Shadow Priest DPS Guide (WOTLK)

[oODragonOo]

Avatar song Yeah!

[pancakes4love]

rofl my spriest on ptr was pullin 17k

[toxioverpower]

nice video. what are you viding whit?? plz tell me what you are viding whit

[XFaCt0rSS]

@toxioverpower

FRAPS - it's a program you have to pay for, although you can acquire it through "other" means. :-p

[ViralKyn]

W00t im not the only one who listens to Origa!! xD Nice vid.

[nic95]

love the avatar theme

[xXxDarkyLightxXx]

what addons did u use in this clip ?

[isoorule]

haha omg who really uses rotations... ive never stuck to a rotation, and still im either top or second on the dps recount... lol and ima semi clicker to

[oODragonOo]

Avatar song? D:

[DjemicaJbt]

I don't think your DMG is low,thats big dmg as that gear,nice rotation btw.

[jaimagix]

My rotation is VT, DP, SW:P, MB, MF, for pvp, shadow weaving takes time so get in the dots first then use MB to get them in quicker 4 pvp

[jackrox11]

My rotation is DP, SW:P, MF, MF, MF, MB.  The reason is with the new shadow spec each MF increases the damage of MB by 15% stacks 3 times

[lolAlCapwn]

hows the song called

[XFaCt0rSS]

@lolAlCapwn

Origa - Diva

[lolAlCapwn]

@XFaCt0rSS thx :D

[MrMadmatt69er]

u suck u should delete this vid u have rotation wrong & ur dps is piss poor nOOb!

btw my shadow priest averages between 6500-7500 dps

[XFaCt0rSS]

@MrMadmatt69er

That's not very good considering the gear and the talent changes as of the Cata-patch. Considering gear, you are essentially 3 full tiers of gear ahead of where I am in this video, and the talent changes buffed shadow priest DPS significantly. You should be able to do well into the 5 digit DPS now with no problems. You have to realize at the time this was the optimal rotation, and for my gear I was doing optimal DPS at the time as well. Things change in WoW - grow up. :P

[Exhasalexor]

@XFaCt0rSS u sure told that fucking cunt

[iEggoWaFFle]

get poop'd on. ;P

[synti12]

@MrMadmatt69er that sucky.. dude,, look at vid its from 2009. and you were in 2010..

[MrMadmatt69er]

u suck u should delete this vid u have rotation wrong & ur dps is piss poor nOOb!

[litchkingwolf3]

why is your dps so low im just asking i dont want to figt or anything but my mage can top 20-30k in a raid situation and my pally can get it up to 15-22k

[XFaCt0rSS]

@litchkingwolf3

This video was made 1.5 years ago, and even then I was a tier behind in gear because my shadow priest was a fresh 80. Basically I am in the equivalent of low Ulduar/Naxx gear in this video and doing roughly 5k DPS. That was very high DPS for the time, especially considering my gear. Because of all the talent tree changes and such, of course it seems very low now. This video is actually pretty much pointless with the changes now. :P

[lolAlCapwn]

@litchkingwolf3 im sorry to say that but to do dps with a mage isnt though considering the fact that u use 2 or 3 keys...

[Legend788]

BAM AVATAR FTW BRO lawl.



[dylanfrim]

your UI is fugly

[XFaCt0rSS]

@dylanfrim

Thanks for the constructive criticism there bro. :P I know it's ugly, but it tells me all the things I need to know to raid lead and play my class to its highest ability, so who cares how it looks?

[dylanfrim]

@XFaCt0rSS its fucking fugly

[GutiProducer]

@dylanfrim i love this UI, its almost exactly to what i use and i didnt see it anywehre else but here

[seetherfan232]

i still prefer my shadow priest DPS rotation.

start with VT and as soon as its done casting apply SW:P

then MB and as soon as the cast is up. all 4 will hit at the same time, giving you respectable DPS at the start. then after 5 reaply SW:P. you'll find you have really high DEEPS

[fundipwonk]

hey i get pretty mad when  i seacrch for raotion and its all for fucking level 80s i need a level 44 shad priest rotation

[MrMathicus]

@fundipwonk just do vt, swp, dp, mb, then mind flay till targets are dead

[seetherfan232]

@fundipwonk SWP devouring plauge. MB then MF till dead

[liamthegreat1182]

nice one matey :)

[turbodan101]

this is just what i needed to know thanks a lot.

i have been leveling disc all this time , disc is great but im clost to 80 now and i kinda new no one was gona ask me to MT heal with no gear so i hade better figer out a shaddow

[0rgans]

@turbodan101 Discipline doesn't tank heal btw. 

[womblori]

will become outdated soon lol with cata

[backstabber4679]

Whats the name of the songs?

