Shadow Priest DPS Spec, Builds, and Talents — The War Within (11.1.5)

While optimizing talents on a contextual basis is the highly recommended method of setting up your build, the Talent builds listed below work great for specific purposes.

Note that these builds are generic recommendations for various content. For more specific recommendations for the Raid and Mythic+ in Season 2, check out the dedicated pages below.

As a Shadow Priest we can generally use builds with Archon or Voidweaver. Archon builds tend to be better with more spread out targets or high target count Mythic+ pulls while Voidweaver does better in pure single target situations or low to average level Mythic+ dungeons.

To see fully specialized builds in full detail for both Archon and Voidweaver use the tool below to toggle recommendations based on your desired Hero Talent Tree. Note that whichever you pick will affect the entire page and information will be tailored to that selection.

3.

War Within Shadow Priest Talent Builds

Due to Hero Talents playing a major role, use the tool below to display builds for each tree

Hero Talents
Archon	Voidweaver

Use the boxes below to navigate builds

Archon Voidweaver
Single-Target Archon Voidweaver
Single-Target + Shadow Crash Archon Voidweaver
Delves Archon Voidweaver
Mythic+ Archon Voidweaver
Pre-Season

4.

Archon Voidweaver Single Target Build

Archon Shadow Priests revolve around casting Halo to empower Void Eruption and prefers to use Mind Flay. This build will give you strong and consistent Single Target damage.

Voidweaver Shadow Priests revolve around casting Void Torrent to create an Entropic Rift. This build prefers to play with Dark Ascension with Mind Spike.

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Single Target - Archon Show Copy

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Single Target - Voidweaver Show Copy

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Archon in single target focuses around getting as many casts of Mind Flay: Insanity as possible due to the strength of Empowered Surges. This fuels our preference towards Void Eruption so that we generate as much Insanity as possible for more casts of Devouring Plague for more Surge of Insanity procs.

Voidweaver creates windows of burst damage every 30 seconds with Void Torrent and Malediction spawning Entropic Rift. During this window your hardest hitting ability becomes Void Blast so we end up taking as many talents as we can to buff the few amount of these we get to cast.

If you are newer to the spec you can consider dropping Unfurling Darkness in favor of Mental Decay. This is a slight DPS loss but can make the spec easier to play.

This version with Archon is about 5% behind the Voidweaver variant.

This version with Voidweaver is about 5% ahead the Archon variant.

By default the builds chosen use Void Leech to help mitigate Physical damage taken. If you are in an environment where you are playing solo or are specifically trying to mitigate Magic damage taken (particularly Shadow school damage) you should use Embrace the Shadow instead.

4.

Archon Voidweaver Single Target + Shadow Crash Build

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.

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 4%3% behind in pure single target compared to the full single target build.

This version with Archon is about 3% behind the Voidweaver variant in pure Single Target. The Archon build can still be a good option or even better depending on how and where the adds spawn. Different encounters will naturally get more value out of Archon or Voidweaver.

This version with Voidweaver is about 3% ahead the Archon variant in pure Single Target. The Archon build can still be a good option or even better depending on how and where the adds spawn. Different encounters will naturally get more value out of Archon or Voidweaver.

Use the Copy button below to generate an Import Code to use in-game!

Single Target + Shadow Crash - Archon Show Copy

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Single Target + Shadow Crash - Voidweaver Show Copy

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By default the builds chosen use Void Leech to help mitigate Physical damage taken. If you are in an environment where you are playing solo or are specifically trying to mitigate magic damage taken (particularly Shadow school damage) you should use Embrace the Shadow instead.

4.

Archon Voidweaver Delves Build

This build is the perfect starting point for Delves as a Shadow Priest. This build is optimized for delves being relatively challenging content where we still need a lot of single target damage. This build is identical to the Single Target + Shadow Crash builds but also picks up Silence

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Delves - Archon Show Copy

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Delves - Voidweaver Show Copy

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Be sure to use Dominate Mind to help handle more difficult packs, with certain scaling just having another mob to help kill things and be one less thing hitting you can be very valuable.

