Shadow Priest DPS Easy Mode — Battle for Azeroth (BfA) 8.3

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.

The current version of Shadow Priest is a fairly demanding and potentially punishing specialization. While good damage output is possible, the specialization requires good, consistent play in order to succeed. It is possible to put out competitive damage without much of the hassle however, and this page will provide you with a talent build that aims to reduce the demands of the specialization and reactivity required without causing a big drop in numerical output.

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: Body and Soul
• Level 45: Twist of Fate
• Level 60: Last Word
• Level 75: Auspicious Spirits
• Level 90: Lingering Insanity
• Level 100: Legacy of the Void

Not that, in most content, you will use Shadow Word: Void instead of Fortress of the Mind. The ease of use of either is mostly up to your personal preference as, depending on your gear (and amount of stats), Shadow Word: Void might feel better to play, and if so, I would suggest using this talent.

Currently, you will want to prioritize stats as follows:

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

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 Shadowfiend whenever available.
   4. Cast Mind Flay when there is nothing else to cast, cancelling it whenever there is a higher priority spell available.

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 Azerite Traits page for more details.

The following is currently perceived to be the best combo for most content. There are some variants you can use, but the important part is having 3 Chorus of Insanity and 1 Whispers of the Damned. Use the last 2 traits as mostly filler.

• 3x Chorus of Insanity
• 2x Spiteful Apparitions
• 1x Whispers of the Damned

Memory of Lucid Dreams ( Memory of Lucid Dreams) is the preferred Major essence, generally useful in all PvE content whilst strongest in raiding environments. For Minor essences you should pick up Blood of the Enemy ( Blood-Soaked), Essence of the Focusing Iris ( Focused Energy), and Breath of the Dying ( Lethal Strikes).