Simple scaling formula for Disc PW:S
February 15, 2010
Power Word: Shield is the defining spell of the Disc Priest. Currently it only scales with one stat – Spellpower. Shields are also of fixed size, with no variation other than this same spellpower input. Assuming full points in all the PW:S boosting Disc talents (Twin Disciplines, Improved PW:S, Focused Power, Borrowed Time) the amount of the shield can be worked out as…
(spellpower * 1.5155) + 2800
This gives a linear scale. Each 10 points of spellpower we add gives a further c. 15 points of absorbtion to each shield.
For disc priests playing the Shieldbot role in ICC25, Spellpower is pretty much the only scaling stat. Haste is likely to be at the 1 second GCD cap so more haste does nothing further for shieldspamming. PW:S is not affected by crit, but its glyph is, so more crit will still give about a fifth of its usual scaling. Given the damage patterns in ICC and the effect on Rapture when several shields are consumed at the same time, its unlikely that a shieldbot will run out of mana either.
The more spells other than PW:S that you cast, the greater the mileage you’ll get from haste, crit etc. If your raid is blessed with an abundance of Paladins, as mine is, then don’t worry about anything but Spellpower for ICC25 progression. You should choose your other stats according to your off-spec requirements.
