Did Shadow really need more visual uniqueness?

[Phaelix]

Shadow did have a lack of animations to me, but I think how it is on beta seems a bit over the top.

[Nitex]

Holy crap it looks amazing now. I'm even more excited to roll a shadow priest. I'm really hoping shamans get a visual update soon.

[iadygaga]

Shadow priests are ppretty sweett

[Deleted]

after all we are the devilworshiping side of the class.

not rly, Spriests are regular priests who abandoned light..

---------- Post added 2010-11-15 at 12:05 PM ----------

but now that we talk of animations and such, what about the fact that our spells have like none? abit of smoke above targets head maybe, but that's it

[Skjerra]

The main reason I play shadow is the visual aspect. I like something a bit different. Back in the day at level 40 I abandoned levelling (to the annoyance of my friends) in order to grind SW rep. Night Elf + Pointy Hat + Shadowform + Horse = evil and cool. I was mad on LotR at the time and thought it made me look like one of the nine.

Bit undecided on the recent changes, but I think I'll end up deciding I like them when I'm a little more used to them.

Having said all this, I don't really care about minor visual tweaks. As long as I can be in shadowform and pve damage doesn't get another ToC-esque mega-nerf then I'll be happy.

[Amry]

Frankly, I prefer the standard SP fade-to-black look, and nothing else. No orbs or whatever. It's bad enough that people keeps ganging up on Priests in BGs (myself included), the last thing I want is to draw attention to myself when I'm playing my Priest alt.

[Deleted]

Ok...it might be a little bit too much but i actually like that.New shadow orbs animation it is cool.Also when empowered shadow is like our aura is exploding and feels pretty cool.In general all the effects are good. If only they'll make us hit as as godly as we will look it will be extra good!!!
I 'm seeing this like a little bit of dragonball Z an anime i was watching when i was teen. Load load load then unload the heavy nuke.I like .

[Charblaze]

Ok, after just seeing the screenshot I figured it wasn't a big deal. Then I saw a video of it and YEAH, that looks annoying as hell.

Frankly, do we even need an animation for empowered shadow? Shadow orbs are cool but empowered shadow looks like we're casting blood boil 500 times...

[RIP]

Im lovin' the animations from Beta currently, god damn amazing and I was kinda gutted about how the orbs look on live, but oh so happy about everything on Beta haha, and our new red buff thingy is allgoods, i say we keep it instead of getting it nerfed away

Shadow priests ftw

[Veiled]

The orbs are very awesome. The archangel wings are probably my favorite thing about the chances. Did we need to look more visually stunning than we already do? No.. but am I glad for what I've been given? Absolutely.

[Cariborne]

I think we look awesome, it makes me happy The Wings, the Glow, and the Orbs are all really cool, but I feel that the Cloud of Smoke should be toned down a bit, and not as... thick? Regardless, it all looks awesome.

[Direshadow]

I love it tbh

[Blaze611]

Here a video. The animation is annoying as hell.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ena18CKvFMI

You say "no", I say "Yes! Oh god yes!"

[Kaesebrezen]

I got removed in the latest beta patch. But since i was annoyed by the animation, i'm happy about that.

[Oneirophobia]

I think it looks fking awesome, gave me goosebumps. Bring it all on. My only grievance is that you have 2 orbs regardless of what you really have (as previously mentioned)

As for the lore wore going on in this thread. Does anyone else feel like shadow magic is not associated with EVIL? I've always just considered my priest that uses offensive magic that is "dark" (only visually) , as a balance to what they support with magic that is light. Nothing about shadow spells really implies something that is particularly malevolent or evil. (Just intimidating. Because who would cast Power Word: Hurts?)

I don't really find shadow really being evil as element, but it seems its meant to feel evil. Blizzard always has lines from light-weilders in game crying about shadow users.
For example, in ToC, Tirion says (after the gnome dies and the boss is over) "Let that be a lesson to all you who dabble in the dark arts!"
I'm not sure if thats directed towards shadow priests in addition, or merely just to warlocks, but still. :\
Up yours Tirion, I was mindflaying Arthas while you sat in an iceblock, where was your light then? Took until we were dead for it to do anything for you.

On topic, I like the animations. I feel that, because most our spells are instant and lack animations, we need stuff like this to off-set the boring-ness of our spells.
Shadow word: Pain has like no animation. Vamp touch has a bunch of purple wavey things but in a raid you don't see them. Devouring Plague has a cheesey purple skull you, also, can't really see, and Mind blast has a little purple flame (the sound is cool though).

[Xelaeno]

We must have gotten ourselves some really vintage cigar to emit smoke like that, looks like we came straight from hell, muahahhahahahha, it's awesome.

[Mike Ox Big]

Your complaining about Shadow Priests getting TOO much attn?.. I think this has to be a first...

We usually don't get any attention in patches and fixes. It's always DKs, Warriors listed in updates.

The more attention we get, the better imo.

And that firey red glow looks awesome!

Fixed^^

You accidently added mages

[Jezpalulaj]

Where is this idea of demonic worship coming in? I'm not really a lore buff, but that doesn't make logical sense.

As I understand it (correct me if I'm wrong), the whole deal with shadow is that it's the absence of light (that sounds obvious now that I type it out). The whole theme of the spec is that while holy and discipline priests are filled with "the light," and use it to further goodness/justice/whatever, those priests who abandon the light slip into this sort of absent darkness that lurks behind.

The whole mystique of the spec is that the spriest's power comes from the dark, shadowy unknown. Anything demonic would fill the void that is shadow, manifesting itself over top of that which remains subtle.

[deef]

So I was just on beta, they removed the smoke again. Too bad.

[Speaknoevil]

I really enjoy the casting sounds of playing shadow.

Mind Blast hits sound like a muffled scream.

DoTs sound like evil whispering, it's great.