Since for some reason we still don’t have a glyph to hide shadowform, I’d like to suggest we instead just get rid of it. Or at least, get rid of that 10% spell damage increase that’s attached to it and just keep it as a cosmetic option for the nostalgic masochists out there.
It’s been a long time since it conveyed any kind of real gameplay consideration. It’s really just a “make sure you remember to reactivate this if you die” button. There’s no longer an issue of not being able to cast heals in shadowform. It no longer even adds a damage reduction. It’s just the 10% spell increase. That’s nothing. That’s a tweak of the numbers on your spells. They do those all the time. And in exchange for it we have to put up with such a hideous animation as to be physically uncomfortable for some people to look at. That’s not a deal that feels worth it to me.
I’ve always had the opinion, however unpopular it may be, that shadowform is incredibly unattractive. It literally ruins your appearance. The visual of it should be reworked.
I mean, I addressed that. People have asked for a glyph since glyphs. Trust me, you wouldn’t hear me complaining if we finally got one. But I have to ask, what is the fantasy at this point? Or rather, how does the spell play a part in the fantasy now beyond the visual?
I get the fantasy of the spec of course, that your character has delved so far into dark magic as to become the shadow themselves. And the spell used to function to bring that fantasy across to the player. But it doesn’t really do that anymore. They’ve stripped the aspects that made the spell interesting in that way. It used to be that you devoted yourself so much to the darkness that you cut yourself off from the light. And it used to be something you built towards over a lot of levels and a lot of talent points. Now you just have it.
The talents kind of paint the picture. You’re a priest in bed with the Void and doing so in the depth of our PC reflects what it does to an individual.
I’m part of the “remove the Void aspect” of shadow and since Legion the fantasy has been muddied more and more. But wanting to remove the Shadow aspect that is core to the general fantasy ain’t something I’ll jump aboard of.
Bring back WoD SP or bust imo. I want my Shadow Ravens/Orbs back since that did the best job of getting people into the Shadow fantasy.
I haven’t touched my SP since really Legion due to how dogwater it was, but did they remove the Lesser Shadow glyph?
I liked shadowform since wotlk. I prefer the darker one. Next expansion they are bringing back holy spells to heal with. It will bring back that annoying get out of shadowform mechanic, but you can always choose to stick with shadow spells.
Sure, but my point is that the visual is the only part of that left now. So whether glyph, or the baseline ability being just visual, either way I wouldn’t care. The point of my OP wasn’t to take a hard stance that the ability must be changed/removed. It was more just a jumping off point to talk about how meaningless an ability it has become with the more interesting aspects having been removed. And how I don’t think it justifies such an obtrusive visual.
I think I am too ultimately. I was always more a fan of the earlier fantasy where it felt like more of a death worship. At least that was how it felt given its place among the forsaken.
No that still exists. But it’s pretty pointless. It reduced the transparency of your character but leaves the obnoxious swirls all over their body and the cloud puff animation. The spec is totally worth playing now though if you ask me. Once they got away from the focus on void form and brought back devouring plague it got way better. I still liked the MoP version best though I think.
I think this is ultimately more on that stupid freaking Void aspect then Shadow. Back in…MoP? and WoD? The glyph was essentially a light purple hue iirc. That dumb Void fart cloud that get generated around you is more of the problem then Shadowform.
Shouldn’t be removed, should just be buffed. Armor increases were essentially removed from everyone except tanks, so maybe it should give something else that resonates with the old fantasy. I personally would have liked Vampiric Embrace to have been built into the form as a raid aura that returns health to all members and the active to be an empowered toggle with a 3m CD.
Coming from the guy that thinks Lightwell is a great return for Holy Priest…that’s not surprising. Void form was the worse inclusion to the spec hands down.
This seems more like Shadow Form should be reworked so that it plays to shadow priest fantasy both visually and mechanically.
Now that we’re getting talent trees back, bring back the old requirement that you can’t cast holy spells from it. Give it some kind of damage reduction.
Then make the glyph to mitigate the visuals a bit more impactful on it actually doing that.
Though on that topic when it comes to spec cosmetic customization, I’d rather see them go all out and have full blown spec reskins. Especially since, in the case of Priest, I’d really love to play a ranged holy DPS caster.