Options with this build:

• By default, Mental Fortitude is chosen, which is about a 1% damage loss. If you feel like you do not need this extra defensive Talent, you can put that point into Mind Devourer Mental Decay instead.
• If you are a Delve solo, swap out Leap of Faith for Void Tendrils or Sheer Terror.

4.

Archon Voidweaver Mythic+ Build

This build is your starting point for your journey into Mythic+ dungeons. While doing great AoE damage, it also deals great priority target damage during AoE while also having decent single target.

Archon gives you a massive starting point with big AoE damage that scales well as you get into higher key levels. If you are just starting out in your Mythic+ journey, or are just pugging keys in uncoordinated groups it might feel a bit sluggish to start and you should consider trying out Voidweaver instead.

Voidweaver should perform well in most levels of keys, but will struggle more compared to Archon if you begin to chain packs together or are looking for pushing sustained AoE even further. In particular Dark Ascension does not have as much AoE scaling as Void Eruption and currently only Archon prefers running that talent.

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Mythic+ - Voidweaver Show Copy

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Mythic+ - Archon Show Copy

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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 Mind Devourer or Maddening Touch. Maddening Touch or Mental Decay. This is roughly a 1% damage gain.
• This build can swap Mind Devourer (ST) for Maddening Touch (AoE) depending on what is more important to you.
• By default this build uses Sustained Potency for more boss damage and sustained AoE damage. This talent also pauses Voidform for up to 20 seconds out of combat, making it less punishing in lower keys to use cooldowns. You can instead take Energy Compression for the generic more AoE option if you prefer.
• Even though this build prefers to play Distorted Reality you generally still focus on a single target with your Devouring Plague casts. You do have the option to spread this around if you have multiple high priority targets.
• Using Mind's Eye or even Mind Flay is generally not too far behind in most scenarios in Mythic+ if you prefer to play with one or both of these.
• If you are looking for more AoE you can drop Unfurling Darkness to take Maddening Touch instead.
• By default we suggest taking Embrace the Shadow for magic damage mitigation but you can use Void Leech to help offset damage taken from Physical damage.

Check out the dedicated Mythic+ page for more talent build information and tips for every dungeon.

Shadow Priest Mythic+ Page

4.

Archon Voidweaver Pre-Season Builds

While Archon will use different builds pre-season as Voidweaver you should use the new builds mentioned in other sections regardless of your tier situation. To see the Archon build changes in pre-season select that Hero Talent in the top section.

If you are just starting out your Shadow Priest journey in Season 2 you likely do not have access to the new set bonus available. This set bonus has a few talent choice implications for Archon so until you start using the Priest Shadow 11.1 Class Set 4pc bonus you should use the Pre-Season builds.

These builds are the best to use if you have any amount of tier from Season 1, or are just starting out and have no tier set bonuses equipped.

While this can vary slightly depending on your gear and your character once you get the new Season 2 4-piece bonus ( Priest Shadow 11.1 Class Set 4pc) you should start using the normal builds for this season found in the other sections on this page.

Use the Copy button below to generate an Import Code to use in-game!

Single Target - Archon (Pre-Season) Show Copy

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Single Target + Shadow Crash - Archon (Pre-Season) Show Copy

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Mythic+ - Triple Idol - Archon (Pre-Season) Show Copy

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Mythic+ - Hybrid - Archon (Pre-Season) Show Copy

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Several of our talents actively change your rotation, specifically your priority in given situations. You can find out more about it in the rotation section below.

Starting at level 71 you gain access to brand new Hero Talents. This is where you get to pick between Archon or Voidweaver.

Archon Shadow Priest gameplay revolves around using Halo to empower your cooldown of choice and to cast extremely powerful Mind Flay: Insanity spells. This choice typically ends up playing Void Eruption.

Voidweaver Shadow Priest gameplay causes your Void Torrent to create a heavy hitting Entropic Rift that pulses AoE damage to enemies in its radius. This then gives you access to an upgraded Mind Blast in the form of Void Blast while the Rift is active. This choice typically ends up playing Dark Ascension.

