Back in November of last year, I wrote a post for the Spiritual Guidance column called "The shadow diaries." In it, I pledged that I would recount my experiences of leveling a brand-new shadow priest. However, as you may have noticed (or not), that never happened. There's always too many things to do in this crazy virtual world of ours (not to mention that other, brighter world outside), so poor Hieronymus ended up getting neglected.Why am I talking about a series of posts I didn't write? Well, I may not have had the fortitude to level another priest all the way to 70, on a strange server no less, but eventually two realizations came together. I already have a priest at level 70, and I'm doing a lot more soloing than grouping with her these days. I'd recently moved a few points in my long-held 23/38/0 spec over to the Holy damage talents, which sped up my dailies a bit. But then I thought, why not go all the way?And so I decided to respec to Shadow. After much perusal of the shadowpriest.com forums (an excellent resource), the WoW Europe forums (so much better than the US official forums), and even good old Elitist Jerks, as well as some musing on my own, I settled on this 14/0/47 build, and even found some stat values I could use as a Pawn scale. I love me some Pawn, when I have a good scale for it.
It's a fairly standard spec, but my requirements for it -- mostly solo, possibly a bit of 5-manning -- dictated a few specific talent choices. No Martyrdom in Disc, because I don't intend to PvP at all. As useless as Imp. PW:S is, it'll still be more useful than Martyrdom, I think. Spirit Tap instead of Blackout, because Spirit Tap is godly for soloing and Blackout is another PvP talent.
As for the Imp. Psychic Scream/Silence set, it is my hope that Silence will be a handy utility spell to have around. Besides, there's not much competition for the points. It would either be 4/5 instead of 1/5 Imp. Mind Blast, or 5/5 instead of 2/5 Shadow Power. My understanding is that MB is not a particularly mana-efficient spell, and the cooldown is already short enough that I won't run into problems with it while grinding. And Shadow Power simply applies to too few spells to make it very useful, especially considering that we have no talent that boosts the effect of our crits, like every other offensive spellcaster (even Holy priests).
Obviously, 3/3 Shadow Affinity is going to do nothing for me while soloing, and maybe I should have gone 5/5 Shadow Power instead, but I do hope to be doing some 5-mans and I hear shadow priests have threat issues, even with Shadow Affinity. Besides, as mentioned above, Shadow Power seems of questionable quality.
Having decided on a spec, and with much trepidation, I logged in to my priest, my first level 60 and first level 70, intent on going to Ironforge and unlearning those delicious Holy talents I knew so well. The respec was only 20g; I love that the cost of respeccing never went up and so it's the work of minutes to make it back via dailies. It didn't cost all that much to pick up all the ranks of Mind Flay and Vampiric Touch, either.
So here I sit, at the Ironforge bank, picking through my gear, looking at Pawn values, and trying to figure out what ridiculous-looking set of healing epics, random blues, and left-over greens will patch me through until I decide either to stay Shadow and start working towards Frozen Shadoweave, or to run back to the light side. I have to say, though, having just activated Shadowform for the first time in over a year, it feels pretty darn good.
Note: I wrote most of this a couple of weeks ago, but finals got in the way of my actually posting it. The reason I mention that is because if you check my Armory, you'll see that I've actually found a half-decent set of gear for myself (emphasis on the "half"). However, that will be the topic of the next installment of the Shadow Diaries. Stay tuned!
The Shadow Diaries bring you tales from a long-time Holy priest, just recently respecced for more face melting. This is only the second installment; to learn how this all started way back, check out the first post. And if you're a priest fan, you must read our (recently resurrected) Spiritual Guidance column. Finally, for all your class-related needs, refer to our handy directory.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-24-2008 @ 9:21PM
Mera_LaCroisadeEcarlate said...
Me I have 2 priest, one is holy 23/38 , for PVE thats awesome, look at my specs
http://eu.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=La+Croisade+%C3%A9carlate&n=Mera
for PVP that a bit hard since I does big heals Im most of the time focus and due to the 23/38 specs I can't have the Circle of Healing which is PVE useless but interesting in PVP and PVE gears for PVPing isn't enough even epixx but I don't care to farm a real PVP stuff, having enough fun with that. My shadow priest is yet lvl 60 and pvping with a few twinks,having some fun with but I prefer so far using my priest for healing, I feel like God :] dont you? ;)
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4-24-2008 @ 9:50PM
Swingline said...
I'm using that same spec, except I put points into the wand talent in discipline, purely because when soloing I end just about every fight bubbled using the wand, so that it's been 5 seconds since casting when my DOTs and wand kill the target, then I am already regenerating mana when spirit tap procs. Silence is really for PVP more, while increased crit for MB/SW:D is more useful PVE (raiding specifically, but good anytime)
4-25-2008 @ 2:04AM
nav said...
CoH is not PVE useless. Not by a very very very long way.
4-25-2008 @ 2:42AM
Charlie said...
