Shadow priest in PVE

[Selwin]

Hi, I just wanted to know which race is best for a shadow priest, troll or undead?

I'm talking about real endgame content, so in AQ or Naxx, do you want a troll or a undead?

I guess undead is best because of Devouring Plague right? Or maybe troll is better because of Berserking?

[Dodgemade]

dwarf

[Dr. Doom]

Hi, I just wanted to know which race is best for a shadow priest, troll or undead?

I'm talking about real endgame content, so in AQ or Naxx, do you want a troll or a undead?

I guess undead is best because of Devouring Plague right? Or maybe troll is better because of Berserking?

For what I've gauged from this server. People take shadow priests for 1 reason: Shadow Weaving. I've heard that sometimes they're not even allowed to keep SW:P up. So Devouring Plague would require a 3rd debuff slot that seems unlikely for you to get. And even if you did, I believe Hex of Weakness accomplishes more by reducing the healing the mobs/bosses receive (then again I suppose 1 Mortal strike accomplishes even more) than a mere shadow dot that can be supplied by a warlock. Both Touch of Weakness and Shadowguard imply you getting hit, which is something that technically should never happen.

Berserking can always give some speed. In PvE, undead racials help vs bosses that fear or sleep, I suppose the shadow resistance is of some use in fights like Loatheb, but +10 is pretty marginal. I suppose you could cannibalize if you took some dmg. Unlike Molten Core, there are actually humanoids pretty often in AQ, since the Qiraji troops count as such. Less in Naxxramas but still some.

Priest racials: Little use for any, Hex of Weakness maybe adds the most out of all if your raid doesn't have an arms warrior.
Active racials: Berserking is something you can always use for any fight and will always add something. / WotF can be quite useful in some fights, but it's very situational. Cannibalize can maybe prevent you from dying but will be quite the rare thing to use.
Passive racials: +Beast damage will help vs the Silithid maybe, but that's about it. Regeneration is the worst racial in the game. Priests can't use bows nor thrown weapons.
/ +Shadow resistance can help to lessen very slightly the gear requirements on shadow res, underwater breathing doesn't matter since there are no underwater fights in vanilla.


I'd go for troll, seems like the racial bonuses edge out by a tiny bit. But I'd go for it mostly because I have no sympathy for the Forsaken lorewise and only play undead in Warcraft if it's Scourge.

Gameplay wise: Priest racials are almost useless for Horde in PvE, unlike Alliance Fear Ward or Desperate Prayer. Berserking adds some casting speed for your mind blast (don't know if it affects mind flay anyhow), and you do a bit more damage vs beasts (guess this includes Kurinaxx/Ayamiss/Buru and Fankriss).
The undead racials offer situational perks but nothing related to your damage. You take marginally less shadow damage as undead.

Troll.