Shadow Priest DPS Spec, Builds, and Talents — Season 4
On this page, you will find out the best talents for each tier for your Shadow Priest in World of Warcraft — Season 4. We also have default talent lists for various types of content, such as raiding or Mythic+. If you play with Warmode on, we have your PvP talents covered as well.
If you were looking for WotLK Classic content, please refer to our WotLK Classic Shadow Priest talents.
Best Dragonflight Talents for Shadow Priest
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 4, check out the dedicated pages below.
The video version of this guide is also available if you would like to watch along as I talk about Shadow Priest.
If you want an overview and breakdown of every Talent, check out the Spell Summary first to help navigate your build choices.
Best Talents for Shadow Priest
Single Target Build for Shadow Priest
This build is the default single target build for Shadow, with an option to use either Void Eruption or Dark Ascension depending on your preference. These options are extremely close together (within 1% or less). On certain kill times, you might find Dark Ascension can give more value with cooldowns every 1-minute.
The big difference between the two builds is with movement, where generally speaking, the Void Eruption build handles mechanics and movement better than the Dark Ascension, which can be punished more for moving out of the fire on the ground.
Options with this build:
- Mind's Eye is the preferred choice with this build, beating out Distorted Reality by about 1%.
Use the code below to import the top Dark Ascension build for single target.
- BIQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASkEAAAAAAAAAAAAgQaQSSJtDIJJRSSBShkkEpRgICpItQSQBSA
Be sure to make use of the 'Copy Export String' button to import the build directly into your game!
Single Target + Shadow Crash Build for Shadow Priest
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 on Tyrannical.
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 3% behind in pure single target compared to the standard build.
While in pure single target I would start with Void Eruption, this build has a tougher time fitting in Shadow Crash which makes it a bit further behind Dark Ascension, even with more movement. Both are still competitive options.
There is also the following build with Void Eruption that is less than 1% behind the base version. This could be advantageous depending on the fight duration.
- BIQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAggkEAAAAAAAAAAAAgQKBJJt0IJJJRSBShkkEpRgICpItQSQBJA
Be sure to make use of the 'Copy Export String' button to import the build directly into your game!
Council Multi-Target Build for Shadow Priest
This build is the perfect starting point for AoE environments like Council bosses in raid or even Mythic+ dungeons. While maximizing our AoE damage, it also deals great priority target damage during AoE while also having decent single target.
This build is similar to the Mythic+ variant although it will prefer Distorted Reality for the increases sustained AoE damage. You can also run this build in Mythic+.
Options with this build:
- For low-target cleave environments if you are confident with managing your Vampiric Touch you can also experiment with dropping Shadow Crash and Whispering Shadows for more Insanity generation with Maddening Touch.
Be sure to make use of the 'Copy Export String' button to import the build directly into your game!
Mythic+ Build for Shadow Priest
This build is the perfect starting point for Mythic+ dungeons. While maximizing our AoE damage, it also deals great priority target damage during AoE while also having decent single target.
Class talents were selected as a safe default for most keys, but usually you can move points around from Purify Disease, Mass Dispel, Manipulation, or Shattered Perceptions based on the needs of that key. Manipulation and Shattered Perceptions are less than 1% of your damage in a Mythic+ dungeon. Check out the class talents section below for more info.
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 Mental Decay. This is roughly a 2-3% damage gain.
- You can swap out Mind's Eye for Distorted Reality if you want more overall damage (6-10%) for a loss in priority target damage (20-24%). With Distorted Reality you should spread Devouring Plague.
- You can flex points with this build depending on if you want more
AoE, Overall, or Single Target. Put four points into any of the following:
- Mind Devourer - Overall
- Maddening Touch - AoE (particularly good with Mind's Eye)
- Dark Evangelism - AoE
- Mental Decay - Single Target
- Phantasmal Pathogen - ST ( Mind's Eye) or AoE ( Distorted Reality)
For flex points, the big takeaway is that Distorted Reality does well with Phantasmal Pathogen, since we are spreading Devouring Plague with that Talent. This season Mind Devourer in particular does well in all builds due to the extra modifier on Devouring Plague and the synergy with getting more of the out with our tier set bonus.
