Shadow Priest PvP Guide (2024)

Last updated on May 29, 2024 at 00:00by Abide

Welcome to our PvP Shadow Priest guide for Cataclysm. Hereyou will learn all you need to know to properly play Shadow Priest in PvPscenarios.

Shadow Priest is a strongdamage dealer in PvP that offers great utility both offensively and defensively.Unlike other damage dealing classes, you will need to focus greatly on thisutility in PvP situations to maximize the full potential of this class.

• Glyph of Dispersion — Since Dispersion is your maindefensive spell, this is a mandatory glyph in PvP.
• Glyph of Shadow Word: Pain — Boosts the damage of your main DoTby 10%.
• Glyph of Shadow Word: Death — Helps you execute low health enemieseasier with Shadow Word: Death

• Glyph of Mass Dispel — Reduces the cast time of Mass Dispel by 1 second.
• Glyph of Psychic Horror — Allows you to use Psychic Horror more often, especially great against melee enemies.
• Glyph of Fade — Allows you to remove slows more frequentlywith the Phantasm talent.
• Glyph of Inner Fire — Boosts your survability against Physicaldamage dealers.

• Glyph of Fading — You will often be using Fade toremove slows with the Phantasm talent.
• Glyph of Fortitude — Reduces the Mana cost of Power Word: Fortitude by 50%.
• Glyph of Levitate — Removes the reagent cost of Levitate, allowing you to cast it for free.

If you have not already, we recommend reading theSpells Summary page first. Knowing how eachspell and ability works in detail will greatly increase your understanding ofthe topics discussed on this section. In PvP you will need to react and adapt todifferent situations, meaning you will not always follow the recommendedrotation below.

1. Archangel — Use for burst windows if you have 5 stacks of Dark Evangelism. Swap to using Mind Spike as your mainspell during this window.
2. Shadow Word: Pain — Apply to all targets that you won't crowdcontrol. This will automatically refresh when you use Mind Flay on thetarget.
3. Vampiric Touch — Apply and maintain on all targets that youwon't crowd control.
4. Devouring Plague — Apply and maintain on a target.
5. Mind Blast — Use on cooldown.
6. Shadow Word: Death — Only use if the target is below 25%health, or you are low on Mana.
7. Mind Flay — As a filler wherever your rotation has gaps.Cancel the channel if a higher priority spell becomes ready, or a DoT must bere-applied.
8. Mind Spike — Can be used to burst someone very low if theyhave no DoTs on them. This can also still be used if you get kicked on Shadowspells.

While healing is not your main objective as Shadow, it will berequired from time-to-time. Knowing when you need to heal and help preventdeaths is one of the main benefits of having a ShadowPriest as not many classes offer stronghealing spells in emergencies.

• Power Word: Shield — You will want to use this as often aspossible on any ally being attacked. Can be used while in Shadowform.
• Flash Heal — Is a quick, small heal, but with a high Mana cost.Useful for quickly topping up an injured ally or getting a fast heal out in anemergency.
• Renew — A powerful heal-over-time, especially if your enemycan not remove magical buffs. Great to use when you know someone will take a lotof damage over time.
• Binding Heal — Works very similar to Flash Heal, exceptthis will heal both the Priest and the target.Great whenever you and an ally are low health.
• Prayer of Mending — Whenever an ally is buffed with this andtakes damage, Prayer of Mending will heal them and then bounce to a nearbyally. Great for healing multiple people taking damage, especially fromDoTs.

In addition to your main spells and cooldowns, you also have many utilityspells that can be game-changing when used in the proper scenario. Make sure youunderstand each of the spells listed below to fully take advantage of yourentire spellbook.

• Fade — Thanks to the Phantasm talent you canuse Fade to remove any slows you are debuffed by.
• Leap of Faith — One of the new spells you gain in Cataclysm.Pull the target ally towards your location. A great cooldown to save a groupmember who is in a bad position.
• Dispel Magic — Can remove 1 magical buff from an enemy or anally. Use this whenever someone in your group is afflicted with a dangerousmagical debuff, or an enemy has a beneficial buff that will hamper your group.
• Mass Dispel — An AoE version of Dispel Magic thatremoves 1 magical debuff from up to 10 friendly targets, and 1 magical buff fromup to 10 enemy targets. Can also remove stronger magical buffs that cannot bedispelled in other ways, such as Ice Block and Divine Shield.
• Cure Disease — Removes 1 Disease from an ally.
• Fear Ward — Makes a friendly target immune to the first fearused against them.
• Levitate — You will often use this to give you additionaldispel protection.
• Shackle Undead — Can be used against Death Knightswhen they use Lichborne.

If you are looking to maximize the potential of your ShadowPriest in Cataclysm PvP, these are therecommended professions:

1. Jewelcrafting —Gives you three powerful gems, Mystic Chimera's Eye or Brilliant Chimera's Eye, giving you a large stat boost.
2. Tailoring —is a great choice for the Lightweave Embroidery unique cloak enchant.

The list linked below includes the best possible gear setup for aShadow Priest in PvP.

When it comes to evaluating Shadow Priest's place within the Arena, wehave created a number of guides devoted to listing a variety of popular teamcompositions which you can find below.

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