Potential of a Shadow Priest (?)

[Da'Grim]

Hello guys,
first of all I can just say that I've only played around with a priest for a couple of hours during US Open so even tough the game is released over in the state here in EU, Theorycraft is still the deal for some. :oops:

Now I had plans of going Mage but I get more and more intrigued by a Shadow Priest. On the paper they look like awfully good however when reading threads from a bit more experienced Priests :roll: it is often stated that you have no time nor mana to both throw nukes AND heal.
Now when I started to think about a Shadow Priest I did'nt see it as that at all. Rather that it could be a good caster/nuker class period. The healing stuff was just extra.

A Shadow Priest have definatly OK DPS with Shadow Word: Pain, Mind Flay and Mind Blast. They got ton of survival with PW:Shield all the heals when changing out of Shadow Form, Psychic Scream and everything. Plenty of anti-caster stuff with Dispell, Silence and Manaburn.

So in 1v1 PvP I recon that a Shadow Priest just pumping out DPS and healing when in great need can fare very well.
But the game is'nt built around 1v1 now is it. In larger PvP battles I can see the problem with getting mana to last for both healing and damage, but if the build is based around Damage I don't see a choice really.

In PvE instances and such, sure there is the aggro problem with BOTH healing and damage but just chose to do one thing then, based on the rest of the group, the mobs and such. Hell you can even heal one battle and deal damage the next. Just don't do it in the same.

So I guess my question for the more experienced priest is: Would'nt a Shadow Priest fair well as just a Caster/nuker? Just using heals here and there, NOT MUCH. In my mind I compare the Shadowpriest with a Mage and I think a Shadow Priest is just as god, if not even better. Sure they don't got the DPS of a 31/20 Arc/fire mage but they got plenty more "survivability" and more utility. Perhaps they can't compare with a Mage in 1v1 but I think that in a larger PvP battle they got a lot more flexibility and can really help out more.

Anyone willing to prove me wrong? :twisted:

[l-c]

Holy/disc with a solid group has more regen, more healing power and with that better survivability.
especially at higher levels the diffrence is very clear.

[Nozerac]

Shadow priests are awesome in PvP, but in instances and such it's another story. A group who's looking for a priest is looking for a healer, not a nuker and thus they will feel almost cheated when they find out your a shadow priest. I did three instances with my priest in US open beta, and in all three i noticed that it's hard to preserve the mana when you both nuke and heal.
So you have to chose if you want to heal or deal damage basically.

If you want to deal damage you should go mage or rogue IMO, because most groups want healers when they search for priests, not light nuking.

My 2c

[Da'Grim]

I want to be a caster and a damage dealer, therefore I got two choices. Shadow Priest and Mage. Both are good choices in my mind, I just think that the Shadow Priest has more utility.

I'm not going for a Healing Class, I'm going for a damage class. Sure it may look strange that it's in a Priest I've (possibly) found it but still.

As I said, perhaps a Shadow Priest does'nt get exactly as much DPS as a Mage but they got tons of other tricks of their sleeves. Therefore I see shadow priests as a more interesting choice.

[Hercus]

mage has more solo util rly, they make their own mana drinks ( over time), better nukes, some escape tools/CC in case the mobs add, i.e. polymorf, pbaoe root. and blink (?)

don't say priest got CC, k they got fear, whitch is only good in PvP, but when in in stances, it will only hurt you and you group more, because every feared mob will get an add..

Mage got the hard nukes/mana regen, intlect buff
Priest got soft nukes, some Dot''s, heal, stamnia buff.

that's why mage's are more vital if you wanna nuke :P
+ ppl casters in your group are mostly more then happy if a mage joins up, mostly because of the drinks and int buff ;), but that's my experience

[l-c]

dude a good UD mage is fucking awsome, just make one of those you wont be dissapointed.

[UFTimmy]

I've heard of several people who make a Shadow Priest to solo with and re-spec later to do instances. If you do instances as a Shadow Priest later I think you owe it to the group to let them know in advance.

[Da'Grim]

To Hercus, sure they make their own mana drinks but they still have a pretty long downtime. Better nukes, sure, as I said a SP don't in their exact DPS area but they have more other tricks.
I have'nt said a Priest got CC.

l-c, dude I would never make a UD char. They are plain ugly. Sure their RS is the best one out there...but still they got a dead butt as face.


