So there is a lot to be desired after seeing what the Priest Oracle Hero Path talent tree has shown off.
So I will once again toss my Hero Path ideas in the ring with a major Focus on Shadow Priest Hero Paths.
Hero Path Talents
Below, I will show an example of a direction the Hero Path talents can go into.
Archon (Shadow)
- Psychic Leaning theme
- Non-Periodic damage focus
DPS Talents
- Deaths Release
Shadow Word: Death deals damage as if the target is below 20% health while under the effects of Dark Ascension. - Cycle of Death
Your Shadow Word: Death cooldown is reduced by 50% while under the effects of Dark Ascension. - Deaths Reach
Your Shadow Word: Death strikes 2 additional nearby targets while under the effects of Dark Ascension. - Echos of Death
Your Shadow Word: Death triggers 2 additional times at 20% effectiveness. - Dark Embrace
Your Non-Periodic damage critical strikes extend the duration of Dark Ascension by 1 second. - Maniac
Mind Spike cast time is reduced by 50% after you critically strike with Mind Blast for the next 3 seconds. - Dark Archon
Your Shadow Word: Pain periodic damage grants you Dark Archon [buff], increasing the damage of your next Shadow Word: Death by 10%. Stacking up to 5. - Blood Archon
Your Vampiric Touch periodic damage grants you Blood Archon [buff] increasing the damage of your next Devouring Plague spell by 5% and heals your group for 20% of the damage dealt. Stacking up to 5. - Death Throes
Your Mind Spells deal 10% more damage for 6 seconds when you critically strike with Shadow Word: Death. Stacking up to 3. - Tormented Wraith
You have a 50% chance to spawn a Wraith when your Shadow Word: Death deals damage to a target below 20% health and 100% chance when you land a killing blow. Lasting for 6 seconds.- Tormented Wraiths charge at your enemies cleaving with Wraith Strike [cone attack] inflicting them with Reapers Mark. Reapers Mark increases the chance for your non-periodic damage to critically strike by 5% and your critical strike damage bonus by 10% for 10 seconds, stacking up to 3.
Archon (Holy/Shadow)
- Psychic Leaning theme
Talents
- Intertwining Fates
Your Twist of fate increases your damage and healing done by an additional 10%. - Suppressive Words
When your Holy Word spells heals a friendly target, the damage the target takes is reduced by 10% for 5 seconds.
When your Shadow Word spells damage an enemy target, the damage the target inflicts is reduced by 10% for 5 seconds.
(Choice) - Praying for Death
When Prayer of Mending is bounced from Shadow Word: Death backlash damage, your damage and healing is increased by 10% for 8 seconds. - Psionic Energy
- Holy: Healing done from your Holy Word spells generate a stack of Psionic Energy. Reaching 20 stacks fill you with power and causing you to erupt, dealing pulse healing to your allies within 20 yards every second for 3 seconds.
- Shadow: Damage dealt by your Shadow Word spells generate a stack of Psionic Energy. Reaching 20 stacks causes the next target to receive damage from your Mind Spells to erupt, dealing pulsing damage to every enemy within 20 yards every second for 3 seconds.
- Psionic Power
When Psionic Energy erupts, your Psychic Link damage and healing increases by 5% for 30 seconds. Stacking up to 3. - Psionic Force
Psionic Energy pulse deals 100% more damage and healing with each consecutive pulse.
Archon (Holy)
- Psychic Leaning theme
- Non-Periodic healing focus
Talents
- Psychic Link
Your single target Holy Word spells heal 25% of the healing done to targets affected by your Renew within 40 yards. - Psionic Focus
Gaining a stack of Psionic Power increases the healing of your single target healing spells and reduces the mana cost by 10% per stack. - Shadow Reflection
When an enemy strikes you or your group while your Renew is active, they become afflicted with Shadow Word: Pain, with the remaining duration left of the Renew.