In mass AoE, you might find Maddening Touch to give more damage (+0.5%) when running Mind's Eye in particular, however, this is typically not a gain in overall (-0.5%) compared to Mind Devourer or Phantasmal Pathogen due to how strong those options are in lower target count pulls and single target.
Use the below import string for the version with Distorted Reality:
- BIQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECiEAAAAAAAAAAAAgQaSkk00IJJJRSBOQjkkEpRgISki0CJBFkA
If you are looking for a build that is a bit more relaxed for lower-level keystones check out this build with Dark Ascension:
- BIQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEISEAAAAAAAAAAAAgEaRkIl0IJJJJJF4ANSSSkGBiIRKSLkEUgE
This build is designed for keystones that most players are completing. Check out the dedicated Mythic+ page to learn more about optimizing builds at all levels.
Be sure to make use of the 'Copy Export String' button to import the build directly into your game!
Pre-Set Bonus Builds for Shadow Priest
If you are starting out in Season 4 with the previous Season 3 set bonus you should use the following builds until you get the new set bonus and drop the Season 3 2-piece. I would generally advise not breaking the previous 4-piece until you get the full new set bonus, but this will ultimately come down to the item level it drops at.
Once you get the new Priest Shadow 10.1 Class Set 4pc set bonus you should no longer use these builds. They should ONLY be used with the Season 3 4-piece set bonus.
Single Target build with Dark Ascension:
- BIQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIREAAAAAAAAAAAAgkoFkIl0OgkERSSBSjkkEpRgICpItQSQBSA
Single Target + Shadow Crash build with Dark Ascension:
- BIQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIJJHAAAAAAAAAAAAAIhWQiUSjkEJJJFINSSSkGBiIki0CJBFIB
Council Multi-Target Build with Void Eruption:
- BIQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEikIBAAAAAAAAAAAAQolQINNSSSSkUg0IJJRaEIiQKSLkEUQSA
Low Key Level Mythic+ Build with Dark Ascension:
- BIQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEIJJAAAAAAAAAAAAASoFRiUSjkEJJJFQhkkEpRKIiEpItQSQBSA
High Key Level Mythic+ Build with Void Eruption:
- BIQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECJEAAAAAAAAAAAAAJpkEh00IJJJRSBUIJJRakCiIRKSLkEUQC
The main difference from a Low or High key perspective is how effective your cooldown usage is. If you use Void Eruption and after finishing off a pack your Voidform still has 10+ seconds remaining, it probably is too low of a key, and you would have been better off using Dark Ascension. Generally this cutoff seems to be around a +10 in Season 4.
Talent Explanations for Shadow Priests
Note that we do not explain EVERY Talent in the tree on this page. We only explain Talents that are part of our optimal builds for single-target and AoE. For full details and explanations of every Talent, please visit our Spells page via the button below.
