The Shadow Priest Guide

The Shadow Priest in Cataclysm

Updated for patch 4.3

Shadow priests are the immensely popular dark side variant of the priest class, growing so far apart in time as to be established as nigh alternate classes beyond level 29 (when you get Shadowform,) each side – priest and shadow – gaining distinctive abilities setting them apart from one-another.

The talent build of shadow was originally laughable, back in the days of a level 60 cap when raiding reigned supreme and shadow was just too weak. But now the tides have turned.  Shadow priests can now be said to be at least as valuable, if not more so within certain situations, than a normal holy/disc priest could ever hope to be.

We bring not only a potent level of damage to any fight, but additionally possess the ability to replenish the life and mana of our entire team, becoming something of the caster-class equivalent of an energizer bunny, except we apply it not only to ourselves, but all those around us.

This utility has become invaluable enough that it no-longer goes ignored by the dedicated raiding guilds, each now holding at least one if not more shadow priests in reserved slots for each fight. The good times have arrived for the Sith as they at last triumph over the Jedi.

However that’s not all that we’re good at: look no further than the Arena and Battlegrounds to gain a good example of where shadow priests may also trump others.  Although I must admit that with the significant increase of anti-fear our abilities have somewhat lessened in PvP.

The Short S. Priest Guide

See below for more detail on each section.

Race: Any race, except Orcs, can be a priest. For leveling purposes your race won't matter much, so play what you like to play. While each race has certain abilities they just don't matter that much.

If you want to be efficient:

• Troll, for the Berserking and Voodoo Shuffle.
• Goblin for the Rocket Jump and 1% Haste
• Gnome (Mana pool, size) or Human (Spirit) for Alliance PvP
• More about races

Professions:

• Skip the tradeskills unless you're rolling in cash.
• If you have lots of gold, then tailoring and enchanting are a nice combo for priests.
• To earn more gold, pick two of these and work them hard: Skinning, Mining, Herbalism.
• You don't need first aid, obviously, but it might have certain uses. Such as healing your partner with a bandage rather than a spell, just for the LOLz.
• More about professions

Shadow Build & Glyphs:

You're either ranged damage or a healer. If you choose to be a healer you're better off with a team while leveling, since your damage output won't be very interesting.

• Shadow for PvE
• Shadow for PvP
• Not yet 85? Click here to get to 85 ASAP!

Stats:

• Int and more Int.
• Your gear will have adequate Stamina.
• Your twisted Faith talent gives Hit rating based on the Spirit rating of your gear.
• Haste and Mastery are your best secondary stats, after Hit (4% for PvP, 17% for PvE)
• Reforge everything else into Hit and then Mastery.
• More about stats

Enchants & Gems:

• Int gems - Brilliant Queen's Garnet (+50 Int) if you can afford it, otherwise Brilliant Inferno Ruby in all slots (except Meta, of course.)
• Look for Int, Spellpower, Mastery, and Haste enchants
• See below for recommended gems
• See below for a full list of recommended enchants.

Consumables:

• Potions of Mana or Int
• Foods for Stam and/or Int/Spirit
• Scrolls of Int or Stam

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Race Choice for Shadow  

Orcs are the only race that cannot be priests. Play whatever works best for you, the racials don't amount to that much.

Blood Elf - Best looking hair of all priests.

• Arcane torrent will restore some mana, but is otherwise a point blank area effect interrupt and you won't usually be that close to spell-casting opposition.
• Enchanting skill is increased, if you're taking that skill

Goblin - Hey Bud, ya wanna buy a holy symbol? Cheap?

• Rocket Jump is a nice escape or emergency movement in dungeons/raids.
• Haste increased, which is nice since Haste is one of your best stats.
• Launch rockets? Do you care?
• Vendor discounts and a personal bank
• Increased Alchemy skill and potion healing - Nice if you're taking that skill.

Tauren - Big, fuzzy, big, lovable, big...

