That was then
Prior to the 4.0.1 patch, I would start boss fights like so:
- Vampiric Touch
- Devouring Plague
- Mind Blast
- Mind Flay
- Shadow Word: Pain
This would "charge up" stacks of buffs for my Shadow Word: Pain to have maximum damage output for the rest of the fight (Shadow Word: Pain stays up whenever you cast Mind Flay).
Assuming the boss was a boring Sit There And Shoot At It fight, the rest of the fight involved spell priorities as follows:
- Keep up Vampiric Touch
- Keep up Devouring Plague
- Mind Blast when it's available
- Mind Flay for filler
This is now
With the 4.0.1 patch, all of this appears to have totally changed. I no longer seem to have to "charge up" my Shadow Word: Pain buff stacks, and new Shadow Orbs are flying all over the place. It's craziness!
How do I make most effective use of these new talents and mechanics?