After reviewing feedback of my last shadow overhaul and exposing myself to some more of the community ideas surrounding utility additions to the class tree, I felt a maddening compulsion to try again at this dream overhaul.
This version has polished pathing, some better AoE options, reduced 2-point nodes in shadow’s tree and some added utility ideas to the class tree.
Shadow Tree
Row 1
Surge of Insanity - Shadowy Apparitions - Dispersion
- Shadowy Apparitions now fly towards targets affected by Shadow Word: Pain instead of Vampiric Touch.
Row 2
Psychic Horror - Shadowy Insight - Intangibility/Mental Fortitude
Row 3
Psychic Link - Voidbolt - Misery
- Psychic Link spreads mindflay damage to each target affected by Shadow Word: Pain.
Row 4
Void Eruption - Auspicious Spirits - Mind Melt - Maddening Touch - Chorus of Insanity
- Void Eruption replaces Shadow Crash. It is an instant cast which costs 15 insanity and deals damage while spreading 8 applications of Shadow Word: Pain.
- Mind Melt is a stacking buff that grants 30% increased crit chance to Mind Blast whenever you cast Voidbolt. It expires when you score a critical hit with Mind Blast.
- Chorus of Insanity is an instant with a 1 minute cooldown that generates 30 insanity.
Row 5
Collective Nightmare - Mastermind - Whispers of the Damned - Dark Evangelism - Ancient Madness
- Collective Nightmare causes Mind Blast to apply a debuff to a target which causes any Shadowy Apparitions which hit it to detonate for AoE damage. The debuff can only be applied to 1 target at a time and lasts 30 seconds.
- Whispers of the Damned causes Mind Blast crits to generate 100% additional insanity.
- Ancient Madness causes Chorus of Insanity to generate 1 insanity every second for 20 seconds and increases crit chance by 10% fading over those same 20 seconds.
Row 6
Tormented Spirits - Thought Harvester - Voidtouched - Unfurling Darkness - Mental Decay
- Mental Decay now also improves Void Torrent damage and causes Void Torrent to extend DoT durations.
Row 7
Mindbender - Deathspeaker - Mind’s Eye/Distorted Reality - Mind Devourer - Void Torrent
Row 8
Inescapable Torment - Phantasmal Pathogen - Screams of the Void - Insidious Ire - Malediction
Row 9
Idol of Yshaarj - Idol of Yogg Saron - Idol of Nzoth - Idol of the Knaifu - Idol of Cthun
- Idol of Yshaarj now causes Mindbender or shadowfiend to spawn shadowy apparitions whenever it attacks.
- Idol of Yogg Saron now causes Shadow Word: Death to spawn 13 apparitions to attack the primary target when used on a target under 20% hp.
- Idol of Nzoth now causes Vampiric Touch to apply Echoing Void to the target. Echoing Void massively increases all damage the target takes from Shadow Word: Pain and Vampiric Touch. If the target is dispelled, instead Echoing Void is removed and the dispeller loses 20% mana.
- Idol of the Knaifu causes Devouring Plague to generate a Shadow Orb. Whenever you cast Mind Blast, each shadow orb is consumed and fires 3 Void Orbs at the target as in the Xalatath cutscene.
- Idol of Cthun now also causes you to be immune to silence and interrupt effects while channeling Void Torrent.
Class Tree
I didn’t do much work on actually redesigning the class tree, but I did select a few talents for improvement or replacement with the greatly craved utility options from the community.
- Dispel Magic is now a choice node with Warding Light. Warding Light removes all curses from the target with a 6 second cd.
- Phantasm now applies the old shadowform visual effect, breaks all roots and snares and renders you immune to them for the duration of fade. It is a choice node against Spectral Guise which is a 30 second cooldown vanish as in MoP.
- Rhapsody has been redesigned into Spirit Shell which replaces Holy Nova. Each second you gain a stacking buff which stacks to 100. When you activate Spirit Shell, you gain a shield for 1% of your health per stack. The shield persists for 1 second before detonating in a wave of holy light which deals 10% of its remaining value in damage to nearby enemies.
- Void Tendrils can now be cast a a targeted location within 40 yards.
- Words of the Pious is now a choice node against Light Lattice. Light Lattice makes you immune to pushes, pulls and knockups while Power Word: Shield is active.
- Tithe Evasion has been replaced with Psychpomp’s Call. Psychopomp’s Call causes targets to take 2% additional damage from all sources for 5 seconds after being hit by Shadow Word: Death while under 20% hp.
- Mental Agility has been replaced with a choice node between Improved Mass Dispel and Mass Cure. Improved Mass Dispel reduces the cooldown of Mass Dispel by 1 minute and its casting time by 1 second. Mass Cure is a 2 minute cooldown which removes all debuffs from the raid.
- Twins of the Sun Priestess has been removed and replaced with Mind Ward. Mind Ward is a 2 minute cooldown which protects all party members within 40 yds of the priest from the next fear, horrify, or disorient effect for 5 seconds.
- Void Shield is changed and is now a choice node against Umbral Surge. Void Shield now causes Power Word: Shield cast on yourself to have massively increased effect but apply the weakened soul effect to you for 15 seconds. Umbral Surge causes you to surge forward 15 yards whenever you cast Power Word: Shield on Yourself, but applies the weakened soul effect for 15 seconds. Both talents change the visual effect of Power Word: Shield to be shadow themed.
- Halo has been removed from the class tree and replaced with cascade.
- Cauterizing Shadows has been removed and Phantom Reach has been put in its place.
- Silence now occupies the capstone slot where Phantom Reach is.
- Angelic Feather’s speed boost has been increased to 60%.
Archon Tree
- Halo has been moved to the first node as an active ability with all of the passive effects which were inherent to the Archon talent.
- Perfected Form now causes Halo to apply Dark Ascension which increases damage by 25% for 20 seconds.
Voidweaver Tree
- Entropic Rift now slows by default.
- No Escape instead prevents enemies from using movement abilites while inside the rift.
- Devour Matter now completely deletes shields in PvP.
- Voidheart has been replaced with Voidform. Channeling Void Torrent activates Voidform visuals and a 10% damage increase for 10 seconds. Voidform can be extended via Devouring Plague.
Conclusion
If you read this far, thank you for your time. This post was mostly written to get these thoughts out of my head.