Shadow Word: Death

[Valunii]

Good afternoon Priests and Priestess alike!

I'm currently leveling my own priest and have just trained SWD, my question is about the backlash damage and exactly how dangerous it is. It is my understanding that the damage cannot be resisted, therefore Shadow Resistance is useless..

but what about:
Shadowform: All damage reduced by 15%
Pain and Suffering(talent): Reduces the damage you receive from your SWD by 30% at max rank, and
Vampiric Embrace (improved with talents): heals you for 15% (25% with talented) of all single target Shadow damage you deal.

Vampiric embrace is pretty self explanatory I suppose, but how exactly would the damage reduction talents combine (if at all) to reduce the backlash damage?

[Vook]

I think it goes like this:

(SW: D Original Damage) -30% -15% + (healing from VE) = total backlash

So, for example, using 7000 as SW: D original damage:

7000 -30% = 4900
4900 -15% = 4165
4165 -25% VE of 7000 = 2415

And then add in other -damage reduction effects. (Disc priest, Shadow prot, ect)

It should only do around 2-3k damage to you. At least, that's how much it does to me, in 264/277 gear.

[Donald Hellscream]

on my priest it deals around 4k-5k noncrit on mobs then in 25mans and around 2-3k to myself so i guess the dmg reduces reduce the dmg you inflict on yourself with SW

[Fenixdown]

If you're concerned with something like SW killing you, don't be. Unless you do what I did in BC and use it on an Evocate from Curator. The backlash with that much added damage on a crit SW hit me for nearly 10k damage. THAT was fun!

But, yes, Shadowform does reduce the backlash. Since no boss has a damage increase like Curator (XT's heart has one, but nowhere near the increase that Curator does), you're perfectly safe to Death anything in the game and not risk killing yourself.

HOWEVER! Keep this in mind, also. Backlash deaths do not cause durability. If you're going to wipe, get yourself low enough to Death die and save a repair bill. I do this when healing all the time, since I get no reduced backlash as discipline.

[Valunii]

I was more or less referring to the damage being a concern while leveling, if say I ever decided to take on a few more than normal mobs.
But thank you all for your insight and information, and I think I'll be alright when it comes to tearing up some mobs while questing.

[punkspider]

I was more or less referring to the damage being a concern while leveling, if say I ever decided to take on a few more than normal mobs.
But thank you all for your insight and information, and I think I'll be alright when it comes to tearing up some mobs while questing.

i never use swd when soloing thats just me though. there really is no need for it if you cant take them out with the other spells chances are you will need to heal. remember you can shield and stay in shadow form/fear then heal. norm works for me if i have to go that far.

[Lamiae]

And Hodir.

/cry

[Deleted]

If you're concerned with something like SW killing you, don't be. Unless you do what I did in BC and use it on an Evocate from Curator. The backlash with that much added damage on a crit SW hit me for nearly 10k damage. THAT was fun!

Dont forget the blue beam on Netherspite.

[scandalis]

SW as a finisher that's about all i used it for when leveling my shadow priest

[Strykie]

If you DONT SWD on fights like Hodir you just aint a real shadow priest.

[Zoulis]

ARgh strykie i wanted to say that

I've died twice from SW...

1) Hodir i was moving with the buff i poped SW as a reflex ... it critted.... i got a 25k crit on my self
2) Vezax that was actually in ICC also was helping some friends.... moving from one shadowcrash to the other .. 28k crit to myself....

the little things that make life interesting..

Cheers
Zoulis