• Warstomp isn't so hot when you want to stay at range, but it has its uses in PvP when melee gets too close and your fear is on CD.
• Increased health isn't so much at 85.
• Increased Herbalism skill and speed. Yawn.

Troll - Best tusks in the game.

• Bereserk increases casting speed. Nice.
• Regen is increased, but it's a tiny amount and you already have heals.
• Damage increase Vs beasts is nice for leveling and some PvE content.
• Reduced duration of movement impairing effects is always nice, especially in PvP.

Undead -

• Remove fear, sleep, charm - very nice for PvP, sometimes useful in PvE.
• Underwater breathing helps with some quests and might have PvP use.
• Consuming corpses to regain mana has its uses, and is a nice "in your face" for PvP.

Draenei - Perennial winners of all of the Azeroth Bodybuilding competitions.

• The heal is fairly useless, for you, but it's free.
• +1% chance to hit helps with end-game gearing.
• Jewelcrafting skill increased, if that's your skill.

Dwarf - Bless this ore...

• Stoneform wipes bleeds and reduced damage by 10%, nice when that Rogue is too close.
• Ummm... you're short?

Gnome - Hmmm... how can we mechanize that ritual...

• Escape from speed altering effects has definite PvP and some PvE uses.
• Increased mana pool is nice.
• Engineering skill increased.
• Small size has some PvP use in that you're just a bit harder for clickers to click.

Human -

• Increased Spirit is nice for Discipline and Holy, not so much for you.
• Bonus to rep gains is nice with all the many factions in this game.
• Expertise with mace and swords. Do you care?
• PvP trinket ability allows use of two DPS trinkets in PvP.

Night Elf - Nelves and shadows, a match made in... well... someplace.

• Fade into the Shadows. Lurk in wait, pop out with a fear...
• Being more difficult to hit is always nice, especially in PvP.

Worgen - If it wasn't for the snuffling...

• Sprint is nice
• An added 1% Crit chance with spells is nice
• Excellent skinners, if you take that profession.

Tradeskills

Shadow priests and tailoring are a pretty good match, the profession providing both us, as well as mages and warlocks, with gear sets matching or surpassing gear obtainable from all sources other than raids and arenas.

As a complementing skill I’d suggest picking up Enchanting, it works well in synergy with tailoring to disenchant crafted items and sell, making back some, if not all, of the crafting cost while simultaneously raising your tailoring skill.

Check out our Tailoring & Enchanting profession guides for more information on leveling those skills.

• Consider Cooking for the buffing foods .
• First Aid is useful for those times when you just don't want to spend the mana to heal or you find yourself both out of mana and nealry out of health.
• If you don't take Tailoring and/or Enchanting then take any two of the gathering skills: mining, skinning, and herbalism. They'll keep you in gold as you level up.
• Check out our gold guide if your cash supply is weak.

MIn/max Professions

If you have a ton of gold and want to power level one or two of the crafting profession to get the buffs, then go for it. Each of the main professions will provide a self-only buff worth about 80 Int. over the next best choice. Not a lot at all in terms of level 85 damage capability, but if you're in a race to get every tiny bit of DPS, then go for it.

Note that with the introduction of the epic gems in patch 4.3 Blacksmithing pulls ahead since it allows slotting two +50 Int gems, for a 100 Int bonus.

