Shadow Priest DPS Spec, Builds, and Talents — Season 4

This build is the default single target build for Shadow, with an option to use either Void Eruption or Dark Ascension depending on your preference. These options are extremely close together (within 1% or less). On certain kill times, you might find Dark Ascension can give more value with cooldowns every 1-minute.

The big difference between the two builds is with movement, where generally speaking, the Void Eruption build handles mechanics and movement better than the Dark Ascension, which can be punished more for moving out of the fire on the ground.

Options with this build:

• Mind's Eye is the preferred choice with this build, beating out Distorted Reality by about 1%.

Use the code below to import the top Dark Ascension build for single target.

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Be sure to make use of the 'Copy Export String' button to import the build directly into your game!

Sometimes you want as much single target as possible while also taking Shadow Crash. This can be good for Raid encounters with mostly single target but with adds or for Mythic+ dungeons with smaller pulls on Tyrannical.

If you are looking for a more generic Raid build that can handle a wider variety of encounters, I would suggest starting here. You take a loss in single target to grab more cleave talents to handle more situations like regular add spawns. This is roughly 3% behind in pure single target compared to the standard build.

While in pure single target I would start with Void Eruption, this build has a tougher time fitting in Shadow Crash which makes it a bit further behind Dark Ascension, even with more movement. Both are still competitive options.

There is also the following build with Void Eruption that is less than 1% behind the base version. This could be advantageous depending on the fight duration.

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Be sure to make use of the 'Copy Export String' button to import the build directly into your game!

This build is the perfect starting point for AoE environments like Council bosses in raid or even Mythic+ dungeons. While maximizing our AoE damage, it also deals great priority target damage during AoE while also having decent single target.

This build is similar to the Mythic+ variant although it will prefer Distorted Reality for the increases sustained AoE damage. You can also run this build in Mythic+.

Options with this build:

• For low-target cleave environments if you are confident with managing your Vampiric Touch you can also experiment with dropping Shadow Crash and Whispering Shadows for more Insanity generation with Maddening Touch.

Be sure to make use of the 'Copy Export String' button to import the build directly into your game!

This build is the perfect starting point for Mythic+ dungeons. While maximizing our AoE damage, it also deals great priority target damage during AoE while also having decent single target.

Class talents were selected as a safe default for most keys, but usually you can move points around from Purify Disease, Mass Dispel, Manipulation, or Shattered Perceptions based on the needs of that key. Manipulation and Shattered Perceptions are less than 1% of your damage in a Mythic+ dungeon. Check out the class talents section below for more info.

Options with this build:

• By default, this build assumes you are in keys where you need survivability from Mental Fortitude and also do not want to drop Silence. Strictly speaking, this is a DPS loss; if you want to drop one of those points, you can add back a point into Mental Decay. This is roughly a 2-3% damage gain.
• You can swap out Mind's Eye for Distorted Reality if you want more overall damage (6-10%) for a loss in priority target damage (20-24%). With Distorted Reality you should spread Devouring Plague.
• You can flex points with this build depending on if you want more AoE, Overall, or Single Target. Put four points into any of the following:
  • Mind Devourer - Overall
  • Maddening Touch - AoE (particularly good with Mind's Eye)
  • Dark Evangelism - AoE
  • Mental Decay - Single Target
  • Phantasmal Pathogen - ST ( Mind's Eye) or AoE ( Distorted Reality)

For flex points the big takeaway is that Distorted Reality does well with Phantasmal Pathogen since we are spreading Devouring Plague with that Talent. This season Mind Devourer in particular does well in all builds due to the extra modifier on Devouring Plague. In mass AoE, you might find Maddening Touch or even Dark Evangelism to give more damage when running Mind's Eye in particular, however, Phantasmal Pathogen is still massive damage for single target.

Use the below import string for the version with Distorted Reality:

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If you are looking for a build that is a bit more relaxed for lower-level keystones check out this build with Dark Ascension:

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This build is designed for keystones that most players are completing. Check out the dedicated Mythic+ page to learn more about optimizing builds at all levels.

Be sure to make use of the 'Copy Export String' button to import the build directly into your game!

If you are starting out in Season 4 with the previous Season 3 set bonus you should use the following builds until you get the new set bonus. I would generally advise not breaking the previous 4-piece until you get the full new set bonus, but this will ultimately come down to the item level it drops at.

Once you get the new Priest Shadow 10.1 Class Set 4pc set bonus you should no longer use these builds. They should ONLY be used with the Season 3 4-piece set bonus.

Single Target build with Dark Ascension:

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Single Target + Shadow Crash build with Dark Ascension:

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Council Multi-Target Build with Void Eruption:

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Low Key Level Mythic+ Build with Dark Ascension:

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High Key Level Mythic+ Build with Void Eruption:

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Note that we do not explain EVERY Talent in the tree on this page. We only explain Talents that are part of our optimal builds for single-target and AoE. For full details and explanations of every Talent, please visit our Spells page via the button below.

Renew	Small Heal Over Time spell that can be useful to proc Twist of Fate when cast on allies in the opener or during downtime.
Prayer of Mending	Healing spell that spreads across allies that can be useful to proc Twist of Fate when cast on allies in the opener or during downtime.
Purify Disease	Adds to our utility letting us dispel diseases. Particularly useful in certain Mythic+ dungeons.
Protective Light	Turns Flash Heal into a mini-defensive. This does stack with other mitigations.
Angelic Feather	One of our core mobility spells.
Phantasm	Niche talent that extends Fade to get out of certain debuffs.
Death and Madness	Builds upon our execute damage by extending the value of Shadow Word: Death.
Spell Warding	Gives us a tiny bit of magical defensive value.
Leap of Faith	Allows you to quickly get an ally out of an otherwise deadly position.
Shackle Undead	One of the hard crown control abilities we have, but only works against Undead enemies. Does work with Incorporeal in Mythic+.
Dominate Mind	Version of Mind Control that lets us still do our full rotation while the controlled enemy is a pet. It does not work with every mob but can have powerful use cases when it does.

