Shadow Priest PvE guide: Shadowform damage and Shadow Weaving at level 60

Overview

Level 60 · Shadow Priest · DPS in dungeons and raids.

Forever keeps the Classic Shadow priority but fixes its old problem, mana. Shadowform now also halves the cost of Shadow spells and doubles the crit damage bonus, Improved Mind Flay makes the filler hit harder from further away, and Devouring Contagion makes Devouring Plague cheaper and lets it spread when a target dies. Shadow Weaving still stacks a Shadow damage bonus on the target, and Vampiric Embrace still heals your group. You apply your damage-over-time spells, fire Mind Blast on cooldown and fill with Mind Flay.

Your job in the group

You are ranged damage and the Shadow Weaving debuff for the whole raid. Once your stacks are up, every Warlock hitting the same boss gains Shadow damage from them, so staying on the main target matters more than for most casters. Vampiric Embrace adds light group healing on fights with steady damage, and Silence is an interrupt the raid lead can assign to a casting add. Keep an eye on threat in the first seconds of a pull, because Shadowform crits land early.

Why play it

• Raid-wide value. Shadow Weaving raises Shadow damage from Warlocks as well as your own.
• Mana is no longer the wall. Shadowform halves Shadow spell costs, fixing Classic Shadow’s biggest problem.
• Damage on the move. Shadow Word: Pain and Devouring Plague keep ticking while you reposition.
• Healing as a side effect. Vampiric Embrace heals your group while you deal damage.

Weak points

• Hit dependence: without hit gear, Shadow Weaving stacks drop and Shadow Word: Pain misses.
• Shadow immunity: enemies that resist Shadow damage cut your output hard.
• Threat: fast crits with Shadowform can pull aggro early despite Shadow Affinity.
• No utility cooldowns: Power Infusion is in Discipline, out of reach for this build.

Level 60 talent build

Discipline 18 / Holy 0 / Shadow 33, all 51 points. The talent tree above shows the finished build.

Shadow (33)

• Shadow Focus 5/5 — spell hit for Shadow spells; misses on bosses are the worst loss for a caster.
• Shadow Affinity 3/3 — less threat, so you can open damage early in the fight.
• Improved Shadow Word: Pain 2/2 — a longer Shadow Word: Pain means fewer refreshes.
• Improved Mind Blast 5/5 — Mind Blast more often, your strongest direct spell.
• Mind Flay 1/1 — the channeled filler.
• Improved Mind Flay 2/2 — more Mind Flay damage and range; the smaller slow does not matter against bosses.
• Vampiric Embrace 1/1 — heals your group from your damage and leads to Shadowform.
• Shadow Weaving 3/3 — stacking Shadow damage bonus, which also helps any Warlock in the raid.
• Silence 1/1 — the point needed for the next tier, and a dungeon interrupt for enemy casters.
• Devouring Contagion 2/2 — cheaper Devouring Plague that spreads on trash when a target dies.
• Early Demise 2/2 — more Shadow Word: Death crit on low targets.
• Darkness 5/5 — a flat Shadow damage increase.
• Shadowform 1/1 — damage, lower mana costs, larger crits and less physical damage taken.

Discipline (18)

• Twin Disciplines 5/5 — Shadow Word: Pain and Devouring Plague are instant, so they gain damage here.
• Silent Resolve 3/3 — path points that also reduce stun and fear durations.
• Improved Power Word: Shield 2/3 — a sturdier shield for yourself when raid damage or a loose add hits you.
• Mental Agility 3/3 — cheaper instant damage over time spells.
• Inner Focus 1/1 — a free Mind Blast with extra crit.
• Meditation 3/3 — some mana regeneration while casting.
• Mental Strength 1/5 — the last point, for a slightly larger mana pool.

Rotation and priority

1. Keep Shadow Word: Pain on the boss for the whole fight; Improved Shadow Word: Pain makes the refresh rare.
2. Apply Vampiric Embrace if your group needs the healing.
3. Cast Devouring Plague on cooldown; on trash, place it on the target that will die first so it spreads.
4. Mind Blast whenever it is ready.
5. Fill with Mind Flay, clipping it only to cast Mind Blast.
6. Below 20% health, Shadow Word: Death gains Early Demise crit; weave it between Mind Blasts if mana allows.

Resources

Mana is lighter than in Classic, but Mind Flay is still a mana sink. Inner Focus is a free Mind Blast, Vampiric Embrace can return health to the group, and Fade is your threat drop. Shadow Word: Death is not a Classic spell, so check its Forever tooltip for costs and drawbacks before weaving it in.

Stat priority

1. Spell hit until your spells stop missing; Shadow Focus and the Raiments two-piece count toward it.
2. Shadow damage or spell damage, which scales every tick.
3. Spell crit, now more valuable because Shadowform doubles the crit bonus.
4. Intellect for mana.
5. Stamina only as needed.

Gear and set bonuses

The Shadow Tier 1 set in the Forever data is Raiments of Conviction. Bonuses: 2 pieces +1% hit, 3 pieces 10 sec longer Shackle Undead, 4 pieces up to 21 spell damage against Undead, 5 pieces 60 sec off Devouring Plague’s cooldown. The five-piece is the one that changes your rotation, since Devouring Plague becomes a much more frequent cast. The Undead bonuses only apply against Undead enemies, and the raids where Undead appear are not confirmed.

Consumables and professions

• Damage: Elixir of Shadow Power, Greater Arcane Elixir and Flask of Supreme Power if Forever keeps them.
• Mana: Major Mana Potions and runes; Shadowform’s cheaper spells make mana less tight than in Classic.
• Weapon: Brilliant Wizard Oil for spell damage.
• Professions: Tailoring for cloth damage pieces, and Alchemy or Enchanting.

Sources

Rotation, stat and matchup advice adapts these Classic 1.12 guides to the WoW Forever talent trees; talents, set bonuses and new abilities come from this site’s WoW Forever data.

• Icy Veins: Classic Shadow Priest DPS Guide
• Icy Veins: Classic Shadow Priest DPS Stat Priority
• Icy Veins: Classic Shadow Priest DPS Enchants and Consumables