Shadow Priest Talent Build & Glyphs
The 14/0/57 Shadow Priest build for WotLK 3.3.5a, point by point. It is already loaded in the calculator below, so you can change a talent, try another build or copy a link to share it.
- 14/0/57 main build
- 2 builds
- Glyphs included
- Free · no login
Class Armory
3.3.5a · LEVEL 80
Save, share & build options
Click to add · Right-click or Shift-click to remove. On touch screens, select a talent and use + / −.
Major Glyphs
Minor Glyphs
Glyph recommendations aren't compiled yet for this build — the talent split above is still fully real and verified against actual WotLK 3.3.5a game data.
Build snapshot
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About the Shadow Priest build
Shadow Priest is a 14/0/57 build, with a hybrid variant called Enlightenment at 29/0/42. The spec is defined by Shadowform, Vampiric Touch, Misery, Twisted Faith, Pain and Suffering and Dispersion. The two builds differ in the Shadow talents at the end, where the Enlightenment version gives up Improved Mind Blast and Twisted Faith in exchange for a deeper Discipline tree.
- 14/0/57main build
- 2builds to compare
- 6glyphs
- 71points at level 80
Shadow Priest builds compared
The calculator above has 2 builds for this spec. Pick one from the Build menu to load it. Every build totals 71 points, and the last column shows what it changes compared with the main build.
| Build | Split | Use it when | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard main build | 14/0/57 | Our recommended Shadow build and the one to load first. | the reference |
| Enlightenment | 29/0/42 | A Shadow and Discipline hybrid. It moves fifteen points into Discipline for Enlightenment and takes them from Improved Mind Blast, Twisted Faith and part of Pain and Suffering. | Improved Mind Blast 5 → 0 Mental Strength 0 → 5 Twisted Faith 5 → 0 Improved Power Word: Shield 0 → 3 Mental Agility 0 → 3 Enlightenment 0 → 2 and 4 smaller changes |
Every talent in the main Shadow Priest build
This is the 14/0/57 build, talent by talent, with what each one does at the rank the build takes. Talents are listed from the top of each tree to the bottom. The Holy tree gets no points in this build.
Discipline14 points
| Talent | Rank | What it does at this rank |
|---|---|---|
| Twin Disciplines | 5/5 | Increases the damage and healing done by your instant spells by 5%. |
| Improved Inner Fire | 3/3 | Increases the effect of your Inner Fire spell by 45%, and increases the total number of charges by 12. |
| Improved Power Word: Fortitude | 2/2 | Increases the effect of your Power Word: Fortitude and Prayer of Fortitude spells by 30%, and increases your total Stamina by 4%. |
| Meditation | 3/3 | Allows 50% of your mana regeneration to continue while casting. |
| Inner Focus | 1/1 | Instant · 3 min cooldownWhen activated, reduces the Mana cost of your next spell by 100% and increases its critical effect chance by 25% if it is capable of a critical effect. |
Shadow57 points
| Talent | Rank | What it does at this rank |
|---|---|---|
| Spirit Tap | 3/3 | Gives you a 100% chance to gain a 100% bonus to your Spirit after killing a target that yields experience or honor. For the duration, your Mana will regenerate at a 83% rate while casting. Lasts 15 sec. |
| Improved Spirit Tap | 2/2 | Your Mind Blast and Shadow Word: Death critical strikes have a 100% chance and your Mind Flay critical strikes have a 50% chance to increase your total Spirit by 10%. For the duration, your mana will regenerate at a 33% rate while casting. Lasts 8 sec. |
| Darkness | 5/5 | Increases your Shadow spell damage by 10%. |
| Improved Shadow Word: Pain | 2/2 | Increases the damage of your Shadow Word: Pain spell by 6%. |
| Shadow Focus | 3/3 | Increases your chance to hit with your Shadow spells by 3%, and reduces the mana cost of your Shadow spells by 6%. |
| Improved Mind Blast | 5/5 | Reduces the cooldown of your Mind Blast spell by 2.5 sec, and while in Shadowform your Mind Blast also has a 100% chance to reduce all healing done to the target by 20% for 10 sec. |
| Mind Flay | 1/1 | 9% of base mana · 30 yd range · ChanneledAssault the target's mind with Shadow energy, causing 45 Shadow damage over 3 sec and slowing the target to 50% of their movement speed. |
| Veiled Shadows | 2/2 | Decreases the cooldown of your Fade ability by 6 sec, and reduces the cooldown of your Shadowfiend ability by 2 minutes. |
| Shadow Reach | 2/2 | Increases the range of your offensive Shadow spells by 20%. |
| Shadow Weaving | 3/3 | Your Shadow damage spells have a 100% chance to increase the Shadow damage you deal by 2% for 15 sec. Stacks up to 5 times. |
| Vampiric Embrace | 1/1 | Instant castFills you with the embrace of Shadow energy, causing you to be healed for 15% and other party members to be healed for 3% of any single-target Shadow spell damage you deal for 30 min. |