• Alchemy - Besides generally being able to create all kinds of useful potions and flasks, you will get an additional 80 Int from your Flask of the Draconic Mind. Oh yeah, the extremely expensive to make top of the line potion lets you turn into a dragon. That may be worth it right there.
• Blacksmithing - all told, not a really useful profession for you. Still, it'll let you add a socket to your gloves and wrists, for some nice gems. And you can make axes or armors for your Warrior pal.
• Enchanting - besides being able to keep you gear enchanted as you level you will always be able to disenchant all that junk gear that your groups find. Oh yeah, you can also enchant your rings for 40 Int each.
• Engineering - Besides making all sorts of cool gadgets and that motorcycle, you can also make the awesome Synapse Springs gadget for your gloves which adds 480 Int for 10 seconds, with a 60 sec cooldown. That's an average of about 80 Int over a long fight, but that 480 Int is on demand, not a random proc, so you can fuel your bursts with it.
• Inscription - Besides glyphs and useful off-hand items and such, you get a nice shoulder enchant which adds 130 Int.
• Jewelcrafting - You can make some money with this skill, if you're careful and pay attention, you can also make yourself three +67 Int gems. With the appearance of the +50 Int epic gems youir JC skill now only gives you a +51 Int bonus, as compared to +80 (0r 100) for the other Profs.
• Leatherworking - About as useful as Blacksmithing, except that the enchant adds 130 Int to your writsts. You can make stuff for your Rogue, Druid, and Hunter friends.
• Tailoring - A pretty useful skill when leveling and actually goes well with Enchanting (You can disenchant all the extra greens you create.) Your LightWeave embroidery cloak enchant sometimes adds 580 Int for 15 seconds.

4.3 Priest Patch Notes

There has been very little for Shadow in 4.3. (Full patch notes are here.)

• Divine Hymn now affects 5 targets, up from 3.
• Talent Specialization: Shadow - no changes
• Glyphs
  • Glyph of Circle of Healing now also increases the mana cost of Circle of Healing by 20%.
• Bug Fixes
  • Echo of Light can no longer be triggered by certain spells before it is learned.
  • Shadowy Apparitions should now benefit from effects on the priest that increase spell damage.
  • Holy Word: Serenity should now properly gain bonus to crit from Test of Faith.

Shadow Priest Talents for Cataclysm

One you choose your spec you will spend 31 points in it before you can move to Holy or Discipline. The special abilities you get for picking Shadow are:

1. Mind Flay - Causes damage for three seconds and slows the opponent
2. Shadow Power - Shadow spell damage increased by 25% and the critical damage of your shadow spells is increased to 200%. (The tool tip says "by 100%." Most spell crits are only 150%.)
3. Shadow Orbs - Certain spells have a chance to cause the appearance of Shadow Orbs. Casting Mind Spike or Mind Blast consumes all Orbs increasing the damage of those spells.
4. Mastery: Shadow Orb Power - Increases the damage done by your Shadow Orbs by a small amount.

Cataclysm Shadow Priest DPS Build (10/0/31)

View this build on WoWhead.com, see advanced details on EJ.

Cataclysm Shadowpriest PvP Build (10, 0, 31)

This is a general arena build. You can view the entire build here.

Shadow talents, 31 Points

1. Darkness - Rank 3/3 - Spell haste increased by 3%.
2. Veiled Shadows - Rank 2/2 - Decreases the cooldown of your Fade ability by 6 sec, and reduces the cooldown of your Shadowfiend ability by 60 sec
   
   
3. Improved Psychic Scream - Rank 2/2 - Reduces the cooldown of your Psychic Scream spell by 4 sec.
4. Improved Devouring Plague - Rank 2/2 - Your Devouring Plague instantly deals damage equal to 30% of its total periodic effect.
5. Twisted Faith - Rank 2/2 - Increases your shadow spell damage by 2%, and grants you spell hit rating equal to 100% of any Spirit gained from items or effects.
   
   
6. Shadowform - Rank 1/1 - Assume a Shadowform, increasing your Shadow damage by 15%, reducing all damage done to you by 15%, and increasing all party and raid members spell haste by 5%. However, you may not cast Holy spells while in this form.
7. Phantasm - Rank 2/2 - Your Fade ability now has a 100% chance to remove all movement impairing effects.
8. Harnessed Shadows - Rank 1/2 - Increases the chance for you to gain a Shadow Orb when dealing damage with your Mind Flay and Shadow Word: Pain by 4%, and you have a 50% chance to gain a Shadow Orb when critically hit by any attack.
   