Class Talents
Row 1-4
Renew | Small Heal Over Time spell that can be useful to proc Twist of Fate when cast on allies in the opener or during downtime. |
Prayer of Mending | Healing spell that spreads across allies that can be useful to proc Twist of Fate when cast on allies in the opener or during downtime. |
Purify Disease | Adds to our utility letting us dispel diseases. Particularly useful in certain Mythic+ dungeons. |
Protective Light | Turns Flash Heal into a mini-defensive. This does stack with other mitigations. |
Angelic Feather | One of our core mobility spells. |
Phantasm | Niche talent that extends Fade to get out of certain debuffs. |
Death and Madness | Builds upon our execute damage by extending the value of Shadow Word: Death. |
Spell Warding | Gives us a tiny bit of magical defensive value. |
Leap of Faith | Allows you to quickly get an ally out of an otherwise deadly position. |
Shackle Undead | One of the hard crown control abilities we have, but only works against Undead enemies. Does work with Incorporeal in Mythic+. |
Dominate Mind | Version of Mind Control that lets us still do our full rotation while the controlled enemy is a pet. It does not work with every mob but can have powerful use cases when it does. |
Row 5-7
Mass Dispel | Powerful dispel utility that has a wide range of use, particularly in Mythic+. |
Power Infusion | One of our core damage cooldowns that gives us a large amount of haste. |
Vampiric Embrace | Group healing ability that can do quite a lot of healing if used at the right time. |
Tithe Evasion | Required extension of Shadow Word: Death anytime you press the spell often. Without this Shadow Word: Death deals substantially more damage to yourself. |
Body and Soul | Main movement ability and gives you an additional option paired with Angelic Feather to get a long amount of movement speed. |
Twins of the Sun Priestess | Extends Power Infusion to make it a powerful cooldown for yourself and another ally of your choice. |
Twist of Fate | Main execute mechanic for the class that allows us to do slightly more damage at the end of an encounter. |
Throes of Pain | Small bump to Shadow Word: Pain damage but also gives us a decent amount of Insanity over the course of a Mythic+ dungeon. |
Row 8-10
Angel's Mercy | Allows you to cast Desperate Prayer more often with the reduced CD if you find yourself pressing it on cooldown. |
Halo/ Divine Star | Small cooldown spells that mostly contribute to our damage via the Insanity provided less so the damage dealt. Double as a small healing cooldown as well. |
Translucent Image | Transforms Fade into being a small defensive ability. |
Mindgames | Small cooldown spell that deals a small amount of damage and generates some Insanity. |
Light's Inspiration | Increases the effectiveness of Desperate Prayer. |
Improved Fade | Reduces the cooldown of Fade so you can use it more often for threat dropping or the defensive when paired with Translucent Image. |
Power Word: Life | Large single-target heal that can easily save your life or an allies if used well. |
Essence Devourer | Somewhat random healing effect added to Shadowfiend or Mindbender that can proc Twist of Fate if it heals allies below the threshold. |
Spec Talents
Row 1-4
Devouring Plague | Sole Insanity spender that deals damage over time on your target. Damage does roll over on subsequent casts, but the duration only increases by the time till the next tick on the original DoT. |
Dispersion | Main defensive ability that also doubles as a movement cooldown should you really need it. |
Shadowy Apparitions | Adds a gameplay loop into our kit around these apparitions that can make them a powerful damage source if you build around them. |
Silence | Only Interrupt ability for Priests that the other specs do not have access to. |
Mental Fortitude | Good passive defensive Talent that is critical for high damage taken encounters. |
Misery | Required Talent that reduces the amount of time spent casting DoT spells considerably. |
Thought Harvester | Allows you to weave in spells more easily while Mind Blast is cooling down without losing casts of Mind Blast. |
Psychic Link | One of our AoE components that extends our single target spells (including Devouring Plague) to hit targets in range that are affected by Vampiric Touch. |
Surge of Insanity | Enhances our fillers to give a gameplay loop with spending Insanity on Devouring Plague. Mind Flay: Insanity is the default version, while Mind Spike: Insanity is given when talented into Mind Spike. |
Row 5-7
Dark Ascension/ Void Eruption | One of our main cooldown abilities that lets you choose a sort of playstyle of the spec. This choice has some impacts on other talents chosen, particularly in the bottom section of the spec tree. |
Mental Decay | Extends our filler spells to increase the duration of Shadow Word: Pain and Vampiric Touch every time they deal damage. This does NOT work in AoE with Psychic Link or with Devouring Plague. |
