WoW Forever Priest Guide: Best Spec, Leveling Build, Talents and Rotation
Quick answer: Priest is one of the most in-demand classes in WoW Forever and a lot more fun to level than it used to be. Level as Shadow with a wand:
Mind Flay,
Shadow Word: Pain and
Spirit Tap keep you moving with very little downtime. At level 60, Holy is the big group and raid healer with
Prayer of Mending, Discipline is now a real healing spec built around
Penance,
Power Word: Shield and
Divine Aegis, and Shadow is a strong damage dealer that also heals the group.
Is Priest good in WoW Forever?
Yes. Priests have always been the healer every group wants, and Forever finally gives all three specs a clear identity. Discipline isn't just "the talents you take on the way to Holy" any more: it has
Penance,
Renewed Hope,
Divine Aegis and
Soul Warding. Holy gets
Prayer of Mending,
Holy Binding and
Litany of Light. Shadow gets
Improved Mind Flay,
Dark Inspiration,
Devouring Contagion and
Early Demise.
Mana feels much better too.
Meditation now lets 50% of your mana regeneration continue while casting, and
Spirit Tap,
Dark Inspiration and
Litany of Light all help keep you topped up. Every Priest learns
Fear Ward and
Devouring Plague at level 20, and
Shadow Word: Death at 32.
At a glance:
- Roles: healer (Holy or Discipline), ranged damage (Shadow)
- Best leveling spec: Shadow, with a wand
- Hardest part: being squishy in cloth, and mana in long fights before your talents come online
- Best for: players who want to be wanted in every group, and anyone who enjoys healing
Priest strengths and weaknesses
Strengths:
- Every group wants you. Healing,
Power Word: Fortitude,
Divine Spirit and
Fear Ward make Priests one of the first classes groups look for. - Smooth leveling. Shadow with a wand and
Spirit Tap has very little downtime, and you heal yourself for free between pulls. - Flexible. You can heal a dungeon in Shadow spec at almost any level, and swap to a healing spec whenever you like.
- Strong control.
Psychic Scream,
Mind Control,
Shackle Undead and
Silence give you answers to most problems.
Weaknesses:
- Squishy. Cloth armour and no escape tools beyond
Fade and
Psychic Scream mean melee classes hurt. - Mana in long fights. Early on, back-to-back pulls drain you fast if you break the five-second rule.
- Slow first 10 levels. Until
Mind Blast and a decent wand, kills are slow.
Click here to Level Ultra Fast
Affiliate link: we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
What's new for Priests in WoW Forever?
Penance (Discipline talent): a short volley of holy light that heals an ally or damages an enemy instantly and then every second.
Divine Aegis (Discipline): your critical heals also leave a shield on the target worth 15% of the heal.
Renewed Hope (Discipline): your direct heals crit far more often on targets with Weakened Soul, the debuff from
Power Word: Shield. Shield first, then heal.
Soul Warding (Discipline):
Power Word: Shield has a 4-second shorter cooldown and costs 15% less.
Twin Disciplines and
Power in Light (Discipline): more power for your instant spells, and for
Smite and
Penance on targets with your
Holy Fire or
Shadow Word: Pain.
Prayer of Mending (Holy capstone): a heal that jumps to the next party member each time it triggers.
Holy Binding (Holy): whenever your
Flash Heal heals someone else, you're healed for 50% as much, with no threat.
Litany of Light (Holy): alternating between different heals refunds mana.
Improved Mind Flay (Shadow): every tick of
Mind Flay hits 20% harder than the last.
Dark Inspiration (Shadow):
Mind Blast and full Mind Flays raise your party's Spirit by 15%.
Devouring Contagion (Shadow):
Devouring Plague costs half as much and spreads to 2 nearby enemies when its target dies.
Shadow Word: Death (level 32): a finishing nuke. If it doesn't kill the target, it now deals 30% of your maximum health to you, so use it carefully.
Which Priest spec should you pick?
Shadow (damage). The leveling spec and a solid raid damage dealer. You stack
Shadow Weaving, keep
Shadow Word: Pain up, and
Mind Flay and
Mind Blast your way through.
Vampiric Embrace heals your group as you deal damage, and
Shadowform makes your Shadow spells 50% cheaper.
Holy (healer). The raid and group healer. Big heals,
Prayer of Healing for the party,
Prayer of Mending bouncing around, and
Spirit of Redemption to keep healing after you die. Holy is the safest pick if you want to heal raids.
Discipline (healer). The new kid, and a lot of fun. You shield people with
Power Word: Shield, then heal them with boosted crits from
Renewed Hope, and
Divine Aegis turns those crits into more shields. It's great for tank healing and for players who like preventing damage before it happens.
Best Priest leveling build in WoW Forever
Level as Shadow, with a small Discipline dip for mana and a better wand.
Shadow Leveling Build (17/0/34)
Talent order, roughly:
Wand Specialization (2) and
Spirit Tap (5) first. Your wand is a big part of your damage early on, and
Spirit Tap doubles your Spirit after every kill.
