World of Warcraft: Shadowlands pre-expansion 9.0.1 update brings with it a multitude of class changes, and the Priest was no exception. Many classes will find some of their most popular abilities that were removed many expansions ago, and their skill acquisition adjusted due to the huge level reduction introduced in this same update.
Not all classes received massive adjustments, but Priest certainly saw a good amount of class changes (Shadow more than Discipline and Holy). Below is the full list of class changes made to Priest in Shadowlands prior to the Update 9.0.1 expansion. For the full patch notes, be sure to check out the link here, where additional class changes are listed.
Priest - Shadowlands Update 9.0.1 Class Changes
GENERAL
- Fade now has an additional effect – Fade now reduces the range at which enemies will attack you.
- All priests can now use the following abilities:
- Shadow Word: Pain – A word of darkness that instantly deals Shadow damage and additional Shadow damage over 12 seconds. Shadow Priests generate 4 madness.
- Shadow Word: Death – A dark binding word that deals Shadow damage to the target. If the target is not killed by Shadow Word: Death, the caster takes damage equal to the damage dealt to the target. Damage increased by 175% for targets below 20% health.
- PvP Talent Changes:
- New PvP Talent: Thought Steal – Observe an enemy's mind while trying to steal a known spell. If stolen, the victim cannot cast this spell for 20 seconds. Can only be used on humanoids with mana. If you fail to find a spell to steal, Spirit Steal's cooldown is reset.
DISCIPLINE
- New Ability: Mind Sear – Corrosive shadow energy radiates from the target, inflicting Shadow damage over 4,5 seconds to all enemies within 10 yards of the target.
- New Ability: Mind Blast – Blasts the target's mind for Shadow damage and has an additional effect: Mind Blast prevents some of the enemy's next damage.
- Rapture now immediately casts Power Word: Shield on your target ally when used, if no ally is targeted Power Word: Shield will cast on yourself and its duration has been reduced to 8 seconds (down from 10 seconds) ).
- Shadow Covenant has been redesigned – Make a Dark Covenant, healing the target and 4 other injured allies within 30 yards. For 9 seconds, your Shadow spells deal 25% increased damage and healing, but you cannot cast Holy spells. 30 second cooldown, costs 5% base mana.
- Holy Nova now deals reduced damage if there are more than 5 targets.
- The following talents have been adjusted:
- New Talent: Spirit Shell (replaces Light Barrier): For 10 seconds, Penance, Power Word: Shard, and Atonement create absorption shields instead of healing. Replaces Rapture when talented. Spirit Shell has no global cooldown.
- Schism now increases spell damage dealt to the target by 25% (was 40%).
SAINT
- Circle of Healing is no longer a Talent and learned by all Holy Priests at level 39.
- Instant Holy Fire damage increased by 300%, but now has a 1,5 second cast time.
- Holy Nova now deals reduced damage if there are more than 5 targets.
- The following talents have been adjusted:
- New Talent: Renewed Faith (replaces Lasting Renewal) – Your healing is increased by 10% on targets with your Renewal.
- New Talent: Prayer Circle (replaces Healing Circle) – Using Healing Circle reduces the cast time of your Healing Prayer by 25% for 8 seconds.
- Life After Death also increases the range of your Spirit of Redemption healing spells by 30%.
- Apotheosis now also resets the cooldowns of your Holy Words when activated.
- PvP Talent Changes:
- New PvP Talent: Cardinal's Healing - Prayer of Mending now heals the target for 10% of their maximum health, ignoring healing reduction effects.
- New PvP Talent: Divine Ascension – You soar into the air out of harm's way. While floating, you can only cast holy spells.
- The Divine Servant has been removed.
SHADOW
- New Mastery: Shadow Weaving – Your damage is increased by 4% for each of the Shadow Words: Pain, Vampiric Touch, and Devouring Plague on the target. During Void Form, all targets receive the maximum effect.