Whispering Shadows | Makes Shadow Crash worth taking as it now is upgraded to apply Vampiric Touch (and Shadow Word: Pain since we have Misery) on up to 8 targets that are hit by Shadow Crash. Loosely tries to prioritize targets that do not have Vampiric Touch already active. |
Shadowy Insight | One of the proc-based spells we have in our kit that gives you an instant cast Mind Blast. This resets the current charge that is cooling down and does not give you a full extra charge. |
Ancient Madness | Adds to your cooldown of choice by giving it a small boost to burst at the start of the cooldown. It does not actually increase the Critical Strike chance on your character stat sheet; only buffs specific spells hidden from the user. |
Mind Devourer | Additional proc based spell that can make Distorted Reality in particular even stronger of a choice. |
Mind's Eye/ Distorted Reality | Allows you to choose if you want to press Devouring Plague more often with Mind's Eye or press it a bit less but get a corresponding bump in uptime and damage. |
Row 8-10
Mindbender | Replaces Shadowfiend with a slightly nerfed version of the pet, but significantly lowers its cooldown. |
Deathspeaker | Gives you another proc into the kit that gives you more procs as you get haste that makes Shadow Word: Death quite powerful. |
Void Torrent | Medium-sized cooldown spell that deals more damage the more haste you have during a fixed channel size. This does generate a moderate amount of Insanity and immediately triggers an Idol of C'Thun proc if talented. |
Inescapable Torment | Transforms Mindbender into a much more powerful cooldown. |
Insidious Ire | Massive increase to priority and single target damage for Mind Blast and Void Torrent. |
Idol of Y'Shaarj | Adds an extra effect every time you summon Mindbender. |
Idol of N'Zoth | Gives you another AoE component in the kit that is capped at 4 enemies and then deals reduced damage beyond 5 targets hit for every tick. |
Idol of Yogg-Saron | Capstone talent that builds off of Shadowy Apparitions talents and plays well with Void Eruption. |
Idol of C'Thun | Versatile Talent that gives you a proc of Insanity in the form of a Void Tendril (Single Target) or Void Lasher (AoE). When fighting 3 or more targets (around the one that procced the spell), you will proc the AoE Void Lasher instead of the Void Tendril. Note that the Insanity generation does not change based on which tendril procs. |
Several of our talents actively change your rotation, specifically your priority in given situations. You can find out more in the rotation section below.
Priest Class Talent Choices
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.
Always Use Class Talents
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 throughout 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.
- Mindgames - Another baseline damage ability. The subsequent 3 points are not always taken.
Situational Class Talents
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 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.
- 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 content, this can vary wildly, but here are your options roughly ranked in terms of strength.
- Spell Warding - 3% magic damage reduction
- Improved Fade - Allows you to press Fade more often for the defensive value.
- Angel's Mercy - Can be useful depending on timings of a mechanic you are trying to counter, but pathing into it can be cumbersome.
- Void Shield - Can give Power Word: Shield a bit more value when used defensively for passive ticking damage.
- Light's Inspiration - Makes Desperate Prayer stronger but usually this increase does not actually change what would be considered lethal.
- 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.
- 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.
The last thing to consider is if you can fit in the remaining Mindgames talents. The three total points in Manipulation and Shattered Perceptions typically make up less than 1% of your overall damage. This typically makes them okay to drop in most scenarios, depending on how valuable you treat the utility or defensive choices above. If you are running content where you do not need the extra utility or defensive points, these should be used by default for the damage they provide, especially in pure single target.
PvP Talents (War Mode) for Shadow Priest
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.
Shadow Priest War Mode Talents
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.
Shadow Priest PvP 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.
- Psyfiend can be a nice talent if you are okay with another active ability; otherwise, Void Volley is a good backup.
Changelog
- 30 Apr. 2024: Add note about Maddening Touch in the Mythic+ build.
- 25 Apr. 2024: Add new talent video.
- 22 Apr. 2024: Update all builds for Season 4 and replace pathing sections with an in-depth Class Talent guide.