Mass Dispel	Powerful dispel utility that has a wide range of use, particularly in Mythic+.
Power Infusion	One of our core damage cooldowns that gives us a large amount of haste.
Vampiric Embrace	Group healing ability that can do quite a lot of healing if used at the right time.
Tithe Evasion	Required extension of Shadow Word: Death anytime you press the spell often. Without this Shadow Word: Death deals substantially more damage to yourself.
Body and Soul	Main movement ability and gives you an additional option paired with Angelic Feather to get a long amount of movement speed.
Twins of the Sun Priestess	Extends Power Infusion to make it a powerful cooldown for yourself and another ally of your choice.
Twist of Fate	Main execute mechanic for the class that allows us to do slightly more damage at the end of an encounter.
Throes of Pain	Small bump to Shadow Word: Pain damage but also gives us a decent amount of Insanity over the course of a Mythic+ dungeon.

Angel's Mercy	Allows you to cast Desperate Prayer more often with the reduced CD if you find yourself pressing it on cooldown.
Halo/ Divine Star	Small cooldown spells that mostly contribute to our damage via the Insanity provided less so the damage dealt. Double as a small healing cooldown as well.
Translucent Image	Transforms Fade into being a small defensive ability.
Mindgames	Small cooldown spell that deals a small amount of damage and generates some Insanity.
Light's Inspiration	Increases the effectiveness of Desperate Prayer.
Improved Fade	Reduces the cooldown of Fade so you can use it more often for threat dropping or the defensive when paired with Translucent Image.
Power Word: Life	Large single-target heal that can easily save your life or an allies if used well.
Essence Devourer	Somewhat random healing effect added to Shadowfiend or Mindbender that can proc Twist of Fate if it heals allies below the threshold.

Devouring Plague	Sole Insanity spender that deals damage over time on your target. Damage does roll over on subsequent casts, but the duration only increases by the time till the next tick on the original DoT.
Dispersion	Main defensive ability that also doubles as a movement cooldown should you really need it.
Shadowy Apparitions	Adds a gameplay loop into our kit around these apparitions that can make them a powerful damage source if you build around them.
Silence	Only Interrupt ability for Priests that the other specs do not have access to.
Mental Fortitude	Good passive defensive Talent that is critical for high damage taken encounters.
Misery	Required Talent that reduces the amount of time spent casting DoT spells considerably.
Thought Harvester	Allows you to weave in spells more easily while Mind Blast is cooling down without losing casts of Mind Blast.
Psychic Link	One of our AoE components that extends our single target spells (including Devouring Plague) to hit targets in range that are affected by Vampiric Touch.
Surge of Insanity	Enhances our fillers to give a gameplay loop with spending Insanity on Devouring Plague. Mind Flay: Insanity is the default version, while Mind Spike: Insanity is given when talented into Mind Spike.

Dark Ascension/ Void Eruption	One of our main cooldown abilities that lets you choose a sort of playstyle of the spec. This choice has some impacts on other talents chosen, particularly in the bottom section of the spec tree.
Mental Decay	Extends our filler spells to increase the duration of Shadow Word: Pain and Vampiric Touch every time they deal damage. This does NOT work in AoE with Psychic Link or with Devouring Plague.
Whispering Shadows	Makes Shadow Crash worth taking as it now is upgraded to apply Vampiric Touch (and Shadow Word: Pain since we have Misery) on up to 8 targets that are hit by Shadow Crash. Loosely tries to prioritize targets that do not have Vampiric Touch already active.
Shadowy Insight	One of the proc-based spells we have in our kit that gives you an instant cast Mind Blast. This resets the current charge that is cooling down and does not give you a full extra charge.
Ancient Madness	Adds to your cooldown of choice by giving it a small boost to burst at the start of the cooldown. It does not actually increase the Critical Strike chance on your character stat sheet; only buffs specific spells hidden from the user.
Mind Devourer	Additional proc based spell that can make Distorted Reality in particular even stronger of a choice.
Mind's Eye/ Distorted Reality	Allows you to choose if you want to press Devouring Plague more often with Mind's Eye or press it a bit less but get a corresponding bump in uptime and damage.

Mindbender	Replaces Shadowfiend with a slightly nerfed version of the pet, but significantly lowers its cooldown.
Deathspeaker	Gives you another proc into the kit that gives you more procs as you get haste that makes Shadow Word: Death quite powerful.
Void Torrent	Medium-sized cooldown spell that deals more damage the more haste you have during a fixed channel size. This does generate a moderate amount of Insanity and immediately triggers an Idol of C'Thun proc if talented.
Inescapable Torment	Transforms Mindbender into a much more powerful cooldown.
Insidious Ire	Massive increase to priority and single target damage for Mind Blast and Void Torrent.
Idol of Y'Shaarj	Adds an extra effect every time you summon Mindbender.
Idol of N'Zoth	Gives you another AoE component in the kit that is capped at 4 enemies and then deals reduced damage beyond 5 targets hit for every tick.
Idol of Yogg-Saron	Capstone talent that builds off of Shadowy Apparitions talents and plays well with Void Eruption.
Idol of C'Thun	Versatile Talent that gives you a proc of Insanity in the form of a Void Tendril (Single Target) or Void Lasher (AoE). When fighting 3 or more targets (around the one that procced the spell), you will proc the AoE Void Lasher instead of the Void Tendril. Note that the Insanity generation does not change based on which tendril procs.