The Hero Talents page goes over this choice and talks about more strengths and weaknesses of Archon and Voidweaver.

This section is intended to give more context on the various choice nodes we have in the Shadow Priest spec tree and when each choice might make sense.

Dark Ascension and Void Eruption is the main cooldown choice you have as a Shadow Priest. Due to Dark Ascension inherently scaling our damage, it usually ends up being strong in single-target environments especially at lower gear levels, while Void Eruption thrives more in AoE and multi-target.

Dark Ascension has two major advantages: the large damage amplifier to our direct damage and the 1-minute cooldown. Unlike Voidform this also is on top of Shadowform making it numerically a great choice. The 1-minute cooldown can also be quite powerful when paired with Mindbender and Inescapable Torment for good damage every minute.

Void Eruption gives access to Voidform but since this replaces Shadowform it does not actually add a damage modifier onto our kit except for the Mastery activation. This mastery activation can be a big bonus in AoE situations, but typically is much more lackluster in single target since our Devouring Plague uptimes are usually 90%+. However, you also gain access to Void Bolt, so after enough scaling with gear, this can end up performing well even in single target.

Due to the damage patterns provided by each Hero Talent, each one tends to favor a specific cooldown. Archon, in particular, prefers Void Eruption and Voidweaver prefers Dark Ascension. Typically, mixing these with their off-choice is about a 4-5% DPS loss and is not suggested.

In The War Within, we now have access to two different versions of Shadow Crash:

• Shadow Crash - Targeted at a specific location on the ground.
• Shadow Crash - Targeted at an enemy, will follow them if they move.

This choice node gives the player a choice in how they want to use this spell, particularly for managing DoTs with Whispering Shadows. In most cases, these spells work exactly the same, which will lead to many experienced players opting to play with Shadow Crash for more flexibility.

• Can be placed specifically at a location to DoT multiple targets if there is not an enemy positioned perfectly in the middle.
• Can be cast before a target is active to get your DoTs on them quicker.

• Follows the target if they move.
• Does not require precise camera positioning to land on a pack of mobs.

I would highly suggest using Ground-Target Shadow Crash. If you are just starting to get comfortable with the spec, you can try Enemy-Target Shadow Crash but learning the ways to optimize the ground target version is important for getting the most out of your Shadow Priest.

Modifying the way we spend Insanity can have large implications when it comes to playstyle and damage output, which is what makes Mind's Eye and Distorted Reality often a big choice to make in your build.

Builds that prefer Mind's Eye will typically already have a good amount of Insanity generation so that you can keep up high uptime of Devouring Plague and also play off of interactions that reward more casts of Devouring Plague, such as generating Shadowy Apparitions or more Screams of the Void uptime.

On the other hand, builds that prefer Distorted Reality will typically like this choice when you are looking to maximize uptime on Devouring Plague (especially at lower gear levels). Distorted Reality builds also can make more use of spreading Devouring Plague in AoE situations to take advantage of effects like Phantasmal Pathogen if you are okay giving up some priority target damage.

For Season 2 of The War Within, we generally prefer to play with Mind's Eye as Archon and Distorted Reality as Voidweaver. Voidweaver can certainly use Mind's Eye in Mythic+ environments but this can make it harder to execute the rotation, particularly in single target.

While the builds above have sane defaults for Class Talents, this section will go in-depth about the various choices we have with class talents depending on the situation you are in.

The following is a list of class talents I would always use as a Shadow Priest. These are useful in just about every situation in PvE and will be the core talents for any build.

