Primary Specification: Shadow
Gear & Enhancements
I am currently using a 360 ilevl combination of gear. I will post a detailed breakdown as I gear through to tier.
Glyphs
These tend to change but Death, Mind Flay and Pain if in standard configuration, allowing for 20% execute of SWD
Gear Selection
With the announcement of Shadow Priest changes in Cataclysm, ample minds developing simcraft began running numbers and theorizing the values of Intellect, Haste, Spell power, Critical strike, Mastery and Hit/Spirit in terms of their increases of our DPS. Initial reports show stat weight priorities have maintained their importance from 3.3.5 but the new stat, Mastery, was seriously undervalued. After several months, Blizzard continuously revamped our mastery effect; increasing its value as a gear statistic:
Code:Scaling Factors Int Spirit SP Hit Crit Haste Mastery (Normalized Values) 1.0000 0.3779 0.7784 0.3767 0.4014 0.5318 0.391
The value of spell power has become less consequential as it is removed from all gear except for caster weapons and potential trinket procs.
Trinket procs may still need to be evaluated using the spell power coefficient to determine a best in slot list. This leaves our main focus on the use of Intellect, Haste, Crit, Mastery and Hit/Spirit.It should also be mentioned again that gathering Spirit gear will allow for greater ease in reaching the hit cap of 17%.
Some other important numbers: Hit Cap = 1742 hit/spirit (1639 for Draenei) for the 17% hit cap1% Hit = 102.446 rating1% Crit = 179.28 rating1% Haste = 128.05701 rating 1 Mastery = 179.28 rating
Gems
Socket bonuses appear to be mostly based on Intellect, and it seems that most of socket bonuses will be worth gemming for at first glance. The desirable gem(s) for each slot are as follows:
Red: Brilliant Inferno Ruby
Blue: Purified Demon’s Eye Sparkling Ocean Sapphire
Yellow: Reckless Ember Topaz
Meta: Chaotic Shadow Sprint Diamond. This should be reverting to 2 Blue Gems in a future patch. Also, if a unique +20 all stats gem like Nightmare Tear makes its way into the game again, I’d probably use that in one of your 2 blue required slots. Sparkling Ocean Sapphires are for those situations where you just absolutely need Hit for some reason and hey, may as well go Spirit > Hit. However, I would highly recommend not gemming for Hit. You will gain more by gemming for Intellect and reforging secondary stats into Hit/Spirit if you need the rating.
You should gem for the socket bonuses if the bonuses are:
Red Sockets = Always 40 Intellect in a red socket
Yellow Sockets (20 Int + 20 Haste) = Intellect > 9. Haste > 17. Crit > 22. Mastery > 23
Blue Sockets (20 Int + 20 Spirit) = Intellect > 19. Haste > 37. Crit > 49. Mastery > 51
Enchants
Head: Arcanum of Hyjal – 60 Intellect, 35 Crit
Shoulders: Greater Inscription of Charged Lodestone – 50 Intellect, 25 Haste
Back: Greater Intellect – 50 Intellect
Chest: Peerless Stats – 20 All Stats
Bracer: Greater Speed – 65 Haste
Hands: Speed – 50 Haste
Legs: Powerful Ghostly Spell thread – 95 Intellect, 55 Spirit
Boots: Haste – 50 Haste*
Main-Hand: Power Torrent
Off-hand: Superior Intellect – 100 Intellect
*Its been debatable for years whether to go with the DPS stat boosting feet enchants, or to go with the run speed enhancing boot enchants. This expansion, we have a run speed enchant whose secondary stat is a DPS boost and not just a stamina increase. Another acceptable enchant for your boots is Lava Walker (run speed increase, 35 Mastery).
Reforging
Once over hit cap all additional remaining stats have been reforged to haste and crit, thus enabling max chance for orbs and throughput. All Mastery is reforged as a matter of principle!
Current items are
