Trying to help my Spriest wife's DPS....

[Zephex 0]

My wife plays a Spriest and she likes it, however her DPS is typically right with the tanks, sometimes below them.   She is the lowest DPS in the guild and we are trying to figure out why.   She has been playing since Vanilla (not always a spreist) so I know its not just because she isn't good with games.

 

I dont know much about priests but ill explain what she does and maybe I can get advice to give to her to help out.

 

Here is her "rotation" although I use that word loosely because it depends on situation.   She uses a dotless spec which someone suggested is a good spec.   Not sure...but anyway

 

Start Fight

Mindblast 

Mindspike to fill in until Mind blast comes off of CD

when she has 3+ orbs, she uses Shadow Word Pain, Vamp touch, the plague one...forgot the name, and then channels mind flay (which is now insanity) twice.    By that time the dots are gone and the insanity buff is also.

 

 

Rinse and repeat.   

 

 

Not sure she is doing it right or if there is another spec that is better, but she is struggling and I want to help her out so if anyone out there has advice to make a shadow priest not suck....please take a minute and post.    Thanks!

[Sxq 1]

Basically she's losing DPS by trying to do the "dot weave" rotation, but not doing it properly. 

The spriest dps guide on this site explains it, but if you want to maximize single target dps you need to wait until 4 orbs and then:

1.  Mind Blast (now 4 Shadow Orbs);
2.  Mind Spike;
3.  Shadow Word: Pain;
4.  Vampiric Touch;
5.  Mind Blast (now 5 Shadow Orbs);
6.  Devouring Plague (now 2 Shadow Orbs):
7.  Insanity for 2 global cooldowns;
8.  Mind Blast (now 3 Shadow Orbs);
9.  Devouring Plague (now 0 Shadow Orbs);
10.  Insanity for 2 global cooldowns;
11.  Mind Blast (now 1 Shadow Orb);
12.  Mind Spike (your DoTs will have expired prior to this cast);

 

Alternately the more simple rotation of just using mind spike/mind blast while building orbs, then devouring plague + insanity mind flay actually works better if you do NOT apply your sw:p and vt dots.