Shadow Priest DPS Easy Mode in Battle for Azeroth (BfA) 8.0.1

Table of Contents

• +Introduction
  • 1. Class Overview
  • 2. Patch 8.0.1 Changes for Shadow Priest
  • 3. Shadow Priest Strengths
  • 4. Shadow Priest Weaknesses
  • 5. Shadow Priest Viability in the Current Patch
  • 6. Contents
  • 7. ChangeLog
• ×Easy Mode
  • 1. Foreword
  • 2. The Basics for Shadow Priest
  • 3. Talent Choice for Shadow Priest
  • 4. Stat Choice for Shadow Priest
  • 5. Basic Rotation for Shadow Priest
  • 6. Azerite Traits
  • 7. ChangeLog
• +Spell Summary
  • 1. Shadow Priest Spell Summary
  • 2. Main Resource for Shadow Priest
  • 3. Basic Abilities for Shadow Priest
  • 4. DPS Cooldowns for Shadow Priest
• +Builds and Talents
  • 1. Talent Choices for Shadow Priest
  • 2. Talent Cheat Sheets for Shadow Priest
    • 2.1. Raid Encounters
      • 2.1.1. Single Target
      • 2.1.2. Cleave
      • 2.1.3. Mythic+
    • 2.2. For General Use
  • 3. Tier 1 (Level 15) Talents for Shadow Priest
  • 4. Tier 2 (Level 30) Talents for Shadow Priest
  • 5. Tier 3 (Level 45) Talents for Shadow Priest
  • 6. Tier 4 (Level 60) Talents for Shadow Priest
  • 7. Tier 5 (Level 75) Talents for Shadow Priest
  • 8. Tier 6 (Level 90) Talents for Shadow Priest
  • 9. Tier 7 (Level 100) Talents for Shadow Priest
  • 10. PvP Talents (War Mode) for Shadow Priest
    • 10.1. Shadow Priest War Mode Talents
      • 10.1.1. General PvP Talents
      • 10.1.2. Shadow Priest PvP Talents
  • 11. ChangeLog
• +Azerite Traits and Armor
  • 1. Outer Ring Traits for Shadow Priest
  • 2. Middle Ring Traits for Shadow Priest
  • 3. Inner Ring Traits for Shadow Priest
  • 4. Current Strength of Notable DPS Traits for Shadow Priest
    • 4.1. Trait Ranking When Using Legacy of the Void
    • 4.2. Trait Ranking When Using Dark Ascension
  • 5. Find Azerite Armor By Trait/Power
  • 6. ChangeLog
• +Rotation, Cooldowns, and Abilities
  • 1. Shadow Priest Rotational Primer
    • 1.1. Shadowform
  • 2. Single Target Priority for Shadow Priest
  • 3. Multiple Target Rotation for Shadow Priest
    • 3.1. 2-5 Target Rotation
    • 3.2. 5-10 Target Rotation
    • 3.3. 10+ Target Rotation
  • 4. The Multiple Target Rotation Further Explained
  • 5. Important Notes for Shadow Priest
    • 5.1. Insanity Drain
    • 5.2. Regarding Dispersion/Void Torrent
    • 5.3. Optimizing Insanity Generation
    • 5.4. Dark Void Usage
    • 5.5. Dark Ascension Cycling & General Usage
    • 5.6. Optimizing Mindbender/Shadowfiend Usage
  • 6. ChangeLog
• +Mythic+ Tips
  • 1. Shadow Priest in Mythic+
    • 1.1. Shadow Priest Mythic+ Rotation
    • 1.2. Shadow Priest Utility
  • 2. Mythic+ Talents for Shadow Priests
  • 3. Mythic+ Affixes
    • 3.1. Tier One Affixes
    • 3.2. Tier Two Affixes
    • 3.3. Tier Three Affixes
    • 3.4. Seasonal Affix
  • 4. Mythic+ Azerite Traits
  • 5. ChangeLog
• +Common and Worst Mistakes
  • 1. Not Pressing Buttons Fast Enough
  • 2. Dealing With Movement Properly
  • 3. Not Knowing How To Sim Yourself
  • 4. ChangeLog
• +Frequently Asked Questions
  • 1. Battle for Azeroth Frequently Asked Questions
    • 1.1. Do I Use Misery or Dark Void For Dungeons?
    • 1.2. Do I Use Legacy of the Void or Dark Ascension For Dungeons?
    • 1.3. Do I Want To Intentionally Drop Out Of Voidform To Void Eruption Sooner?
    • 1.4. When Do I Use Mind Sear In Dungeons?
    • 1.5. When Should I Refresh My DoTs?
    • 1.6. Should I Use Dispersion As a DPS Cooldown?
  • 2. ChangeLog
• +Boss by Boss Strategies
  • 1. ChangeLog
• +Stat Priority
  • 1. The Basics of Stats for Shadow Priest
  • 2. Shadow Priest: Getting a Better Understanding
    • 2.1. Statistics Explanations
  • 3. ChangeLog
• +Gems, Enchants, and Consumables
  • 1. Gems for Shadow Priest
  • 2. Enchants for Shadow Priest
  • 3. Consumables for Shadow Priest
  • 4. ChangeLog
• +Macros and Addons
  • 1. Macros
    • 1.1. Generic Macros for Priests
    • 1.2. Specific Macros for Shadow Priests
      • 1.2.1. Dispersion Cancelaura Macro
      • 1.2.2. Shadow Crash Cursor Macro
      • 1.2.3. Mind Flay Camera Spin
  • 2. Addons for Shadow Priest
    • 2.1. Generic Addons for Priests
      • 2.1.1. ElvUI
      • 2.1.2. Boss Mods: Deadly Boss Mods or Bigwigs
      • 2.1.3. GTFO
      • 2.1.4. Parrot or Mik's Scrolling Battle Text
      • 2.1.5. Weak Auras
      • 2.1.6. Recount / Skada / Details!
    • 2.2. Specific Addons for Shadow Priests
      • 2.2.1. Twintop's Insanity Bar
      • 2.2.2. SPTimers
• +Gear and Best in Slot
  • 1. General Gearing Strategy
  • 2. Dungeon Gear to Look Out for
  • 3. World Quests
  • 4. Gearing Spreadsheet
  • 5. Reputation Gear
    • 5.1. Horde Factions
      • 5.1.1. Talanji's Expedition
      • 5.1.2. The Honorbound
      • 5.1.3. Voldunai
      • 5.1.4. Zandalari Empire
    • 5.2. Alliance Factions
      • 5.2.1. Proudmoore Admiralty
      • 5.2.2. 7th Legion
      • 5.2.3. Storm's Wake
      • 5.2.4. Order of Embers
    • 5.3. Neutral Factions
      • 5.3.1. Champions of Azeroth
      • 5.3.2. Tortollan Seekers
  • 6. Crafting Gear
    • 6.1. Tailoring
    • 6.2. Engineering
    • 6.3. Outer Ring Traits
    • 6.4. Inner Ring Traits
  • 7. Trinket Rankings
    • 7.1. Trinket Rankings for Single-Target
    • 7.2. Trinket Rankings for AoE
  • 8. ChangeLog
• +Simulations
  • 1. Disclaimer Page
  • 2. Magicsim
  • 3. ChangeLog