CoH is incredibly useful, but more when you get to 25mans where you will actually it more likely that a certain group is clustered together. Also, everyone loves spirit and imp spirit, but the benefit you get from the 8% more on your GH coefficient is HUGE. Jesus holy moley is it big. I love having a 23/38 priest in my raid, but I will never be one.
Anywas, I love shadow. But considering I am a raiding priest, and have already gotten my WM and PM sets (as well as the craftable boots out of TK), I can't put myself to respeccing shadow and wasting all that wonderful gear. I have decided though, that as soon as WotlK launches, my baby is going shadow all the way and never lookin back.
4-24-2008 @ 10:04PM
Gigantor1960 said...
Finally some Shadow love! Not much different from my pre raid shadow grind spec. I am currently running a conventional Shadow raiding spec so I am missing my silence that I loved to use so much on casters. On the other hand I have over 1200+ Shadow damage so I just melt thier faces.
http://www.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Alleria&n=Hamacus
This weekend I get my uber dagger, (Scryer's Blade of Focus), and maybe some stamina pants as Spellstrike set is extremely low on stam.
I love healing as well and tend to respec after our guild runs to a deep Holy build down to CoH. It's a sure way to get a run. I love being able to view things from both sides of the fence.
The rush you get when you save someone from death is only surpassed by the thrill of sending them there. Hope to see continuing stories on all things Shadow on the Insider.
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4-25-2008 @ 3:14AM
Hoho said...
Do NOT break SS set over some other pants. SS set together is better than most other pants/helm combinations. Sure, you are missing stam but if you aren't doing enough damage then mobs will die slower and hit you for longer periods of time
4-25-2008 @ 9:26AM
apoxic said...
As Hoho said,
Don't just replace them because they are low on stam. The proc from Spellstrike is godlike and is not worth breaking unless you have a decent upgrade for both slots, or a very good upgrade for one of them. Personally I've had spellstrike until just recently and it has served me very well, I had the Trousers of Astromancer in my bank, gemmed and enchanted ready for use, for SEVERAL months before I finally got an upgrade for the head which made it worthwhile to replace both pieaces.
If you're wondering, I got lucky and am now wearing the Hood of Absolution :3
On the other hand, sure get a pair of "stamina" pants, but only use them for fights where you'd need high hp for any reason.
4-24-2008 @ 11:17PM
Thador said...
You can take 1 or 2 point of shadow weaving, it will stack on most boss anyway. And it's kinda of useless on the rest.
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4-25-2008 @ 2:44AM
Charlie said...
Agreed, 5/5 shadow weaving is really useless for PvE purposes. In solo play you don't really need that tiny extra boost if you miss a point. And group/raids the amount of damage that you miss out on (2% less for 5 seconds maybe), is so inconsequential, that its just not worth it.
PvP is a different beast all together though.
4-25-2008 @ 1:14AM
Willias said...
Shadow Power is a good talent once you realize that the only way your DPS is going to go from "okay" to "good" is through Mind Blast and Shadow Word: Death.
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4-25-2008 @ 3:14AM
Hoho said...
We have two spells that can crit, one is 12s cooldown and has self-damage, other is from 5.5-8s cooldown. It certainly helps but not too much. IIRC point in shadow power was roughly equal to point in imp. MB, both at around 12dmg.
4-25-2008 @ 7:28AM
Cynra said...
As a fellow priestaphiliac, I love seeing priestly articles. At the moment I have a 23/38/0 raid healing priest, a 42/19/0 Disicpline priest for PvP and Arena purposes (though I'm contemplating switching to 45/16/0 due to the changes to Reflective Shield), and an itty bitty Shadow priest who hasn't gotten much love because I'm really a healer at heart. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more on the Shadow-side of things, though I'd love to have seen something either applicable to end-game or even leveling.
Concerning of Healing, I personally don't like the talent. I think it encourages a lot of spamming of that heal alone in raids and doesn't lean towards mana-efficient play. Those who use Circle of Healing and use it well are an asset to the raid and have my respect; those who just spam it mindlessly are on par with priests who Flash Heal to get on the meters. My playstyle focuses on highly efficient single target heals.
As my raid's token priest (rarely a Shadow priest, no Discipline priests, and just lil ol' me), I don't think that they'll ever ask me to respec for Circle of Healing. As we're tkaing the steps into T6 content, I know that the use of Circle of Healing increases significantly. I also know that I'm loathe to make the change myself; as a Holy healing human priest with Improved Divine Spirit, 35% of my Spirit goes towards my healing and damage and we're looking at somewhere between 800 and 900 Spirit in full raid buffs and consumables (5% added from Spirit of Redemption and 10% added for being a human, whee!). I think in this case, the raid agrees that they benefit more from the total increase in raiding and damage than my personal improvement.