[XFaCt0rSS]

@backstabber4679

The first song is the opening of Avatar: The Last Airbender and the second is Origa - Diva

[AtecStarz2]

nice vid but locks can out dps any class because of ceed of currupt ftw

[smout1111]

@AtecStarz2 seed of corruption is an AoE, which is hopless on single target bosses, you fail, delete wow.

[AtecStarz2]

@smout1111 was i talking about single target dumb ass no i didn't specify

[smout1111]

@AtecStarz2 Nice, gz, you can own AoE, who cares?

[coalbrad]

Whats the second song?

[Anonymous2051]

Nice avatar music at beginning ^_^

[xXMOELESTERXx]

LOL at 1:11 guy says, HUGS TIEM! :P:P

[Cojonesoc]

Shadow priest is the best heal, with vampiric touch i heal the raid 200+ in 0.5s lol

[fokGoogol]

Enjoyed and learned a lot :) thanks!!!

[ckclarke08]

OMG Avatar: The Last Airbender music! cool vid

[NextGenPremium]

your mindblast does less than mine... but my dots do way less than yours? Why?

[allyentertainment]

@NextGenPremium

I'm assuming it's because the changes to haste and the buffs priests have received since the video. Your DoTs are likely ticking much faster than mine since at this time haste only had an effect on cast times, rather than both that and the amount of DoT ticks. :)

[NextGenPremium]

@allyentertainment

oh. ok. ty

[allyentertainment]

Also, sorry about the weird name. Just realized I commented from my friend's computer, and thus his account. >.< This is XFaCt0rSS.

[ilyfavm]

OMFG THIS MUSIC good guide tho

[GTGxL3G1T]

how DPS did you pul here

[XFaCt0rSS]

Right around 5k - Keep in mind I was in mostly Ulduar/Naxx gear at the time, so that was really respectable DPS at the time. :) I think these days you can pull around 10k consistently with t10 gear and a proper rotation.

[zueramalibu]

tell me your addons for this priest

thx :D

[XFaCt0rSS]

Bartender

ClassTimer

Trying to remember the buff mod but I can't remember for some reason. :(

If you things nice and complex I'd also suggest Fortexorcist in place of Class Timer.

[Rayskop]

@XFaCt0rSS Biff mode is Elkano Buffbars

[ZeroRequiem101]

Was that a Ghost in the Shell song after Avatar? lol mad.

[WorldNewsDaily]

What addon is that that extends your like toolbar where you put your spells.

[TrygveL]

@WorldNewsDaily bartender

[XFaCt0rSS]

@WorldNewsDaily

Think the one you're talking about is classtimer? It's a simple dot timer. If you're looking for something more complex I'd suggest ForteExorcist. (It looks nicer too) This one is simple and gets the job done though!

[gilfford]

this is what i sure i put up vt dp swp mb mf is that correct??

[SisyphusWoW]

AVATAR MUSIC FTW!

[twistedazo]

hey just an idea for other shadow priest out there but could someone do a video on gear choices and gemming?? thanks for video tho

[MasterJunkProds]

LOL @ the avatar music :P

[motleysslim]

So im back! been awhile since i have watched any of your video's, but i need help! thanks to your rotation with full buffs in 25 mans, I normally hit about 8.5-8.7 and can get 9.5 when BL goes off... I have full T10 and some 25 ICC gear, sporting about 3.4k SP buffed.... You need to hook me up with a T10 spriest rotationxD....

[XFaCt0rSS]

Understand I haven't played shadow priest in awhile, but I do keep up on the changes... The rotation becomes more complicated when you have 4 piece t10 and BIS, and you have over 500 haste I believe the number is.

Spell priority at your gear level goes:

VT/DP (same damage)

Replenishment

Mindflay

MB is now used proactively like SW:D, and to provide replenishment. MF overtakes it 4 pieces and enough haste damage wise. If you need to replen the raid use MB to do then when it's most convenient.

[XFaCt0rSS]

Make sure you refresh SW:P properly when all buffs are applied to the target and your trinkets are proced. The math between using MB and not is not a HUGE difference but you should see a DPS increase in the long run. If you aren't great at clipping MF at 2 ticks, then I would suggest filling in MB when you are on the verge of needing to refresh DoTs instead. Basically all the same rules apply as before, just the rotation priority has changed a bit.

[XFaCt0rSS]

Also finally, I forgot to mention this.

If you have a ton of latency you will lose DPS time switching from MB to MF because of the way Blizzard has the spell queue work on timed spells. So if you are running high latency, make sure you continue using MB in your rotation when you can.

[BROKENCAPS]

points for avatar music :)

[Ghatku1254]

Whats the name of the song? Great vid btw helped me a bit

[XFaCt0rSS]

Origa - Diva

[nice4bajs]

Im gunna RaF with myself today, and im going for a priest :p

[zulrich]

dont even waste ram wit quartz or any class timer (for a priest). Yo can simply go into the interface menu, and set it so what only your debuffs are visible.

