New shadow priest here (Level 20). What’s the deal with Shadowform? I don’t get it. Do we really just click the button and leave it on all the time? There’s no downside other than the annoying graphical display on our character? What’s the point? If we’re supposed to leave it on all the time, why not just increase the damage of our spells?
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Yes, it’s on all the time. It’s similar to druid forms, but back in the day you could only cast shadow spells while in shadowform. If you had to cast anything that was holy (heal, PW:F, PW:S), you would have to leave shadowform. It also gave you an armor bonus, too.
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Shadowform used to have a lot more nuance to it like increased armor, being locked to shadow spells when in the form, etc. Now it’s pretty much there for the flavor as it’s always been a big part of Shadow, dare I say even Shadow’s most defining feature.
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I don’t like the look. I bought a glyph to try and reduce the “shadowy” look and it didn’t do much. I took some time to Tmog and I can’t even see it with the shadow.
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Need. Old. Shadowform. Back.
Thanks!!!
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You were able to cast “Discipline” spells like Power Word: Shield (PW:S) while remaining in Shadow Form. It was only Holy Spells like Healing spells that would knock you out. Also, at first when using Leap of Faith, it knocked you out, but then later it was included as a spell that you are able to cast while in Shadow Form.
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It’s really a vestigial ability. If you go back far enough, Shadowform would increase your shadow damage and armor at the cost of preventing you from casting holy spells (and thus healing). This model was dropped but instead of getting rid of the ability altogether and just baking its benefits straight into shadow they kind of left it there. They say it’s because people liked the cosmetic effect. I say make the cosmetic effect a glyph and get rid of the ability. It’s degenerate design at this point.
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Agreed! If shadow form is essentially cosmetic, let it be a glyph.
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As a relatively new Spriest, I really don’t have any nostalgic attachment to it. It’s kind of an ugly nuisance.
I agree. In fact, I’d even be willing to invest in a glyph to eliminate the cosmetic effect. It’s awful.
Is it at least off the GCD? Could we create a macro that would turn it on in combat and then automatically turn it of when out of combat?
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It’s a relic that’s redundant to the Specialization system. Just boost all Shadowpriest damage by 10% and rename “Voidform” to “Shadowform”. Either that or treat it like a real “form” and bring it on par with something like Moonkin in utility and give us Barbershop variants.
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They sort of did this in early legion, except made it even worse as you were permanently locked into shadowform. They made it a passive. Couldn’t even take it off when standing around in capital cities unless you switched specs.
Personally, the first Classic - WoD shadowform was the best version. I feel like they changed it just for the sake of change. I’m 100% onboard for the glyph route though.
I think we’ve technically had 5 versions of shadowform now? The classic version, the legion version, the glyphed legion version, the bfa version and the glyphed bfa version. If this is supposed to be the expansion of customization, just make 5 glyphs + 1 extra to completely remove shadowform apperance. No need to create new visual assets, as they all already exist. I don’t think the classic shadowform will mess with the new character models, as it existed in WoD and worked. If they must, just have voidform overwrite each glyph apperance for the 20 seconds. Problem solved - minimal effort from Blizz and everyone is happy.
I would 100% not be in support of removing shadowform – it’s too iconic to spriests. I’d rather suffer with the purple fart cloud we have now then have it completely removed. But c’mon, the glyph route is just a layup and makes everyone satisfied.
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or could just play a warlock
I’ve never understood people rolling shadow priest and then saying they don’t want to look like a shadow. It’s like making a feral druid and saying you don’t want to be a cat. Well, then you picked the wrong class.
That said, I do somewhat empathize these days because shadowform looks like trash. But it didn’t always. To this day I think original shadowform is the single coolest thing ever to exist in WoW. And Blizzard won’t even make it an option for us.
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2 things.
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I hit the button once and never again. It’s on all the time as if it was just passive. Logging doesn’t change this.
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People would complain less if Shadowform actually looked good.
I’ll repeat myself in every one of these threads: old Shadowform just looks better, it’s not even nostalgia. It just looks good. Give us a glyph to get OG SF back, have it affect mounts like it used to and 99% of these threads would vanish. Easy.
I see NPCs in the game with OG SF and cry a little inside. I have friends who don’t even play priest feel the same. OG SF is just better. I get wanting to update the visual appearance but this, in no way, is a graphical upgrade. It looks like something someone would whip up their first time writing a shader and working with particle effects in Unity as a class project week one. It’s not visually pleasing like OG.
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I greatly prefer the original appearance of Shadow Form.
I use the Glyph of Shadowy Friends and it gives my mount the original appearance and it looks nice. I wish my character’s Shadow Form matched the mount but unfortunately I look like a smoky purple Pig Pen from Peanuts.
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But shadowform doesn’t mean anything. Feral form allows for crtain abilities. Other abilities cancel that form. Shadowform is basically a cosmetic. Just get rid of it, buff our spells, and offer glyphs for the various cosmetic appearances. Alternatively, leave it, but offer glyphs for the old version of the cosmetic and for no cosmetic at all.
I don’t know… it just seems like a stupid design to have an ability that you simply turn on and leave on forever.
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Just because you dislike it and never want to use it doesnt mean get rid of it for people who enjoyed it. I’ve always loved shadow form I keep it on at all times, even switching to this deformed version of it. I’m all for a glyph to lessen it or get rid of it but don’t try to take away something I’ve enjoyed for many years just because you want to see you transmog more.
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Perhaps I wasn’t entirely clear. I’m fine either way they want to do it. Get rid of it and add a glyph for the cosmetic. Or leave it and add a glyph to remove the cosmetic. I’m just saying the design is kind of stupid if it’s something you just turn on and leave on all the time.
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Agree with this. It’s a pointless flavour spell now. The ideal thing to re,I’ve and add back s an optional glyph if players want (tied to a shadow priest passive).
Like many others I hate how it looks and how it hides my tmogs, but wouldn’t want fans to loose the appearance if they wish. Heck… make glyphs for every variant that’s ever been in game (appearance-wise).
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Hell, OG shadowform is in Classic. Seeing it there makes me wonder why they ever changed it. It was…awesome. It was literally the reason I made a priest back in Vanilla. And my heart broke when they ruined it. Just…make it a glyph. Blizz has been communicating and responding to priests so well lately. Just wish they’d give us this option.
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