I do, however, have 3/5 Empowered Healing for 12% increase to Bonus Healing for my Greater Heal and 6% increase for Flash Heal. Not that I use Flash Heal a lot in 25-mans; that's why the paladins are there!
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4-25-2008 @ 7:57AM
Rodrígo said...
buffbitch (23/38) sucks....
Only true minds know the one and only 20/41 +CoH
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4-25-2008 @ 8:20AM
Mera_LaCroisadeEcarlate said...
No CoH i confirm is PVE useless, I used to have it in 25 raids, 70% of the time it does not proc correclty because you have to search on which person to throw it for having a maximal proc = time loosed. I used to be always 1st priest healer in 25-raid instances without CoH near priest that had spent points in this useless talent. Identifying where CoH could proc at best is time losed for me, 0,5sec of inattention is enough to wipe a full raid.. well I will correct, it's just cool in 5-man instances CoH, but who cares of 5man instance specs..
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4-25-2008 @ 8:29AM
bsides said...
Go tailoring for Frozen Shadoweave set. You'll not regret it.
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4-25-2008 @ 9:44AM
Cynra said...
That's an lamentably closed-minded point of view regarding Circle of Healing. The spell becomes significantly more applicable as you progress into Tier 5 content and beyond, where splash damage typically runs rampant and the benefit of an instacast group heal is unmeasurable. Even as a priest currently specced 23/38/0 and who would be disappointed if the raid asked me to respec for Circle of Healing I understand that. I've also seen it firsthand, when going into Black Temple and Mount Hyjal as I watch the other priests in those raids.
The key to Circle of Healing is raid optimization. Groups should be optimized in order to create more synergy and have a more effective raid. Many groups tend to cluster together, whether because they're performing similar roles (melee typically are on the boss together since they don't have the opportunity to attack from afar) or to take advantage of group synergy or buffs (for example, remaining within range to benefit from a paladin's aura or a shaman's totems). By assigning relative places for people to stand, you create an environment where Circle of Healing excels, especially if the raid is taking periodic splash damage.
Circle of Healing is more effective further in progression end-game, when you have the gear to offset the relatively higher mana cost and skewed Bonus Healing benefits. The idea is that when you reach 2,200 Bonus Healing and have acquired five points in Mental Agility (wich reduces the mana cost of instant cast spells such as Circle of Healing by 10%), you've managed to gain a group heal that has a higher HPM than Prayer of Healing and can be used on groups other than your own. Until then, if you're responsible for healing your own group (such as in a five-man) and don't need that heal immediately, it's actually more mana efficient to use Prayer of Healing.
The reason why I dislike Circle of Healing is because I like being a mana efficient healer. Not only do I have Spirit of Redemption, but I'm also a human; my Spirit stat is unparalleled when compared with my non-human counterparts. I easily reach 1,000 mana regen OO5SR and have been upwards of 1,500 when using my Earring of Soulful Meditation. Circle of Healing derives its strength -- and in some part, it's weakness -- from the fact that it is an instacast healing spell with no inherent cooldown. It can be effectively spammed over and over and over again. A priest that uses the spell only when appropriate should have no mana problems; many healers I've grouped with, however, use the spell as a crutch and spam it incessantly. As a result, they're incredibly mana inefficient and are typically the ones begging for an Innervate minutes into the fight (whereas I've yet to require an Innervate in a fight since TBC, though the likelihood of my asking is almost zero since 2.4 and its Spirit-based mana regen system).
A priest that uses Circle of Healing in five-mans is probably VERY mana inefficient and may be relying on the spell as a crutch. At least in a 25-man the spell seems to have more valid uses.
Sorry, Eliah, for the random Holy ramblings on your Shadow article!
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4-25-2008 @ 9:46AM
Cynra said...
Rawr, rawr, rawr. That was supposed to be a reply to Mera_LaCroisadeEcarlate, but it somehow made a new post instead. Vile contraption! Apologies for the confusion.
4-25-2008 @ 1:11PM
george said...
CoH and to a lesser extent PoH is what sets a priest healer apart from the other healers. If you don't take CoH you are pretty much the same as a pally spammer, buff bot and overall priests lack finding CoH useful was the main reason a lot of guilds used to only take 1 priest for IDS. People have begun to realize that if you organize groups and positioning CoH can be really useful in pretty much any encounter where there is aoe damage 5 man-25man.
4-25-2008 @ 10:15AM
zappo said...
Is it really worth going 4/5 for improved mind blast? I initially thought this would be a great thing, but over time came to the realization that this is only really useful if you use mind blast back to back which I never do. If I get a resist on a mind blast I've generally just skipped it all together instead of waiting for the cooldown and trying to recast.
Glad some people pointed out the pitfalls of holy concentration. If/when I respec I might think about that one a bit more.
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4-25-2008 @ 2:38PM
Gorehorn said...
It should be noted:
If you don't intend to raid 3/5 Shadow Power will be enough for you to be hit-capped, you could spend those other 2 points somewhere else.
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