Priests are a familiar archetype of healers and the healer class. WoW isn't an exception, and Priests are pretty famous for players who'd support others instead of deal damage. Compared to Druids who rely on healing over time and Shamans who use totems, they use direct restoration methods. Two of their three skill trees are focused on keeping their allies alive (one through healing, the other through mitigation).
The third one is a bit of an outlier, as it is the Priests' DPS tree, the Shadow Priest. It's a bit of an inversion, as the Priest taps into shadowy powers and darkness instead of the light. One downside to the class is that only one is needed for the raid, and any others will be asked to reclass as a healer.
What are the Pros and Cons of Playing a Shadow Priest?
Shadow Priests are highly valued in PvE due to their Shadow Weaving debuff. Otherwise, they aren't too gear-dependent and have many advantages in PvP. However, raid groups prefer healer Priests more and only need one Shadow Priest anyway. They also need to guzzle mana potions to keep their DPS competitive.
How to Become a Shadow Priest
Priests must talk to a Shadow Priest Trainer to re-specialize. This incurs a fee of up to 50 WoW gold if you reset multiple times in a row. With your points unallocated, you can distribute them in the following builds, depending on what activity you'll do with your Shadow Priest.
PvE Build (Dungeons and Leveling)
Discipline (20)
- Wand Specialization (5/5)
- Silent Resolve (1/5)
- Improved Power Word: Fortitude (2/2)
- Improve Power Word: Shield (3/3)
- Inner Focus (1/1)
- Meditation (3/3)
- Mental Agility (5/5)
Holy (0)
- Shadow (31)
- Spirit Tap (5/5)
- Shadow Affinity (3/3)
- Improved Shadow Word: Pain (2/2)
- Shadow Focus (5/5)
- Mind Flay (1/1)
- Shadow Reach (3/3)
- Shadow Weaving (5/5)
- Vampiric Embrace (1/1)
- Darkness (5/5)
- Shadowform (1/1)
This is the build for leveling your Shadow Priest. Without the proper equipment and enough consumables, you'll be out of mana most of the time, which makes the Wand Specialization essential. It lets you still do damage on your auto attacks while you regain mana.
Spirit Tap is also helpful in replenishing depleted stores. Still, without the proper equipment, you'll need some other utility which is why the other Discipline skills are recommended.
PvE Raiding Build
Discipline (16)
- Silent Resolve (5/5)
- Improved Power Word: Fortitude (2/2)
- Inner Focus (1/1)
- Meditation (3/3)
- Unbreakable Will (5/5)
Holy (0)
Shadow (35)
- Spirit Tap (5/5)
- Shadow Affinity (3/3)
- Improved Shadow Word: Pain (2/2)
- Shadow Focus (5/5)
- Mind Flay (1/1)
- Shadow Reach (3/3)
- Shadow Weaving (5/5)
- Vampiric Embrace (1/1)
- Darkness (5/5)
- Shadowform (1/1)
- Improved Mind Blast (4/5)
This lets the SP shift to a more aggressive rotation of spells. With almost best in slot gear, mana should no longer be a problem (supplemented by potions, still). They can take advantage of Improved Mind Blast, doing two Mind Flay in a row followed by a Mind Blast. Wand Specialization can be unallocated, same with Improved Power Word: Shield. Mental Agility will similarly lose its value.
PvP Shadow Priest Build
Discipline (13)
- Improved Power Word: Fortitude (2/2)
- Improved Power Word: Shield (3/3)
- Inner Focus (1/1)
- Martyrdom (2/2)
- Unbreakable Will (5/5)
Holy (0)
Shadow (38)
- Blackout (5/5)
- Improved Shadow Word: Pain (2/2)
- Shadow Focus (5/5)
- Improved Psychic Scream (2/2)
- Improved Mind Blast (5/5)
- Mind Flay (1/1)
- Shadow Reach (3/3)
- Shadow Weaving (5/5)
- Silence (1/1)
- Vampiric Embrace (1/1)
- Improved Vampiric Embrace (2/2)
- Darkness (5/5)
- Shadowform (1/1)
Not much to say about this. It maximizes the damage an SP could do while retaining some survivability options. While maxing out Shadow Focus isn't necessary, it's still prudent to do so because your opponents might have some Shadow Resistance to overcome. The build excels in burst damaging enemies and quick fights.
What is the Best Race for a Shadow Priest
Priests have an unusual interaction with races. While all the other classes share racial skills, those who become Priests have their own unique racial skills. Here are all the possibilities:
- Dwarf: Stoneform, Desperate Prayer, Fear Ward
- Human: Perception, Desperate Prayer, Feedback
- Night Elf: Shadowmeld, Starshards, Elune Grace
- Troll: Berserking, Hex of Weakness, Shadowguard
- Undead: Will of the Forsaken, Touch of Weakness, Devouring Plague
Overall, the most recommended race to use is Dwarf. Stoneform and Fear Ward are excellent skills for various situations, and Desperate Prayer could be used for emergencies. The other abilities of the other races don't match up to those skills' usefulness.
For Horde, both have their pros and cons, but Undead trumps Trolls. Will of the Forsaken has always been a popular racial skill for PvP, and the healing from Devouring Plague is an excellent addition. Touch of Weakness is a little overlooked, but it's a handy ability, too, though not as much as the other two.
Recommended Professions for Shadow Priests
Alchemy and Herbalism are the best professions for a Shadow Priest. This way, they can just make all the mana potions they need and not go out of mana too much. Tailoring is also a good one, so you can just make your own armor. Engineering is a close fourth, though it can be costly to level up unless you also take up Mining.
Enjoy Playing a Shadow Priest!
If you're a PvP junkie, a Shadow Priest is the class for you. They are essential in raiding too, but due to the mechanics of the Shadow Weaving debuff, only one is needed per group. Others will have to switch to a healer build. That leaves PvP as the activity where they shine.
With burst damage potential and various ways to self-heal, these Priests are a terror in the arena. They can also excel in certain PvE situations such as dungeons and when they can monopolize their spot in guild raids.
Have fun with your DPS Shadow Priest!
