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Shadow Priest PvP Guide — The War Within (11.1.5)

Last updated on Apr 21, 2025 at 19:35 by Mysticall 15 comments
General Information

This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to play Shadow Priest in a PvP environment. The guide will cover everything from talent choices, PvP talents, gameplay and rotation, and useful racial bonuses. It is most applicable to Arena content, but most talents and racial bonuses will work in Rated Battlegrounds and skirmishes.

If you were looking for TBC Classic content, please refer to our TBC Priest PvP guide.

PvP Shadow Priest Guides
Introduction Talents Gear & Stats Battleground Blitz Compositions Playstyle & Rotations Macros Races
TABLE OF CONTENTS OF THIS PAGE
1.

Shadow Priests in the Current Meta

Shadow Priests are a force to be reckoned with. What Shadow Priests lack in defensives, they make up for in damage. If left unchecked, a Shadow Priest can melt an entire team in seconds. Not only do they have strong single-target damage, they have utility. Spells like Mass Dispel Icon Mass Dispel and Power Word: Shield Icon Power Word: Shield make Shadow Priests a very versatile caster.

2.

Shadow Priest Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths icon Strengths
  • +Strong spread damage
  • +Dispel Magic Icon Dispel Magic and Mass Dispel Icon Mass Dispel are crucial spells to have
  • +Great survivability
  • +Instant crowd control
Weaknesses icon Weaknesses
  • -No mobility
  • -Struggle to cast against melee teams
  • -DoTs are easy to dispel
3.

Notable 11.0.5 Changes to Shadow Priest

There are no notable changes for Shadow Priests in Patch 11.0.5.

4.

Notable 11.1 Changes to Shadow Priests

  • No notable changes for Shadow Priests in Patch 11.1.
5.

