Shadow Priest DPS Vault of the Incarnates Raid Guide — Dragonflight 10.1

Below, you can find class and spec-specific advice for every fight in Vault of the Incarnates. If you are looking for a general overview of the Raid that is not spec-specific, check out our dedicated Vault of the Incarnates guides.

On this page, you will find Shadow Priest specific information to deal with each boss in the Vault of the Incarnates raid. These are not complete encounter guides but specific tips for doing the bosses as a Shadow Priest.

This page assumes that you already understand most of the mechanics of each encounter. These can be found on the full raid guide, so what is contained here are details specifically tailored toward Shadow Priest and how you can deal with each fight as best as possible.

All recommendations are progression-based tips and will not necessarily be the best for an overall DPS ranking.

The build above is your generic single target talent tree. Each boss below will note if it uses this build or a different one and if you should tweak anything. Running the same talent build for every single boss is not optimal. If you prefer Void Eruption, you can run the below build instead, roughly equivalent to single-target damage.

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Note that there is a bug causing Screams of the Void to be less valuable than it would be when talented into Mental Decay. This has build implications that are considered for builds on this page. If you are seeing this, it means the bug is still happening.

In single target, if you do not want to play with Mind Spike at all, you would talent out of that and Void Torrent and dump those points into whatever you choose in section 1 for utility and then 2 points into Maddening Touch and 1 point into Mental Decay. This is up to a 3% DPS loss, but this is the option if you feel strongly about not using Mind Spike and Void Torrent.

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To make importing talents easier, I have aggregated the builds into the list below into 3 main builds. Taking these as a baseline, you can handle all raid encounters in this tier.

For single target, you can freely swap between the Dark Ascension and Void Eruption builds. They are roughly equivalent in single-target damage. Still, one can outperform the other depending on the damage pattern of the fight.

• Terros
• Raszageth (drop Silence to get Mind Sear)

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Note that for either boss, you can choose to drop Screams of the Void and Idol of C'Thun to instead run Mind Devourer and Idol of Yogg-Saron. These builds are close together in terms of damage and play similarly outside the base filler spells. With C'Thun, you fill with Mind Flay and without it, you fill with Mind Spike.

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• Eranog (With Mind Sear)
• Sennarth (Drop Mind Sear for Mental Fortitude)
• Dathea (With Mind Sear if going to Add Platform)
• Kurog Grimtotem (With Mind Sear + Drop Dark Evangelism for Psychic Link for Mythic)
• Broodkeeper Diurna (With Mind Sear if you will ever hit Adds)
• Mythic Raszageth (With Dark Ascension)

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With the recent changes to Psychic Link now working with Mindgames, Void Bolt, and Void Torrent, you could choose to add Psychic Link to these builds by swapping points out of Dark Evangelism. This would lose you single target damage but gain a good amount of cleave if that is what you are looking for. On prog, I suggest focusing single target unless you are struggling with adds.

• The Primal Council
• Broodkeeper Diurna, if you will be on adds full time in Phase 1

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For Eranog, you can use the default talent build at the top of the page or the build below if you plan to damage the adds. This picks up Mind Sear to give you a way to damage these adds easily. You can play this build with Void Eruption if you plan on lining up cooldowns to kill adds, but generally, Dark Ascension will be better for focusing on boss or priority add damage.

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• The boss will frequently require you to move short distances when casting Molten Spikes. If you know this is coming soon, try to save up instant cast spells. If taking Surge of Darkness, this is the best candidate for those procs.
• Shadow Crash should line up for every add set. With good timing, you can cast this just before the adds actually spawn but still get the timing right to hit them all before they start moving.
• If talenting into Mind Sear and Mind Devourer for more add damage, save any procs you get to spend when the adds spawn. You should bank up Insanity for this as well.
• Depending on the CC your group has, you could consider talenting into Void Tendrils or Psychic Horror to get more control over the adds.
• You can use Mass Dispel on the Leaping Flames DoT effect from the Flamescale Captain on Mythic difficulty.

For more information, please refer to our Eranog guide.

For this boss, the talent build at the top of the page should work well, but feel free to make tweaks to the class tree depending on what you prefer.

