Welcome to our PVE Shadow DPS guide for WoW TBC. This guide will show you what you need to know to DPS as a Shadow Priest in dungeons and raids. This guide covers everything from talents to consumables.
Talents
Shadow is a really fun Priest spec to play in TBC and the below build will help you get out there and maximize your DPS!
This build only dips into the Discipline tree to pick up Inner Focus and Meditation. The tier 1 and tier 2 talents of the Discipline tree can be interchanged freely.
Shadow Weaving should have at least 1 point because it is a very good debuff to keep up on an enemy. You can swap the other points out with Improved Mind Blast if you would like. These two can be freely exchanged but both should be at least rank 1.
Blackout and Spirit Tap can also be freely swapped out. Spirit Tap is only useful when you can land the killing blow. Blackout is more useful while clearing trash.
Gems
Gems can change based on your build, equipment and caps. You may need to adjust your gems to account for your gear.
- Meta: Ember Skyfire Diamond (best) or Mystical Skyfire Diamond
- Red: Runed Crimson Spinel (Runed Living Ruby)
- Blue: Glowing Shadowsong Amethyst (Glowing Nightseye)
- Yellow: Veiled Noble Topaz, Potent Noble Topaz or Reckless Pyrestone (Reckless Noble Topaz)
Blue gems are only worth it to activate your meta gem. After your meta gem requirement has been met fill blue sockets with red or yellow gems.
Enchants
You may need to adjust your enchants to your gear.
- Head: Glyph of Power
- Shoulder: Greater Inscription of the Orb, Greater Inscription of Discipline or Zandalar Signet of Mojo
- Back: Subtlety
- Chest: Exceptional Stats
- Bracers: Spellpower or Major Intellect
- Gloves: Major Spellpower or Shadow Power
- Legs: Runic Spellthread or Mystic Spellthread
- Boots: Boar’s Speed or Vitality
- Weapon: Soulfrost or Major Spellpower
If you pick up enchanting you can benefit from Enchant Ring – Spellpower on both rings.
Stat Priority
- Spell Hit
- Spell Power
- Spell Crit/Haste
- Intellect
- Spirit
- Mp/5
- Stamina
16% is the spell hit cap for a Shadow Priest in Burning Crusade. This should require around 264 hit rating for Draenie and 289 for other races.
Rotation
Unlike other classes Shadow Priest’s don’t have a set rotation. They operate off of a priority list. This priority list is meant to maximize your damage. If your gear isn’t great you may have mana problems following it perfectly.
- Vampiric Touch: Keep up on your target at all times.
- Shadow Word: Pain: Keep up on your target at all times.
- Mind Blast: Cast every time this comes off cooldown.
- Shadow Word: Death: Cast every time this comes off cooldown. Avoid killing yourself though.
- Mind Flay: Filler if everything else is on cooldown.
If you have sub-par gear, you can use Vampiric Touch, Shadow Word: Pain and Mind Flay to do damage and avoid running out of mana.
You should use Inner Focus with either Shadow Word: Pain or Devouring Plague.
Consumables
Below is a list of consumables which help in any raid.
- Potion: Super Mana Potion, Destruction Potion
- Elixir: Flask of Pure Death
- Oil: Brilliant Wizard Oil and Superior Wizard Oil
- Food: Blackened Basilisk or Crunchy Serpent or Poached Bluefish
- Drums: Drums of Battle, Drums of War
Professions
- Tailoring – Tailoring is great for fresh level 70’s because you can make the Shadoweave and Spellstrike sets which will only be replaced by T4 or T5.
- Enchanting – Enchanting both of your rings with Spellpower will give you 24 extra spell power! You can also save money by enchanting your own gear.
- Leatherworking – This gives your raid the best bonus by crafting Drums of Battle. This is mainly for late game and not t4 raids.
- Alchemy – Alchemy allows you to make Sorcerer’s Alchemist Stone which is pretty strong. You can also create your own consumables.
- Jewelcrafting – Great gold making choice and you can make your own gems early on.
FAQ
16% is the spell hit cap for a Shadow Priest in Burning Crusade. This should require around 264 hit rating for Draenie and 289 for other races.
The best profession for a Shadow Priest in TBC would be Tailoring and Enchanting. Leatherworking is useful to the raid group though.
The best meta gem for a shadow priest in TBC would be either Ember Skyfire Diamond (best) or the Mystical Skyfire Diamond.