• Shadowfiend - Baseline
• Shadow Word: Death - Baseline
• Death and Madness and Tithe Evasion - Any build that ever uses Shadow Word: Death should always have these nodes.
• Dispel Magic - Useful for pathing and great utility.
• Improved Flash Heal and Protective Light - Gives us another valuable active defensive with no cooldown.
• Angelic Feather and/or Body and Soul - Movement talents, typically I would suggest having both.
• Power Infusion and Twins of the Sun Priestess - Damage cooldown and massive group throughput utility.
• Vampiric Embrace and San'layn - Extra healing utility that is taken all the time. Situationally Sanguine Teachings could also be used.
• Twist of Fate - Execute damage that unlocks nodes in the bottom section.
• Throes of Pain - Baseline damage to Shadow Word: Pain and should be taken in all situations.
• Halo or Divine Star - One of the few damage nodes on the tree.
• Translucent Image - Transforms Fade into an active defensive.
• Phantom Reach - Gives you more baseline range, which can make positioning easier.

Now that you have an idea of the baseline suggested class talents, you can finish off your build based on the content that you are doing. Depending on the specific raid boss or dungeon environment you should tweak these choices based on what you need. In some situations, you might need more utility, and for others, if you do not need that utility, you can instead pick up more defensive choices.

The following talents are the utility choices we have as a Priest. You should only take these if you need them; otherwise, fill out points elsewhere.

• Psychic Voice - Gives a reduction in the cooldown of Psychic Scream, which can be useful to get more AoE CC available.
• Phantasm - Transforms Fade to also break snare effects. Note that this is different from root effects.
• Leap of Faith - Iconic Priest ability that is nice to have in certain situations.
• Shackle Undead - Hard CC ability that works on Undead enemies.
• Void Tendrils - AoE root ability for enemies in a radius around the caster.
• Dominate Mind - Turns your Mind Control spell into one that instead makes the enemy a pet. This can be particularly useful in some Mythic+ Dungeons. This node is also required for certain pathing decisions and is often taken for just that reason.
• Mass Dispel - Powerful dispel tool.
• Power Word: Life - Gives you a powerful spell for off-healing.
• Essence Devourer - Passive healing that does particularly well with Mindbender builds.
• Manipulation - Extra defensive node that will work on spells cast specifically by enemies we have Shadow Word: Pain active on.
• Void Shift - While use cases in PvE are slim, this is occasionally great utility to have.

Once you get all the utility points you need for the content you are doing, you can then add the defensive points you need. This part is tricky as depending on the content, this can vary wildly, but here are your options roughly ranked in terms of strength.

1. Spell Warding - 3% magic damage reduction
2. Improved Fade - Allows you to press Fade more often for the defensive value.
3. Angel's Mercy - Can be useful depending on timings of a mechanic you are trying to counter, but pathing into it can be cumbersome.
4. Void Shield - Can give Power Word: Shield a bit more value when used defensively for passive ticking damage.
5. Light's Inspiration - Makes Desperate Prayer stronger but usually, this increase does not actually change what would be considered lethal.
6. Crystalline Reflection - Gives a very small heal with casts of Power Word: Shield that can also give a bit of damage depending on the situation.
7. Angelic Bulwark - Inconsistent cheat death-like shield that usually does not proc when you actually need it.

Note that I suggest taking Protective Light and Translucent Image by default in the top section. These are easily the most valuable defensive nodes in our class tree and should always be taken.

In the open world, you can go into "War Mode." Enabling War Mode provides the following benefits:

• PvP talents enabled in the outdoor world.
• 10%+ increase in World Quest rewards at maximum level.
• 10%+ more experience gained while leveling.
• Earn Conquest Points, which can reward gear every week.

With the benefits of enabling War Mode for leveling and PvE content, it is recommended enabling the feature to maximize your leveling and rewards at maximum level. However, you will make yourself available for open-world PvP, and the possibility of being "ganked" while leveling or doing World Quests exists.

In this section, we will rank the PvP talents best for leveling and doing solo / small group PvE content. Below is a ranking of Shadow Priest-specific PvE talents.

• Catharsis is a great boost to damage in the open world if you find yourself in solo content or 1v1s.
• Driven to Madness gives you your cooldown back faster for better uptime.
• Mind Trauma is great for builds that use Surge of Insanity with Mind Flay. Casts of Mind Flay: Insanity count for this and make it a fun talent choice.