   
9. Silence - Rank 1/1 - Silences the target, preventing them from casting spells for 5 sec. Non-player victim spellcasting is also interrupted for 3 sec.
10. Vampiric Embrace - Rank 1/1 - Fills you with the embrace of Shadow energy, causing you to be healed for 6% and other party members to be healed for 3% of any single-target Shadow spell damage you deal.
11. Masochism - Rank 2/2 - When you take a damaging attack equal to or greater than 10% of your total health or damage yourself with your Shadow Word: Death, you instantly gain 10% of your total mana.
12. Mind Melt - Rank 2/2 - Increases the damage done with your Shadow Word: Death by 30% on targets at or below 25% health, and when you deal damage with Mind Spike, the cast time of your next Mind Blast is reduced by 50% lasting 6 sec. Mind Melt can stack up to 2 times.
    
    
13. Pain and Suffering - Rank 2/2 - Your Mind Flay has a 60% chance to refresh the duration of your Shadow Word: Pain on the target, and reduces the damage you take from your own Shadow Word: Death by 40%.
14. Vampiric Touch - Rank 1/1 - Causes 540 Shadow damage over 15 sec to your target and causes up to 10 party or raid members to gain 1% of their maximum mana per 10 sec when you deal damage from Mind Blast.
15. Paralysis - Rank 2/2 - When you critically hit with your Mind Blast, you cause the target to be unable to move for 4 sec.
    
    
16. Psychic Horror - Rank 1/1 - You terrify the target, causing them to tremble in horror for 3 sec and drop their main hand and ranged weapons for 10 sec.
17. Sin and Punishment - Rank 2/2 - When your Vampiric Touch is dispelled, the dispeller and all nearby enemy targets within 10 yards have a 100% chance to be instantly feared in horror for 3 sec. When your Mind Flay critically hits, the cooldown of your Shadowfiend is reduced by 10 sec.
18. Shadowy Apparition - Rank 3/3 - When you deal periodic damage with your Shadow Word: Pain, you have a 12% chance to summon a shadow version of yourself which will slowly move towards a target which is afflicted by your Shadow Word: Pain. Once reaching the target, it will instantly deal 485 shadow damage. While moving, the chance to summon the shadowy apparation is increased to 60%. You can have up to 4 Shadowy Apparitions active at a time. This is a great distraction and added damage in PvP.
    
    
19. Dispersion - Rank 1/1 - You disperse into pure Shadow energy, reducing all damage taken by 90%. You are unable to attack or cast spells, but you regenerate 6% mana every 1 sec for 6 sec. Dispersion can be cast while stunned, feared or silenced and clears all snare and movement impairing effects when cast, and makes you immune to them while dispersed.

Discipline (10 Points)

1. Improved Power Word: Shield - Rank 2/2 - Increases the damage absorbed by your Power Word: Shield by 20%.
2. Twin Disciplines - Rank 3/3 - Increases your Shadow and Holy spell damage and healing by 6%.
   
   
3. Evangelism - Rank 2/2 - You have a 100% chance when you Smite and a 100% chance when you Mind Flay to gain Evangelism. Stacks up to 5 times. Lasts for 20 sec.
   1. Increasing the damage done by your Smite, Holy Fire, and Penance spells by 4% and reduces the mana cost of those spells by 6%.
   2. Increases the damage done by your Periodic Shadow spells by 2%.
      
      
4. Archangel - Rank 1/1 - Consumes your Evangelism effects, causing an effect depending what type of Evangelism effect is consumed:
   1. Instantly restores 1% of your total mana and increases your healing done by 3% for each stack. Lasts for 18 sec. 30 sec cooldown.
   2. Instantly restores 5% of your total mana and increases the damage done by your Mind Flay, Mind Spike, Mind Blast and Shadow Word: Death 4% for each stack. Lasts for 18 sec. 90 sec cooldown.

None

Glyphs

As of 4.0 you can learn all of the glyphs and swap them in and out as necessary. All you need for that is some dust, if level 81+, or powder, if under 81.

