Voidform shadow took the usual design of specs being good for most fights and average on some, and took it to the extremes. Dominating a lot of fights and being terrible on some.
It was a really unique fast pace high risk high reward design and I wish they’d try it again. Either with shadow or some other spec. A lot of people enjoyed it
Shadow is that spec you really want to be good because it’s so cool, but every time you try it, you’re met with disappointment
This is a weird statement.
VF would not perform well in those fights because Shadowlands raids were designed and balanced with a NO-VF mindset/environment?
If they had kept original VF then the raid might be a little different, no?
It’s cute that you think any priests shortcomings would be taken into consideration when it comes to design.
Because that worked out so well for the Raszageth encounter with our near non existent movement and literally non existent displacement ability.
Priests in many ways have continually been just along for the ride and if safety belts were not included in our seat then that’s whatever. We are not often if at all taken into consideration for a great deal many things.
That’s why things get nerfed often after we find a great target to use Mind Control on as they were not “intended to be used for Mind Control” or other fun detected moments.
This once again highlights that just because something is “unique” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good or even viable if it doesn’t work within the game it was design within.
We need things that work within the game rules or the rules need to change if we are getting such a unique flavor of gameplay.
The primary issue is that there are so many end game pillars that it becomes increasingly more difficult to make something new and unique work in all facets of the game that has come before it while staying true to it’s new and unique approach.
This is why it should be a wary request for anyone thinking we should just get something completely knew as we already seen what happens from traveling down that road and it leads no where good except extreme edge cases that don’t represent the vast majority of situations.
Probably not given we still got Imonar in legion and a lot of arbitrary stuns on earlier bosses.
I remember watching a panel during the bfa announcement at blizcon with the encounter designers where they were trying to design an encounter from scratch live, during that panel they were asked about specs with niche requirements and their response was if the spec can still do the fight then they considered it fine.
Let’s also remember that while Shadowlands didn’t have VF shadow, it did have BoS FDK, a spec similarly screwed over by downtime of the same type present in many Shadowlands encounters.
Then we have things like Raszageth mythic in dragonflight where a shadow priest couldn’t even survive the encounter on their own, let alone perform with voidform.
There have been so many fights in the most recent two expansions I couldn’t even imagine trying to plan out voidform cycles for.
Then doesn’t this make idea of shifting away from VF in SL even worse?
Knowing there’s a lack of communication between Blizzard teams but still forcing a drastic change?
and looking back at the up and downs of Shadow changes druing SL and DF, I don’t see much improvement made after VF is gutted, after literaly years, people are still complaining about the same issues (utility, survivability, rampiing & balancing/tuning nightmare), and on top of that, we are button-bloated with non-meaningful spells.
I think one thing to remember, or understand, is the state vf Shadow was in during SL alpha. It’s not something many people got to play. There was no mass hysteria, no chorus, 0.5% haste per second in vf, no anything really. There was no plan at all to make vf anything more than what we saw. The only change they did make was the infamous void bolt rank 2, which made the rotation infinitely worse to play / contend with. Despite it being alpha and not having access to gear, we could still get world buffs from various old quests to simulate the gameplay with proper stats and it was not good.
I agree shadow went through a tumultuous time in SL / DF, but I genuinely do believe had nothing substantial changed between SL alpha and launch it would have been so much worse.
Shadow’s biggest issue since legion has been lack of continuity. The spec hasn’t had the same lead developer for more than a year at a time since voidform was first added. We’re on developer number 5 right now.
I would argue that SL Alpha phase should not be an indicator of what VF would look like in SL because it seems like they were developing an alternative already at the time (or even before), as we could all clearly see how little effort they put into it.
For people who believed Blizzard had spent any resources on having VF to stay in SL, are you suggesting that Blizzard had a clear concept of what VF would look like in SL and completed the designs such as legendary pieces (or even covenant abilities) around having VF? then just to scrach them all and started building new talents, legendaries, abilities after alpha? Seems unlikely.
Anyway, we are off-topic here. Personally, I find dark acsension too bland as a cooldown, and rediculous to have a cast time. I think Publik’s analysis of current shadow is very on point, and I hope for an engaging game-play for Shadow priests in the War Within.
They weren’t is the thing.
Also none of the legendaries had any impact on any mechanics be they vf or otherwise. They were literally just generic effects attached to core spells. I suspect they were made by someone who wasn’t even part of making the spec at the time.
Blizzard would rather create a new set of problems than put in the effort to solve current problems, at least when it comes to Priest.
I firmly believe if they spent as much time into fixing Shadowlands beta version of Shadow as they did reworking it the end result would have been far superior.
I’d like to remind everyone that we were promised changes end BfA beta and received a pittance of them during patch 8.1.5. We were fully expecting sweeping changes going into Shadowlands beta of which there were none. Around halfway through Devouring Plague was introduced for the most laughable and tone deaf reason and we were told that was it. A sole developer took on the responsibility of reworking Shadow away from the class fantasy envisioned in Legion after an immense community outcry. Then they quit.
If that isn’t discrimination and disrespect, I don’t know what is.
Yes it’s insane how in pvp the difference between s1 ad current season is night and day.
We went from competitive with other to, have to hardcast 24/7 and do 0 dmg always super toxic every sibgle game.