| Focused Mind | 3/3 | Reduces the mana cost of your Mind Blast, Mind Control, Mind Flay and Mind Sear spells by 15%. |
| Mind Melt | 2/2 | Increases the critical strike chance of your Mind Blast, Mind Flay and Mind Sear spells by 4%, and increases the periodic critical strike chance of your Vampiric Touch, Devouring Plague and Shadow Word: Pain spells by 6%. |
| Improved Devouring Plague | 3/3 | Increases the periodic damage done by your Devouring Plague by 15%, and when you cast Devouring Plague you instantly deal damage equal to 30% of its total periodic effect. |
| Shadowform | 1/1 | 13% of base mana · Instant cast · 1.5 sec cooldownAssume a Shadowform, increasing your Shadow damage by 15%, reducing all damage done to you by 15% and threat generated by 30%. However, you may not cast Holy spells while in this form except Cure Disease and Abolish Disease. Grants the periodic damage from your Shadow Word: Pain, Devouring Plague, and Vampiric Touch spells the ability to critically hit for 100% increased damage and grants Devouring Plague and Vampiric Touch the ability to benefit from haste. |
| Shadow Power | 5/5 | Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Mind Blast, Mind Flay and Shadow Word: Death spells by 100%. |
| Improved Shadowform | 1/2 | Your Fade ability now has a 50% chance to remove all movement impairing effects when used while in Shadowform, and reduces casting or channeling time lost when damaged by 35% when casting any Shadow spell while in Shadowform. |
| Misery | 3/3 | Your Shadow Word: Pain, Mind Flay and Vampiric Touch spells also increase the chance for harmful spells to hit by 3% lasting 24 sec, and increases the benefit from spell power gained by your Mind Blast, Mind Flay and Mind Sear spells by 15%. |
| Vampiric Touch | 1/1 | 16% of base mana · 30 yd range · 1.5 sec castCauses 450 Shadow damage over 15 sec to your target and causes up to 10 party or raid members to gain 1% of their maximum mana per 5 sec when you deal damage from Mind Blast. In addition, if the Vampiric Touch is dispelled it will cause 720 damage to the afflicted target. |
| Pain and Suffering | 3/3 | Your Mind Flay has a 100% chance to refresh the duration of your Shadow Word: Pain on the target, and reduces the damage you take from your own Shadow Word: Death by 30%. |
| Twisted Faith | 5/5 | Increases your spell power by 20% of your total Spirit, and your damage done by your Mind Flay and Mind Blast is increased by 10% if your target is afflicted by your Shadow Word: Pain. |
| Dispersion | 1/1 | Instant · 2 min cooldownYou disperse into pure Shadow energy, reducing all damage taken by 90%. You are unable to attack or cast spells, but you regenerate 6% mana every 1 sec for 6 sec. Dispersion can be cast while stunned, feared or silenced and clears all snare and movement impairing effects when cast, and makes you immune to them while dispersed. |
Shadow Priest glyphs
Major glyphs
Glyph of ShadowWhile in Shadowform, your non-periodic spell critical strikes increase your spell power by 30% of your Spirit for 10 sec.
Glyph of Mind FlayIncreases the damage done by your Mind Flay spell by 10% when your target is afflicted with Shadow Word: Pain.
Glyph of DispersionReduces the cooldown on Dispersion by 45 sec.
Other major options: Glyph of Mind Sear.
Minor glyphs
Glyph of ShadowfiendReceive 5% of your maximum mana if your Shadowfiend dies from damage.
Glyph of LevitateYour Levitate spell no longer requires a reagent.
Glyph of FortitudeReduces the mana cost of your Power Word: Fortitude and Prayer of Fortitude spells by 50%.
Shadow Priest talents FAQ
QWhat is the best Shadow Priest talent build in WotLK 3.3.5a?
Our main build is 14/0/57: 14 points in Discipline, 0 in Holy and 57 in Shadow. The deepest talents it takes are Dispersion, Twisted Faith, Vampiric Touch and Pain and Suffering. The calculator on this page loads it, and you can change any point to see what it costs.
QWhich glyphs should a Shadow Priest use?
The main build uses Glyph of Shadow, Glyph of Mind Flay and Glyph of Dispersion as major glyphs and Glyph of Shadowfiend, Glyph of Levitate and Glyph of Fortitude as minor glyphs. Options for a different fight or gearing are Glyph of Mind Sear.
QHow should a Shadow Priest split talent points?
Level 80 gives 71 talent points. The main build spends them as 14/0/57 across Discipline, Holy and Shadow. The other 1 build (Enlightenment 29/0/42) move some of the points, and the table above shows which ones.
QWhich Shadow Priest build should I pick?
Standard (14/0/57): Our recommended Shadow build and the one to load first. Enlightenment (29/0/42): A Shadow and Discipline hybrid. It moves fifteen points into Discipline for Enlightenment and takes them from Improved Mind Blast, Twisted Faith and part of Pain and Suffering.