1. Prime:
   1. Glyph of Shadow Word: Death - If your Shadow Word: Death fails to kill the target at or below 25% health, your Shadow Word: Death's cooldown is instantly reset. This effect cannot occur more often than once every 6 sec.
   2. Glyph of Shadow Word: Pain - Increases the periodic damage of your Shadow Word: Pain by 10%.
   3. Glyph of Mind Flay - Increases the damage done by your Mind Flay spell by 10%.
2. Major: Spirit Tap is the only one that is highly recommended. Switch the others according to your preferences or situation.
   1. Glyph of Spirit Tap - When you kill a target with your Shadow Word: Death that yields experience or honor, you receive 12% of your total mana over 12 sec.
   2. Glyph of Fade - Reduces the cooldown of your Fade spell by 9 sec.
   3. Glyph of Psychic Scream - Targets of your Psychic Scream spell now tremble in place instead of fleeing in fear, but the cooldown of Psychic Scream is increased by 3 sec.
3. Minor: Pick three to suit.
   1. Glyph of Fading - Reduces the mana cost of your Fade spell by 30%.
   2. Glyph of Levitate - Your Levitate spell no longer requires a reagent.
   3. Glyph of Shadow - Alters the appearance of your Shadowform.

Notes:

• Improved Shadow Word: Pain and Improved Mind Blast are left out just because we don't have enough points. They're good, just not quite good enough.
• Paralysis 2/2 - Rooted targets are easy targets.
• Shadowy Apparition 3/3 - Lots of extra damage and distraction
• 2/3 Mental Agility not taken, since the extra defense of Improved Power Word: Shield - Rank 2/2, more than makes up for that. If you feel differently then swap the two.

Shadowpriest Stats, Mechanics, Etc.

Keep in mind that if you are a few fractions off in your numbers that you will likely by completely unable to see the DPS difference in your damage meter unless you're willing to run a test for a couple of hours. Even then, the difference will be small.

The timing of your keystrokes, latency, random numbers, caffeine levels, group Mountain Dew level, etc. will all factor into your DPS.

In short, don't worry if you're not exactly at some magical number.

Also note that if you're having mana issues then lots of Haste will just make it worse.

More detailed discussion of the mechanics and "how to s-priest" (for PvE) is on Elitistjerks.

Note - the top end Gems aren't so bad, but the top-end enchants are very expensive. If you'd like to see how to get a lot more gold at be able to afford this stuff, then read how I got pwned.

Shadowpriest Gems

Your main gem will be the Brilliant Inferno Ruby, with its +40 Int. You should place this gem into sockets of any color, unless the socket bonus is at least 20 Int (since you lose at least 20 Int by not placing this gem in that socket.)

• Meta
  • Burning Shadowspirit Diamond - 54 Int, +3% Crit damage. Requires at least 3 red gems.
  • Ember Shadowspirit Diamond - 54 Int, +2% max mana, at least 2 yellow gems.
• Red
  • Brilliant Chimera's Eye - 67 int, self-only Jewelcrafting gem
  • Brilliant Inferno Ruby - This should go into all slots unless some requirement has to be met or the slot bonus is really good (see above.)
• Yellow
  • Reckless Ember Topaz - 20 Int, 20 Haste
  • PvP - Mystic Chimera's Eye - 67 Resilience rating, self-ony Jewelcrafting gem
  • PvP - Mystic Amberjewel - 40 Resilience
• Blue
  • Veiled Demonseye - 20 Int and 20 Hit
• Green (fits blue or yellow socket)
  • PvP - Steady Dream Emerald - 20 Res, 30 Stam
• Orange (fits a red or yellow socket)
  • PvP - Willful Ember Topaz - 20 Res, 20 Int

Shadowpriest Enchants

These are pretty much the same enchants that any caster would want. Crit enchants are included in this list, even though Int is better.

