Shadow Priest / Warlock
Double DoT, double fear, and the nastiest mana-denial game in the bracket. Shadowplay drowns opponents in shadow damage while Mana Burn deletes the enemy healer's ability to play.
Specs
- Shadow Priest Caster DPS
- Affliction Warlock Caster DPS
Game plan
DoT both targets, alternate Psychic Scream and Fear to keep melee off the Priest, and Mana Burn the enemy healer at every opening. Kills usually arrive when the healer is dry and a fear chain lands with no trinket up.
Why it works: synergy
- Alternating Psychic Scream and Fear stresses diminishing returns less than any other double-fear pairing.
- Mana Burn plus Drain Mana attacks the resource healers cannot trade back.
- Vampiric Embrace and Drain Life convert DoT pressure directly into survivability.
- Devouring Plague, Corruption and Curse of Agony make every CC on this comp break early for opponents.
Counters
Cleanse and Blessing of Sacrifice neuter the fear game while the Warrior trains the Priest.
A fast opener on the Shadow Priest, who has no escape tools, beats the attrition plan outright.
Dangers: how this comp loses
- No true healer: sustained cleave that ignores fears will simply out-damage Vampiric Embrace.
- Shadow Priest is the squishiest target in the bracket once Power Word: Shield is purged or worn.
- Undead and dwarf opponents strip half of the comp's pressure with racial and Fear Ward answers.
What Forever changes
- Gnome Priest (confirmed new combo) gives Shadowplay an escape-focused racial option it never had.
- Bonus healing converting to spell damage barely matters here, but merged hit and crit smooths Mind Blast burst windows.
Keep going
Read the Forever PvP primer, classes and races in PvP and the talent calculator to build these specs yourself.