Shadow Priest

Shadow Priest DPS follows a strict DoT-priority rotation. Keep Vampiric Touch and Shadow Word: Pain active at all times, use Mind Blast on cooldown to trigger mana return, and fill with Mind Flay. Shadow Word: Death is a filler when safe to use.

1. 
   Vampiric Touch — Apply first and keep up at all times. When Mind Blast deals damage, your party gains mana equal to 5% of VT's damage.
2. 
   Shadow Word: Pain — Keep up at all times. Strong DoT that benefits from Shadow Weaving and Shadow Form.
3. 
   Mind Blast — Use on cooldown (5.5s with talents). Triggers Vampiric Touch mana return for your group. Highest single-hit damage.
4. 
   Mind Flay — Your primary filler. Cast 2-3 times between Mind Blast cooldowns. Clip the last tick if Mind Blast is coming off cooldown.
5. 
   Shadow Word: Death — Instant cast filler when safe. Deals backlash damage to you, so only use when healers can keep you topped.

Best gear obtainable from heroic dungeons, crafting, reputation, and quests before entering Karazhan. Reaching the 16% spell hit cap is critical.

Best endgame gear from SSC, Tempest Keep, Hyjal, Black Temple, and Sunwell Plateau. Prioritize spell hit (16% cap) > shadow damage > haste > crit.

Essential Shadow Priest macros for TBC Classic. Focus on DoT management and utility.

Vampiric Touch + Trinkets

#showtooltip Vampiric Touch /use 13 /use 14 /cast Vampiric Touch

Opens with trinkets + VT for maximum damage on initial DoTs.

Shadow Word: Death Cancel

#showtooltip Shadow Word: Death /stopcasting /cast Shadow Word: Death

Cancels Mind Flay to instantly fire SW:D when it comes off cooldown.

Mouseover Dispel

#showtooltip Dispel Magic /cast [@mouseover,help,nodead][@target] Dispel Magic

Dispels friendly targets without losing your DPS target.

Shadowfiend on Target

#showtooltip Shadowfiend /cast [@target,harm,nodead] Shadowfiend

Summons Shadowfiend on your current target for mana regen.

• + Keep Vampiric Touch up at all times — it provides mana to your entire party (5% of shadow damage dealt).
• + Cancel Mind Flay early if Mind Blast or SW:D come off cooldown — never let them sit unused.
• - Don't forget Shadow Word: Death — it's free DPS. Just watch your health on the self-damage backlash.
• - Don't multi-dot in raids unless assigned to — threat generation from multiple DoTs can pull aggro.
• i Hit cap is 16% for spells (202 rating). Shadow Focus talent provides 10%, so you only need 76 rating from gear.
• i Shadow Priests have NO AoE — on trash, multi-dot or use SW:P on as many targets as feasible.

Meta Gem

Chaotic Skyfire Diamond — +12 Spell Critical Strike, +3% Critical Strike Damage. Requires more blue gems than yellow.

Gem Priority

Use Runed Living Ruby (+9 Spell Damage) in red sockets. Use Veiled Noble Topaz (+4 Spell Hit / +5 Spell Damage) in yellow sockets until hit capped. Use Glowing Nightseye (+5 Spell Damage / +6 Stamina) in blue sockets to activate meta requirement.

Enchants

Flasks & Elixirs

Flask of Pure Death

Flask — +80 Shadow, Fire, and Frost Spell Damage

Destruction Potion

Potion — +120 Spell Damage, +2% Spell Crit for 15s

Food

Blackened Basilisk

+23 Spell Damage, +20 Spirit

Other

Superior Wizard Oil

+42 Spell Damage — Applied to weapon

Super Mana Potion

Restores 1800-3000 Mana — Essential for long fights