Priest Leveling Guide

[gotmilk0112 10]

In the beginning I just quest, most usually I buy the enchanting wand or do so myself, around 16-18 you can get a decent wand from the quest in southwest Westfall, the light beacon if I recall.

You can also get Cookie's Stirring Rod from Deadmines, which you're going to be doing anyways for quests.

[Maxvla 0]

Level 40: http://i.imgur.com/5bNLcCY.png

-Respec your talents and go all the way down to get Shadowform. Nice little damage boost and physical damage reduction. However, you'll still mostly be using your Wand, until the late 40s or so.

 

 

It is not necessary to respec at level 40 for shadow form. It does not actually increase your damage dealt. As you say, you are still mostly using your wand. The difference from level 40 with imp wand and 1/5 darkness and no shadow form is +25% wand damage, +2% shadow damage. At this level, you will do about 50% of your damage to the mob with your wand. Respeccing to Shadow form loses the 25% wand damage to pick up 8% shadow damage from darkness and 15% from shadow form, as your wand and shadow damage are equal, this results in lower damage being dealt (2% lower, 27% vs 25%). You do gain the lower damage taken, but I rarely find that a concern while killing mobs. If you are concerned with pvp, I would respec for the damage reduction.

 

By the time you start transitioning away from your wand, you will have shadow form.

[Docholy 4]

Ideally after level 40 you'd be spec'd in a manner to have basic healer utility to maximise dungeons availability for quest. Since you should only do a dungeon when you have lined up 4+ quest. 

[Xom 8]

It is not necessary to respec at level 40 for shadow form. It does not actually increase your damage dealt.

 

Have you ever actually read the tooltip on Shadowform?

[gotmilk0112 10]

Ideally after level 40 you'd be spec'd in a manner to have basic healer utility to maximise dungeons availability for quest. Since you should only do a dungeon when you have lined up 4+ quest. 

You don't need to be in a healing spec to heal dungeons until BRD or so.

 

What I usually end up doing is going Shadow until 57 or so, then just healing dungeons until 60, since I'm going to be doing those dungeons anyway to farm for gear.

 

 

Have you ever actually read the tooltip on Shadowform?

It doesn't increase your WAND damage....unless you have a Shadow wand.

 

Even so, the +15% physical damage reduction is really nice.

Edited December 8, 2016 by gotmilk0112

[Maxvla 0]

Have you ever actually read the tooltip on Shadowform?

Have you ever actually read a post in it's entirety?

 

By respeccing at level 40, you give up improved wand to pick up shadow form and 4 points in darkness. About half of your damage against a mob at that level is from your wand, the other half from shadow damage. Improved wand is 25% improvement for 50% of your damage. Shadow form and 4 points of darkness is 23% improvement for 50% of your damage. 25% wand > 23% shadow. Get it?

[Xom 8]

Have you ever actually read a post in it's entirety?

 

By respeccing at level 40, you give up improved wand to pick up shadow form and 4 points in darkness. About half of your damage against a mob at that level is from your wand, the other half from shadow damage. Improved wand is 25% improvement for 50% of your damage. Shadow form and 4 points of darkness is 23% improvement for 50% of your damage. 25% wand > 23% shadow. Get it?

 

Yes, I read your post.

Those bolded words are your own invention, it's hardly a basis for theorycrafting. You began your post by claiming something that was only true if your numbers were unassailable, but they're easily put into question.

 

But okay, we know Priests use their wands loads so let's pretend it's 50%. How is dealing 2% more damage worth taking 15% more damage? I mean if any other class was able to decide "okay... next level I can decide between 2% more damage or.. take 15% less damage" it would be a no-brainer.

 

edit - oh yeah I forgot another reason. You can multi-DoT. You cannot multi-Wand. Any time you fight more than one target it seems the extra damage from your spells would outstrip the damage your Wand does to them.

Edited December 8, 2016 by Xom

[Maxvla 0]

All I said was that it wasn't necessary to respec and provided the reason why damage dealt would remain the same. Everyone always talks about respecing for shadow form like it's some huge dps boost when it isn't. That's all I'm here to talk about.

