Shadow Priest in Dragonflight Season 3 - Evaluating Utility, Damage, and Tier Set Bonus

Shadow Priests have undergone some significant changes and nerfs in Patch 10.2 of the Dragonflight expansion. In this blog post, written by WowCarry, we will discuss these changes and how they will impact the Shadow Priest spec in Season 3.

Shadow Priest Guide

The Public Test Realm (PTR) for the Dragonflight: Guardians of the Dream update serves as a testing environment for the upcoming content. Let's take a look at the development notes for the update:

The State of Shadow Priest in 10.2

Shadow Priests are not in a favorable position heading into Patch 10.2. The spec has been heavily nerfed in terms of utility and damage, and the changes implemented during the 10.2 patch cycle have not provided any compensation or improvement. Let's examine the impact of these changes on Shadow Priests in both raids and Mythic+ dungeons.

• Utility Changes

Power Infusion

One of the most controversial changes in Patch 10.2 is the reduction of Power Infusion's value from 25% to 20% and the decrease in duration from 20 seconds to 15 seconds. This change not only affects external cooldowns but also has a negative impact on Shadow Priests themselves. The reduction in duration especially stands out, as it no longer matches the duration of other major cooldowns. These changes have resulted in approximately a 7000 DPS decrease in raids at the current item level.

Mass Dispel

Mass Dispel has received a significant nerf in Patch 10.2, with the baseline cooldown increased from 45 seconds to 2 minutes. This change greatly reduces the frequency and reliability of Mass Dispel, making it comparable to other similar spells like Revival. Additionally, Mass Dispel now only affects 5 friendly targets. This nerf greatly impacts the utility of Shadow Priests in both PvE and PvP content.

• Spec Changes

In Patch 10.2, the frequency and strength of Surge of Insanity empowered spells have been adjusted. Devouring Plague now triggers Surge of Insanity every three casts instead of every cast. This change aims to reduce the complexity of the Shadow Priest rotation and make room for the interaction provided by the 10.2 tier set. However, these changes, combined with the Power Infusion nerfs, result in Shadow Priests doing approximately 6% less damage than in Patch 10.1.

• Talents

In terms of talent and build diversity, Shadow Priests have seen a decline in Patch 10.2. Void Eruption, a previously viable option, has fallen behind due to continuous nerfs to apparition-focused talents. As a result, players will likely opt for the Mindbender and Idol of Y'Shaarj talents alongside the typical Idol of C'Thun path in all content.

• The Impact of Tier Sets

The new tier sets in Patch 10.2 have both positive and negative effects on Shadow Priests. The 2-piece set bonus, Priest Shadow 10.2 Class Set 2pc, improves the Mindbender playstyle with additional uptime and Insanity generation. However, the power level of this set bonus has been significantly decreased through multiple nerfs. The 4-piece set bonus, Priest Shadow 10.2 Class Set 4pc, attempts to integrate Shadow Crash and Shadow Word: Pain into the Single Target rotation but falls short in terms of damage output.

• Survivability

Despite initial expectations, Shadow Priests are not particularly resilient in raids, experiencing high death percentages in encounters. Additionally, the spec has undergone multiple nerfs to its self-healing capabilities. The damage taken from rotational Shadow Word: Deaths counteracts the spec's self-healing, making it difficult to rely on Shadow Priest's survivability.

• Raid Performance

Shadow Priests are expected to perform poorly in raids in Patch 10.2. The damage nerfs, underwhelming set bonus, and movement-sensitive playstyle contribute to the spec's decline. Shadow's niche in spread cleave and multi-target encounters has also been negatively affected by the loss of the previous set bonus and the nerfs to its AoE damage pattern. Consequently, we do not anticipate Shadow Priests being a prevalent choice in The Race to World First.

• Mythic+ Performance

Shadow Priests are also predicted to struggle in Mythic+ dungeons in Patch 10.2. Changes that hinder Shadow's performance in raids, such as the transition away from Void Eruption and the reliance on Mindbender, have a detrimental effect in dungeons as well. Additionally, the design of Season 3 dungeons and the reliance on small mobs make it challenging to apply DoTs effectively with Shadow Crash. The reduced target caps for abilities like Inescapable Torment further limit the spec's AoE damage potential.

Conclusion

In summary, the changes made to Shadow Priests in Patch 10.2 have been overwhelmingly negative. The repeated nerfs to underperforming abilities and the significant decrease in utility have severely impacted the spec. The lack of communication and response to feedback from Blizzard further contributes to the disappointment surrounding Shadow Priests. It is clear that the spec is in need of substantial improvements to remain competitive. As it stands, Shadow Priests are not recommended for raids or Mythic+ dungeons in Patch 10.2.