Voidweaver (Shadow)
- Voidform draining mechanic (optional)
- Periodic Damage focus
DPS Talents
- Surender to Madness
Voidform increase your Shadow damage by 1% every second and no longer has a cooldown or duration limit but causes your Insanity to drain increasingly faster until it reaches 0 and Voidform ends.
(Choice) - Glimpse of the Void
Your Shadow Word: Pain and Vampiric Touch deal damage an additional time when Devouring Plague critically strikes. - Embrace the Void
While Voidform is active, your spells generate 100% more Insanity and can be cast while moving.
(Choice) - Mass Hysteria
Your periodic damage is increased by 2% per second while under the effects of Voidform, up to 100%. - Festering Rot
Devouring Plague can stack up to 5 times on a single target. - Dark Contagion
Your Devouring Plague duration is increased by 1 second each time it’s periodic damage critically strikes. - Shattered Mind
Your channeling spells deal damage 33% faster. - Abyssal Reflection
You have a 20% chance to duplicate Shadowy Apparitions spawned by your spells. - Void Corruption
Vampiric Touch radiates 10% of its damage to nearby enemy targets, Max (5). - Void Fiend
Your Shadow Fiend replicates its damage to every target afflicted with your Shadow Word: Pain and increases the periodic damage they receive by 10%. - Void Bolt
Sends a bolt of pure void energy at every enemy afflicted with Vampiric Touch and dealing 10% of the total Vampiric Touch damage with each bolt.
(Choice) - Void Ray
Your Mind Flay deals 5% more damage for each periodic damage effect on the target. - Void Eruption
Releases an explosive blast of pure void energy causing Shadow damage to all enemies within 10 yards of your target.
(Choice) - Black Hole (Perhaps a candidate to replace/compete with Shadow Crash)
Create a Black Hole in a targeted area. Enemy targets are quickly pulled towards its center, dealing increasing damage the closer they get. Touching the center stuns the target for 1 seconds. Lasts for 10 seconds.
Voidweaver (Discipline/Shadow)
- Mind spells and shielding/absorbing spells crossover
Talents
- Dark Covenant
- Discipline: Smite becomes Mind Flay during Shadow Covenant and chains up to 4 additional targets, dealing 20% more damage per linked target.
- Shadow: You form a Void Covenant, causing Devouring Plague to pulse 30% of its periodic damage to nearby targets while under the effects of Voidform, Max (5).
- Mind Meld
Targets afflicted with your Shadow Word: Pain take 10% more damage from your Mind Spells.
Voidweaver (Discipline)
Talents
- Power Word: Twilight
Casting Power Word: Shield while under the effects of Shadow Covenant reduces the damage the target takes by 10%. - Twilight Equilibrium
When your Shadow Word: Pain critically strikes, 50% of the damage done gets converted into a damage absorption shield for up to 15% of your total health for 10 seconds.
Class/spec/Hero Path agnostic Utility Talents
Talents
- Horrifying Scream
Your Psychic Scream now horrifies your targets, causing your enemies unable to break the fear effect but reducing the duration by 50%.
(Choice) - Persisting Image
Your Fade effects lasts 50% longer. - Touch the Void
When cast on yourself, Your Power Word: Shield absorbs 100% more damage. You spawn Void Tendrils, rooting all targets within 8 yards when Power Word: Shield breaks from damage.
OR - Soul of Strength
Your Power Word: Shield absorbs 200% more and weakened soul duration is increased by 100%.
If dispelled, weakened soul duration is reduced by 50%.
(Choice) - Shadowmend
Your Flash Heal becomes Shadowmend, increasing healing by 200% and mana cost by 100%. - Flirting with Death
Shadow Word: Death backlash damage is reversed over 6 seconds, healing you for 100% of the damage dealt. Stacking up to 3.
(Choice) - Vampiric Essence
Your Vampiric Touch heals your group for 5% of the damage done and Vampiric Embrace provides up to 10% max health damage absorption shield for your party.
Link below to my original feedback including a more in depth look and changes to Shadows current Specialization Talent tree…