 

Regarding the half dmg from wand, of course I can't be precise. People will have different wands.

[gotmilk0112 10]

If you're on the PvP servers, you'll want Shadowform asap for not only the damage reduction, but the boost to shadow spells will help you fight other players.

 

On the PvE server, yeah, you can just wait until 45 to get Shadowform.

[Ursh 2]

When you get shadow form, you also pick up the precursor talents that give 10% bonus damage to shadow spells.  15%+10%=25%, right? 

 

Add in the shadow weaving, which admittedly doesn't help a whole lot when clearing basic trash, but does add up on elite mobs in dungeons, and going full shadow at 40 makes a lot more sense.  You'll be bored of wanding everything by this point anyways.  

 

Also, mounts look way cooler when you're in shadow form, because it covers the mount as well.  

[Maxvla 0]

I accounted for all the talented damage increases. You have shadow weaving no matter which spec you are at that level. The only difference is 1/5 darkness (2% shadow damage) and 25% wand damage, or 5/5 darkness (10% shadow damage), and shadow form (15% shadow damage). It's academic, most people want shadow form to look cool, but if grinding speed is all that matters, there's basically no difference.

[Shayss 43]

I accounted for all the talented damage increases. You have shadow weaving no matter which spec you are at that level. The only difference is 1/5 darkness (2% shadow damage) and 25% wand damage, or 5/5 darkness (10% shadow damage), and shadow form (15% shadow damage). It's academic, most people want shadow form to look cool, but if grinding speed is all that matters, there's basically no difference.

 

You aren't taking shadowform for the damage (15% increase is nice but we only use about 2 spells and then wand), it is used for the 15% physical damage reduction. This is very powerful. It makes you a lot tankier. Less damage = Less you need to heal = less downtime.

[Maxvla 0]

You are right, I wasn't taking that into account because that's not what I was talking about. I was addressing the notion people get when they realize they can now pick up shadow form, they don't say to themselves 'oh sweet I can take 15% less damage now!'. They say 'I'm going to do a lot more damage now', which is wrong, and was my point.

 

While waiting for Elysium, I was playing a priest on Magicwow. Got it to 36 before deciding I had played it enough and would wait for the release. At that level, I would mind blast, swp, VE, then wand it to death. Typically I'd end up around 40-50% hp and 80-90% mana. A single renew was enough to heal me to full and I'd be at 100%/100%. Shadow form wouldn't change much, I'd kill it a little faster, and take a little less damage, so ending at 60-70% hp. Eventually you would need to heal and have to drop shadow form or use food.

[gotmilk0112 10]

You DO get more damage, on your shadow spells. Which is very useful on PvP servers because it helps you fight enemy players.

 

Also, you should be using PWS pre-pull, not Renew after.

[Maxvla 0]

Shield costs more and prevents less damage than renew heals.

For example a level 34 would have these spells:

Power Word: Shield - 204 mana 301 shield

Renew - 170 mana 315 healed

On a high level or hard hitting enemy of course you would shield first. Also, shadow form increases the value of shield 15%, so after shadow form you would always shield first, partly because shield and renew are in parity, partly because dropping shadow form to heal or eat is more downtime.

Edited December 13, 2016 by Maxvla

[gotmilk0112 10]

The benefit of shield is that it prevents you from losing health in the first place. Especially helpful on PvP servers.

 

Mana isn't an issue if you're just dotting and wanding.

[femdead 0]

renew after the mob dies breaks your 5 second rule. you can shield, mind blast, pain, then wand in shadowform (toss in a mind flay if you need the damage), and then just regen your mana until you need to pull the next mob

[Undertanker 88]

Yeah better to renew before you pull, not after. Use renew instead of shield should help as well, only shield if higher level mob for a quest kill.

[Ursh 2]

Yeah better to renew before you pull, not after. Use renew instead of shield should help as well, only shield if higher level mob for a quest kill.

 

Normally I mind blast, sw:p, renew, wand.  That way the first renew tick normally happens right about the same time as the first incoming damage. Non-stop grinding.  

Edited December 17, 2016 by Ursh