Into Theorycrafting?

I know its a little late for theorycrafting with a new expansion coming out that will change everything, but for those maybe leveling a new spriest during this down time, here is a list of some of the bests threads ever posted about shadow priest theorycrafting.

Best Raiding Gear- Shadowpriest.com

DPS Spreadsheet- Shadowpriest.com

Haste for Dummies- Shadowpriest.com

Shadow Basics- Dwarfpriest.com

Tips and Tricks- Dwarfpriest.com

More to add later, this is a good start though. Happy reading.

Haste vs. Spell Damage

Shadow priests are more dependent on spell damage than any other stat. However, recently haste has become a major player in the spriest game plan. So how do you know if spell haste is right for you? A simple rule of thumb is, If you can achieve 1400 buffed spell damage then you can start stacking haste as a supplement. At 1400 buffed spell damage 1 haste = 1 spell damage. Never replace spell damage with haste unless you can stay above the 1400 buffed limit.

Now that you have started stacking haste, how does it benefit you? Unfortunately, if you are one of those players that stand in the same spot, have to use the same spells in the same order every time, or just dont like change, haste is not for you. Some of the items effected by haste, such as global cooldown, really wont be that noticeable at first. Other effected spells, such as Mind Flay’s channeling, will blow you away with their ability to increase your damage. Haste will often change the timing of your dot refreshes and can allow you to work in more Mind Flays per refresh. It also allows you to work in more Mind Blasts and SWD, which can be a blessing and a curse depending on your ability to retain mana. Overall my experience with haste has been very good and has allowed me to jump back up to the top few in the damage meters after a slow decline, due to poorly scaling gear.

If you want some easy haste loot your best bets are badge loot and ZA.
Runed Spell-cuffs
Pantaloons of Arcane Annihilation
Footpads of Madness
Robe of Departed Spirits
Blade of Twisted Visions
Loop of Cursed Bones