Changelog

  • 21 Apr. 2025 (races): Reviewed for patch 11.1.5.
  • 21 Apr. 2025 (macros): Reviewed for patch 11.1.5.
  • 21 Apr. 2025 (playstyle): Reviewed for patch 11.1.5.
  • 21 Apr. 2025 (comps): Reviewed for patch 11.1.5.
  • 21 Apr. 2025 (blitz): Reviewed for patch 11.1.5.
  • 21 Apr. 2025 (gear): Reviewed for patch 11.1.5.
  • 21 Apr. 2025 (talents): Reviewed for patch 11.1.5.
  • 21 Apr. 2025 (this page): Reviewed for patch 11.1.5.
  • 21 Apr. 2025 (this page): Reviewed for patch 11.1.5.
  • 28 Mar. 2025 (gear): Updated recommended gear.
  • 24 Mar. 2025 (talents): Updated recommended talents.
  • 03 Mar. 2025 (gear): Updated recommended gear for Season 2 of The War Within.
  • 03 Mar. 2025 (talents): Updated recommended talents.
  • 24 Feb. 2025 (races): Reviewed for Patch 11.1.
  • 24 Feb. 2025 (macros): Reviewed for Patch 11.1.
  • 24 Feb. 2025 (playstyle): Reviewed for Patch 11.1.
  • 24 Feb. 2025 (comps): Reviewed for Patch 11.1.
  • 24 Feb. 2025 (blitz): Updated for Patch 11.1.
    • Updated recommended talents.
  • 24 Feb. 2025 (gear): Reviewed for Patch 11.1.
  • 24 Feb. 2025 (talents): Updated for Patch 11.1.
    • Updated recommended talents.
  • 24 Feb. 2025 (this page): Updated for Patch 11.1.
  • 24 Feb. 2025 (this page): Updated for Patch 11.1.
  • 15 Dec. 2024 (races): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.7.
  • 15 Dec. 2024 (macros): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.7.
  • 15 Dec. 2024 (playstyle): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.7.
  • 15 Dec. 2024 (comps): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.7.
  • 15 Dec. 2024 (blitz): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.7.
  • 15 Dec. 2024 (gear): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.7.
  • 15 Dec. 2024 (talents): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.7.
  • 15 Dec. 2024 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.7.
  • 15 Dec. 2024 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.7.
  • 21 Nov. 2024 (races): Updated best Horde races.
  • 21 Nov. 2024 (playstyle): Updated all damage rotations.
    • Updated opener rotation.
    • Updated burst damage rotation.
    • Updates sustained damage rotation.
  • 21 Nov. 2024 (comps): Updated best team compositions.
    • Updated best 2v2 team compositions.
    • Updated best 3v3 team compositions.
  • 21 Nov. 2024 (blitz): Updated recommended talents.
  • 21 Nov. 2024 (talents): Updated recommended talents.
    • Updated talent descriptions.
    • Updated PvP talents.
  • 21 Nov. 2024 (this page): Updated strengths.
    • Updated weaknesses.
  • 21 Nov. 2024 (this page): Updated strengths.
    • Updated weaknesses.
  • 21 Oct. 2024 (races): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.5.
  • 21 Oct. 2024 (macros): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.5.
  • 21 Oct. 2024 (playstyle): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.5.
  • 21 Oct. 2024 (comps): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.5.
  • 21 Oct. 2024 (blitz): Updated for Patch 11.0.5.
    • Updated Recommended Talents.
  • 21 Oct. 2024 (gear): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.5.
  • 21 Oct. 2024 (talents): Updated for Patch 11.0.5.
    • Updated Recommended Talents.
  • 21 Oct. 2024 (this page): Updated for Patch 11.0.5.
  • 21 Oct. 2024 (this page): Updated for Patch 11.0.5.
  • 07 Oct. 2024 (playstyle): Updated Damage Rotations.
  • 07 Oct. 2024 (talents): Updated Talent Description.
  • 16 Sep. 2024 (gear): Updated Recommended Gear.
    • Updated Recommended Embellishments.
    • Updated Recommended Enchants.
    • Updated Recommended Gems.
  • 15 Sep. 2024 (blitz): Updated Recommended Talents.
  • 12 Sep. 2024 (talents): Updated Recommended Talents.
  • 09 Sep. 2024 (races): Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
  • 09 Sep. 2024 (macros): Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
  • 09 Sep. 2024 (playstyle): Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
  • 09 Sep. 2024 (comps): Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
  • 09 Sep. 2024 (blitz): Updated for The War Within Season 1.
  • 09 Sep. 2024 (gear): Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
  • 09 Sep. 2024 (talents): Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
  • 09 Sep. 2024 (this page): Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
  • 09 Sep. 2024 (this page): Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
  • 29 Aug. 2024 (blitz): Page added.
  • 28 Aug. 2024 (playstyle): Updated Defensives section.
  • 21 Aug. 2024 (races): Reviewed for The War Within.
  • 21 Aug. 2024 (macros): Reviewed for The War Within.
  • 21 Aug. 2024 (playstyle): Updated for The War Within.
  • 21 Aug. 2024 (comps): Reviewed for The War Within.
  • 21 Aug. 2024 (gear): Updated for The War Within.
  • 21 Aug. 2024 (talents): Updated for The War Within.
  • 21 Aug. 2024 (this page): Reviewed for The War Within.
  • 21 Aug. 2024 (this page): Reviewed for The War Within.
  • 26 Jul. 2024 (talents): Updated Recommended Talents.
  • 23 Jul. 2024 (races): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
  • 23 Jul. 2024 (macros): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
  • 23 Jul. 2024 (playstyle): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
  • 23 Jul. 2024 (comps): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
  • 23 Jul. 2024 (gear): Reviewed for The War Within Pre-Patch.
  • 23 Jul. 2024 (talents): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
  • 23 Jul. 2024 (this page): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
