Shadow Priest Issues in Shadowlands Alpha - Rotation, Talents, Covenant Abilities

Shadowlands Publié 09/06/2020 à 03:02 par Anshlun

This article was written before the rework Shadow received on Shadowlands Beta, so it is outdated.

IntroductionAbout the AuthorsWarcraft PriestsAnshlunDjriffEllipsis - Ice BearElvenbaneJaervMelganePublikSemicolondashDisclaimerPriest Baseline Ability Changes for Shadowlands

NEW Prière du désespoir Increases maximum health by 25% for 10 sec, and instantly heals you for that amount.

NEW Rank 2 Fade now reduces the range at which enemies will attack you when used while active.

Attaque mentale Blasts the target's mind for (120% of Spell power) Shadow damage
Generates 12 Insanity. 15-sec recharge

NEW Soothes the target, reducing the range at which it will attack you by 10 yards. Only affects Humanoid and Dragonkin targets. Does not cause threat. Lasts 20 sec.

NEW Infusion de puissance Infuses the target with power for 20 sec, increasing Haste by 25%.

Mot de pouvoir : Robustesse Infuses the target with vitality, increasing their Stamina by 5% for 1 hour. If the target is in your party or raid, all party and raid members will be affected.

Mot de pouvoir : Bouclier Shields an ally for 15 sec, absorbing 1.542 * (1 + Versatility) * 1 * 1] damage. You cannot shield the target again for 7.50 sec.

Wraps an ally in shadows which heal for (180%220% of Spell power), but at a price.
The ally will take 180%220% of Spell power) / 20] damage every 1 sec, until they have taken 180%220% of Spell power) / 2] total damage from all sources, or leave combat.

NEW Mot de l’ombre : Mort A word of dark binding that inflicts (115% of Spell power) Shadow damage to the target. If the target is not killed by Shadow Word: Death, the caster takes damage equal to the damage inflicted upon the target.
15-sec cooldown
Shadow: Generates 15 Insanity

Shadow Priest Ability Changes for Shadowlands

NEW Rank 2 Mind Blast's cooldown reduced by 7 sec.
Reminder that Mind Blast now is 15s CD baseline, so this brings it to 8s CD, up 0.5s from current 7.5s CD.

NEW Rank 2 Void Bolt can be cast while channelling Mind Flay.

Shadow Priest Talent Changes for Shadowlands

NEW If a target dies within 6 sec after being struck by your Shadow Word: Death, you gain 40 insanity over 4 sec and the cooldown of your Shadow Word: Death is reset.
Tier 5 Talent, in place of Mot de l’ombre : Mort

NEW You instantly gain 100 Insanity and cast Void Eruption on the target.
For the next 25 sec, your Insanity-generating abilities generate 100% more Insanity and you can cast while moving.
If the target does not die within 25 sec of using Surrender to Madness, you die.

Shadow Priest PvP Talent Changes for Shadowlands

REMOVED While not in Voidform, reaching 90 Insanity reduces damage taken by 5%, and increases damage dealt by 10% for 15 sec.

NEW When you cast Shadowmend twice within 1 sec on the same target, you automatically cast Prayer of Mending free of cost onto them.

Shadow Priest Kit IssuesVoid Bolt Rank 2 Rotational Issues

NEW Rank 2 Void Bolt can be cast while channelling Mind Flay.

Éclair de Vide

Éclair de Vide in both Legion and BfA functioned as a global where Shadow is free to move without impacting its rotation. Without major movement abilities or an impactful cooldown window, Shadow needs this time to effectively handle mechanics or move in combat. With Void Bolt Rank 2, this is lost, as you will always want to be channeling Fouet mental when you cast it.

With this passive, we no longer need to cancel Fouet mental mid cast to cast Éclair de Vide on cooldown. However, we now need to cancel Fouet mental by recasting it in order to pair it with Éclair de Vide. This is less intuitive for newer players and still leads to Fouet mental often being clipped in the rotation.

Alongside Mot de l’ombre : Mort, the passive highlights the lack of flexibility and almost claustrophobic nature of Shadow’s rotation. With the value of Fouet mental essentially doubling, Shadow loses any spell it can call a “filler”. This lack of filler makes any time you deviate from the core rotational feel costly and creates a rotation where there is zero space to use utility, cooldowns, or covenant abilities without some noticeable penalty.

Éclair de VideFouet mentalTrait de feuÉclair de VideForme du VideVoidform Extension and DoTsForme du VideÉclair de VideForme du VideChœur démentForme du VideMind Blast issues

NEW Rank 2 Mind Blast's cooldown reduced by 7 sec.
Reminder that Mind Blast now is 15s CD baseline, so this brings it to 8s CD, up 0.5s from current 7.5s CD.

Talent Problems

NEW You instantly gain 100 Insanity and cast Void Eruption on the target.
For the next 25 sec, your Insanity-generating abilities generate 100% more Insanity and you can cast while moving.
If the target does not die within 25 sec of using Surrender to Madness, you die.

Voidform Extension and DoTsForme du VideAttaque mentaleAttaque mentaleAttaque mentaleÉclair de VideAttaque mentaleÉclair de VideAttaque mentaleDélire persistantForme du VideDélire persistantForme du VideForme du VideDélire persistantForme du VideDélire persistantForme du VideForme du VideForme du VideDélire persistantMort et folieMot de l’ombre : MortEsprits de bon augureDéferlante d’ombreMort et folieForme du VideMot de l’ombre : MortCovenant AbilitiesVenthyr Covenant

Jeux d’esprit - Assault an enemy's mind, dealing (200% of Spell power) Shadow damage and briefly reversing their perception of reality. For a 5 sec, the next damage they deal will heal their target, and the next healing they do will damage their target. Generates up to 40 Insanity. Reversed damage and healing generate up to 40 Insanity.

Forme du VideKyrian Covenant

Faveur des transcendés - Draw upon the power of the Ascended for 10 sec , granting access to Nova transcendée, replacing Fouet mental with Déflagration d’ascension and increasing your movement speed by 50% . Upon expiration, releases an Éruption d’ascension.

Forme du VideForme du VideDéflagration d’ascensionNova transcendéeNecrolord Covenant

Nova impie - An explosion of dark energy heals allies within 15 yards for (150% of Spell power) and infects nearby enemies with Transfusion impie.
Transfusion impie - Deals (200% of Spell power) Shadow damage over 15 sec. Allies who damage this target are healed for (12% of Spell power).

Forme du VideNight Fae Covenant

Gardiens faë - Surround yourself with helpful sprites, causing your next 10 spell casts to aid your target depending on your chosen spell.

bestGardiens faë

Attaque mentale will reduce an ally’s damage taken by 10%; not the worst but doesn’t provide any benefit to the Priest.

Mot de pouvoir : Bouclier now gives 20 Insanity, a boost from the 6 it gives baseline with Hallucinations but still not enough to warrant using this on purpose from a damaging standpoint (see Voidform Extension problems above).

Éclair de Vide reduces the cooldown on up to 5 allies’ major abilities by 3 seconds, affecting Ombrefiel as Shadow. This cooldown reduction is hardly noticeable as Shadow, and is inherently shrugged off since Ombrefiel offers so little to Shadow Priests that no one even pays attention to it these days.