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• Can flex points out of Void Shield and Move with Grace to instead path into Unwavering Will. This will open up the bottom left side of the class tree to invest into Power Word: Life. If your group can benefit from this off-healing, I would highly suggest trying it out.
• OPTION: For less reliance on standing still and Idol of C'Thun procs, you can instead take 2 points out of Screams of the Void and 1 out of Idol of C'Thun and instead path through Mind Devourer through Idol of Yogg-Saron.
• OPTION: If you prefer Void Eruption or want an extra instant cast spell, you can use the Void Eruption build instead (see above).

• Leap of Faith can help position members quickly for Awakened Earth. Careful doing this in Mythic to not remove Infused Fallout stacks without realizing it.
• Be sure to use Fade and/or Flash of Light (with Protective Light) before soaking Rock Blast.

For more information, please refer to our Terros guide.

For this boss, I suggest you swap to the optimal 4-target talent build below.

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Each boss must die within a few seconds of the others or risk a complete wipe. You will naturally do more damage to your current target, so be sure to target swap to the highest health boss. Generally speaking, you should avoid doing this too quickly and make sure you only swap to a target that either has Devouring Plague ticking or you are in Voidform. If you need to swap targets, do so at the next cast of Devouring Plague on the new target.

• While you can soak both circles of Meteor Axes with Dispersion I would suggest holding, if possible, and just soaking one.
• Save up instant cast procs or abilities so while clearing stacks of Frost Tomb you maintain DPS.
• If you are being put into the kick rotation, you might consider swapping out Mental Fortitude for Last Word. Only do this if this is required for you to make the kick order timings.
• On this fight, you should always use your Insanity on Mind Sear unless you purposefully want to focus on a boss without cleaving the others.

For more information, please refer to our The Primal Council guide.

On this boss, you have a few choices with your talent tree based on where you want to allocate damage. You will need to choose how much single target you want to drop to gain more Add damage. This boss has small and big adds that need killing at various priority levels. Using the build below will give you better add burst damage while still performing well single target but can be more to manage. The default build above is also adequate if you prefer it.

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The big spider is going to be the biggest priority. Make sure to focus on this as soon as it spawns. Holding spell cooldowns like Void Torrent is a good idea to get this down quickly. If you want to do more cleave damage, you can drop Dark Evangelism for Psychic Link, but this is not suggested on progression as you do lose a good amount of boss damage.

With the suggested build on this boss, Mind Flay will not be your default filler. Your rough filler priority for this fight will be below, but check out the rotation guide for more details.

Filler priority with this build:

1. Mind Spike with Surge of Darkness procs
2. Mind Flay: Insanity when available. You should fully channel this.
3. Mind Spike

• Use Fade with Phantasm to help mitigate the various slow effects if needed.
• If your positioning is compromised during Gossamer Burst, you can use Dispersion or other movement abilities to try and fight this off.
• Refrain from rushing up the stairs during intermissions. You can save up procs or other instant casts to move at your own pace. If done correctly, you will retain boss uptime.
• Regardless of your build, tag the small spiders to keep a high uptime on Twist of Fate.
• Hold Shadow Crash if little spiders will be spawning soon, do not delay this more than a few seconds, though.

For this boss, you will want a mix of single target for the boss, priority damage for the Big add on the main platform, and cleave for the platforms. Other than normal, you will need to go to the platform, so you should equip yourself to be useful in those phases while maintaining a manageable number of single target.

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Note that Dark Ascension could be used if you want to burst a specific add platform or prefer how that 1-minute cooldown lines up. Both options deal serious boss damage, so you can freely pick whichever makes sense for your group and playstyle. If you are going on Platform Add sets 1 and 3, I would suggest using Dark Ascension so that you can use it on pull and have it back for the Add Platform that starts at 1:30 roughly. Add Platforms 2 and 4 can get better lineups for Void Eruption if you prefer running that.

If you are going to a platform set on Mythic difficulty, consider swapping points out of Dark Ascension for Psychic Link. This will hurt your single target slightly but gain a lot of damage for the add platforms.

• Keep track of when Cyclone is happening and bank up procs or instant casts, so you have as many things to press as possible in that 10 seconds without losing downtime.
• Save Vampiric Embrace for the intermission. With healers being split, this is where it will be the most useful. If on Mythic saving for a platform might make more sense for your group though.

For more information, please refer to our Dathea, Ascended guide.

On lower difficulties, this boss alternates between a single target and 2 targets depending on the phase. In Mythic, you will drop the single target and will have some periods of adds during that phase instead. Because of these changes, I suggest tweaking the build to have more 2 target potential but still a strong single target.

