#1 - Feb. 3, 2017, 7:47 a.m.
So far I've only queued random bgs and 2's. The idea is to save 3's and rbg's for a ratings push. I don't see that happening though. What I'm observing is we have really good highs, but completely devastating lows. If I'm given space, I am able to maintain sufficient insanity generation to ramp up my damage in voidform and be competitive with other classes. On the flipside, if I'm unable to build up VF stacks, my damage becomes very subpar.
Experimenting with shadowy insight builds and various Honor talent techs such as EotS, I'm finding that my only viable option is still centered around voidform and securing VF stacks.
My observation is that our three main problem areas are lack of defense, spell-cast pushback and stuns/interrupts (especially concerning Void Torrent). These all kind of go hand in hand but I wanted to comment on them individually. Defensively, were just simply an easy kill. Dispersion will sometimes cause opponents to target a teammate, but I don't have the mobility to reposition and regroup before I get refocused. Shadow has two cc's and a slow. Mind Control is a very situational and risky spell to cast. Psychic Scream is not ideal because of multiple cc breakers, and it can only be used at close-range. Mind-bomb is pretty much a must choose, it does it's job well. The slow from Mind Flay and Call to the Void, however, is pretty much useless against the many jetpack melees.
When I have a melee on me, spell-cast pushback severely inhibits my ability to apply Vampiric Touch, cast Mind Blast (or sw:v), and enter Voidform (If I'm not using Void Origins). This may seem like a small thing considering our relatively short cast-times, but the net result is I can't capitalize on self-sustain through VT and more importantly I can't ramp up my damage to be useful and competitive.
Lastly, with stuns/interrupts, this is something every class has to face so I don't expect any special treatment. However, Void Torrent is one of two artifact abilities that is rendered useless by stuns/interrupts. Damage-wise Void Torrent is a welcome addition to shadow's kit, in regards to pvp utility, it's essential. 4 seconds of free time to reset cd's and build up VF stacks is crucial to my ability to ramp up damage. When this gets interrupted, It's a significant setback.
I think damage-wise shadowpriest is in the ballpark, we might just need adjustments to how or how long it takes us to ramp up output. Our damage is being hindered by an inability to sustain consistent insanity generation. Shadow isn't meant to be an agile caster like mage, or a tanky self-sustainer like warlock. Our strength lies in utility, to this end, I'd like to see some creative new ways to address the issues above. I personally don't want another cc in the game, and to be frank, we don't need another class breaking the sound barrier across arenas and bgs. Shadow needs some sort of improvement to survivability or sustainability that will translate into being able to compete in damage. Like an aoe spell that prevents stuns for a few seconds, or some sort of improvement to mind flay. I'd really like to know if this is something the developers are looking into and how they see us competing in the future.
