shadow: looking for some guidance

[jedistump]

on my 1st alt shadow priest, i'm having some problems consistently dpsing well. i frequently am around 17k with few caster buffs but then will dip to 12k or shoot to 20k on some fights. i want to get into t11/t12 raiding but want to solve these issues first so i don't under-perform. i have read stickies and most of the gear and experience i have is from bh, zandalar heroics and jp/valor vendors. i think, though, that i may be missing some key part to the dps rotation.

it wont let me post my armory but my toon is Snowsomar on Executus server.

i've heard haste should be before hit in itemizing but my hit was dreadfully low so i left some reforges as spirit.

i only use quartz to help with dps. the cast bar is divided for flay ticks, i can easily see all dots w/ timers on my target and all buffs on myself with timers. i try to clip flay after second tick, mindblast on cd, refresh devouring before it expires and refresh vamp asap after it falls off(usually start the cast 1 second before it drops). i open fights fully dotting my target then casting flay until i get an orb and mindblasting, then popping casket trink, archangel, shadowfiend and continuing.

please point out any glaring errors in my toon, playstyle. thanks.

[Arlee]

Going below hit cap will make the amount of damage/dps you put out inconsistent. You really should aim to get as close to hit cap without going over as you can.

Do you have any logs? Those would be most helpful in figuring out what part of the spell priorities you might having trouble with.

[jedistump]

ok. i will have to find out how to get and post a log.

[Deleted]

You should refresh VT before it falls off, not after. It has changed since WotLK.

[angelx7x]

Going below hit cap will make the amount of damage/dps you put out inconsistent. You really should aim to get as close to hit cap without going over as you can.

Do you have any logs? Those would be most helpful in figuring out what part of the spell priorities you might having trouble with.

i actually find this to be somewhat false, shadow priests can be quite a bit under the hit cap if it means picking up more haste/crit/mastery/int (crit or mastery depending on how you gear, and set a percentage that you deem is too low for your hit to be) i keep around 16% hit on my shadow priest and rarely miss, although when i dip down to 15% or so i start to notice the increase in the amount of misses you get. I suggest keeping your hit around 16% and so long as you're somewhere in the ballpark of that number you should be fine. I also suggest using www.askmrrobot.com for your reforging, you'll have to adjust the stat weights information to set the hard cap for spell hit to 16% if you decide to do this, and adjusting the weights for mastery and crit if you favor crit over mastery, as it has mastery set above crit by default

[Arlee]

ok. i will have to find out how to get and post a log.

While you are in game type /combatlog and it will start logging. When you want to stop type that again.

Go to http://worldoflogs.com/ (I think you have to create an account to post logs) click on client and it will pop up a box to upload your log. Then you can just copy and paste the link to us here

Ideally a log from a night of raiding where you do kill some bosses are the most helpful, but if all you can get are wipes or can only get some time spent on a test dummy that will work too... though the feedback from those two isn't likely to be as good.

---------- Post added 2011-09-26 at 04:51 PM ----------

i actually find this to be somewhat false, shadow priests can be quite a bit under the hit cap if it means picking up more haste/crit/mastery/int (crit or mastery depending on how you gear, and set a percentage that you deem is too low for your hit to be) i keep around 16% hit on my shadow priest and rarely miss, although when i dip down to 15% or so i start to notice the increase in the amount of misses you get. I suggest keeping your hit around 16% and so long as you're somewhere in the ballpark of that number you should be fine. I also suggest using www.askmrrobot.com for your reforging, you'll have to adjust the stat weights information to set the hard cap for spell hit to 16% if you decide to do this, and adjusting the weights for mastery and crit if you favor crit over mastery, as it has mastery set above crit by default

Visit here if you want to read more about how hit affects spriests but honestly you are kind of talking to the choir here on this one. I recommend he focuses on getting as close to hit cap as he can because he is new to spriest and being low on hit will make the rest of what he needs to learn about how to be a good spriest that much more difficult to get down and solidify.

Also, yes being lower on hit cap (especially a good deal under like he mentioned he had been) will yield a variable amount of dps. On fights where you win the game of averages you will do more, and on fights where you lose you will do less. This is further complicated by movement in fights. Anywho, no need to rehash hit stuff anyone can read the FAQ's and stuff. (and if anyone has anything they want to add to it please PM me, I am more than willing to talk about hit in private or in the FAQ thread)