World of Warcraft: Forever · class guide
Shadow Priest: PvP
How Shadow Priest fights other players in the open world: where it ranks on the PvP tier lists, and why.
Forecast. Rated from the client data and our research, before anyone has played it at this level on this build. Where the data stops, the write-up says what it assumed. Rated as of , build 1.60.1.70450.
Battlegrounds are not rated yet; builds, matchups and battleground roles are being written for this spec. Honor, ranks, gear and the battlegrounds themselves are on PvP in World of Warcraft: Forever.
Verdict
- At 60
- Ranked 5 of 28 on Open-World PvP
The deepest control kit of the three Priests, with
Silence, a 50% slow and a 26 s Scream, but Shadowform blocks healing spells. - While leveling
- Ranked 2 of 28 on Open-World PvP Leveling
The best Priest damage from 20 to 30, with
Mind Blast at 10, Scream at 14 and 
Mind Flay at 20, but little defense beyond a Shield. - Battlegrounds
- Not rated yet.
Profile
The rubric the lists score on, 1 to 5 on each line, with the weight each line carries. The class’s other specs are shown at 60 for comparison.
| Criterion | Weight | At 60 | While leveling | Discipline | Holy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burst and kill pressure | 25 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Survival and escapes | 20 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Control | 15 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Fighting outnumbered | 15 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Choosing the fight | 10 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Sustain between fights | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Group fights | 5 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Weighted score | 3.70 | 3.40 | 3.00 | 2.55 |
Strengths and weaknesses
At 60
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Scream on a 26 s cooldown | No healing spells in Shadowform |
| Silence with a 3 s interrupt | No stealth or speed |
| Mind Flay 50% slow | No immunity |
 Shadow Word: Death to finish | Death costs 10% max health |
 Vampiric Embrace and  Devouring Plague heal on damage | Leaving Shadowform costs a global cooldown and mana |
Why it ranks where it does on Open-World PvP
Shadow kills with Mind Blast, Shadow Word: Death (294 to 311 damage, 18 s cooldown, 10% max health backlash), Mind Flay, Devouring Plague and 
Shadow Word: Pain, with Shadowform adding 10% Shadow damage. Crits in PvP are no longer reduced (8 Oct). 
Psychic Scream with Improved Psychic Scream is on a 26 s cooldown, Mind Flay slows by 50%, Silence gives 5 s of silence and a 3 s interrupt, 
Blackout stuns for 3 s on a 10% chance, and 
Mind Control (from 30) takes a humanoid.
Shadowform cuts physical damage taken by 15% but blocks healing spells, so there is no 
Heal until it ends (whether 
Power Word: Shield works in form is unconfirmed; dispels and 
Resurrection do), and leaving it costs a global cooldown and mana. Vampiric Embrace and Devouring Plague heal on damage dealt. Scream hits five targets at 56, and Mind Flay, Silence on one caster and Mind Control on one let it kite two. It opens with Silence or the slow, has no stealth or speed, and uses 
Dispel Magic, 
Mana Burn and Silence on healers for a group.
It is not A because Shadowform blocks healing and it has no stealth, speed or immunity, so nothing moves it out of reach once Scream, Silence and the slow are spent. 3.70 is 0.05 short of A.
While leveling
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Mind Blast at 10 | Only Shield and heals for defense |
| Psychic Scream at 14 | No stealth or speed |
| Mind Flay slow at 20 | Silence not before 30 |
| Devouring Plague heal at 20 | Shadowform blocks healing at 40 |
| Best damage of the Priests from 20 to 30 | Mana-hungry fights |
Why it ranks where it does on Open-World PvP Leveling
Shadow Word: Pain comes at 4, Mind Blast at 10, Devouring Plague and Mind Flay at 20 and Shadow Word: Death at 32, and Shadow has the best damage of the three trees from 20 to 30. Psychic Scream at 14 is the first control, Blackout stuns from about 15 to 20, Mind Flay slows at 20 and Silence is a level-30 talent.
Survival is Power Word: Shield at 6, 
Renew at 8, Heal at 16 and 
Flash Heal at 20, with Vampiric Embrace around 27, and Shadowform at 40 to 42 blocks healing. Against two attackers it has Scream, Mind Flay and Shield. It opens at range, with no stealth or speed. 
Spirit Tap, the Devouring Plague heal at 20 and Vampiric Embrace keep it going, and Mana Burn at 24 and Dispel Magic at 18 are its group tools.
It is not A because its defense is two spells until Vampiric Embrace, it has no stealth or speed to start or leave a fight, and Shadowform blocks healing from 40. 3.40 is 0.35 short of A.
Leveling timeline
The level each of Shadow’s PvP tools arrives. A talent shows at the earliest level a point can reach it; the Talented Legacy perk brings talents 5 levels sooner.
- Level 6 Power Word: Shield
- Level 10
Desperate Prayer - Level 14 Psychic Scream
- Level 18 Dispel Magic
- Level 20 Mind Flay (talent),
Fear Ward - Level 24 Mana Burn
- Level 25 Vampiric Embrace (talent)
- Level 30 Silence (talent), Mind Control
- Level 40 Shadowform (talent)
Races
The Priest’s races as Races PvP ranks them, best first.
Alliance
Human: 
Will to Survive is the only full stun break in the game, and 
Ruthless and 
Perception add steady crit and stealth detection.
Dwarf: 
Stoneform is the strongest defensive racial of any race, and the widest class choice helps, but burst and mobility are the weakest.
Night Elf: 
Shadowmeld, extra stealth and speed give the joint best mobility of any race, and 
Elune's Light is a crit burst, but it breaks nothing.
Gnome: 
Escape Artist breaks roots and slows and its burst racial adds +10% damage, but Gnome lacks defense, mobility and class choice.
Horde
Undead: 
Will of the Forsaken breaks fear and charm and 
Touch of the Grave drains in combat, but it has the weakest burst and no mobility.
Troll: 
Berserking is a burst for seven classes, but Troll has no control break or mobility and 
Rapid Regeneration works out of combat.
What we don’t know yet
At 60
Rated on assumptions:
- The level-60 build is projected from client data: Silence and Mind Control come at 30, Shadow Word: Death at 32, and Mind Control's third rank at 58. Nothing past the beta cap of 30 has been played.
- Silence is a level-30 talent in the client tree; the guide's talent order takes it at 35.
- Diminishing returns on Forever stuns, incapacitates and fears are not documented.
What would move it: Diminishing returns on Scream and Silence being documented, or Power Word: Shield confirmed to work in Shadowform.
While leveling
Rated on assumptions:
- Shadowform at 40 to 42 is projected from the own tree and client data; Silence is a level-30 talent. Levels 31 to 60 are projected; nobody has played past the beta cap of 30.
- Shadow Word: Death at 32 is client data and unplayed.
What would move it: Beta play at 27 to 30 showing Vampiric Embrace and Silence changing fights, or a Shadowform change.