Shadow Priest DPS Guide & Best Runes – Season of Discovery (SoD)

Welcome to the SoD Phase 4 Shadow Priest DPS Guide!

This guide focuses exclusively on the Shadow specialization, exploring key components such as Runes, Talent Trees, Stat Priorities, Rotations & Abilities, Best Professions, BiS (Best in Slot) items, and Race Choices. The new Rune System introduced in the Season of Discovery has granted Shadow Priest a plethora of useful direct damage abilities and passive effects that significantly overhaul its previous dull playstyle. The specialization now has an interactive playstyle, displaying powerful DoT effects, strong Direct Damage spells, and iconic utility spells!

Talents

• Standard Build
• Threat Reduction

Runes

• Helm: Pain and Suffering
• Cloak: Vampiric Touch
• Chest: Twisted Faith
• Wrist: Despair/Void Zone
• Hands: Shadow Word: Death/Mind Sear
• Waist: Mind Spike
• Legs: Homunculi
• Feet: Void Plague
• Ring: Shadow Specialization
• Ring: Holy Specialization

Stat Priority

1. Spell Damage
2. Shadow Spell Damage
3. Critical Strike Chance
4. Intellect
5. Spirit
6. MP5
7. Hit Rating

Rotations & Abilities

The overall rotation for Shadow Priests has been significantly enhanced and simplified. Currently, Shadow Priest has two distinct rotations for Single-Target encounters, with the rotation changing based on whether or not the T1 set bonuses are present. Additionally, some of the runes such as Shadow Word: Death or even Despair will be changed for AoE-heavy encounters in favor of Void Zone and Mind Sear.

Standard Single-Target Rotation

1. Maintain Shadowform
2. Cast Vampiric Touch
   • Refreshes automatically due to Pain and Suffering
   • Automatically places Vampiric Embrace on the target
3. Cast Shadow Word: Pain
   • Refreshes automatically due to Pain and Suffering
4. Cast Void Plague
   • Refreshes automatically due to Pain and Suffering
5. Cast Homunculi on cooldown
6. Cast Shadow Word: Death on cooldown
7. Cast Mind Blast when you have 3 x stacks of Mind Spike
8. Cast Mind Spike (Filler)
   • Cast Mind Spike until you have 3 x stacks of Mind Spike

Single-Target Rotation T1 Set

1. Maintain Shadowform
2. Cast Vampiric Touch
   • Refreshes automatically due to Pain and Suffering
   • Automatically places Vampiric Embrace on the target
3. Cast Shadow Word: Pain
   • Refreshes automatically due to Pain and Suffering
4. Cast Void Plague
   • Refreshes automatically due to Pain and Suffering
5. Cast Homunculi on cooldown
6. Cast Shadow Word: Death on cooldown
7. Cast Mind Flay when the T1 6-item set bonus procs
   • Only cast Mind Flay after Mind Blast critically strikes
8. Cast Mind Blast when you have 3 x stacks of Mind Spike
   • Only cast Mind Blast at 3 x stacks of Mind Spike to ensure a critical strike to gain the Mind Flay proc
9. Cast Mind Spike (Filler)
   • Cast Mind Spike until you have 3 x stacks of Mind Spike

AoE Rotation

1. Maintain Shadowform
2. Spread Vampiric Touch, Shadow Word: Pain, and Void Plague on as many targets as possible
   • Refresh DoTs for extended fights
3. Cast Mind Sear
4. Swap to Void Zone if you encounter large packs of mobs that die easily

Best Professions

Tailoring

Tailoring is by far the best profession that Shadow Priest can utilize It allows you to craft the new Season of Discovery epic gear pieces and provides you with a consistent way of generating gold.

Engineering

Engineering has long been seen as one of the best professions for PvE, bringing many gadgets, bombs, and specialized items. Furthermore, Engineering grants new special recipes in the Season of Discovery which can significantly enhance your overall performance.

Enchanting

Enchanting is yet another one of the best professions that a Shadow Priest can use, providing a powerful synergy with Tailoring, adding beneficial stats to equipment, and even disenchanting gear pieces into magical essences. Enchanting is also viewed as one of the best gold generation tools in the game besides the bonuses it offers and the access to the specific Season of Discovery enchanting sigils.

Best Races

For Alliance, the best race is Dwarf due to Stoneform and Fear Ward. Sadly, since Dwarf is by far the strongest option, the other two races are much more of an aesthetic option. For the Horde, the best possible option is Troll with Berserking and Shadowguard. Undead is also a decent option but Troll is the vastly superior option due to Berserking.

Human

The Human Spirit, Sword Specialization, Mace Specialization, Perception, Diplomacy, Feedback, Desperate Prayer

Dwarf

• Stoneform, Frost Resistance, Gun Specialization, Find Treasure, Fear Ward, Desperate Prayer

Night Elf

• Nature Resistance, Quickness, Shadowmeld, Wisp Spirit, Elune’s Grace, Starshards

Undead

Will of the Forsaken, Shadow Resistance, Cannibalize, Underwater Breathing, Devouring Plague, Touch of Weakness

Troll

• Berserking, Beast Slaying, Regeneration, Bow Specialization, Throwing Specialization, Regeneration, Shadowguard, Hex of Weakness