Usual disclaimer: the following information is as of the Mist of Pandaria Beta build 16004, released on August 17, 2012, and may not be accurate once future patches are released.

For a primer on this post, please see the original post from July 30, 2012.

Wait? What’s this? Didn’t I just post about the MoP Beta Build 16004 changes? No, you aren’t going crazy — indeed I did post about the Heroic Best in Slot analysis for 16004 earlier this morning. This post is something a little different: looking at the same criteria as the Best in Slot profile for Shadow Priests, but from a slightly less extreme point of view by looking at the assumed Best in Slot profile for T14 Normal mode gear. As I pointed out in my post last week looking at Haste Breakpoints, the amount of Haste found in the T14 Heroic mode gear is over the Shadow Word: Pain+2 and Devouring Plague+2 Haste Breakpoints by about 250 Haste. While you can certainly surpass both of these Breakpoints if you specifically gear and gem for it, it is difficult to obtain (again, because of the very specific pieces of gear you need!).

Before I get in to the graphs and analysis, here is the ‘T14 Normal BiS Profile’ I created. It is mostly the same items (just normal versions rather than heroic or heroic elite) as the current T14 Heroic BiS profile:

[b]Professions[/b] – Blacksmithing and Engineering

[b]Race[/b] – Troll

[b]Head[/b] – [b][url=http://www.wowhead.com/item=86181]Xarils Hood of Intoxicating Vapors[/url][/b] + [b][url=http://mop.wowhead.com/item=76885][color=#555555]Burning Primal Diamond[/color][/url][/b] + [b][url=http://mop.wowhead.com/item=76694][color=#FF0000]Brilliant Primordial Ruby[/color][/url][/b], Reforge: Mastery-to-Crit

[b]Neck[/b] – [b][url=http://www.wowhead.com/item=86205]Kroven’s Ambersealed Beetle[/url][/b], Reforge: Crit-to-Haste

[b]Shoulders[/b] – [b][url=http://www.wowhead.com/item=85368]Guardian Serpent Shoulderguards[/url][/b] + [b][url=http://mop.wowhead.com/item=76686][color=#8040FF]Purified Imperial Amethyst[/color][/url][/b], Enchant: [b][url=http://mop.wowhead.com/item=87559]Greater Crane Wing Inscription[/url][/b], Reforge: Mastery-to-Haste

[b]Back[/b] – [b][url=http://www.wowhead.com/item=86316]Cloak of Overwhelming Corruption[/url][/b], Enchant: [b][url=http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=104403]Superior Intellect[/url][/b], Reforge: Mastery-to-Spirit

[b]Chest[/b] – [b][url=http://www.wowhead.com/item=85367]Guardian Serpent Raiment[/url][/b] + [b][url=http://mop.wowhead.com/item=76668][color=#FFA500]Reckless Vermilion Onyx[/color][/url][/b] + [b][url=http://mop.wowhead.com/item=76668][color=#FFA500]Reckless Vermilion Onyx[/color][/url][/b], Enchant: [b][url=http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=104395]Glorious Stats[/url][/b]

[b]Wrists[/b] – [b][url=http://www.wowhead.com/item=86157]Cuffs of the Corrupted Waters[/url][/b] + [b][url=http://mop.wowhead.com/item=76694][color=#FF0000]Brilliant Primordial Ruby[/color][/url][/b], Enchant: [b][url=http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=104389]Super Intellect[/url][/b], Reforge: Mastery-to-Spirit

[b]Hands[/b] – [b][url=http://www.wowhead.com/item=85364]Guardian Serpent Gloves[/url][/b] + [b][url=http://mop.wowhead.com/item=76694][color=#FF0000]Brilliant Primordial Ruby[/color][/url][/b], Enchant: [b][url=http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=104416]Greater Haste[/url][/b], Tinker: [b][url=http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=126731]Synapse Springs (Mark II)[/url][/b]

[b]Belt[/b] – [b][url=http://www.wowhead.com/item=86210]Belt of Malleable Amber[/url][/b] + [b][url=http://mop.wowhead.com/item=76668][color=#FFA500]Reckless Vermilion Onyx[/color][/url][/b] + [b][url=http://mop.wowhead.com/item=76686][color=#8040FF]Purified Imperial Amethyst[/color][/url][/b] + [b][url=http://mop.wowhead.com/item=76694][color=#FF0000]Brilliant Primordial Ruby[/color][/url][/b]

[b]Legs[/b] – [b][url=http://www.wowhead.com/item=85366]Guardian Serpent Leggings[/url][/b] + [b][url=http://mop.wowhead.com/item=76694][color=#FF0000]Brilliant Primordial Ruby[/color][/url][/b], Enchant: [b][url=http://mop.wowhead.com/item=82445][color=#0070DD]Greater Cerulean Spellthread[/color][/url][/b], Reforge: Mastery-to-Hit

[b]Feet[/b] – [b][url=http://www.wowhead.com/item=86167]Boots of the Blowing Wind[/url][/b] + [b][url=http://mop.wowhead.com/item=76668][color=#FFA500]Reckless Vermilion Onyx[/color][/url][/b], Enchant: [b][url=http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=104414]Pandaren’s Step[/url][/b]

[b]Ring 1[/b] – [b][url=http://www.wowhead.com/item=86315]Watersoul Signet[/url][/b]