UFTimmy, I have also seen plenty of posts of Shadow Priests as levelers and then changing to healing. Now that is not a option for me, I don't want to be the main healer. I want to be a damage dealer/trickster. And to be honest I think a Shadow Priest can be that.

[Kas]

Why not make a warlock if you want damage/utility?

If you make a shadow priest for the sole intent of doing damage, yes your single target damage may be close to other damage classes, and you can be a secondary healer, but most groups who want a priest want it for healing. You'll have to explain them that you don't want to be the healer and see how it goes.

There's no big advantage to picking up a shadow priest over other classes for that dps/auxiliary slot. You may have damage+healing+res, but so does a shaman + totems +off tanking + self res. You can't supply water/food, polymorph, or AE like a mage. No sap/poisons or manaless damage like a rogue. No pet(+misc abilities)/stones/AE like a warlock.

[Da'Grim]

Kas, I think you hit the nail.

Perhaps I will chose the class I thought from the beginning, naimly the Warlock.
There I get what I am looking for, both DoTs and DD and not really as much trick spells but still. Effective both in 1v1 and in groups.

Warlock I chose you.
Only problem with the warlock is that the class got so many problems.

Any way, thanks a lot for all feedback. Now I just have to think abot a good build. Hmm, I think I got one here somewhere. :roll:

[kyliejennings]

Kas, I think you hit the nail.

Perhaps I will chose the class I thought from the beginning, naimly the Warlock.
There I get what I am looking for, both DoTs and DD and not really as much trick spells but still. Effective both in 1v1 and in groups.

Warlock I chose you.
Only problem with the warlock is that the class got so many problems.

Any way, thanks a lot for all feedback. Now I just have to think abot a good build. Hmm, I think I got one here somewhere. :roll:

shaman might be up ur ally aswell they can out dmg a single target nuke they have mail so you can tank aswell as totems good for melee or mana totem good for regen.

they are normaly a backup healer and should save mana for backup heals but they can still nuke :D and damn good at it aswell.

[Inconsiderable]

I rather have my Shadow Priest Friend with me in any Dungeon than a random Holy Priest.

If you are PvPer, pick Shadow Priest. Superior in 1v1, hard as hell to kill anyway and all important stuff is Shadow (Impr Scream, Silence, etc)

[Kas]

I rather have my Shadow Priest Friend with me in any Dungeon than a random Holy Priest.

Well the point of the post was that he did NOT want to be a main healer in pretty much any circumstance. I'm still in a shadow leveling build and ran BRD to emperor just fine. The group as a whole was slightly above the target for BRD and we had a shaman backup so both those things contributed, but at least to BRD you can still heal just fine shadow specced if you're a skilled player. You have to play the role of a main healer though, and not blow all your mana doing damage. That's something he didn't want to do.

You could certainly solo to 60 as shadow with no problems, but any instance group is most likely one you put together yourself (or guild, etc) and you can make sure you invite someone else to be the main healer and let them know that's what's expected. If you're a priest and get an invite, they want you to heal.

[Doodle]

be what you like mate, but if im gonna be perfectly honest, i wouldnt want you in my group if you are wasting mana doing something else but healing :oops: thats just the way it is...

[Da'Grim]

To be honest Doodle, that is the exact reason why I'm back with the choice betwen Mage (as it seems now) or warlock (I just can't understand the class).

Even tough a Shadow Priest can deal damage and I think can succes being a nuker, I wont be able to play as I want because a priest is a healer... :cry:

[Da'Grim]

Guys, I just can't let go off the idea of a Shadow Priest. I'm still not convinced why I should'nt be able to be the second healer and still deal damage, in instances ok -mostly healer but in PvP battles -damage dealer.
It seems that the only cure for me is level to 60 and then realize how gimped a Shadow Priest is and roll meself a mage because right now I think a offensive Shadow Priest does have a chance. :twisted:

[Doodle]

yeah they own allright, thats true and in a kinda un orginized skirmish late in hillsbrad when your fighting in a zerg, not grouped and just having fun its great!

but no mather how hard you try when someone sees a priest they see a healer, becuse you simply do it better then anyone else, they can always bring a mage for damage + CC why would they just bring along a damage dealing priest? even as a secondary healer your better of bringing the utillity a shaman or a paladin has

this is what i think anyway