Shadowpriest dps and gear concern.

[Oleah]

Although i am not the best geared shadowpriest, I reckon I am not badly geared and, indeed, according to wow-heroes. com, I am geared enough to dps in CotC 10 and 25.
I link my armory for you to check: http://eu.wowarmory.com/character-sh...Thalas&n=Oleah

Said so, my dps honestly sucks. I spend hours on training dummies, changing my rotation according to advices read on shadowpriest.com, I have downloads addons such Facemelt and DoTimer, yet, I cannot even reach 3k dps on a single target. What do I do wrong?

I have met a shadowpriest that was less geared than me, with an average gear score of 219, yet his dps was much higher than mine: both of us were casting mindsear on the same target, hitting the same number of dummies, yet I scored 3200 dps and he did a crazy 5600dps!

I have been reading shadowpriest.com through and through, looking for the answer that I am so desperately looking for, unfortunatelly, although some of their advice is very plain, the ones regarding dps and the relation between haste and damage and spirit and so forth, are too mathematic for me, and I am not a very mathematic mind, as most women are! (yes, I am a woman and yes, there are women playing wow after all!).

I hope to receive an answer, in order to understand where the problem lies, so to enjoy further adventures in Northerand (I really want to kill the Lich King!!!!).

If you require more informations in order to understand what's wrong with my gaming, please ask me and I will be very happy to try to pinpoint any mistake I might be doing.

Thank you for your help.

[Trolle]

A few notes on gear, you're meta gem, why not use Chaotic Skyflare Diamond? and you have 448 Hit, the hit cap is 289 so you are a bit over :P

When you say you cant reach 3k dps, you mean on single target? What rotation do you use? Do you let youre dots get the last tick?

[SoulPoetry]

you need to post a ss or something of recount so we can tell what you're doing. it's more the case with shadow priests than any other class as you really have to be on the ball but people posting "my dps is bad, please help, here's my armory" is no real help to anyone as for all we know they could be white swinging or something, and yet it happens every single day.

obvious things:

-waaay over the hit cap, you can shed like 150, i appreciate this may not be possible but you can craft the ToC bracers to get rid of some and buy DMC: Illusion to replace your JC trinket

- meta -> Chaotic Skyflare

- you need more haste. my priest isn't my main but you need enough haste to make MF's channel 2.7 seconds or less so you can fit 2 in the space of a MB CD.

[Lutien]

As previous post said your meta gem is wrong , and in general your gemming is kinda bad for maximising damage. You said you read shadowpriest.com but you clearly didint , at least the gemming part so go back to this wonderfull site and read it all over more carefull

[Oleah]

I will change my meta gem with chaotic skyflare diamond at once! thanks for the tip.
My rotation has been changed a lot, right now I use VT, MB, DP, SWP, MF and MB. The I renew VT and DP as soon as DoTimer tells me so. I used to use a lot of VE and SWD a lot before, but I have been told not to, so I don't use them anymore.
Yes, when i talk about dps I refer the dps I manage to make on a heroic dummy, so a single target. With the AoE it is not much better, since In ver good days I do 3500dps.
I know I am way over my hitcap, but I have not added any gems to increase my hit rating: the only thing I have is the boots enchant, that I have chosen for the critical strike boost, not for the hit rating boost.

[Trolle]

Ok, A quick tip before we can see more from a ss or something like that. Youre start rotation should be VT, MB, DP, MF2, SW:P.

You need to have 5 stacks of Shadow Weaving before casting SW:P to save the waste of a GCD later in the fight.

[Sjorstiebal]

Lessen the hit, as a Spriest you only need 11% (that's with Misery 3/3 and the other talent, which I forgot the name of)

Aswell 5% haste is a bit low, you should whether gem it up a bit with +23 spellpower +20 haste or get some more haste orientated gear.

Rest has been stated.

[Oleah]

I have apported the changes you have suggested: I've bought the bracers, changed the meta gem and added haste by enchanting my back. I will try to get the trinket as soon as i find it in AH!
The screenshots required can be found here:

http://s767.photobucket.com/albums/x...309_110939.jpg
http://s767.photobucket.com/albums/x...309_110955.jpg

The addon that can be seen in these shots is facemelter. I wasnt using the rotation suggested by it while dpsing the dummy, but rather VT, MB, DP, MF SWP etc.

[Zhivago]

You gemming is poor. You need 2 blues to activate the meta. All else should be straight SP unless the socket bonus is +7 sp or more. Mosy gear is red and something. Put a SP in both unless the bonus is +7 SP or you are activating the meta. You know your hit is too high. Your trinkets are not good either. Sundial of the Exalted would be much better than either. Illustration of the Dragon Soul and Eye of the Broodmother would be best.

Haste needs to be about 328 so you can get 2 MF's in between a MB.

You should also get a cast bar like Quartz and a Dot timer to see when the DoTs are going to fall off.

[Trolle]

As Zhivago said you only need 2 blue gems, so a red gem in bejewled would be better, though saying that "Put a SP in both unless the bonus is +7 SP" is a bit simplyfierd. read more on shadowpriest.com :P

I agree that a cast bar addon like quartz (with Quartz LatencyMF2) and a DoT timer is a good help, i use classtimer, but the buildin dot timer in quartz can be used i suspect.

[zsun]

the hit rating is still a bit too much, try to further reduce the hit rating by 100 and try to increase haste by around that much. Also try to replace the +12sp and +10intellect gem with a +12sp and +10crit/haste gem. Mining, although a profitable profession, is probably not that good for a priest in terms of perks. Lastly try to replace that necklace.

[Weena2]

Just going to put it out there and say that binding 1-= is terrible, your better of using other keybinds that will in turn make you play better as a whole

[Kootz]

Also. I have to say im a huge hater of mods like facemelter and the like.

While they help bad shadow priests be decent. they are to static to bring you much beyond that.

If you want to see some real numbers come out of shadow you only need Quartz/mf2/dot timers.

Then you just think about the shadow rotation as being this puzzle that the tighter you can fit it together without overlapping the better.

I currently pull around 4500 average single target dps on heroic dummies with only self buffs up. I can sometimes spike up to 4800 and even 5k on the dummies given good crit chains.

These damn mods that tell you when and what to cast only serve to unlearn you how to play the priest and learn you how to rely on crap.

Learn what stats your comfortable with. for example i have the best results with around 400 haste currently. of course that will change come 3.3.

[Worshaka]

Read the Shadowpriest DPS 101 sticky

[nosebleed]

I have a shadowpriest myself and it's very easy to say "lose that get this", when every single thing you get from raids is crammed with +hit. If you're going with the tier garment then you're bound to get overflowed with +hit and it's not that easy to just remove it in favor of +haste.

This isn't pointed at OP or anyone in particular, just a friendly reminder.

[Oleah]

Following your advices, I have done all I could do in the short term. Now I have to wait and hope for a good drop and to roll high enough to get it. I will upgrade, in the meanwhile, my chestpiece with Merlin's Robe as soon as I have all the mats and will change my headpiece with Hood of Clouded Sight, as it's suggested on shadowpriest.com
To Zsun: I won't replace the blue gems since I need them to activate the meta gem. I might be confused, but I know that much! I have chosen to equip that necklace because it was ways better than the one I had. I know it's a healing one, but it gives good spell power and critical chance, therefore -I thought- for the moment being, till my next successful roll on a more adequate item, this will do the job.

I have downloaded quartz/mf2. I have already DoTimer. Now I need to learn to use them, because they are quite new implements for me. I also have removed MindMelter.

I thank you all for the answers and advices given.