For this encounter, you should choose between using 2 points in Dark Evangelism or Psychic Link. For Mythic, I suggest using Psychic Link due to the heavy amount of 2 target. However, on other difficulties or if the adds die too quickly, consider using Dark Evangelism instead for single target.

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• With the suggested talent build, even though you take Mind Sear, you should only cast this with Mind Devourer procs in Voidform on a single target or with a proc when facing 2 targets.
• Note that if you want to do more damage during 2 target sections, you can drop Mind Spike and Surge of Darkness for Psychic Link instead. Psychic Link has no value on a single target, so damage to your main boss will suffer.
• If your group is struggling with getting hit by too many Frigid Torrent or you are just starting progression, consider talenting into Mass Dispel to help out the healers.
• During the intermission, the boss is immune, but you can continue to generate Insanity from things like Auspicious Spirits. Typically this makes it worth it to maintain your DoTs on him even during this phase. Still, re-dotting should be a low priority and something other than something to do while cooldowns are active.

For more information, please refer to our Kurog Grimtotem guide.

Depending on the strategy used, you will likely have some time hitting adds on this fight. If your group needs more boss damage, you can stick with the single-target build. Still, the below build is suggested for anyone who plans to hit the adds in the first phase. Keep in mind this will lower your damage slightly in the last phase, so choose between the build that makes the most sense for what you need.

Similar to Kurog, you have some flexibility on this boss for a few of your talents. If you plan on fully single-targetting the boss, use your preferred single-target build from above. However, I would use a more cleave-centric build if you plan on hitting the adds either sporadically or full-time in phase one. Either build can use Dark Ascension, but generally I would prefer Void Eruption for this boss.

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While the boss needs to be 50 yards away from the adds, it is possible to hit the boss and the adds simultaneously with good tank positioning. Focus your damage on one or the other based on your group's needs. Make sure only to spend Insanity on Mind Sear when facing 3 or more targets, or you have a Mind Devourer proc in Voidform or a Mind Devourer proc when facing 2 targets or more.

• You can use Fade with Phantasm to break either Icy Shroud or Frozen Shroud.
• Cast Dispel Magic to dispel the Cauterizing Flashflames HoT from the Dragonspawn Flamebender. You can also use Mass Dispel for Icy Shroud and Frozen Shroud.
• If you are in the add group make sure you use Psychic Link.

For more information, please refer to our Broodkeeper Diurna guide.

For this boss, I would suggest running a mostly single target build but picking up Mind Sear as well. This gives you the big single target you want but still has some AoE for the add platforms. You can drop Psychic Link if you are looking for more boss damage.

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• Drop Silence or 1 point in Dark Evangelism for Mind Sear.
• Dark Ascension is generally preferred to line up better for the shields, but depending on your group and difficulty, you can get good use out of Void Eruption as well.

• Taking Silence for the orbs is helpful but likely not required for most groups. Since you want Mind Sear, it is better to drop Silence or 1 point of Dark Evangelism over Mental Fortitude.
• Consider saving cooldowns to line up with the shield phases after the add platform.
• You can use Mass Dispel to help quickly dispatch sparks.

On Mythic, you need to use abilities to counter the various casts of Hurricane Wing that pushes you back. Most groups will get 4 sets of this mechanic with current gearing, and as a Shadow Priest, we only have a few tools to combat this. Use the below as a rough guide:

1. Power Word: Shield (with Body and Soul) and Angelic Feather
2. Warlock Gateway
3. Power Word: Shield (with Body and Soul) and Angelic Feather
4. NEED SOMETHING SPECIAL (see below)
5. Warlock Gateway (usually skipped)

Alternatively, you can choose to change the order to Gateway on sets 1 and 4 if you know you will not get the 5th set. Doing this means you do not need help from a racial or external, but it does mean for the 2nd set, you will need to get back to the group quickly for the sparks that happen directly after, or plan to deal with yours on your own.

For soaks where you are not using Warlock Gateway, you typically will have Stampeding Roar or Wind Rush Totem and can delay your Power Word: Shield or Angelic Feather until after that effect goes away since they do not stack. Any sets where you are relying on this are very easy to mess up; you need to make sure you are very close to the boss before the cast to make it, especially after the first set.

For any set after 3, if you are not using the Gateway, you need help from outside our kit. This can be done with any of the following in no particular order:

• An Evoker's Rescue
• Goblin's Rocket Jump
• Void Elf's Spatial Rift