I honestly think that if Devouring Plague had more Ghuun theme around it would be perfect - Update the Icon to more of a corrupted blood color, and add a particle effect of dripping corrupted blood from thier flesh rotting away.
I was doing some more digging into Ghuun, and DP matches his theme nearly perfect.
Here’s some of his quotes:
- I shall spread and consume this world.
- Let the feast of a thousand maws begin.
- The curse of flesh consumes you.
- You fight against the inevitable. My plague cannot be stopped. It already festers within you…
I mean - It makes complete sense if Blizz would just modify a few cosmetic aspects. lol
3 Likes
Ah ha, see I’m not the only one that pulls aspects from WoD back into the modern conversation lol.
- Void Entropy
Level 100 [Shadow priest ability
40 yd range
3 Shadow Orbs
1.5 sec [cast]
- Consumes 3 Shadow Orbs to deal (1350% of Spell power) Shadow damage over 1 min.
Devouring Plague will refresh this effect to its full 1 min duration.
https://wowpedia.fandom.com/wiki/Void_Entropy
Naming wise? Not against the idea exactly.
But imo it’s fine the way it is as Priests in general lore were about healing and typically healing people of their afflictions which often were disease related in origin.
We had Cure and Abolish Disease in the past, Abolish disease was interesting because it attempted to remove a disease effect every like 3 or 5 seconds and it lasted like 15 seconds. Basically like renew except it removes disease effects instead of healing you over time.
Shadow is essentially the shadow or dark side of the Holy side. Meaning instead of curing diseases, we inflict diseases upon others. Just like Shadow Word: Pain is essentially the opposite of Renew, Devouring Plague is the opposite of Abolish disease.
So I think devouring plague fits just fine for Shadow in theme currently.
It’s a long LONG forgotten spell that, weirdly, feels more out of place thematically in its original context than it would now.
Other long forgotten spells include Shadow Word: Insanity, which we shall never seak of nor want to return.
Funny enough, I took a break in MoP to handle RL stuff and only came back right when SoO was about to come out.
Sadly I missed the Throne of Thunder when it was current but at least experienced it in farming for MoP legendary cloak stuff.
Seems I totally missed Shadow Word: Insanity as well.
- Shadow Word: Insanity
Level 45 [Priest talent]
40 yd range
2.5% of base mana
[Instant]
- Consumes your Shadow Word: Pain to deal X Shadow damage to the target. Only usable while Shadow Word: Pain has less than 6 sec remaining.
Seems like a pretty niche and near useless ability lol.
I miss the WoD version of Insanity, again another example of WoD having good design when it comes to priest.
It existed for about two months total. Completely useless and universally hated.
I like the “old” shadow priest theme more than the old gods and tentacles theme they went into during Legion.
But. I actually prefer and love the cosmic/space style void theme that voidweaver brings to the spec more than the other two, and I’d love to see more of that. Or at least glyphs to make spells look more like it.
I always loved the way void effects on Eredath looked around the Seat of the Triumvirate dungeon.
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Oh, I guess I should comment on Devouring Plague specifically then.
I’d love an animation or glyph to make DP look like a black hole.
Black holes are cosmic themed, but also a darkness that is all consuming. That would be sick.
(Although thinking about it, I suppose voidweaver does this already kind of, with entropic rift.)
Really think they could make something cool in a rework if they took the Cycle of Naaru of being Holy and Void states with the “Dark Naaru” and use that as a way to connect Holy and Shadow together.
Either that and / or going the Angelic route with the light/dark sides make it’s way into the theme of the class. I would say the Kyrian and the Forsworn for inspiration but I personally really like The Angiris Council with the contrast of all the Archangels from the High Heavens and then Malthael when he becomes the Archangel of Death is the perfect theme for Shadow which looks precisely what I think of in my head as to what a Shadow Priest should look like. Heck even his weapons look like the Xal’atath blade lol.
“The Angiris Council is comprised of the five archangels who hold dominion over the High Heavens. They determine the laws by which all angels must abide. Each of them embodies a pure aspect of creation: valor, justice, hope, fate and wisdom.” The Angiris Council is the ruling body of the High Heavens.
Priest in its entirety is a relic from classic Vanilla and needs a revamp so bad it’s pathetic, from animations to mechanics of spells.
2 Likes
While not forgotten (I think?), Shadow Word: Void would be a fine rename for Devouring Plague as well since they decided Mind Blast was going to remain Mind Blast and is now sometimes Void Blast.
Whatever the case, the name is way out of place in the modern spec and could effortlessly adopt a much more fitting name from a dozen removed abilities.
My vote goes to renaming it Devouring Shadows or Devouring Darkness.