that may be offered from the new Blackfathom Deeps raid. Profession gear like the Engineering profession Spellpower Goggles are likely to be highly desirable but it is impossible to produce a full guide at this stage.
DPS Priest’s racial choices
Picking the right race for a new Priest character will be based on potential priorities. For the Alliance, Humans bring very little to the table, so it’s a straight shootout between Dwarves and Night Elves. This guide argues that the latter is the more robust choice thanks to the powerful Starshards spell being useful for Discipline Priests, even if Shadow Priests cannot buff the spell’s Arcane damage with their talents.
Dwarves are a solid choice in their own right, bringing Fear Ward to the table. Though the high cost of the ability is offputting, it is beneficial to be able to remove a fear effect under challenging scenarios.
Heading into Season of Discovery, it looks as though racial bonuses will benefit Horde Priests more significantly than their Alliance rivals. Trolls are the strongest choice in either faction, thanks to Shadowguard dealing damage to any enemy that hits the Priest in a similar way to Retribution Aura. Berserking is also always nice to have, and the ability offers excellent synergy with existing Priest spells.
Undead is also a solid option, thanks to the high-damage Devouring Plague. The drawback is the vast mana cost and three-minute cooldown, both of which are probably enough to relegate the Undead below Trolls when trying to find the perfect race for a priest.
Make sure to check back into the guide after Season of Discovery launches, as the article will be updated to reflect the latest information available.
