I’ve spent a good chunk of this past weekend playing around with the best in slot list supplied with SimulationCraft for Shadow Priests, mostly trying to improve upon it based on what has been determined to be our current stat weights as of the last beta build. For anyone curious what this ‘Best in Slot profile’ looks like, have a gander below:

Professions – Blacksmithing and Engineering

Race – Troll

Head – Xarils Hood of Intoxicating Vapors + Burning Primal Diamond + Brilliant Primordial Ruby, Reforge: Mastery-to-Spirit

Neck – Kroven’s Ambersealed Beetle, Reforge: Spirit-to-Haste

Shoulders – Guardian Serpent Shoulderguards + Purified Imperial Amethyst, Enchant: Greater Crane Wing Inscription, Reforge: Mastery-to-Haste

Back – Cloak of Overwhelming Corruption, Enchant: Superior Intellect, Reforge: Mastery-to-Spirit

Chest – Guardian Serpent Raiment + Reckless Vermilion Onyx + Reckless Vermilion Onyx, Enchant: Glorious Stats

Wrists – Cuffs of the Corrupted Waters + Brilliant Primordial Ruby, Enchant: Super Intellect, Reforge: Mastery-to-Haste

Hands – Guardian Serpent Gloves + Brilliant Primordial Ruby, Enchant: Greater Haste, Tinker: Synapse Springs (Mark II), Reforge: Spirit-to-Crit

Belt – Belt of Malleable Amber + Reckless Vermilion Onyx + Purified Imperial Amethyst + Brilliant Primordial Ruby

Legs – Guardian Serpent Leggings + Brilliant Primordial Ruby, Enchant: Greater Cerulean Spellthread, Reforge: Mastery-to-Spirit

Feet – Boots of the Blowing Wind + Reckless Vermilion Onyx, Enchant: Pandaren’s Step, Reforge: Spirit-to-Crit

Ring 1 – Watersoul Signet

Ring 2 – Fragment of Fear Made Flesh, Reforge: Hit-to-Haste

Trinket 1 – Essence of Terror

Trinket 2 – Jade Magistrate Figurine

Main Hand – Regail’s Crackling Dagger + Purified Imperial Amethyst, Enchant: Jade Spirit, Reforge: Mastery-to-Haste

Off Hand – Fan of Fiery Winds, Enchant: Major Intellect

Total Stats (Raid Buffed)
Intellect: 21425
Spell Power: 36125
Hit Chance: 15.01%
Haste Rating: 8317
Crit Rating: 3482
Mastery: 2625

As you can see, this profile stacks Haste heavily. What is interesting, however, is that Haste is considered our worst stat when computing stat weights (overall):

Int = 1.0000
Spirit = 0.6586
Spell Power = 0.8240
Hit = 0.6586
Crit = 0.4189
Haste = 0.3993
Mastery = 0.4192

Why is this? In two words: Haste Breakpoints.

The BiS profile that SimulationCraft uses puts Haste just above two very important Haste Breakpoints, DP-2 (8064) and SWP-2 (8085). Once these breakpoints have been reached, the value of Haste drops significantly, enough to be slightly worse than Mastery or Crit. To see this in action, I have simulated the current highest DPS talent combination (From Darkness, Comes Light and Twist of Fate) for a Patchwerk-style fight two times: once above our Haste Breakpoints for DP-2 and SWP-2 (8317 Haste) using Reckless Vermilion Onyx for yellow sockets, and a second time below our Haste Breakpoints for DP-2 and SWP-2 (7677 Haste) using Artful Vermilion Onyx for yellow sockets. Here are the results (in normalized PP values):

	Above Breakpoints	Below Breakpoints
Total DPS	107216	106103
Int	1.0000	1.0000
Spell Power	0.8030	0.8085
Hit/Spirit	0.6232	0.6194
Haste	0.3867	0.6965
Crit	0.4236	0.4303
Mastery	0.4163	0.4204
DPS	0.2463	0.2488

The value of haste is 80% higher before these two Haste Breakpoints than it is once you have passed it! Additionally, the total DPS above the Haste Breakpoints is roughly 1100 DPS higher. From this we can (roughly) extrapolate that the value of surpassing both breakpoints is right around 1000 DPS.

This leaves us with 2 questions:

1. Where does this leave us with stat weight priorities?
   Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear to be as cut and dry as it has in the paste where Haste rules the roost. I ran many simulations over the last few days where I created profiles (always above the SWP-2 breakpoint and hitcapped) that stacked Haste, Mastery, or Crit. The results? All nearly identical in damage. It is because of this I can say with good certainty that Shadow’s stat priorities for T14 are as follows:

   Below SWP-2 Haste Breakpoint (8085)
   Int > Spell Power > Haste > Hit=Spirit > Crit=Mastery

   Above SWP-2 Haste Breakpoint (8085)
   Int > Spell Power > Hit=Spirit > Crit=Mastery=Haste

2. What about the Best in Slot list?
   I’m preparing a T14 Normal BiS list that will be below the DP-2 and SWP-2 Haste Breakpoints that I will be using to sim against in order to determine stat weights. This may take me a bit of time since the Beta version of CharDev is not allowing the saving of profiles right now.