Shadow Focus (5) for hit, then
Improved Shadow Word: Pain (2) and
Improved Mind Blast (3).
Mind Flay and
Improved Mind Flay (2).
Mind Flay is your main spell from here.
Shadow Weaving (3),
Vampiric Embrace and
Dark Inspiration.
Devouring Contagion (2),
Silence,
Early Demise (2) and
Darkness (5).
Shadowform at level 40.- Finish in Discipline:
Twin Disciplines (3),
Mental Strength (5),
Meditation (3),
Inner Focus and
Improved Power Word: Shield (3).
Key levels to look forward to:
- 1:
Smite,
Lesser Heal and
Power Word: Fortitude. - 4:
Shadow Word: Pain. - 6:
Power Word: Shield. - 8:
Renew and
Fade. - 10:
Mind Blast and
Resurrection. - 12:
Inner Fire. - 14:
Psychic Scream and
Cure Disease. - 16:
Heal. - 18:
Dispel Magic. - 20:
Flash Heal,
Holy Fire,
Fear Ward,
Devouring Plague,
Shackle Undead and
Mind Flay (talent). - 30:
Prayer of Healing,
Mind Control,
Divine Spirit and
Shadow Protection. - 32:
Shadow Word: Death. - 40:
Greater Heal and
Shadowform.
How to level as Shadow: open with
Mind Blast or
Shadow Word: Pain from range, put up
Power Word: Shield if it's an elite or you're pulling two, then
Mind Flay (it slows, too) and finish with your wand. Early on, SW:P plus a wand is enough for most mobs. Use
Shadow Word: Death to finish low-health targets, but only when you're sure it'll kill, since a miss to kill costs you 30% of your health. Thanks to
Spirit Tap, you'll regenerate mana fast after every kill, so try to start the next pull before it runs out.
The five-second rule: your mana only regenerates normally if you haven't cast a spell for 5 seconds. Finishing mobs with your wand instead of spells is what makes Shadow leveling so smooth.
Shadow guide: rotation and tips
- Rotation: keep
Shadow Word: Pain and
Devouring Plague up,
Mind Blast on cooldown, and
Mind Flay in between.
Improved Mind Flay makes full channels worth it, so don't clip it early.
Shadow Weaving stacks up to 5 times for 10% more Shadow damage from you. Get it stacked early in a fight.
Vampiric Embrace heals your whole group for 20% of your Shadow damage. Keep it on the boss.
Silence interrupts and silences casters for 5 seconds.- Mana:
Shadowform cuts the cost of Shadow spells by 50%, and
Inner Focus gives you a free spell.
Holy guide: healing priority
Holy Build (18/33/0). It takes
Prayer of Mending,
Spiritual Guidance,
Spiritual Healing,
Holy Binding and
Litany of Light, with
Mental Strength and
Meditation from Discipline.
Healing priority:
Prayer of Mending on the tank, on cooldown. It jumps to the next person who takes damage.
Renew on whoever is taking steady damage.
Heal (downranked) or
Greater Heal on the tank.
Divine Fury makes them faster to cast.
Flash Heal for emergencies.
Holy Binding heals you for half as much, so it's also your self-heal.
Prayer of Healing when a whole party is low.
Power Word: Shield to stop damage on someone who's about to take a big hit.
Tips:
Spiritual Guidance turns your Spirit into healing power, so Spirit is a great stat for Holy.
Litany of Light refunds mana when you switch between different heals, so mix them up.- Downranking your heals is the best way to save mana in dungeons.
Click here to Level Ultra Fast
Affiliate link: we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
Discipline guide: healing priority
Discipline Build (31/20/0). It takes
Penance,
Renewed Hope,
Divine Aegis,
Soul Warding and
Power Infusion, with
Holy Specialization,
Divine Fury and
Inspiration from Holy.
- Shield first.
Power Word: Shield puts Weakened Soul on the target, and
Renewed Hope makes your
Flash Heal,
Heal,
Greater Heal and
Penance crit 10% more often on them.
Penance is your best heal: instant, and it ticks three times.
Divine Aegis turns every crit heal into an extra shield, and
Inspiration adds 25% armour on top. Discipline is the best tank healer when damage comes in spikes.
Power Infusion gives an ally 20% more spell damage and healing for 15 seconds. Use it on a Mage during burn phases, or on yourself during heavy healing.- Mana:
Inner Focus,
Meditation and
Mental Agility keep Discipline very efficient.
Wands for Priests
Your wand is a big part of your damage while leveling, especially before
Shadowform:
- Get one early. Crafted wands from Enchanters (Lesser Magic Wand and Greater Magic Wand) and early quest wands are big upgrades.
Wand Specialization adds 25% wand damage, which is why it's taken first.- Use it to finish mobs. Shooting doesn't count as casting, so your mana keeps regenerating normally (the five-second rule).
- Upgrade it often. A new wand every 10 levels or so keeps your kills fast. Shadow wands are a nice bonus for Shadow Priests.
