In this article, we present you with the best gems and enchants that you can get for a Shadow Priest in WoW MoP 5.3, including profession-specific perks. We also list the best consumables: food, flasks, and potions.

Make sure to check our Gear Optimisation Guide, which serves as a support guide for this article. The other articles of our Shadow Priest guide can be accessed from the table of content on the right.

This guide has been reviewed and approved by Artzie (@Artzieh), a Shadow Priest who raids in Method, and by Twintop, one of the main Shadow Priest theorycrafters, who runs Shadow Orbs and Mind Spikes and works on How To Priest.

1. Gems↑top

If your item level is higher than 505, and your raid-buffed Spellpower is greater than 30,000, you should gem as the table below suggests. If you do not meet these requirements, we recommend gems for you below the table.

Sockets	Gems
	Burning Primal Diamond or Sinister Primal Diamond (better)
	Quick Sun's Radiance/ Perfect Quick Sunstone or Quick Serpent's Eye (JC)
	Reckless Vermilion Onyx/ Perfect Reckless Tiger Opal
	If socket bonus is Intellect or Haste Energized Wild Jade/ Perfect Energized Alexandrite or Lightning Wild Jade/ Perfect Lightning Alexandrite Otherwise Quick Sun's Radiance/ Perfect Quick Sunstone

Note that if your item level is below 505, or if you do not have at least 30,000 raid-buffed Spellpower, Haste Rating is not as desirable to you. You should, instead, use Brilliant Primordial Ruby in red and prismatic sockets, Reckless Vermilion Onyx in yellow sockets, and Purified Imperial Amethyst in blue sockets. If you are having issues reaching the hit cap through reforging alone, you can use pure spirit/hit gems in blue sockets.

If you are still unsure what the optimal gemming strategy is for your character, you can Ask Mr. Robot for a personalised optimisation of your character's gear, by filling the form below.

2. Enchants↑top

Slot	Main Enchantments	Extra Enchantments
Shoulders	Greater Crane Wing Inscription Crane Wing Inscription Secret Crane Wing Inscription (Inscription)
Back	Enchant Cloak - Superior Intellect Lightweave Embroidery (Tailoring)
Chest	Enchant Chest - Glorious Stats
Wrists	Enchant Bracer - Super Intellect Fur Lining - Intellect (Leatherworking)	Socket Bracer (Blacksmithing)
Hands	Enchant Gloves - Greater Haste Enchant Gloves - Superior Expertise (for hit cap)	Synapse Springs (Engineering) Socket Gloves (Blacksmithing)
Waist		Living Steel Belt Buckle
Legs	Greater Pearlescent Spellthread Greater Cerulean Spellthread Pearlescent Spellthread (cheaper) Sanctified Spellthread (Tailoring)
Feet	Enchant Boots - Pandaren's Step Enchant Boots - Greater Haste
Rings	Enchant Ring - Greater Intellect (Enchanting)
Weapon	Enchant Weapon - Jade Spirit Enchant Weapon - Elemental Force (cheaper) Enchant Weapon - Windsong (cheaper)
Off-Hand	Enchant Off-Hand - Major Intellect

Note that Extra Enchantments can be applied to an item in addition to a Main Enchantment.

3. Consumables↑top

3.1. Food

You should always eat food that gives you Intellect. You will be granted:

• 300 Intellect by Mogu Fish Stew;
• 275 Intellect by Braised Turtle, Banquet of the Pot, or Great Banquet of the Pot;
• 250 Intellect by Swirling Mist Soup or any of other banquets.

3.2. Flask

Your flask should be a Flask of the Warm Sun.

3.3. Potion

During the encounter, your best choice for a potion will be Potion of the Jade Serpent.

4. Summing-up Profession Perks↑top

Choosing a profession for your Shadow Priest can impact your raid performance. As a rule, you should shy away from gathering professions (with the exception of Herbalism), which leaves the following viable professions for raiding:

Profession	Perks
Tailoring	Provides a gain of approximately 320 Intellect through Lightweave Embroidery. It also provides Sanctified Spellthread, a much cheaper equivalent of Greater Pearlescent Spellthread, the usual leg enchant.
Blacksmithing	Provides a 640 Haste Rating gain through two extra sockets, Socket Bracer and Socket Gloves, in which you can fit 2 Quick Sun's Radiance.
Jewelcrafting	Provides a 320 Intellect gain through the ability of using 2 Brilliant Serpent's Eye. These should be used in red sockets, replacing Reckless Vermilion Onyx gems, and not in prismatic sockets.
Alchemy	Provides an 320 Intellect gain to your flask through Mixology.
Enchanting	Provides a 320 Intellect gain through Enchant Ring - Greater Intellect.
Engineering	Provides +1,920 Intellect for 10 seconds every minute through Synapse Springs (the overall gain is +320 Intellect). Engineering also provides a belt addon called Frag Belt, which you can use every minute (off the global cooldown) for additional damage.
Inscription	Provides a 320 Intellect gain through Secret Crane Wing Inscription.
Leatherworking	Provides a 320 Intellect gain through Fur Lining - Intellect.
Herbalism	Provides a 480 Haste Rating gain in average through Lifeblood.

Blacksmithing and Engineering is currently the best profession combination for Shadow Priests. Blacksmithing provides a Haste Rating increase higher than that offered by any other profession.

Engineering should be your second profession, as it provides you with Frag Belt and Synapse Springs, which you can line up with cooldowns and trinket procs.

5. Changelog↑top

• 20 May 2013: Patch 5.3 update: nothing to change.
• 08 May 2013: Clarified that the different gemming is reliant not only on being above or below 505 item level, but also on reaching 30,000 raid-buffed Spellpower. Also added that Haste gems should be used in prismatic sockets, in the "high" gear level gemming suggestions. Added a mention that Jewelcrafters should use Intellect gems in red sockets, and not in prismatic sockets.
• 27 Apr. 2013: Added a mention of how to gem below item level 505.
• 26 Apr. 2013: Added a mention that Blacksmithing and Engineering is the best profession combination.
• 24 Apr. 2013: Added legendary meta-gem.
• 10 Apr. 2013: Removed mention of ever using pure Haste gems in red sockets. Added Enchant Boots - Greater Haste option for feet enchant.
• 02 Apr. 2013: Removed green-quality gems.
• 02 Apr. 2013: Improved advice for choosing your profession.
• 26 Mar. 2013: Updated the gemming recommendations to, emphasising Haste Rating-oriented gemming.