Mists of Pandaria Classic Shadow Priest Rotation and Cooldowns

Last updated on Jun 25, 2025 at 12:00 by Abide

On this page, you will learn how to optimize the rotation of your Shadow Priest in both single-target and multi-target PvE situations in Mists of Pandaria Classic. We also have advanced sections about cooldowns, procs, etc. in order to minmax your DPS.

1.

Shadow Priest Rotations

If you have not already, we recommend reading the Spells Summary page first. Knowing how each spell and ability works in detail will greatly increase your understanding of the topics discussed on this page. While ShadowShadow Priest is not the strongest DPS out there, it has a very fun and active playstyle, and excels ahead of the rest whenever a fight has multiple targets to apply damage-over-time to.

2.

Shadow Orbs

Shadow Orbs Icon Shadow Orbs remain as a passive, and are still a staple part of the ShadowShadow gameplay. Now you will generate 1 Shadow Orbs Icon Shadow Orbs passively every 6 seconds, and an additional orb each time you use either Mind Blast Icon Mind Blast or Shadow Word: Death Icon Shadow Word: Death. These Shadow Orbs Icon Shadow Orbs are consumed to increase the damage of Devouring Plague Icon Devouring Plague greatly, giving you a builder-and-spender style of game play to enhance your damage.

3.

Shadow Priest Single-Target Rotations

3.1.

Single-Target Rotation

The ShadowShadow rotation largely revolves around keeping your damage-over-time debuffs applied at all times, and managing your Shadow Orbs Icon Shadow Orbs, which need to be stacked up and spent to enhance your damage. You should always have Shadowform Icon Shadowform active while DPSing as ShadowShadow.

  1. Mind Spike Icon Mind Spike Use on pull only with the pre-pull timer.
  2. Shadow Word: Pain Icon Shadow Word: Pain Apply and maintain on your target.
  3. Vampiric Touch Icon Vampiric Touch Apply and maintain on your target.
  4. Devouring Plague Icon Devouring Plague Use only when you have 3 Shadow Orbs Icon Shadow Orbs.
  5. Mind Blast Icon Mind Blast If you have less than 3 Shadow Orbs Icon Shadow Orbs.
  6. Shadow Word: Death Icon Shadow Word: Death Can only be used on enemies at or below 20% health; use if you have less than 3 Shadow Orbs Icon Shadow Orbs. This should always be used twice in a row.
  7. Mind Flay Icon Mind Flay Deals additional damage while Devouring Plague Icon Devouring Plague plague is applied to a target. Use as a filler wherever your rotation has gaps. Cancel the channel if a higher priority spell becomes ready, or a DoT must be re-applied.
4.

Shadow Priest AoE Rotations

ShadowShadow Priest has a varying rotation depending on the amount of targets you are facing. Below you can find the recommended AoE rotations depending on how many enemies you are facing.

4.1.

Against Two to Four Targets

This is where you will excel above all other classes, keeping damage-over-time up on multiple targets at a time. When facing 2-4 targets that will live for at least 15 seconds, follow this rotation.

  1. Shadow Word: Pain Icon Shadow Word: Pain apply and maintain to all targets that will live for the duration.
  2. Vampiric Touch Icon Vampiric Touch apply and maintain to all targets that will live for the duration.
  3. Mind Flay Icon Mind Flay use as a filler if Devouring Plague Icon Devouring Plague is up on a target.
  4. Devouring Plague Icon Devouring Plague Keep this applied to the target with the most health; remember that it can only be on one target at a time.
  5. Mind Blast Icon Mind Blast if you have fewer than 3 Shadow Orbs Icon Shadow Orbs.
  6. Devouring Plague Icon Devouring Plague when you have 3 Shadow Orbs Icon Shadow Orbs.
  7. Shadow Word: Death Icon Shadow Word: Death use on low-health targets to get 3 Shadow Orbs Icon Shadow Orbs.
  8. Mind Sear Icon Mind Sear or Mind Flay Icon Mind Flay to fill if mobs are stacked or not.
4.2.

Against Five Targets

Against 5 targets specifically, you will still want to maintain Shadow Word: Pain Icon Shadow Word: Pain and Vampiric Touch Icon Vampiric Touch on all targets before using Mind Sear Icon Mind Sear. Nothing else is worth using here unless you need to move.

  1. Shadow Word: Pain Icon Shadow Word: Pain apply and maintain to all targets that will live for the duration.
  2. Vampiric Touch Icon Vampiric Touch apply and maintain to all targets that will live for the duration.
  3. Mind Sear Icon Mind Sear on a friendly melee target, such as the tank, to AoE all enemies.
4.3.

Against Six or More Targets

Things are much simpler when fighting larger groups of enemies, simply use Mind Sear Icon Mind Sear on a target, ally or enemy, in the middle of the group of enemies to AoE them all down.

5.

Cooldowns

ShadowShadow Priest has limited cooldowns available to them, but luckily Priest has many to offer for the raid. You will use most of your cooldowns for yourself when needed, either to increase damage dealt or reduce your damage taken, but Mists of Pandaria add a couple of new tools to your kit.

  • Void Shift Icon Void Shift 5-minute cooldown. New to Mists of Pandara, this swaps your health with the target. After swapping, if either player is below 25% of their maximum health, they will be healed to that amount. This is great for saving someone who is about to die, as long as you are safe too!
  • Vampiric Embrace Icon Vampiric Embrace 3-minute cooldown. Causes you to heal yourself and nearby injured allies for 50% of all single-target Shadow damage dealt. The healing is evenly split between all injured allies and lasts for 15 seconds. Great for helping to top the raid up after major raid-wide damage.
  • Dispersion Icon Dispersion 2-minute cooldown. Reduces your damage taken by 90% and restores 36% of your Mana back to you. Typically you will use this to negate a raid mechanic, but the Mana restoration can also be utilized to keep your Mana high.
  • Power Infusion Icon Power Infusion Tier 5 Talent Choice; Can only be used on yourself now; 2-minute cooldown. Grants you a self-haste and mana-reduction buff that also increases your damage dealt.
  • Shadowfiend Icon Shadowfiend 3-minute cooldown. Deals decent damage and restores 3% of your maximum Mana every time it attacks. You will want to use this on cooldown for the increased damage, as you do not need the Mana it gives.
  • Hymn of Hope Icon Hymn of Hope 6-minute cooldown. This restores 2% Mana to 3 nearby allies with the lowest Mana overall and increases their maximum Mana by 15% temporarily. Ideally you will want to use this cooldown in conjunction with other Mana-restoring cooldowns, such as Shadowfiend Icon Shadowfiend, as the temporary 15% increase to maximum Mana amplifies the effectiveness of abilities that restore a percentage of your Mana pool. Try to coordinate this with your other raid members.