Shadow Priest DPS Easy Mode — The War Within (11.0.5)

This build is your best starting point for single-target situations, such as a Raid Boss.

The build below suggests starting with Distorted Reality. This can make it more forgiving to maintain a high uptime of Devouring Plague. Once you get comfortable with the rotation I would suggest using Mind's Eye. For Season 1 of the War Within our Tier Set bonus also makes this much easier, particularly the Priest Shadow Season 1 2pc. Once you get this bonus I would default to Mind's Eye.

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For encounters or situations that are AoE-focused, use this build as your starting point.

When starting out, you might find that enemy-targeted Shadow Crash is easier to play with. While this lowers some flexibility of the spell, it can make it much easier to use in unpredictable environments. As you get more comfortable, the ground-targeted version gives you more agency over the cast, and it is the default suggestion for that reason.

Archon can do great AoE damage, particularly in higher keys, but if you are just starting out I would suggest playing Voidweaver for AoE.

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When playing Shadow Priest, you can boil down the rotation to maintaining core DoT spells with Vampiric Touch, building up Insanity, and then spending it on Devouring Plague. These steps are broken down into four rotational goals when playing the spec. If you get these goals down, you will have a good platform to play the spec in PvE content.

1. Maintain Vampiric Touch and Shadow Word: Pain roughly up to 12 targets. Use Shadow Crash to help with this.
2. Maintain maximum uptime of Devouring Plague on the main priority target. Try to avoid refreshing until it is about to expire, or you will cap on Insanity.
3. Use short cooldown Insanity generating spells to make sure you do not lose uses of them. This includes spells like Mind Blast, Void Bolt, and Surge of Insanity procs.
4. Use your long cooldown spells ideally when you will not lose uses of any short cooldown spells, being sure not to hold too long to still take advantage of any active buffs. This includes spells like Halo, Shadowfiend, and Void Torrent.

If you can get these goals right, the rotation should make more sense and fall into play naturally. Check out the priority list below for more specific suggestions.

Due to Psychic Link being our core-AoE ability, our playstyle broadly does not change when facing multiple targets. The biggest change is just making sure to keep DoTs on targets with Shadow Crash or Vampiric Touch as a pack is being grouped.

Before you start combat, make sure you have Shadowform and Power Word: Fortitude active and then use Vampiric Touch to start combat.

1. Keep Shadow Word: Pain and Vampiric Touch applied on as many targets as possible. Note that with Misery, you should always use Vampiric Touch to refresh either of these DoTs, unless you are moving. Shadow Crash should be used whenever possible so you are not wasting time manually DoTing each mob.
2. Cast Halo at high priority if you are specced into Archon.
3. Cast Shadowfiend or Mindbender on cooldown.
4. Cast Dark Ascension or Void Eruption on cooldown.
5. Cast Power Infusion on cooldown (make sure you cast it on an ally if using Twins of the Sun Priestess).
6. Spend Insanity on Devouring Plague.
7. Cast Mind Blast whenever available to generate Insanity.
8. Cast Void Torrent.
9. Use any procs of Surge of Insanity on Mind Flay: Insanity or Mind Spike: Insanity.
10. Cast Shadow Word: Death when the target is in execute range or you have a Deathspeaker proc active.
11. Cast Halo at a lower priority if you are specced into Voidweaver.
12. Cast Mind Flay or Mind Spike to generate Insanity as your filler spell when you have nothing else to press.

For a more in-depth priority list that includes all talents and all the edge cases for the rotation, check out the complete guide to fully master your Shadow Priest.

Shadow Priests have access to many defensive spells, use the following list to help survive incoming damage.

Dispersion is your biggest active defensive ability that should be used when you are in dire circumstances or to help mitigate a big incoming hit of damage. During the effect, you are unable to cast, but you can cast the spell again to cancel it early.

Desperate Prayer acts as both a medium-sized heal as well as a defensive by increasing your health pool. This can situationally save your life and is very powerful, especially with talents like Angel's Mercy or Light's Inspiration in the class tree.

Fade with Translucent Image talented turns this spell into a low cooldown defensive that should be used early and often to reduce incoming damage.

Flash Heal with Protective Light talented turns a spell that is a small heal into another active defensive spell that we can layer Fade to get roughly 20% damage reduction when needed.

Power Word: Shield is one of your last resort spells that can save your life by providing a small shield to yourself when cast.

Check out the Spell page to learn about all the other spells in our kit that can help keep you alive.