Also the md nerf hit us way too hard, having no kick was fine as we had the possibility to dispel our mate, but now they nerfed it to the ground so we are useless and impossible to play against double caster team.
It baffle me how sp seems to always be nerfed to the ground and clunky to play every single patch, the spec has to be bottom tier for blizzard for some weird reasons.
I just started playing my shadow priest again and use the icy veins single target build. I’ve been enjoying the spec. I play casters because the gameplay is easier for me. As a casual player that just started the spec up again. I don’t have complaints except it’s weird that SW:P isn’t used unless you choose to. I also use an add-on that tells me what spells to use right now. I don’t think I’d ever consider casting spells the way it tells me to. I don’t think it’s obvious how the spells work together without research which I think is kind of annoying.
I’ve been wondering this too. They caved to people screeching on the forums and tried to pivot quickly with shadows design, and it feels like they’ve been scrambling to iron out the wrinkles ever since.
Makes me wonder what we would look like if they had continued and put that same effort into Voidform instead.
It just sucks that we lost such a unique spec and there’s been nothing to replace it since. Not even something similar. Everyone who liked it was left high and dry 
This is just irresponsibility false.
Various discussions were had at multiple levels in Painstakingly laid out detail that consistently surrounded Voidform as the constant designed corner that gave no where left for the class to breath in terms of adding new and interesting things that doesn’t just fall into 2 categories of it being an absolutely waste of time if it didn’t make Voidform better or it being mandatory if it did as then it would be required because of how central and reliant Shadow was designed around regarding the importance of Voidform.
That is just from the mechanical aspect being discussed around Voidform. This doesn’t even go into the feeling of uneasiness when you get a lag Spike or other moments when you could not be able to press your buttons based on factors outside your control.
Then it also has the personal element in that it was a forced gameplay change for Shadow Priest veterans of 10+ years while offering even less in terms of what it brought in a then vs now comparison as it still has issues in 5 man dungeons and only be same relevant in raiding content (as long as not much movement was required) but then absolutely nose dived in PvP content. So the reward was overall less compared to what was lost.
Then this doesn’t even factor in the fact that if you don’t truly think blizzard has the data from in game and that doesn’t match the voices on the forums that you think they will just wholeheartedly acquiesce to the forums and ignore the game data wholesale?
I don’t know what reality your living in, but it’s not the one where the rest of the player base and in turn the one where the data is collected also lives in. You clearly have a warped version of events and refuse to take a step back and look at things from a pragmatic standpoint. Instead you think your voice is the one with the data backing while offering nothing but everyone else that doesn’t think the way you do as clearly in the wrong. That is just plain sickening.
It’s fine to have a difference of opinion, but to act like thou is better than all the rest just shows that it is you that is the out of touch one and perhaps you should do some self reflection and ground your thoughts.
Quite the assumption on your part. Nowhere have I suggested I’m better than anyone.
Reread my post if you’d like to check. No need to be so condescending and bring such an attitude when no one else did.
I did.
“They caved to screeching people on the forums”
You very much drew a line between yourself and people on the forums that have a different view as you do and you actively ignore any and all substance and instead just attempt to label all voices as “screeching” as though there is no reasonable arguments that have been brought up.
I’m not allowing you to just lump all those ideas into the bin because you can’t see past your own nose.
Through the years SW:P has often had ways to extend or refresh the duration. I don’t think much of misery because it’s functionally how shadow has always been.
Im not 100% sure, but i think this post wasnt created as an certain individual personal diary. Mby im wrong.
Like Aneurysm, bro why do you feel like kidnaping every single priest related topic with your blog worth-long responses to the point where half the topic is you arguing with one individual. Until its you arguing with someone else. And every response you create i have to move the screen with a finger like 4-5 times until i get to “drumrolls” yet another dissertation thesis from you…its insane man. 
I quit shadow because it’s just not a fun spec anymore. I only pvp. It’s not fun having very low mobility and having to hard cast everything or wait for a proc from getting beat on. It’s a bad design right now for me. DF s1 was the best iteration imo. Ohh well I’ll keep playing mage , you know the class with great defensives, mobility, and damage.
Might be difficult to believe, but it’s because I care to understand others perspectives.
In the case of this topic, it was centered around the concept of getting your dots out in a timely manner and the struggle I began with was in time cleared up only due to multiple back and forth interactions with a focus on understanding the core underlying issue at hand.
Firstly, Misery was seen (by me) to be the subject of being called into question for it’s very own existence and I tried to explain why it was good and why it existed. But overtime, I realized it was not about its existence being called into question but rather to have a proper choice with Misery to provide Shadow a more dot/rot focused build option where more of your time playing would be filled with just apply and reapplying your dots.
Once I was able to see that, that was the goal and not disregarding Misery outright, I no longer had an issue and as such, I was content with the matter.
So I walked away with another point of concern that I will include as additional updates to my future feedback posts because I understand the concern and I agree.
I apologize for using the forums as a way to discuss ideas… actually I lied, I don’t apologize for that. I get that my level of passion and dedication is not up to everyone’s tastes and I’m not going to apologize for that either.
I care about ideas and truth… at least the best that I am able. So I conduct myself in the manner that gets straight to the meat of the situation and I forgo any and all proper and polite ways to conduct myself. Plenty of others to add a bunch of nonsense that makes you feel good, that’s not what I’m going to spend my time doing.