  • 23 Jul. 2024 (this page): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
  • 04 Jul. 2024 (gear): Updated Recommended Gear.
  • 04 Jul. 2024 (talents): Updated Recommended Talents.
  • 07 May 2024 (races): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
  • 07 May 2024 (macros): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
  • 07 May 2024 (playstyle): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
  • 07 May 2024 (comps): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
  • 07 May 2024 (gear): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
  • 07 May 2024 (talents): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
  • 07 May 2024 (this page): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
  • 07 May 2024 (this page): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
  • 22 Apr. 2024 (races): Reviewed for Season 4.
  • 22 Apr. 2024 (macros): Reviewed for Season 4.
  • 22 Apr. 2024 (playstyle): Reviewed for Season 4.
  • 22 Apr. 2024 (comps): Reviewed for Season 4.
  • 22 Apr. 2024 (gear): Updated Recommended Gear for Patch 10.2.6.
  • 22 Apr. 2024 (talents): Reviewed for Season 4.
  • 22 Apr. 2024 (this page): Reviewed for Season 4.
  • 22 Apr. 2024 (this page): Reviewed for Season 4.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (races): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (macros): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (playstyle): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (comps): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (gear): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (talents): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (races): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (macros): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (playstyle): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (comps): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (gear): Updated for Patch 10.2.
    • Updated Recommended gear.
    • Updated Tier Set bonuses.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (talents): Updated for Patch 10.2.
    • Updated Recommended talents.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.2.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (races): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (macros): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (playstyle): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (comps): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (gear): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (talents): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.1.7
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.1.7
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (races): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (macros): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (playstyle): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (comps): Updated for Patch 10.1.5.
    • Updated Best 3v3 Team Compositions.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (gear): Updated for Patch 10.1.5.
    • Updated Recommended Gear.
    • Added Embellishments section.
    • Updated Gems and Enchants section.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (talents): Updated for Patch 10.1.5
    • Updated Recommended Talents.
    • Updated PvP Talents.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 21 May 2023 (playstyle): Removed old spells.
  • 08 May 2023 (races): Updated for Patch 10.1.
    • Updated Best Horde racial.
  • 08 May 2023 (macros): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
  • 08 May 2023 (playstyle): Updated for Patch 10.1.
    • Updated all Damage Rotations.
  • 08 May 2023 (comps): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
  • 08 May 2023 (gear): Updated for Patch 10.1.
    • Updated Recommended Gear.
    • Updated Tier-Set section.
  • 08 May 2023 (talents): Updated for Patch 10.1.
    • Updated Talent Calculator.
    • Updated PvP Talents.
  • 08 May 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.1.
  • 08 May 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.1.
  • 21 Mar. 2023 (races): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 21 Mar. 2023 (macros): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 21 Mar. 2023 (playstyle): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 21 Mar. 2023 (comps): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 21 Mar. 2023 (gear): Updated for Patch 10.0.7.
    • Updated Recommended Gear.
    • Moved Trinkets to Recommended Gear.
    • Added Tier-Set section.
  • 21 Mar. 2023 (talents): Updated for Patch 10.0.7.
    • Updated Talent Calculator.
    • Updated PvP Talents.
  • 21 Mar. 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 21 Mar. 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 30 Jan. 2023 (races): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 30 Jan. 2023 (macros): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 30 Jan. 2023 (playstyle): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 30 Jan. 2023 (comps): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 30 Jan. 2023 (gear): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 30 Jan. 2023 (talents): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 30 Jan. 2023 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 30 Jan. 2023 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 14 Dec. 2022 (gear): Updated Recommended gems.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (races): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (macros): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (playstyle): Updated Damage rotations.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (comps): Updated Best 2v2 and 3v3 Team Compositions.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (gear): Updated Recommended Gear.