- New Ability: Devouring Plague – Afflicts the target with a disease that instantly deals Shadow damage plus 4 additional Shadow damage over 6 seconds. Heals you for 300% of damage dealt.
- New Ability: Dark Thoughts (Passive) – For each of your damage over time effects on the target, your Mind Flay and Mind Sear have a 2% chance to instantly add a Mind Blast charge, causing it to instantly cast and allowing it to be cast while channeling Mind Flay or Mind Sear within 6 seconds.
- Voidform has been redesigned - now has a 90 second cooldown and increases damage by 20% for 15 seconds. Voidform no longer reduces Mind Blast cooldown, but now refreshes Mind Blast cooldown and you gain 2 charges while in Voidform. You no longer gain haste every 0,5 seconds while in void form.
- Void Eruption cast time reduced by 40% and no longer requires 90 Insanity to cast.
- Shadowy Apparitions has been redesigned – When you use Mind Blast, Devouring Plague, or Void Bolt, you also create a dark version of yourself that floats towards all targets affected by your Vampiric Touch dealing Shadow damage. Critical hits will cause two spawns to be created.
- Shadow Word: Death no longer generates madness.
- Mind Blasts Insanity generation is now 8 (was 12).
- Vampiric Touch's Insanity generation is now 5 (was 6).
- Void Bolt's Insanity generation is now 15 years old (up from 20).
- Mind Sear Insanity generation is now 6 (was 8).
- The following talents have been adjusted:
- New Talent: Death and Madness (replaces Shadowy Insight) – If a target dies within 6 seconds of being hit by your Shadow Word: Death, you gain 73 Insanity over 4 seconds and your Shadowy Word: Death cooldown is reset.
- New Talent: Deploy Darkness (replaces Shadow Word: Void) – After casting Vampiric Touch on a target, your next Vampiric Touch within 8 seconds is instant and deals Shadow damage immediately. This effect cannot occur more than once every 15 seconds.
- New Talent: Psychic Link (replaces Shadow Word: Death) – Mind Blast deals 50% of its damage to all targets affected by your Vampiric Touch within 40 yards.
- New Talent: Searing Nightmare (replaces Dark Void) – Instantly deals Shadow damage to enemies around the target and afflicts them with Shadow Word: Pain. If the enemy is already afflicted by your Shadow Word: Pain, Searing Nightmare damage is increased by 185%. Only usable while channeling Mind Sear.
- New Talent: Damnation (replaces Lingering Madness) – Instantly afflicts the target with Shadow Word: Pain, Vampiric Touch, and Devouring Plague for free.
- New Talent: Ancient Madness (replaces Dark Ascension) – Voidform increases your critical strike chance by 30% for 15 seconds, reducing by 2% every second.
- New Talent: Hungry Void (replaces Legacy of the Void) – Void Bolt makes the target vulnerable to the Void, increasing damage taken by the Priest for 6 seconds. Voidbolt cast on vulnerable targets will also extend the duration of your Voidform by 1 second, 2 seconds if Voidbolt critically hits. This effect can only be active on one target at a time.
- Shadow Crash has been redesigned – Launch a slow, far-reaching bolt of Shadow energy at its destination, inflicting Shadow damage to all targets within 8 yards. If Shadow Crash hits a lone target, your next Shadow Crash damage is increased by 25% within 15 seconds. Stacks up to 2 and generates 8 Insanity.
- Void Torrent no longer pauses your madness when used, but now applies Devouring Plague and refreshes the duration of all your Shadow damage effects over time while channeling.
- Subjugate Madness no longer instantly generates 100 Madness when used and has a 1,5 minute cooldown (was 3 minutes). Additionally, Surrender to Madness now has a heartbeat sound effect that speeds up when you reach the end of spell durations.
- PvP Talent Changes:
- New PvP Talent: Lasting Plague – Increases the duration of your Devouring Plague by 6 seconds.
- Driven to Madness has been redesigned – Now reduces the cooldown of your Void Eruption by 3 seconds when taking damage.
- Shadow Mania has been removed.
