Shadow Priest guide
Priest · Shadow Magic · updated 2026-10-27
Overview
What is a Shadow Priest?
In WoW: Forever the Priest has three talent trees: Discipline, Holy and Shadow Magic. This guide covers the last of them, Shadow Magic, which AzerDex shortens to “Shadow” in its web address. A Shadow Priest is a Priest whose talent points go mainly into this tree.
Talents in the tree
17
Ranks in total
49
Tiers
7
Playstyle, strengths, weaknesses and role
Talents
Try builds below. All three Priest trees share one pool of 51 points; the Shadow Magic tree is outlined. Your build is kept in the page address, so you can copy it with Share build.
Priest talent calculator
Build 1.60.1.70634 · 51 talent points, one per level from level 10
- Spent
- 0/51
- Remaining
- 51
- Required level
- -
- Available
- In progress
- Maxed
- Locked
- Selected
Tap a talent to add a point.Click to add a point, right-click to remove.
How to use
- Add a point: click, tap, or press Enter on a talent.
- Remove a point: right-click, Shift+click, or Backspace / Delete.
- Move between talents: the arrow keys.
- Quick look: hover a talent (mouse). Details: select it, then use the panel below.
- Close the panel: its × button, or Escape.
- Share: Share build copies a link to this exact build.
Discipline0
Holy0
Shadow Magic0
Select a talent to see its details and requirements.
The Shadow Magic tree at a glance
| Tier | Talent | Max rank | Needs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shadow Focus | 5 | Nothing |
| 1 | Blackout | 5 | Nothing |
| 1 | Spirit Tap | 5 | Nothing |
| 2 | Improved Mind Blast | 5 | 5 points in tree |
| 2 | Improved Shadow Word: Pain | 2 | 5 points in tree |
| 2 | Shadow Reach | 2 | 5 points in tree |
| 3 | Improved Psychic Scream | 2 | 10 points in tree · Blackout |
| 3 | Mind Flay | 1 | 10 points in tree |
| 3 | Improved Mind Flay | 2 | 10 points in tree · Mind Flay |
| 4 | Dark Inspiration | 5 | 15 points in tree |
| 4 | Vampiric Embrace | 1 | 15 points in tree |
| 4 | Shadow Weaving | 3 | 15 points in tree |
| 5 | Silence | 1 | 20 points in tree |
| 5 | Devouring Contagion | 2 | 20 points in tree |
| 6 | Early Demise | 2 | 25 points in tree |
| 6 | Darkness | 5 | 25 points in tree |
| 7 | Shadowform | 1 | 30 points in tree† · Vampiric Embrace |
† The game data gives this amount but not where points are counted; the calculator applies it per tree, like every confirmed tier.
How the tree is wired
- Tier 1 is open from the start: Shadow Focus, Blackout and Spirit Tap need no points or prerequisites.
- Improved Psychic Scream (tier 3) is linked to Blackout.
- Improved Mind Flay (tier 3) is linked to Mind Flay.
- Shadowform (tier 7) is linked to Vampiric Embrace.
- Shadowform is alone on the last tier and needs 30 points already spent in this tree.
What each talent does is shown by its description in the calculator: the game's own text for this build, where it could be verified. A ? marks a number that is not available for this build yet, and talents whose text could not be verified show none.
Beginner guide
Plan the points, not just the talents
- A tier opens only after you have spent enough points on the tiers above it: 5 points for tier 2, 10 for tier 3, and so on in steps of 5. The calculator counts these points per tree, so points in Discipline and Holy do not help Shadow Magic tiers (the client data confirms this for most tiers; see † above for the rest).
- Reaching the last tier costs 30 points in Shadow Magic, which leaves 21 of your 51 points for everything else, including other trees.
- The calculator treats a linked talent as unlocked only when the talent it depends on is at its maximum rank. That is the usual reading but it has not been confirmed in the Forever client, so double-check anything critical in game.
- You can take a point back only while every talent that depends on it still meets its requirements. If a point will not come off, a later tier or a linked talent is holding it.
Using the calculator
- Start in the Shadow Magic tree and fill tier 1; the calculator shows exactly what is still missing for any locked talent.
- Watch the Remaining counter: it is shared by all trees, so spending in one tree is a choice against the others.
- Use Share build to copy a link. A link only restores on the same version of the talent data and is refused if it breaks the rules.