Shadow Priest Utility

[PricklyBear]

Hello,

I was just wondering if someone could give me a quick rundown of the types of utility that a shadow priest brings to a group/raid? The only things that come to mind are PW:F and Replenishment. I am more familiar with the utility options that mages bring, so I was just trying to compare.

Thanks!

[Deleted]

dispersion
shadow protection
devine hyhm
hyhm of hope
vampiric embrace
5% haste buff
shackle undead
aoe fear
mind controll

[Zuziza]

dispersion
shadow protection
devine hyhm
hyhm of hope
vampiric embrace
5% haste buff
shackle undead
aoe fear
mind controll

Just to expand on these:
Dispersion is a self-help thing, just gives the spriest mana back. Doesn't help anyone else.
Power Word: Fortitude: A raid stamina buff.
Shadow protection: A raid buff that increases shadow resist.
Divine Hymn: A smart spell that heals the 3 raid/party members with the lowest amount of health, as well as increasing healing done to all members for 8 seconds. Very useful CD, similar to Tranquility (druid).
Hymn of Hope: A smart spell that regenerates mana to 3 raid/party members with the lowest amount of mana and increases total mana pools for all party members for 8 seconds. Similar to Shaman's mana tide totem.
Vampiric Embrace: 3% of all direct damage done by the spriest will be spread over the raid group as heals. Tends to be very low, but can be helpful. The spriest gets an additional 3% heals (totalling 6%) for themselves.
Shadowform: Gives 5% haste to all raid/party members.
Shackle Undead: A snare CC only useable against undead (not including Forsaken players, but it totally should).
Psychic Scream: A short-range (5 yard) aoe fear that sends enemies running for about 8 seconds. Can be glyphed so that the enemies instead stay in place. Has diminishing returns with other fears.
Mind Control: Allows the spriest to control and use some abilities of enemy humanoids. CD's are longer and attack speed is much slower. It's typically not useable on boss fights (one in Naxx is a key exception), but it can be very useful for difficult trash pulls, such as the ones in BoT.

The only ones specific to shadow priests (over the other specs) are Shadowform and Vampiric Embrace. All of the others are shared with the priest class.

[Apexeon]

Shackle Undead: A snare CC only useable against undead (including Forsaken players).

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you mean players who have been subject to an npc debuff and NOT the horde forsaken. If the former cool, if the latter do let me know if you manage to Shackle Undead any Horde Forsaken.

[Zuziza]

For some reason, I had a brain spazz and I wrote it even though I know that's not true. It doesn't work on Undead players, just wish it did. I wish it SO MUCH.

[Deleted]

psychic horror - useful for cho'gal heroic I guess
silence - can interupt, you have to sacrifice more to pick it up.

[BuffaloSoldier]

um dispersion is great for stuff like nefs crackle, you tell your assinged healer not to worry bought you and just pop that instead

[Deleted]

Just to expand on these:
Dispersion is a self-help thing, just gives the spriest mana back. Doesn't help anyone else.

Minor point, but there's been many a messy boss kill I've saved with dispersion tanking a boss for those precious few seconds to get that last 2% down before we wiped, granted there shouldnt BE messy boss kills in a perfect world but reality and expectations rarely meet up. Also iirc some of the world first algalon kills were with a priest with glyphed dispersion tanking big bangs, so it does have its uses to the raid theyre just not overly obvious.

[Solia]

Dispersion can save a lot of raid damage from going out too in fights such as V&T (when you are the one targeted.)

[Arlee]

Dispersion can save a lot of raid damage from going out too in fights such as V&T (when you are the one targeted.)

One of the best examples of Dispersion being win in this expansion was my guild was working on Mal, and the OT wandered too close to me on accident and both him and I got iced. Clearly the priority was getting him out first so I dispersioned and probably saved myself, and definitely saved the healer a bunch of mana. So yea.. don't discount the usefulness of dispersion

[Deleted]

Yep - Dispersion is amazing for tanking Enrages - it acts in a similar way to a Rogue's Evasion, often giving your other DPS an extra few seconds, so it's very useful, for example, on Chimaeron Execute Phase and Maloriak Dark Phase.

[Zuziza]

I take it back then. =)

[snarkysnark]

Just to expand on these:
Dispersion is a self-help thing, just gives the spriest mana back. Doesn't help anyone else.

Not true! Boss is almost dead, tank dies, you get aggro, pop disperse, that extra six seconds of uninterrupted DPS from the rest of the raid just got you the kill. It happens. :P

Edit: I really should read the other posts before posting. -_- Lol

[[-Spiritus-]]

Shackle Undead: A snare CC only useable against undead (not including Forsaken players, but it totally should).

Just as a clarification, Shackle Undead isn't a snare CC, but functions identically to polymorph, except the target does not wander and can only be used on undead. Many undead, however, are immune to it in raids.

[Deleted]

+ offensive and defensive dispelling.

Wrack and Remedy spring to mind!

[Zuziza]

Just as a clarification, Shackle Undead isn't a snare CC, but functions identically to polymorph, except the target does not wander and can only be used on undead. Many undead, however, are immune to it in raids.

I've seen caster undead (like the ones in SFK) that can still cast when shackled. That's why I described it as a snare.

[DuckieMage]

I've seen caster undead (like the ones in SFK) that can still cast when shackled. That's why I described it as a snare.

I would describe that as a bug [or a recent change to shackle that I hadn't heard about] as they shouldn't be able to cast while in shackle. It's sopost to immediately stop the target from attacking anything.

[Purpleisbetter]

Just remind me that for PVP-purposes instead of improves psychic stream it should be improved shackle making it able to root like druids one :\

[Zuziza]

I would describe that as a bug [or a recent change to shackle that I hadn't heard about] as they shouldn't be able to cast while in shackle. It's sopost to immediately stop the target from attacking anything.

Looked at the tooltip since this was brought up, and yeah, that's how it's supposed to work.

Shackles the undead enemy for up to 50 seconds. The shackled unit is unable to move, attack or cast spells. Any damage will release the target. Only one target can be shackled at a time.

I know for sure that the caster skeletons (not the ghosts; I had always assumed they didn't cast because we'd LoS them easily in there anyway) in SFK and the caster skeleton before the marrowgar recolor in HoO keep on casting though, at least when cata first hit. That most certainly should be a bug. However, I haven't run any randoms in a while cause I don't need the valor. Anyone been in there recently that can say if it's been fixed?

[[-Spiritus-]]

I've never witnessed a shackled mob cast anything, ever, nor hit anyone who was standing next to it in melee. In fact, I use to spam shackle on the lich-type adds on Dreamwalker in ICC if melee happened to be on the other side of the room b/c shackle was a faster cast than Frostbolt Volley [spammed b/c ranged were hitting them] and I could interrupt every cast.

However, even if this were true, it wouldn't be a snare... it would be a root.