Step 1: Void eruption no longer causes the priest to enter void form.
Step 2: Reduce the void eruption cooldown to something like 24 seconds.
Step 3: Some talent ideas
Start with a choice node which connects to a left and right branch.
Choice node:
Talent 1 reduces the cooldown of void eruption; talent 2 cause void eruption to only deal damage to a single target but increases the damage it deals.
Left branch:
The first talent reduces the duration of shadow word pain but causes void eruption to affect all targets with shadow word pain.
The next talent causes some percentage of the damage dealt by shadow word pain to also affect other targets with shadow word pain.
The final talent causes mind blast to consume all remaining duration of your devouring plague and deal some percentage of that damage to each target affected by shadow word pain.
Right branch:
The first talent causes void eruption to allow you to enter void form for a short duration which only gives access to void bolt. Void bolt only extends the duration of devouring plague, generates a large amount of insanity and deals minimal damage.
The next talent cause mind flat to transform into void torrent during void form. Void torrent deals more damage the more insanity you have pooled and causes you to exit void form after you stop casting it.
The final talent is mind spike. Mind spike is an alternative spender which only deals worthwhile damage to targets affected by devouring plague.
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I love the concept of getting VE to apply a DoT. The one change I’d make is instead, have it apply vampiric touch, as VT has more interactions with the rest of our kit and would make life so much nicer every now and then.
I chose shadow word pain specifically to allow vampiric touch to have it’s damage buffed and because shadow word pain currently has no interactions with the rest of the kit.
These are interesting ideas, but to be a well-rounded DPS spec Shadow still needs some kind of CD on par with 1.5-3min burst CDs that increase damage for ~15s or so. It doesn’t have to be Voidform specifically. Could be Dark Archangel or whatever. Or better yet, let people choose between the two via talents.
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There’s still PI which with Sun Priestess is as strong (or stronger) than almost any other CD., as well as Mindbender with Shadowflame Prism.
Voidform doesn’t have to be the end all be all. Personally, I don’t see it as nearly the biggest issue for spriests, but it’s definitely has its problems.
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This is a good response. My only concern is that PI doesn’t really go with any shadow theme, regardless of whether you are a Voidform fan or a Dark Archangel fan.
But I can see the merits of the position that “if we simply redistribute Voidform’s damage into the rest of our spells, PI will make a much bigger impact on those spells and therefore could act as our primary throughput CD.”
You and I definitely have a different take on the class. I picked up shadow because it had no throughput cd. It was a class with raw sustained damage that ramped up during execute. I was displeased when Blizzard added voidform ramp in lieu of a throughput cd. I am now displeased that we have the same generic throughput cd as every other class. It’s one of the main reasons I’ve skipped shadowlands.
I am not competitive about m+, raiding, or pvp. I only engage in those activities as required to acquire gear so that I can have fun in casual BG’s. I do not want any cd more than 1 min and I don’t want a burst window enabled by any cd longer than 1 minute. It is a design homogenization which I do not enjoy.
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I honestly wish voidform was dropped altogether.
I wish Insanity was removed as well. if we really need a spender, just call it shadow power
Void Eruption should just be a cd single target spell or aoe spell.
Void eruption could also become a void summoning spell where you summon about a tentacle and void to attack target.
I just don’t want it as a form that locks me out of power.
I want a talent that empowers shadowform itself.
I want holy spells that have transformed themselves into a more darkish spell, but still in the holy school. Example, dark pennance.
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REMOVE VOIDFORM enough is enough
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I have a sneaking feeling that with whatever priest update is coming that prism is going to either be removed or put in the shadow tree as an option rather than feeling like a mandatory class tree pick.
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If so, good. If Shadowflame Prism procced on Mind Blast and Void Bolt instead of Mind Blast and SW:D, it would be fine. But we already have one cooldown (Voidform) that changes our rotation; we don’t need another, especially when those two overlap. Besides, what makes SW:D fun (so much as anything does) is the execute damage it does - casting it when the target is above 20% solely for prism proc doesn’t feel great, even if it’s mathematically worth it.