Vampiric Touch



Vampiric Touch (VT) is a level 15 Shadow priest ability. It deals shadow damage over 21 seconds, heals the priest for a portion of the damage, and generates Insanity when cast.

Vampiric Touch is one of the shadow priest's damage over time effects, and is a key shadow ability due to its interactions with Mastery: Shadow Weaving and Shadowy Apparitions.

Additionally, Vampiric Touch is one of the few periodic damaging effects that features built in dispel protection, immediately horrifying the dispeller when dispelled.

Specialization

 * Mastery: Shadow Weaving
 * Shadowy Apparitions

Talents

 * Damnation (priest talent)
 * Misery (priest talent)
 * Psychic Link
 * Unfurling Darkness

History
Added in Patch 2.0.1, Vampiric Touch was the second periodic shadow damaging ability (third for Forsaken priests, who already had Devouring Plague as one of their priest racial abilities) made available to Priests. It was designed to be an additional DoT for Shadow, and to help alleviate the serious mana issues Shadow priests faced. This version of the ability restored mana to the priest's group, based on shadow damage the priest dealt to the target, and gave Shadow priests the reputation as "mana batteries."

Patch 3.0.2 introduced Replenishment, a passive mana restoration effect designed incredibly similar to Vampiric Touch's original mana restore effect (Replenishment also replaced this effect). Vampiric Touch was one of the few spells that made use of this new mechanic, triggering every time Mind Blast damaged the target. This continued until Patch 5.0.4 removed the Replenishment mechanic entirely, and Vampiric Touch instead restored 2% of the priest's maximum mana each time it ticked, no longer restoring any mana to other group members. Its signature mana restoration effect was finally removed entirely in Patch 6.0.2.