[XFaCt0rSS]

Not sure if they've changed it since I last played (roughly 2 months ago) but the UI didn't have the option for specific timers in terms of seconds. That is very important since a 24 second buff in the Blizz UI with 6 seconds left, will show the same amount as a 12 second buff with 3 seconds left. A timer is always good. Quartz is debatable, though it shows lag which is always nice too.

[lagkilledme]

thanks this actually helped quite abit!

[razul4111]

how do i get quartz to show me DoTs on boss it doesnt do that PLEASE HELP

[XFaCt0rSS]

I am not sure if the Quartz mod has that function. For DoT timers I would suggest classtimers or Fortexorcist. They both have their advantages:

Classtimers - really easy to use and work with. Simple and to the point.

Fortexorcist - Very customizable, but also much more complicated. If you customize it properly though it's probably the best of all the DOT timers. (In my opinion)

Quartz is just a cast bar mod from what I understand. It's helpful, but I'd suggest getting a timer.

[KingCobra21]

hey my ms is holy but i just started playing shadow. i have the rotation down but what do u think my haste and crit should be at for the full effects of this rotation?

[XFaCt0rSS]

The priority of your rotation will never change so long as they don't alter the damage values of those specific spells. :) If you ever get your GCD well under 1 second though, it is no longer viable to be mind blasting or SW:D'ing anymore. I don't think any priests have achieved that yet (I haven't played for about 2 months) but on fights with mechanics like General it is important. The basic principles of the priority rotations are consistent regardless of gear.

[selimthedream]

VE is now a self buff which means one less GCD woot!

[samdewfoo]

i disagree i think you should go mindblast THEN shadowword death THEN mindflay THEN mindblast and devouring plague then vampiric touch and shadow word pain that way if ur trinkets pop they will be effected by dots and ur vampiric touch gets the full shadow weaving effect as well as devouring plague and swp

[XFaCt0rSS]

Ideally, you should be reapplying your SWP after the first application when you have the most buffs possible. If you're smart you'll wait for both trinkets to pop at the same time (If you're using a passive and an active proc) and all the debuffs to be up and then reapply it at that time. This was meant to be a fairly basic video honestly. :P

[MrStefdevil]

The good heal i mean...

[MrStefdevil]

I always prefered ally...If i create a human priest i want to know if will i hit such crits except the heal???:)

[XFaCt0rSS]

Not quite sure I understand what you meant here. :P But the passive benefits of human are increased spirit which will increase your damage slightly as shadow, and as holy give you more spell power and more mana regen. (Especially at higher gear levels) The biggest benefit I find is Every Man for Himself which has amazing uses and comes in handy on a great deal of fights.

[MrStefdevil]

Nc video man...!:)I want to create a priest too and i dont now which race is better for them so can you tell me please???:)

[XFaCt0rSS]

If you like PVP then Undead or Human depending upon faction. For PVE Horde side I don't think it matters too much, though Undead is probably the best over there. For Alliance Draenei or Human. Draenei's get 1% extra hit which is very nice - but in a 25 man raid setting you'll probably have at least 1 draenei in your party anyways. Humans get a passive bonus to spirit and a 2 minute "oh shit" button which is helpful in a lot fights if used right. If you want to heal Human is the way to go.

[maskeman1]

whats the song called the begin at 0:50

[XFaCt0rSS]

Origa - Diva

[DeVla85]

Can u PM me ur Armory link?or just write it in here...?

[XFaCt0rSS]

My armory is Serenity of Perenolde (US). I don't typically play my shadow priest anymore because I now play my druid instead.

If you're looking for a good character reference check out Bobthebaddie of Perenolde (US). He's a good friend of mine and his knowledge of shadow priesting is pretty much on par with mine.

[WoWerfreakTobi]

5 stars for the opening music =]

[motleysslim]

K im back, had a few quesitons.

So my level 80 shadow priest hits about 3.6-3.9k dps unbuffed i'm afraid i should be doing alot more but with raid buffs i tend to increase my dps about 4.5-4.7k. I have the 2 set Tier 9 for my priest wich makes it so that i do not have to include VT in my rotation as often, I also think haste is useless for a priest and actually ruins my rotation, Could you let me know if you disagree? I'd think spriests are all about crit right?

[XFaCt0rSS]

EJ quotes Haste as being slightly less valuable then Crit in terms of point per point. I think personally in a single target DPS fight the value of haste is much higher. In a fight where you will be multi-dotting the value of haste goes down.

Realistically speaking, in terms of single target you want to be using mind blast off every cooldown so there are ideal amounts of haste you want to stack to to make sure you have enough GCD's inbetween. But haste isn't a terrible stat at all.

