Shadow Priest PvE Concerns

#0 - Sept. 1, 2009, 5:33 p.m.

THREAD DISCUSSION SUMMARY:
In addition to what I discuss below, the following points were brought up in this thread.

1. Shadow priests did well on a number of Ulduar hard modes but are falling behind in ToC hard modes most likely due to scaling issues.
2. New WMO ranking for ToC normal and hard modes show shadow priests as possibly the worst dps class. This data may not be 100% accurate
3. Simcraft data currently shows shadow priests as one of the lowest dps classes. However, new simcraft data needs to be produced for T9 gear to compare the classes at current gear levels.
4. Shadow priests require the use of nochanneling macros, low latency and a high skill cap to be able to clip mindflays to increase dps. The interaction between these components and haste is also an area for concern.

UPDATE: Small buff coming in 3.2.2 - increases the spellpower benefit of spirit from 10% to 20%. Guessed to be roughly a 100 dps buff - concerns are that it will not be enough to keep us in line with other classes - more testing needed.

*Will edit this summary as needed*

Original Post:

Introduction:
It is past time for shadow priests to recieve some much needed buffs to boost our dps in PvE - specifically on single targets and in burst situations. In the past I believed we could still hold our own to a large degree but the past few weeks have definitely opened my eyes.

I do not wish to see us become overpowered but we are most definitely lagging behind other classes heading into hard modes in ToC. There are several areas of concern which I have outlined below and provided possible solutions for. While I know the devs most likely have their own ideas and other considerations to contend with - I provide ideas in the hopes of fostering a discussion about how we can be best brought up to par with other ranged dps classes.

Many top shadowpriests have expressed concern over this very topic:

Q u o t e:
I think Shadowpriests are weak going into Trials HM. I don't see it likely that we will be using more than one per fight, but I could be wrong. We were great in Ulduar, but now other classes have simply scaled passed us and we can't keep up in any fights (not even aoe fights).

- Eoy from Ensidia

Q u o t e:
But ya, our single target damage needs some love. The only reason I do well in Ulduar is because 90% of the fights have multiple adds to dot or mind sear down.

- Shin from Exodus

Summary of Concerns:
1. Low single target damage.
2. Lack of true burst & our nuke for cataclysm.
3. Itemization/talent issues
4. Additional notes

Single Target Damage:
Shadow priests currently excel in fights with more than one mob given out ability to 'multi-dot' and in AoE situations given the strength of Mind Sear. However, we greatly fall behind on single target dps in comparison to other ranged dps classes.

I get the feeling the devs are hesitant to buff spriests in such a way that makes them stronger while multi-dotting for they would become too strong and possibly overpowered in the process. I completely agree with that concern and the next section outlines ways to fix our burst and single target damage without buffing us in situations where we already do strong dps. Strong burst damage is often tied to strong single target damage, hence why my suggestions apply to both.

Burst Damage & Our Nuke for Cataclysm:
Ghostcrawler stated at Blizzcon that they are actively looking to give Shadowpriests a direct damage 'nuke' with no cooldown for Cataclysm. While I am very much appreciative of the devs acknowledging that our dps, especially of the burst variety, needs some love - I think this is the wrong way to go about it.

We currently use Mind Flay as our filler spell because it both refreshes Shadow Word Pain and is our only direct damage spell without a CD. This new Nuke must have lower damage than Mind Blast or that spell would no longer be useful and unless it does more DPCT than Mind Flay - it won't be used at all. If the damage is on par with Mind Flay I have concerns over how that would affect our rotation and if we would just resort to casting one tick of MF to refresh SW:P.

Suggestion:
Make Shadow Word: Death function much like Conflagarate where it does the damage of a full duration Vampiric Touch while consuming the effect and possibly provide a glyph similar to Warlock's and Elemental Shamans where it does not consume the DoT.

#138 - Sept. 3, 2009, 7:05 p.m.

Kafferty et al.,

I am not able to comment on the questions proposed in your thread at this time, but I did want to address one point.

Q u o t e:
I would sincerely hope GC doesn't view this topic as just demanding buffs because 'we feel like we need them'. As I've stated before - people both in the spriest community and outside of it know we have lackluster burst and single target dps and it's a major concern.

This is a fine thread. We generally favor verifiable numbers and analysis over antecdotal evidence and undocumented player feelings, but even the latter have their place. The problem we often deal with in these forums is one of perspective. Every class seems to feel like their issues are game-breaking. A poster makes an eloquent or impassioned plea and several other players of the same class cheer them on and even start identical threads when they don't get a quick response. That starts to cross the line from analytical discussion into a buff campaign. Since some players seem to have trouble understanding the distinction, and I admit it can be murky, we often encourage players to post as if they are speaking to the community and not to Blizzard directly. EJ and other forums are very good about doing this, because they don't make the assumption that we read their threads (even though we do).

I know I'll get flak for making a blue post that doesn't address the issues you want answered, but sometimes communication with the community is more important than just lists of upcoming changes or even insight into design philosophy.

I also ask that you not use this opportunity to change the direction on this thread and stick to the original topic at hand. You know now at least that I am reading it.

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