Shadow spec before Mists of Pandaria, and now..

[Gnome]

Do you remember how the Shadow spec was before Mists of Pandaria, in Cataclysm? And before that again?
In which expansion did you like the Shadow spec the most?

[Caladia]

This is the first expansion that I've gone Shadow. I didn't really enjoy it while leveling very much, but since I've started raiding as Shadow I've thoroughly enjoyed it. Of course, that doesn't help when I don't know how it use to play.

[Deleted]

Shadow this expansion is absolute dog shit. Doesn't even feel like shadow anymore, and no I am not complaining about DPS or single target damage or anything like that, I just hate what they have done to this spec. SWI is the worst thing to ever happen to SP.

Edit: Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy some of the things they have added to our class like void shift, and the level 90 talents are great, but too much change is never a good thing, and they have gone over the top...

[Quenden]

From a pure fun standpoint, Shadow really peaked in Cataclysm for me. The changes in 5.0 actually pushed me so far away from the class, I didn't pick my priest back up until late 5.1 after years of maining him.

I also find myself much less attached to the spec as a whole - I'm more willing to heal now than I used to be.

[Brightstar of Korgath]

If you take away the t13 set bonuses for me that is a tougher question to answer. I loved the huge DPS spikes shadow was capable of with the t13 4p bonus, but it was a very different from the shadow play style I was use to. Having been shadow for Wrath and Cata I found the changes of 5.0 terrible and switched to disc and 1/2 time holy paladin for T14 heroic progression, but now just full time Disc.

[muto]

Shadow Orbs were clunky before, it's better now.

[snaxattax]

shadow peaked with 4t13 =/

shadow orb 'rng' was basically nonexistent, we had a useful cooldown/burn combo, and our multidotting was as strong as any other class.

though, im not sure if i miss shadowfiend burns more than i miss masochism w/ non execute range SWD. being the only caster with mana problems (discounting arcane, who use mana as a secondary resource) is just retarded.

[Ayarea]

The only reason I'm still playing shadow is because I still enjoy it. I do suck alot more at it than I ever did before though :/. Given FPS is utterly dog crap as well on all fights pretty much /le sob.

[Volitar]

Cata Priest hands down, that's why I rerolled from my Shamamlaman. The only thing I like about MOP Priest is not having to worry about Mana anymore. I may or may not be dicking around on a Wotlk private server but jesus Shadow has me tearing my hair out trying not to go oom.

[HLKazzak]

I remember getting tank trinkets, rings, cloak, neck and tank enchants on my gear and soloing H 5 mans during wrath on my spriest... the wrath system was the best imo and I have not had as much fun with shadow since. Don't get me wrong, I still have loads of fun on my spriest, just, not as much as I did in wrath.

also... anyone else miss the original shadowy apparitions? I loved my massive 100+ clone army.

This is all from a FUN standpoint. I have no opinion either way on which expac spriest was best dps wise due to... well... reasons...

[Deleted]

Shadow in Cataclysm played so well, both in PvP and PvE. The way our spell synergized just made it perfect. You were rewarded for good play and you were able to compete. We could burst, we could multi-dot, we could AoE.

Most people just remember PvE or only did PvE but PvP was also amazing. The way you had to manage mana was insane, the high skill cap with Mass Dispel being no CD, self dispels, dot management, cooldown management. Everything was there. The class had such a high skill floor that very few managed to do well with Shadow but if you were able to you could destroy teams. Talbadar being the best example. Probably one of the very few people who actually knew how to play Shadow back then.

We had everything. Now we have nothing. Sad.

[notsoyou]

I'm still playing my shadow priest but every night I log on to raid I just want to quit but I love my guild! Cata was great I even loved the last tier bonus burst rotation =)

[Greyce]

Neither. Cata wrecked Spriest style and MoP took it further away. That said, I'm still playing because I play a Spriest, not whatever class is FotM. Give me back WotLK Spriest -- or even better, TBC Spriest.

[tiporispit]

Shadow Orbs were clunky before, it's better now.

Shadow Orbs were even less clunky when Priests didn't have them, which coincidentally was the last time they were fun.

[muto]

Shadow Orbs were even less clunky when Priests didn't have them, which coincidentally was the last time they were fun.

True.

10 char

[ThrashMetalFtw]

Shadow in t11 and t12 was the best.

Shadow in t13 with the retarded setbonus was dogshit
Shadow in t14 was dogshit.

SW:I was a step in the right direction, but still, our syngery and the flow of the class, was just so much better in Cata than it is now.

[Envojus]

I personally loved playing Shadow Priest in TBC. I loved the gameplay - Health and Mana was a resource. A well played shadow priest was able to do rather competitive damage. Knowing how to use Shadow Word Death and Devouring Plague for Undeads separated good and bad shadow priests. Even when the damage was meh, raids LOVED having a shadow priest in their raid - The Mana Regen and the Heals were great. Too bad they went with the route of "Traditional DPS" slowly, makes me a sad panda T__T

[BetrayedOf52]

I think a lot of you looking at previous spriest through rose colored glasses, I think the best things done to spriest have been done recently. Haste effecting dots tremendously for one, like are half of you forgetting how our dots benefited very poorly from just about everything? How about vamp embrace being a complete pile of shit, no time did our ticks from vamp embrace save a raid back in the day, the on cooldown use now is much more helpful.. and i much prefer shadow orbs compared to dot and flay... The rotation use to be so drop dead simple it was a bore, atleast now we have SW:I, back to back SW without killing ourselves, halo etc.. our arsenal is so goddamn good atm, in my raid group my healing is stupid helpful, having me and an ele shammy is pretty much another healer.

EDIT : I prefer MOP compared to cata, for the crazy amount of support heals we offer, while doing competitive dps.

-Shadow priest since kara.

[ThrashMetalFtw]

I think a lot of you looking at previous spriest through rose colored glasses, I think the best things done to spriest have been done recently. Haste effecting dots tremendously for one, like are half of you forgetting how our dots benefited very poorly from just about everything?

This version of Shadow existed in WotLK. Haste making dots tick faster was added some time in 3.2 (ToGC patch).

Cata had fully functional Dot scaling from Haste, in that their duration went back to baseline at certain haste values (aka additional ticks), instead of just ticking faster with lower Duration (any1 remember sub 10sec Dots in ICC?)

[muto]

I think a lot of you looking at previous spriest through rose colored glasses, I think the best things done to spriest have been done recently. Haste effecting dots tremendously for one, like are half of you forgetting how our dots benefited very poorly from just about everything? How about vamp embrace being a complete pile of shit, no time did our ticks from vamp embrace save a raid back in the day, the on cooldown use now is much more helpful.. and i much prefer shadow orbs compared to dot and flay... The rotation use to be so drop dead simple it was a bore, atleast now we have SW:I, back to back SW without killing ourselves, halo etc.. our arsenal is so goddamn good atm, in my raid group my healing is stupid helpful, having me and an ele shammy is pretty much another healer.

EDIT : I prefer MOP compared to cata, for the crazy amount of support heals we offer, while doing competitive dps.

-Shadow priest since kara.

You serious? Haste benefited DoTs in Wrath. I stacked the shit out of Haste.

Also, the rotation is more simple now since you only have to keep track of two DoTs instead of three, since DP is a Shadow Orb dump now.