Mana management for Priests
Meditation now lets 50% of your mana regeneration continue while casting, which makes a big difference in long fights.
Spirit Tap doubles your Spirit after kills, so chain pulls back to back.
Inner Focus makes one spell free and gives it extra crit. Save it for
Greater Heal or
Mind Blast.- Downrank everything you can in dungeons, and start fights at full mana when possible.
- Spirit and Intellect gear helps leveling Priests more than most classes.
Priest leveling tips
- Get a wand as early as you can, and use it to finish every mob.
Shadow Word: Pain plus a wand kills most early mobs on its own.- Shield before you pull anything dangerous.
Power Word: Shield also stops spell pushback. - Chain pulls with
Spirit Tap. Its Spirit boost after a kill makes your mana come back fast.
Mind Flay slows enemies, so kite them while it channels.
Psychic Scream when you get swarmed, then
Fade and heal up.- Keep
Inner Fire and
Power Word: Fortitude up at all times.
Priest dungeon tips
You can heal most leveling dungeons in Shadow spec:
- Drop
Shadowform before healing, since you can't heal in it.
Renew and
Power Word: Shield on the tank cover a lot of incoming damage.
Flash Heal for spikes, and
Heal (downranked) for steady healing.
Fade if something turns on you, and
Psychic Scream in an emergency.
Dispel Magic and
Cure Disease remove debuffs that would kill your group.
Best stats for Priests
Most guides agree on roughly these priorities:
- Shadow: spell hit (
Shadow Focus covers 5%), then Shadow damage, then crit and Intellect. Spirit helps a lot while leveling thanks to
Spirit Tap. - Holy: healing power, then Spirit (
Spiritual Guidance) and mana regeneration, then Intellect. - Discipline: healing power and crit (for
Renewed Hope and
Divine Aegis), then Intellect and mana regeneration.
Best race for Priest
The differences are small, so pick the race you like. Each race still brings its own racial perks.
- Human (Alliance): a solid all-rounder with The Human Spirit.
- Dwarf (Alliance): Stoneform removes bleeds, poisons and diseases. Great for PvP.
- Night Elf (Alliance): Shadowmeld and extra dodge.
- Gnome (Alliance): new in Forever. Extra Intellect and Escape Artist.
- Undead (Horde): Will of the Forsaken breaks fear, charm and sleep. The top PvP Priest.
- Troll (Horde): Berserking for faster casting on boss fights.
Best professions for Priest
- Tailoring and Enchanting: make your own cloth gear and wands, and enchant them.
- Herbalism and Alchemy: mana potions for raids.
- Engineering: useful for PvP.
- First Aid and Cooking: cheap healing, and stat food.
Priest PvP tips
Psychic Scream fears enemies around you, and
Fade drops threat. Use them when melee classes get on top of you.
Power Word: Shield stops spell pushback while it holds, so shield yourself before casting under pressure.
Mana Burn drains caster mana, and
Silence (Shadow) shuts down healers.
Mind Control an enemy off a ledge, or into your team.
Fear Ward a friend against a Warlock or Warrior fear.
Common Priest mistakes
- Using a build from before the 2 November changes. Lots of beta videos show talents that were removed or moved.
- Using
Shadow Word: Death on something that won't die from it. It costs you 30% of your health. - Breaking the five-second rule while leveling. Use your wand.
- Spamming
Greater Heal in dungeons. Downrank and use
Renew and
Power Word: Shield instead. - Forgetting
Power Word: Fortitude and
Divine Spirit on your group. They last an hour now. - Clipping
Mind Flay early, which throws away the
Improved Mind Flay bonus.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Priest spec in WoW Forever?
For leveling, Shadow. At level 60, Holy is the main raid healer, Discipline is a strong new healing spec built around shields and
Penance, and Shadow is a good damage dealer that also heals its group with
Vampiric Embrace.
Is Discipline Priest good in WoW Forever?
Yes. Discipline is a real healing spec now, with
Penance,
Renewed Hope,
Divine Aegis and
Soul Warding. It's especially strong at tank healing, since you shield first and then land crit heals that leave extra shields.
What is the best Priest leveling spec?
Shadow, with
Wand Specialization and
Spirit Tap early.
Shadow Word: Pain,
Mind Blast and
Mind Flay plus a wand kill quickly with very little downtime, and
Spirit Tap refills your mana after kills.
What does Shadow Word: Death do in WoW Forever?
Shadow Word: Death is learned at level 32. It deals a burst of Shadow damage, and if it doesn't kill the target, you take damage equal to 30% of your maximum health. It's best used as a finisher.
Can Gnomes be Priests in WoW Forever?
Yes. Gnome Priest is one of the new race and class combinations in WoW Forever. Other Priest races are Human, Dwarf and Night Elf for the Alliance, and Undead and Troll for the Horde.
What does Prayer of Mending do?
Prayer of Mending is the Holy capstone. It heals the target the next time they take damage or are healed, then jumps to another party member and does it again.
Click here to Level Ultra Fast
Affiliate link: we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