    • Updated Gems and Enchants.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (talents): Updated Recommended talents.
    • Updated PvP Talents.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (this page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (this page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 22 Nov. 2022 (races): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 22 Nov. 2022 (macros): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 22 Nov. 2022 (playstyle): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 22 Nov. 2022 (comps): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 22 Nov. 2022 (gear): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 22 Nov. 2022 (talents): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 22 Nov. 2022 (this page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 22 Nov. 2022 (this page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 01 Aug. 2022 (races): Reviewed for Shadowlands Season 4.
  • 01 Aug. 2022 (macros): Reviewed for Shadowlands Season 4.
  • 01 Aug. 2022 (playstyle): Reviewed for Shadowlands Season 4.
  • 01 Aug. 2022 (comps): Reviewed for Shadowlands Season 4.
  • 01 Aug. 2022 (gear): Updated for Shadowlands Season 4.
  • 01 Aug. 2022 (talents): Reviewed for Shadowlands Season 4.
  • 01 Aug. 2022 (this page): Reviewed for Shadowlands Season 4.
  • 01 Aug. 2022 (this page): Reviewed for Shadowlands Season 4.
  • 31 May 2022 (races): Reviewed for Patch 9.2.5.
  • 31 May 2022 (macros): Reviewed for Patch 9.2.5.
  • 31 May 2022 (playstyle): Reviewed for Patch 9.2.5.
  • 31 May 2022 (comps): Reviewed for Patch 9.2.5.
  • 31 May 2022 (gear): Reviewed for Patch 9.2.5.
  • 31 May 2022 (talents): Reviewed for Patch 9.2.5.
  • 31 May 2022 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 9.2.5.
  • 31 May 2022 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 9.2.5.
  • 28 Feb. 2022 (races): Reviewed for Patch 9.2.
  • 28 Feb. 2022 (macros): Reviewed for Patch 9.2.
  • 28 Feb. 2022 (playstyle): Reviewed for Patch 9.2.
  • 28 Feb. 2022 (comps): Reviewed for Patch 9.2.
  • 28 Feb. 2022 (gear): Updated for Patch 9.2.
    • Updated Recommended Gear.
    • Added Tier-Set section.
    • Removed Shards of Domination section.
  • 28 Feb. 2022 (talents): Updated for Patch 9.2.
    • Updated Best PvP Talents.
  • 28 Feb. 2022 (this page): Updated for Patch 9.2.
    • Added Notable Changes section.
  • 28 Feb. 2022 (this page): Updated for Patch 9.2.
    • Added Notable Changes section.
  • 21 Nov. 2021 (races): Reviewed for Patch 9.1.5.
  • 21 Nov. 2021 (macros): Reviewed for Patch 9.1.5.
  • 21 Nov. 2021 (playstyle): Updated all Damage rotations.
  • 21 Nov. 2021 (comps): Updated best 2v2 and 3v3 Compositions.
  • 21 Nov. 2021 (gear): Reviewed for Patch 9.1.5.
  • 21 Nov. 2021 (talents): Reviewed for Patch 9.1.5.
  • 21 Nov. 2021 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 9.1.5.
  • 21 Nov. 2021 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 9.1.5.
  • 16 Jul. 2021 (races): Reviewed for Patch 9.1.
  • 16 Jul. 2021 (macros): Reviewed for Patch 9.1.
  • 16 Jul. 2021 (playstyle): Reviewed for Patch 9.1.
  • 16 Jul. 2021 (comps): Updated best 2v2 compositions.
  • 16 Jul. 2021 (gear): Updated Recommended gear and added Shards of Domination section.
  • 16 Jul. 2021 (talents): Updated PvP talents.
  • 16 Jul. 2021 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 9.1.
  • 16 Jul. 2021 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 9.1.
  • 28 Apr. 2021 (gear): Updated Stat Priority.
  • 08 Mar. 2021 (races): Reviewed for Patch 9.0.5.
  • 08 Mar. 2021 (macros): Reviewed for Patch 9.0.5.
  • 08 Mar. 2021 (playstyle): Reviewed for Patch 9.0.5.
  • 08 Mar. 2021 (comps): Reviewed for Patch 9.0.5.
  • 08 Mar. 2021 (gear): Updated Stat Priority.
  • 08 Mar. 2021 (talents): Reviewed for Patch 9.0.5.
  • 08 Mar. 2021 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 9.0.5.
  • 08 Mar. 2021 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 9.0.5.
  • 06 Dec. 2020 (gear): Added BiS gear list for Shadowlands.
  • 05 Dec. 2020 (talents): Updated Talent Table.
    • Updated Tiers 5 and 7 Regular Talents.
    • Updated PvP Talents.
  • 29 Nov. 2020 (gear): Removed outdated Traits and Essences.
    • Removed outdated gear.
    • Added gems section.
  • 29 Nov. 2020 (this page): Updated for Shadowlands release.
  • 29 Nov. 2020 (this page): Updated for Shadowlands release.
  • 15 Oct. 2020 (races): Updated for Shadowlands pre-patch (9.0.1)
  • 15 Oct. 2020 (macros): Updated for Shadowlands pre-patch (9.0.1)
  • 15 Oct. 2020 (playstyle): Updated for Shadowlands pre-patch (9.0.1)
  • 15 Oct. 2020 (comps): Updated for Shadowlands pre-patch (9.0.1)
  • 15 Oct. 2020 (gear): Updated for Shadowlands pre-patch (9.0.1)
  • 15 Oct. 2020 (talents): Updated for Shadowlands pre-patch (9.0.1)
  • 15 Oct. 2020 (this page): Updated for Shadowlands pre-patch (9.0.1)
  • 15 Oct. 2020 (this page): Updated for Shadowlands pre-patch (9.0.1)
  • 05 Oct. 2020 (playstyle): Updated all Damage rotations.
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PvP Shadow Priest Guides
Introduction Talents Gear & Stats Battleground Blitz Compositions Playstyle & Rotations Macros Races

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