- 19 Mar. 2024: Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
- 13 Feb. 2024: Update default class talents and utility choices in the Mythic+ build.
- 21 Jan. 2024: Update 3-target council build from recent buffs.
- 15 Jan. 2024: Updated for Patch 10.2.5.
- 15 Jan. 2023: Add optional change to the ST + Shadow Crash build and update the 3 target council build.
- 19 Dec. 2023: Remove outdated section and adjust Mind Flay options.
- 18 Dec. 2023: Update flex point talents in default Mythic+ build and update the 3 target council build.
- 18 Dec. 2023: Add note for loss in ST on the Shadow Crash build.
- 12 Dec. 2023: Update default Mythic+ build to not use Idol of Y'Shaarj.
- 03 Dec. 2023: Update default Mythic+ build to use Mind Flay.
- 01 Dec. 2023: Update 3 Target council build to default to Mind Flay.
- 17 Nov. 2023: Update builds for 3 target and Mythic+ to be more streamlined.
- 14 Nov. 2023: Add Mind Flay build option to the Single Target + Shadow Crash build.
- 06 Nov. 2023: Update talent builds and suggestions for Patch 10.2 and Season 3.
- 04 Sep. 2023: Reorganize headers to be more readable and move talent spell breakdown.
- 18 Aug. 2023: Correct typo in the description for the Triple Idol Dark Ascension build.
- 13 Aug. 2023: Clarify note on Triple Idol setups in high keys and update video link.
- 08 Aug. 2023: Fix issue where Dark Ascension Single Target build was not using Distorted Reality.
- 07 Aug. 2023: Add new builds from the recent hotfixes.
- 31 Jul. 2023: Swap to Distorted Reality by default for the Dark Ascension ST build.
- 25 Jul. 2023: Add Dark Ascension + Shadow Crash build.
- 23 Jul. 2023: Reviewed from the recent hotfixes. Noted difference in single target builds.
- 17 Jul. 2023: Refactor to use new talent layout.
- 10 Jul. 2023: Update talent strings for Patch 10.1.5.
- 28 Jun. 2023: Swap out Malediction for Deathspeaker on the Dark Ascension build.
- 27 Jun. 2023: Add new talent builds from the recent hotfixes.
- 23 Jun. 2023: Adjust notes about Distorted Reality.
- 02 May 2023: Small caveat to the flex points
- 01 May 2023: Update talent builds for the 10.1.0 rework.
- 20 Mar. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 04 Feb. 2023: Update 2-target build and add a note about VF on single target.
- 24 Jan. 2023: Update talent builds for Patch 10.0.5.
- 11 Jan. 2023: Update Mythic+ talent builds from the recent changes.
- 23 Dec. 2022: Update talent builds to account for Screams of the Void bug.
- 13 Dec. 2022: Add alternate ST build that offers more burst.
- 11 Dec. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 28 Nov. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 31 Oct. 2022: Updated talent builds to no longer suggest Psychic Link and changed default Mythic+ build to Yogg-Saron.
- 26 Oct. 2022: Updated talent builds from recent bug finding for Screams of the Void.
- 25 Oct. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
More Priest Guides
Guides from Other Classes
This guide has been written by Publik, Shadow Priest theorycrafter and SimC dev at Warcraft Priests. He currently raids in The Exiled on Arthas-US.
- Patch 10.2.7: Dark Heart Content Update Notes
- Confront Xal'atath in Dark Heart Arriving May 7th
- How Cataclysm Changed Azeorth's Zones
- The Most Popular Specializations in Mythic+ in Dragonflight Season 4 Week 1
- Dark Heart In-Game Cinematic
- Dragonflight 10.2.6, SoD and Cata Classic Hotfixes, May 1st
- Dragonflight Season 4 Mythic+ DPS, Tank, and Healer Log Rankings: Week 1
- May Trading Post Rewards in Action (Video)