I’m well aware that a lot of classes in this expansion are lacking any real depth and/or excitement, which is understandable, but I feel like Shadow Priest has just been ignored.
Especially after getting a dot damage reduction (which we have to even use dot-related traits for our traits to do any damage whatsoever), we feel very mediocre as a whole spec. We don’t have any “real” burst. Is there a reason my mind blast only hits 8k (around 5% if that).? That’s nearly the same as a melee auto attack, and it’s a casted cooldown. We seem like the only class that lacks real burst, because they want us to be a dot class, which also kind of fails at that now.
Bring back Devouring plague or even the old MoP orb system where the class had real burst. This clunky void form nonsense just doesn’t cut it.
This concerns me also. I remember hearing how bad shadow priests were at the beginning of the expansion but I haven’t really seen any significant changes to them at all over the year. I’m starting to wonder if we really are being ignored.
For one, our mobility is still so so bad. Like, I usually quested as discipline because it decked out decent damage to the mobs on Kul Tiras and Zandalar and because you know, Feather. But with these new mobs in Tunaville and Mechagon I just HAD to submit to shadow for the extra damage. I didn’t realize just how bad shadow is with mobility. How are we going to be the only class without a baseline mobility? That’s just wrong.
Then it feels clunky when questing - I understand that shadow does decent dps in raids and dungeons perhaps, but when I’m questing I see people graze down mobs while I’m hear waiting for my insanity to overflow so I can finally burst down the mob that I just dpsed to 20% after a full minute. (I know, I’m exaggerating, but still lol).
Then I can’t even have a decent defense skill like PWS to back me up, the thing is just as powerful as it looks. It’s 2 dimensional and serves as a sheet of paper. I literally waste a GCD casting the damned thing just so the mob can take it down. It’s just so frustrating because I do have other classes and I can feel a distinct power between them on my priest, and they are like 20 ilvls lower. But I can’t help myself, I love healing as a priest too much, I just hope shadow gets what it deserves in the end for those that main it.
I propose a solution to all of this. LET MIND FLAY BE CAST WHILE MOVING FFS!!!
I agree. Since patch I’ve been trying shadow more and it has this strange combination of slow ramping damage abilities with lackluster defensives, which creates this scenario where your best defense is a high offense but due to the slow damage ramp up you can’t really achieve that, throw in some interrupts and it’s twice as bad. Shadow desperately needs some kind of burst and more consistent defensives.
Shadow is definitely a gear-based spec. I’m 410 or so iLvl and for the most part i have no problem soloing PvE things or competing for good dps in the raids i’m in (bad traits but still).
My biggest concerns are with the PvP aspect of the class as well. Devouring plague or some sort of burst mechanic would make the class actually enjoyable. It seems like the only people playing the priest class are people who have always played it lol.
PwS as often as you can. Pre fight. You will generate insanity. Get good traits. The traits I
Have are what t whatyou’re looking for. All you want is haste and Crit for now
priests seem to be very heavily gear/trait based at the moment. I think dmg-wise we’re the weakest burst. more like glass handgun than glass cannon, but we’re not completely dog sh
Though I would love to see DP come back, spriest was just nerfed because of its insane single target in raids by a passive agility.
There is an insane amount of utility with spriest that I have learned to use to somehow keep up with other class’ mobility.
Also, PwS, vamp embrace, dispers, (fade and swap in pvp). I mean, we can’t get greedy here people.
Though like I said, I agree with some of this, we really need to question if there are ways we can perform the spec better rather than ways blizzard can change a spec to fit our play design.
Also, i found raiding and m+ has astronomically helped my damage with rotations and dot management. Lastly, there are sites and addons that will help you realize just how much you’re messing up ( in pve ). For example, utilizing every global is extremely important and if you aren’t doing it you’re auto losing dps.
Hope this helps
Edit*- if we’re talking about strictly pvp, melee are favored to and this has been an issue for a very long time. You’re realizing what the struggle is for many ranged clothies lol. However, considering the level of skill most pvp’ers are/ have, there’s many things a spriest can do before we’re just totally countered.
Not that I’ve really done much raiding as shadow but what I have done has felt only okay. Multidotting is always fun, but I find the emphasis on staying in voidform for as long as possible to be kind of tedious. The new memory of lucid dreams seems like it will help some. That being said, playing shadow in world content in downright torture, the slow ramp of dots and weak burst feel pretty bad, but the worst is how clunky voidform plays in the world. I’ve played around with all the talents but nothing really feels right.
I’d personally love to see voidform just turned into a cd and have a major rework in 9.0. I think for now mindblast needs a small buff, and something needs to be done with mind flay, it just feels so boring and clunky I often forget it’s even a spell I actually cast.
Shadow is really annoying in world content unless you outgear it. There is little to no burst, so you have to slowly whittle down mobs, but you have no real way to keep them off you, so have to face tank - as a squishy clothie.
Having slow on Mind Flay makes no sense, really. You only use that after using your DoTs and Mindblast, but at that point the mobs are already hitting you, so the slow is useless.
Honestly, I just greatly dislike the current shadow spec. I would love to main a priest. I love healing both as Holy and Disc, but shadow just feels like such a pain. So much effort and work for so little dps compared to most other classes. I don’t mind the builder spender idea, but I wish it was more implimented like boomy or Ele sham. When I play a priest, I just assume I won’t be doing any form of DPS. If I want to DPS, I’ll just switch to my lock or mage. I wish they would either change shadow or else give us a fourth spec. Prefer a holy dps spec.
I agree in a sense. I feel like DP coming back as an actual burst button (maybe it using like 60-100 insanity and is damage based by said insanity consumed), I feel our cooldowns just lack. I’ve done pretty high end content, both PvP and PvE, so i’m speaking as a class in general rather than just one or the other. the only real skill difference is being able to keep 100% uptime with dots. our rotation is so simplified that’s all it’s come down to. we’re a slightly better affliction lock
Typical pointless snarky comment you get on these forums a lot. I know how to kite - I kite on classes that have proper slows all the time. Mind Flay helps sometimes in group content, because it can be used there, when the mob isn’t attacking your character. However, on a slow that only be channeled like Mind Flay, it is not particularly useful for kiting in the world. As soon as you move or cast a different spell, the mobs are on top of you.
Maybe if the slow lasted for a few seconds after you stop channeling? I can see that being the easiest solution - not perfect, but better than now.
I am currently playing Holy full time, I can keep myself up and still kill things relatively fast with my tanky follower in Nazj, if this is any proof that helps them buff Shadow priest.
I just switched from disc to shadow to try to start gearing my priest in naz and at 370 ilvl if Ipull more than 2 mobs I’m usually dead lol. After 30 mins of trying I decided I’ll jisr be gearing up my lock / rogue instead