• Head:
  • Arcanum of Hyjal - 60 Int & 35 crit (Guardians of Hyjal revered).
• Shoulders:
  • Felfire Inscription - 130 Int & 25 Haste, Inscription 500 self-only
  • Greater Inscription of Charged Lodestone: 50 Int/25 haste (Therazane exalted).
• Back:
  • Enchant Cloak - Greater Intellect - 50 Int
  • Enchant Cloak - Greater Critical Strike - 65 Crit
  • PvP - Enchant Cloak - Greater Spell Piercing - 70 Spell Penetration
• Chest:
  • Enchant Chest - Peerless Stats - 20 to all stats
  • Enchant Chest - Mighty Stats - +15 to all stats (cheaper than the above.)
  • PvP - Enchant Chest - Mighty Resilience - 40 Resilience
• Wrists:
  • Draconic Embossment - Intellect - 130 Int, Leatherworking 500 , self-only
  • Enchant Bracer - Mighty Intellect - 50 Int
  • Enchant Bracer - Greater Speed - 65 haste
  • Socket Bracer - Self-only Blacksmithing slot for a 40 Int gem
• Gloves:
  • Synapse Springs - 480 Int for 10 sec, 60 sec cooldown, self-only engineering 425 (discovery)
  • Enchant Gloves - Haste - 50 haste
  • Enchant Gloves - Greater Mastery - 65 Mastery
  • Socket Gloves - Self-only Blacksmithing slot for a 40 Int gem
• Legs:
  • Powerful Ghostly Spellthread - 95 Int & 55 Spirit
  • PvP - Powerful Enchanted Spellthread - 95 Int & 80 Stam
• Boots:
  • Enchant Boots - Haste - 50 Haste
  • Enchant Boots - Lavawalker - Slight run speed increase & 35 mastery
  • Enchant Boots - Mastery - 50 Mastery
  • PvP - Enchant Boots - Earthen Vitality - 30 Stam & Slight run speed increase
• Weapon:
  • Enchant Weapon - Power Torrent - Sometimes gain 500 Int for 12 seconds
  • Enchant Weapon - Hurricane - Sometimes gain 450 Haste for 12 seconds
• Offhand:
  • Enchant Off-Hand - Superior Intellect - 40 Int
• Rings:
  • Enchant Ring - Intellect - 40 Int, Jewelcrafting 475 self-only enchant
• Belt :
  • Ebonsteel Belt Buckle - Extra socket for a 40 Int gem

Food, Potions, Etc.

Various consumables can increase your Int along with other stats.

• Food: Severed Sagefish Head (Ick) Adds 90 Int and 90 Stam
• Flask: Flask of the Draconic Mind - 300 Int for one hour. If you have leveled your Alchemy then it adds 380 Int.
• Combat Pot: Volcanic Potion - 1200 Int for 25 Sec. Put this into a macro so that you can use it along with any on-demand trinkets and/or synape springs (engie glove enchant.)

Shadow Priest Gear

Best Available S.Priest PvP Gear - without doing areana or rated BGs. All purchased with honor points

• Click here for the full gear set, with avg item level 366 - some of the gear is enchanted with Spell Penetration to avoid those incovenient resists that always come at the worst times.
  
  
• Bloodthirstly PVP set: All buyable with honor points.
  • Glove: Bloodthirsty Gladiator's Mooncloth Gloves
  • Neck: Bloodthirsty Gladiator's Pendant of Alacrity
  • Belt: Bloodthirsty Gladiator's Cord of Cruelty
  • Head: Bloodthirsty Gladiator's Satin Hood
  • Shoulder: Bloodthirsty Gladiator's Satin Mantle
  • Back: Bloodthirsty Gladiator's Drape of Diffusion
  • Feet: Bloodthirsty Gladiator's Treads of Alacrity
  • Legs: Bloodthirsty Gladiator's Satin Leggings
  • Ring: Bloodthirsty Gladiator's Band of Cruelty
  • 2h weapon: Bloodthirsty Gladiator's Battle Staff
    
    
    
• The embirefire set is your beginning PvP set. This one emphasizes Haste, more than the other stats, and can be created with Tailoring 525 or bought off the AH for a few grand. Click here to vew the set.