This is the Shadow Priest 1-85 Power Leveling Build Guide for WoW Cataclysm as of patch 4.0.6.  A shadow priest can be a great leveler, especially once they hit level 40.  This guide will show you the best talents to use up until level 85, some essential glyphs, and points to distribute after you have reached max Shadow tree.

This build focuses on mana efficiency and regen so you can keep your mana up to keep on killing.

This is the best build for leveling to go along with the best leveling path that you can find with Zygor’s Leveling Guide.

Updates

Dec 12th:  Updated the build, using Discipline instead of Holy as additional specs.  Added full glyph suggestions.  Also added a spell rotation.

Shadow Spell Rotation

Vampiric Touch, Devouring Plauge and Shadow Word Pain, keep these up on target.

Spam Mind Flay

Use Mind Blast and Shadow Word Death(SWD) whenever posible.

If your HP is getting too low from casting SWD then swith to Mind Flay.

Shadow 85 Priest Cataclysm Power Leveling Build Guide

Level 85 Priest (8/0/33) (Link)

Shadow (33 Points)

Darkness – Rank 3/3
Spell haste increased by 3%.

Improved Shadow Word: Pain – Rank 2/2
Increases the damage of your Shadow Word: Pain spell by 6%.

Veiled Shadows – Rank 2/2
Decreases the cooldown of your Fade ability by 6 sec, and reduces the cooldown of your Shadowfiend ability by 60 sec.

Improved Mind Blast – Rank 3/3
Reduces the cooldown of your Mind Blast spell by 1.5 sec., and while in Shadowform your Mind Blast also has a 100% chance to reduce all healing done to the target by 10% for 10 sec.

Improved Devouring Plague – Rank 2/2
Your Devouring Plague instantly deals damage equal to 30% of its total periodic effect.

Twisted Faith – Rank 2/2
Increases your shadow spell damage by 2%, and grants you spell hit rating equal to 100% of any Spirit gained from items or effects.

Shadowform – Rank 1/1
Assume a Shadowform, increasing your Shadow damage by 15%, reducing all damage done to you by 15%, and increasing all party and raid members spell haste by 5%. However, you may not cast Holy spells while in this form.

Phantasm – Rank 2/2
Your Fade ability now has a 100% chance to remove all movement impairing effects.

Harnessed Shadows – Rank 2/2
Increases the chance for you to gain a Shadow Orb when dealing damage with your Mind Flay and Shadow Word: Pain by 8%, and you have a 100% chance to gain a Shadow Orb when critically hit by any attack.

Vampiric Embrace – Rank 1/1
Fills you with the embrace of Shadow energy, causing you to be healed for 6% and other party members to be healed for 3% of any single-target Shadow spell damage you deal for 30 min.

Masochism – Rank 2/2
When you take a damaging attack equal to or greater than 10% of your total health or damage yourself with your Shadow Word: Death, you instantly gain 10% of your total mana.

Mind Melt – Rank 2/2
Increases the damage done with your Shadow Word: Death by 30% on targets at or below 25% health, and when you deal damage with Mind Spike, the cast time of your next Mind Blast is reduced by 50% lasting 6 sec. Mind Melt can stack up to 2 times.

Pain and Suffering – Rank 2/2
Your Mind Flay has a 60% 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 40%.

Vampiric Touch – Rank 1/1
Causes 540 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 10 sec when you deal damage from Mind Blast.

Sin and Punishment – Rank 2/2
When your Vampiric Touch is dispelled, the dispeller and all nearby enemy targets within 10 yards have a 100% chance to be instantly feared in horror for 3 sec.

When your Mind Flay critically hits, the cooldown of your Shadowfiend is reduced by 10 sec.

Shadowy Apparition – Rank 3/3
When you deal periodic damage with your Shadow Word: Pain, you have a 12% chance to summon a shadow version of yourself which will slowly move towards a target which is afflicted by your Shadow Word: Pain. Once reaching the target, it will instantly deal 485 shadow damage.

While moving, the chance to summon the shadowy apparation is increased to 60%. You can have up to 4 Shadowy Apparitions active at a time.

Dispersion – Rank 1/1
You 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.

Discipline (8 Points)

Twin Disciplines – Rank 3/3
Increases your Shadow and Holy spell damage and healing by 6%.

Mental Agility – Rank 2/3
Reduces the mana cost of your instant cast spells by 7%.

Evangelism – Rank 2/2
You have a 100% chance when you Smite and a 100% chance when you Mind Flay to gain Evangelism. Stacks up to 5 times. Lasts for 20 sec.

Archangel – Rank 1/1
Consumes your Evangelism effects, causing an effect depending what type of Evangelism effect is consumed:

Holy (0 Points)

None

Glyphs

Glyph of Mind Flay (Prime Glyph)
Increases the damage done by your Mind Flay spell by 10% when your target is afflicted with Shadow Word: Pain.

Glyph of Shadow Word: Pain (Prime Glyph)
Increases the periodic damage of your Shadow Word: Pain by 10%.

Glyph of Shadow Word: Death (Prime Glyph)
If your Shadow Word: Death fails to kill the target at or below 25% health, your Shadow Word: Death’s cooldown is instantly reset. This effect cannot occur more often than once every 6 sec.

Glyph of Inner Fire (Major Glyph)
Increases the armor from your Inner Fire spell by 50%.

Glyph of Spirit Tap (Major Glyph)
When you kill a target with your Shadow Word: Death and yield experience or honor, you instantly receive 12% of your total mana over 12 sec.

Glyph of Fade (Major Glyph)
Reduces the cooldown of your Fade spell by 9 sec.

Glyph of Levitate (Minor Glyph)
Your Levitate spell no longer requires a reagent.

Glyph of Fortitude (Minor Glyph)
Reduces the mana cost of your Power Word: Fortitude spell by 50%.

Glyph of Shadowfiend (Minor Glyph)
Receive 5% of your maximum mana if your Shadowfiend dies from damage.

Do You Want To Level Faster Like The Pros?

If you are having trouble leveling or need to level faster in WoW Cataclysm I highly suggest you check out Zygor’s Leveling Guide. It has the perfect leveling path that gets you to 85 faster and easier than any other way. No matter what level you are, you load the guide and it points with an arrow to the direction of each monster, quest giver, trainer etc. Its pretty crazy. It also has an in game box that tells you exactly what to do, like kill 5 boars, run west 10 miles, etc. If you dont have this in game add on guide, honestly, you are missing out. You can find out more here or check out the Zygor Cataclysm Leveling Guide Review.