About Our Author

This guide has been written by Isentropy, top Shadow Priest and one of the main theorycrafters of the spec over at Warcraft Priests. He currently raids in Echoes.

1. Foreword

This section is intended for players who are new to the game or class, have no intentions of raiding Mythic difficulty, or simply want a more straightforward way to play their specialization without being overwhelmed by the numerous priorities and active abilities that need to be taken into consideration for optimal play.

2. The Basics for Shadow Priest

The current version of Shadow Priest is a fairly demanding and potentially punishing specialization. While ludicrous levels of damage output are possible, the specialization requires good, consistent play in order to succeed. It is possible to put out fantastic damage without much of the hassle however, and this page will furnish you with a talent build that aims to reduce the demands of the specialization and reactivity required without unduly compromising the damage output.

3. Talent Choice for Shadow Priest

These choices are optimized for ease of use. Although some talents might offer marginally higher gains when played perfectly, these same talents often result in damage losses when utilized by many players. The talents recommended here aim to present the best setup that has very little punishment for unfamiliarity or mistakes.

• Level 15: Fortress of the Mind
• Level 30: Mania
• Level 45: Misery
• Level 60: Last Word
• Level 75: Shadow Crash
• Level 90: Mindbender
• Level 100: Legacy of the Void

4. Stat Choice for Shadow Priest

Currently, you will want to prioritize stats as follows:

1. Intellect;
2. Haste = Critical Strike;
3. Mastery;
4. Versatility.

5. Basic Rotation for Shadow Priest

1. Keep Shadow Word: Pain and Vampiric Touch applied on all targets.
2. Cast Mind Blast whenever available to generate Insanity.
3. Cast Mind Flay to generate Insanity.
4. Cast Void Eruption at 90 Insanity, or 60 Insanity if you are using Legacy of the Void.
5. When in Voidform
   1. Cast Void Bolt whenever available.
   2. Cast Mind Blast whenever available and when Void Bolt is on cooldown.
   3. Cast Shadow Crash on cooldown.
   4. Cast Mindbender whenever available.
   5. Cast Mind Flay when there is nothing else to cast.

6. Azerite Traits

Azerite Traits play an important role for Shadow Priest. This means you need to decide which Azerite items you should choose. The traits are very close to each other in power, though, so we recommend our //www.icy-veins.com/wow/shadow-priest-pve-dps-azerite-traits-powers-and-armor page for more details.

7. ChangeLog

• 13 Aug. 2018: Updated for Battle for Azeroth launch.
• 23 Jul. 2018: Adjusted talent advice.