Good morning:
This is a formal complaint based on 10 years of PvP play.
I’m not the best player in the world nor do I need to be to opine on something objectively obvious.
The shadow priest when playing against 2 melee players, whatever class they are, can do absolutely NOTHING. In arenas, casting a Vapiric Touch is IMPOSSIBLE. All classes have 8 to 12s interruptions of CD casting. Not counting CCs. In addition all classes have abilities that allow them to return, block, dispel, remove or avoid magics. Not to mention that dispelling our VT is free, does no harm and also shares DR with our main CC. The mechanics of our damage lies in having the target VT active as long as possible. But it is IMPOSSIBLE.
Then as for NOT being able to MOVE because all classes have counters to avoid our CCs. Be it fears or Void Tendrills (casting a MC is another utopia). If we cast a Mind Fly or a VT we will be 4s with all our abilities locked.4 out of 12 is 33% of the time without casting, not counting that since there are 2 players who can cut the SP we can be without being able to CAST ANYTHING 66% of the time. With low damage, and a ridiculous burst our only option is to hold on and heal ourselves. But our saving abilities are nullified by time (dampening plus MORTAL efects…) and it is a matter of time before we die from attrition.
I really think that SP needs an URGENT overhaul of its mechanics in the PvP world. I also think there is a latent problem regarding casters. The melee can cut off our spell casting for “X” second, and we stop being able to do ANY DAMAGE. But we can’t “disarm” them so that they can’t do DPS for a while.
I don’t go into assessing DHs, DKs, Warrs, against us. If you play a SP and do PvP you already know what I’m talking about.
This is what I came here to ask about. Can any experience shadow priest tell me if a shadow priest can beat a melee class in 1v1 pvp assuming similiar levels of experience? I’ve played shadow priest and all of the mage specs and I feel like as a mage I can just hold them at arms length and pummel them while laughing maniacally, whereas as a priest all I can do is curl into a ball and cry while they bully me >.<;
I’d like to play shadow priest because I like healing and mage has no healing specs, but playing as any ranged class other than mage in pvp is pure pain right now for me. Is there a way to play spriest to be at least somewhat close to mage in terms of managing those melee zug zuggers?
My SP is getting shelved or i’ll quit playing, total garbage right now. It’s absolutely mental how they destroy the game with this melee madness. Maybe they should give em some instant ranged attacks as well… oh wait…
Currently 1vs1 any melee class that knows how to use it in equal conditions will beat you. Warr (impossible to distance yourself from him without using defensives, he will heal as much as you, he will cut your casts along with the deadly strike = KO). DH (the same but faster), ROG (with silences and cuts the casts, together with the effect of mortal strike = KO). In addition, as it should be, the rogue can reset the combat and wait a little bit to have all the CDs and win. WW (he will wipe you from the map, insane spike dmg, he will heal just like you but he has mortal strike effect, impossible to distance from him = KO). PALA (will wipe you from the map, insane spike dmg, will heal the same as you and his defensive rating favors him = KO). DK (antimagic, impossible to distance from him, will heal the same, deadly strike and has ranged CCs, will always have more health than your base = KO). FERAL (deadly strike effect, impossible to stop, impossible to ranged, will heal the same as you, tremendous spike damage = KO). ENHA and SURV (you have a small chance to win if they don’t chain their DPS CDs well, if they do it no matter what you do = KO).
Play mind spike and try to force kick with shadow then cast spike for dmg it helps a lot.
I’m really mad about the huge MD nerf, they could have just remove fast ms and let it like before it was perfectly balance and easily stoppable.
The dp nerf that now need 2 dp to get flay or spike insanity is really a bad feeling as well and pretty rough for our dmg, the sw death set seems fun but overall it’s rough than sp has to do 0 dmg cause it’s a ‘’ support’’ spec and on top of that nerf our utility and healing as well.
MD nerf is big but Insanity nerf is just dumb for me. 4 set looked insane on PTR but I’m afraid it’s nerfed. Surprisingly SP is more single target and burst oriented this season.
It’s clear they have no clue what they want to do with sp, one patch to another they either swap it to aoe or single target, feels bad to have dmg that barely tickle people once again.
I don’t play beta so I got no clue about the 4 set but I tried the 2 set and it’s kinda fun but I’m scared a bit to die randomly cause of the backlash dmg from sw death.
I tried 4 set on PTR and pre nerf it could hit for 50% someone’s HP if it crits. The issue is you cannot press SW:P and Shadow Crash when you have stacks. It forces you though to play Dark Ascension and Deathspeaker.
It’s not that strong anymore. It takes around 25% HP but if you will be able to land Void Torrent + SW:P and your partner would add some damage you’ll have quite deadly single target goes.
Might be very good with Demo, Assa Rogue, Warrior and maybe DK Unholy.
SP with Warlocks is overall very good as Mind Trauma + Tongues is just cancer.
I could POST about 40 screenshots from about 15 different arenas where melees do double or more damage than I do. Not to mention that we have no deadly strike/healing reduction effects. Together with dampening it is impossible to heal us. Besides, when there is 1 caster and 3 melees in the arena you can give it up for lost. You won’t be able to cast anything because it is IMPOSSIBLE to move away from the melee.
Let’s add that the SP has no burst, like mages, locks, boomys or shamans. The 8% extra damage doesn’t fix ANY of the design problems SP faces.
Briank Holinka clearly stated in an interview that he does not know anything about casters and mainly played Arms, Enhancement, Ret, DK and DH around 1800K. He left Blizzard few months ago and left us with this melee fiesta. But he being gone is a victory.
Expect better Class design when TWW launches. They gotta nail it since everything else is improving aswell.