[XFaCt0rSS]

They are also talking about making haste stack with dots in one of the upcoming patches. If that change goes through then I would think that after a certain level of spell power and crit, haste might actually become the dominant stat for a shadow priest. :) Don't quote me on that, I'm sure a lot of math has to be done yet. But if they make the change it will be a massive buff to Shadow DPS.

Also you should be doing a bit more raid buffed - anywhere from 500 to 1k DPS.

[iArchonius]

Thanks for the vid this actually raised my dps over 800 from 2500 into 3300 ! Thanks.

[Danizike]

what mods are you using that tell you when like ur VT is up?

[XFaCt0rSS]

It's called Classtimer. It's a simple timer that you can customize to show buffs on your target, focus, and yourself. There is another more complex mod called "Fortexorcist" which gives a lot more information to you on unlimited targets. I use it for my feral druid, but I like to keep it simple on my priests.

[Danizike]

thx for relpying =D

[motleysslim]

Didn't read ur last cooment sorry bad question

[motleysslim]

I fucking love you!

Thanks mind telling me the hit cap for spriests?

Im too lazy to look that shit up id appreciate it bro

[XFaCt0rSS]

289 hit if you don't have a draenei and have picked up the appropriate hit talents. (Misery, Shadow Focus)

263 with a draenei.

[boredXyetXamused]

lol you made me want to start a priest lol but what is the song's name it sounds really cool

[GearsMad]

its from an anime cartoon called avatar the starting one

[XFaCt0rSS]

The first song, as stated is from Avatar: The Last Airbender. (The music for the show is admirably, quite awesome)

The 2nd song is from a Russian artist named Origa and it is called Diva.

[isk8fall3n]

I am thinking of going shadow on my disc priest, i only have 1 pure dps piece of gear. rest is alll int/spellpower and spirit. If I do switch to shadow, what would be The spec, and How much dps can I get with this gear, Search Malinowski , human priest on Aegwynn.

[XFaCt0rSS]

The spec is 13/0/58. You can look up my shadow priest, Serenity (Perenolde US) for the exact spec.

You have mostly healing PVP gear and blues. Spell power is alright for your gear level, but you have no hit at all. Speced into misery, with the spell hit talent, and considering you don't have a draenei in your group you will need about 289 spell hit.

Honestly with your current gear if you could get to 2500 DPS I'd be impressed. The first thing you need to work on is getting to the hit cap.

[XFaCt0rSS]

Also for Glyphs I'd recommend Mind Flay instead of dispersion. The extra range may not seem like much, but it will minimize your movement which is huge from a DPS standpoint.

[troiftw]

hey there, my gf is playing a shadow priest, and im trying to help her with rotation and stuff she is pretty decent geared, and i havent played shadow priest my self since tbc, but imo she is doing very low dps if u look at her gear, and im quite clueless, could u gief a armory link, or tell me what server u are on so i could have a look to compare with tyvm for the video it was awesome allthough u were missing recount :p

[XFaCt0rSS]

Tell me her name and realm and I will look it up. There are various things she could be doing wrong like not getting to the hit cap and such., Her rotation could just be bad and not very tight. Renewing your DoTs JUST as they fall off is a massive increase in DPS.

In this video I was in about half PVP gear, (Check out those badass shoulders) my gear has improved since then. I have two priests and this is my shadow priest which I don't play as often. I am Serenity on the realm Perenolde (US).

[Volarenn]

Ive been using VT - DP - MB - MF - SW: P for my opening but I've been slacking on the charts (3 -3.5k with 2.3k SP) -.- so ill give this a go. Thanks for posting this.

[Volarenn]

Also if can you link your armory that be awesome I'd like to know what your gear is like / how your spec is set up. Thanks :)

[XFaCt0rSS]

Your opening won't have a huge impact on your DPS. Chances are you just need to work out the kinks in your rotation. When VT has 1.5 seconds left (ish) for example cast VT to get it back up right away. Little things like that go a long way!

My Character's name is Serenity on the Perenolde (US) realm. My other priests' name is Serenitis (a Holy/Disc) one on the same realm.

I'll try not to log out in PVP gear, but usually that it was I am in. :P

[Hitoshira]

what was your dps in that first boss fight

[XFaCt0rSS]

Was the same boss fight th entire time - in Phase 1 I do about 5500 DPS. Phase 2 which isn't shown I do pretty poor DPS because the adds all have like 100k health which is extremely bad for shadow priest DPS and they are spread out in all directions so AoE doesn't work so well. Phase 3 which is the first part shown I do anywhere from 4500-5500 depending upon crits.

My gear is quite bad as well. Not even at 25 Ulduar level yet.