[b]Ring 2[/b] – [b][url=http://www.wowhead.com/item=86156]Fragment of Fear Made Flesh[/url][/b], Reforge: Crit-to-Haste

[b]Trinket 1[/b] – [b][url=http://www.wowhead.com/item=86388]Essence of Terror[/url][/b]

[b]Trinket 2[/b] – [b][url=http://www.wowhead.com/item=79331]Relic of Yu’lon[/url][/b]

[b]Main Hand[/b] – [b][url=http://www.wowhead.com/item=86390]Regail’s Crackling Dagger[/url][/b] + [b][url=http://mop.wowhead.com/item=76686][color=#8040FF]Purified Imperial Amethyst[/color][/url][/b], Enchant: [b][url=http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=104427]Jade Spirit[/url][/b], Reforge: Crit-to-Spirit

[b]Off Hand[/b] – [b][url=http://www.wowhead.com/item=89424]Fan of Fiery Winds[/url][/b], Enchant: [b][url=http://mop.wowhead.com/spell=104445]Major Intellect[/url][/b]

[b]Total Stats (Raid Buffed)[/b]
Intellect: 19077
Spell Power: 31549
Hit Chance: 15.00%
Haste Rating: 7606
Crit Rating: 2141
Mastery: 2417

In summary: Hit capped, Crit and Mastery roughly equal, Haste Rating 479 below the DP+2 Haste Breakpoint.

Now for the data:

Nothing particularly shocking here. The Level45 and Level75 talents that are doing the most (and least) amount of DPS with this T14 Normal profile are nearly the same (in order and deltas) as those found in the latest T14 Heroic profile.

	Highest	Lowest	Delta	% Delta
Heavy Movement	81,308 MB+DI	60,483 SWI+TOF	20,825	25.61%
Helter Skelter	84,594 FDCL+DI	79,528 SWI+TOF	5,066	5.99%
Light Movement	91,445 FDCL+TOF	89,032 SWI+PI	2,413	2.64%
Patchwerk	93,338 FDCL+TOF	91,031 SWI+PI	2,307	2.47%
Ultraxion	90999 FDCL+TOF	88,147 SWI+PI	2,852	3.13%

The largest difference between these deltas and the deltas form the Heroic profile is the delta % gap increase of nearly 5% on Heavy Movement. Shadow Word: Insanity still drags the values down quite a bit.

Now for the very interesting part: stat weights.

Just as I suspected from my conclusions of my post earlier this week, the value of Haste leading up to the SWP+2 and DP+2 Haste Breakpoints skyrocket. Interestingly enough, Crit is more valuable than Mastery both before these Breakpoints and after (see: this morning’s post). This confirms/solidifies the following stat weight priorities:

Below SWP-2 and DP+2 Haste Breakpoints (8085)
Int > Spell Power > Haste > Hit=Spirit > Crit > Mastery

Above SWP-2 and DP+2 Haste Breakpoints (8085)
Int > Spell Power > Hit=Spirit > Crit > Mastery >= Haste

In addition to this, there is some very interesting activity occurring on the Heavy Movement sims set. Here are the stat weights for the #1, #1+#2, All 9 DPS sims, Best 2 Per Fight average (from above), and the Best 2 Per Fight from the T14 Heroic profile (for comparison’s sake):

	#1	#1+#2	All 9	Best 2 Per Fight (T14 Normal)	Best 2 Per Fight (T14 Heroic)
Int	1.0000	1.0000	1.0000	1.0000	1.0000
Spell Power	0.8097	0.8082	0.8036	0.8153	0.8017
Spirit/Hit	0.6314	0.6179	0.7000	0.5932	0.6454
Crit	0.4139	0.4140	0.4166	0.4068	0.4358
Haste	0.9063	0.9486	2.0757	0.7546	0.4173
Mastery	0.3716	0.3883	0.4688	0.3751	0.4195
DPS	0.3021	0.3044	0.3541	0.2947	0.2593

Pay particular attention to the value of Haste. For Heavy Movement fights, the value of Haste spikes above that of Spell Power in the highest DPS talent combinations and jumps above the value of Intellect by an average of over 2 times more valuable when averaging all 9 talent combinations together. I would like to point out that the average PP value of Haste for the 3 profiles using Shadow Word: Insanity is 2.5750 PP; the highest individual PP value is for the talent combination of From Darkness, Comes Light and Twist of Fate at 3.0449 PP.

What does this tell us? This confirms the suspicions that the community has had about the poor scaling and negative effect Haste has on Shadow Word: Insanity in that the more Haste you have, the shorter the window of opportunity you have to cast Shadow Word: Insanity, which in turn means that if you don’t get to the next SWP+2 Haste Breakpoint you’re leaving quite a bit of DPS on the table.

Notes and Resources

Raw SimulationCraft Data
Heavy Movement
Helterskelter
Light Movement
Patchwerk
Ultraxion

The SimulationCraft profiles changed slightly from the last post to this one.

Each of these SimulationCraft sims were run with 25,000 iterations rather than the usual 100,000 iterations in an effort to provide data as quickly as possible (e.g.: before yet another beta build was released).

These sims were for fights that are single-target. Multi target fights may (will) have different results.

These sims are as of Mists of Pandaria Beta build 16004, released on August 17, 2012. Once a new build comes out, these values will no longer be 100% valid!