Vampiric Embrace

Vampiric Embrace is a level 28 Shadow priest ability. It is a self-buff that lasts for 15 seconds, with a 2 minute cooldown. While it is active, a nearby ally will be healed for 85% of any single-target Shadow spell damage the priest deals.

Talents

 * San'layn (priest talent) - Reduces the cooldown by 45 seconds and increases the healing done by 25% (106% of damage as healing).

Tips and tactics

 * Since Vampiric Embrace only lasts for 15 seconds, it is best used during a period when you are dealing large amounts of single-target damage, such as during Voidform. Timing it to coincide with these periods will maximize the healing generated. Any buffs or effects that increase your damage done will also increase healing done.

History
Since its introduction, Vampiric Embrace has received many adjustments and redesigns. In the original World of Warcraft, Vampiric Embrace was the 21-point talent in the Priest's Shadow Magic talent tree. The ability was an instant cast Curse effect with a 60 second duration and a 10 second cooldown, that caused 20% of all shadow damage dealt (30% with Improved Vampiric Embrace) by the casting priest to heal the priest and their group. This healing was not split and was capable of crits, even if the ability that triggered it did not crit. Up through the majority of Wrath of the Lich King, Vampiric Embrace received very few changes, notably being modified to a Magic effect, its duration increased to 5 minutes, and having its healing nerfed several times.

Patch 3.3.0 saw the first major redesign for Vampiric Embrace, changing the ability into an undispellable buff on the priest, rather than a targeted debuff that needed to be applied every time the caster changed targets. Aside from numerical changes, the ability remained constant throughout the Cataclysm expansion.

With the complete overhaul of the talent system in Mists of Pandaria, Vampiric Embrace became a baseline ability for the Shadow specialization and saw its second redesign, changing it to become a powerful raid cooldown rather than a persistent group heal. Since then, Vampiric Embrace has received at least one major change with each expansion's arrival.