Split-Screen :: The Game-Geek’s Daily Read

by Oreo

Priest Types

• Discipline
• Holy
• Shadow

Holy priests are famous for their various healing spells and the protective shields, which make them the favorite healers for many people. While the traditional role of a Priest is healing, Shadow Priests (who can dish out significant single-target Damage Per Second and provide mana regeneration for the whole party) are also a commonsight for end-game raids. Shadow Priests also do very well in PvP. The Discipline tree helps the mana threshold, thus it complements both Holy and Shadow. In addition to powerful healing and single-target damage, Priests can also supply players with helpful buffs (blessings).

Level 70 Builds

Primary Disc/Holy

These are standard level 70 builds for a primary healers, which should include Circle of Healing. Unlike previously implied, mental agility is a must. Changes to Lightwell, though nice, have been inconsistent. That is not to say the large boost to the bonus of healing is not welcome. Some players are able to expend all charges by rapidly clicking the Lightwell, while others are forced to wait out the duration of the buff.

http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=bxG0khxZfMxcfMaVhVo

This build focuses on maximum efficiency and accentuates the well-rounded qualities that comprise the raiding priest’s abilities.

Variations include — taking one point out of Absolution into Silent Resolve. One point in Absolution will have a small impact on your mana usage when casting Dispel, or Mass Dispel. However, it is an impact nonetheless. Silent Resolve may be the difference between pulling aggro with Circle of Healing from an offtanked mob.

Taking the two points out of Holy Specialisation into Spell Warding. Crit percentage may be nice, and a well-timed crit heal may seem satisfying, but the Priest class was not meant to effectively take advantage of crit, as can be seen by our class mechanics and itemization. The damage a priest receives in a typical raid environment is most likely spell damage, thus Spell Warding is effectively a percent boost to Stamina, per point.

Taking one point out of Healing Prayers and putting the last point into Spiritual Guidance. This is generally not recommended, as Prayer of Mending should be cast often, and its mana costs can add up. Also, the mana cost reduction to Prayer of Healing is very desirable. As a rule of thumb, if Prayer of Healing was cast at least once in a boss encounter, then it was worth it.

Alternatively, Inspiration may be skipped and used to max out Spell Warding or Holy Specialization, though it is wise to have Inspiration available to you in a raid situation, whether the raid is heavy on Restoration Shamans or not.

Secondary Disc/ Holy

A common build that complements a priest with a deep holy build as above. It gets a useful caster buff of Divine Spirit with Improved Divine Spirit and sacrifices Circle of Healing and healing bonuses. A guild with two priests raiding together will likely prefer one of them to have this build. Still a capable tank healer and raid healer. Not much changes when going from Circle of Healing to obtaining Improved Divine Spirit, except for that Silent Resolve may not be of much use, as untanked targets will aggro from healing, regardless of how many points into Silent Resolve you may have.

http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=bxMhkhxzbZfMxcfMaVhc

Support 40-Man Raid Healer

http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=bxMhuhxtb0oZfbxcf0VV

http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=bxMhkhxzZbxtcfMqVzV(with more healing and less utility)

This build should not be widely used. Its main focus is enabling the support healer (as opposed to the main healers) in the raid to efficiently assist in healing the raid while the main healers heal the tanks. Since not many raids actually need support healers this build is very specialized for large raids. The build retains enough Holy talents to replace killed main healers for a short time.

• Caster Boosting — Using both the Improved Divine Spirit and Power Infusion talents these priests can improve the performance of any caster in the raid dramatically. This combined boost of spell damage and healing can boost a raid’s DPS or healing dynamically as required during raid engagements.
• Improved Decursing — Decreased mana cost of decursing spells, combined with a larger mana bank make these priests decursing machines. When facing one of those pesky raid bosses or even trash, who take a fancy to debuffing the entire raid or large portions of it, these priests prove to be a valuable asset.

http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=bxghzhZfVt0fMqVhV (with holy nova, inner focus, and binding heal)

This spec is an off-shoot of the above two, but tweaked to reduce threat andspell damage, whereas the above two do not reduce aggro threat. This is an effective spec for PvE as well as PvP, but purely built for healing.

PvP ‘Face Melter’

This build is a pure PvP build. The build is only slightly viable for raiding, but in the new arena system, as well as normal PvP, it will truly ‘melt faces.’

http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=bxxrz0MZZVMGtMtRhtVo

Notes:

• Mana Burn and Silence are powerful tools. They are vital against healing classes.
• Silent Resolve’s dispel resistance might be worthwhile against dispelling classes.
• Martyrdom could be useful in various situations.

Raid Shadow

The Shadow Priest is an extremely powerful group supporting spec, whichdeals steady damage and offers a lot of utility.
http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=bxMhzhZZxGxpMLohtEo
Notes:

• Shadow Focus: Shadow Focus can be adjusted based on your spell hit rating. If you have 76 hit rating, you need 5/5 Shadow Focus. If you have 101 you can go 4/5, 126 hit for 3/5. If you have more than 126 hit rating, you should re-think your gearing.
• Unbreakable Will vs Wand: Normally, UW is preferable, but depending on the Priest’s use of wands, the second one might be the better choice.
• Blackout vs Spirit Tap: Neither really qualifies for raid use. Both very occasionally proc in a raid environment, and as such, the decision mostly depends on what one prefers outside of raiding.
• Silence and Improved Psychic Scream are left out due to their largely limited raid use.

Smiter

http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=bxgMzhMtbxoZfxt0bbVb

Designed for maximizing Holy damage, the build provides enormous and reliable damage (due to Holy damage not being subject to resistances). In addition the Priest retains their ability to heal, making them useful as a healer and DPS. The downsides are the lack of possible damage sustainabilityand utility. Unlike the shadow tree, which allows a priest a consistent andefficient damage output, the Smiter is able to quickly deal large amounts ofholy damage.

Shadow Healer

http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=bZfxxcc0qZVGMdMpRht

This build is recommended for versatile priests, occupying good holes ingroup (as a DPS healer, or as support healer, or as main healer, if none represent this is a decent healer spec), and giving survival to priest in soloing.

For this priest, it is well recommended to accumulate Spirit more thanIntellect, even if just to rise duff their mana regen from talents.

Depending on what you do when not raiding/grouping, you can always switchBlackout for Spirit Tap.

• Strengths - The combination of damage output and good healing.
• Weaknesses - Small mana pool

Please note that this spec would only be feasible for 5-man encounters. Do not attempt to use this spec in a 10 or 25 man raid encounter, as you are less useful than a Holy Priest or Shadow Priest.

UnHoly Shadow Mix

http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=bxMhzZfxt0bbVbZVMxd0xR

This build puts points across the board. The Discipline tree is taken as far as Inner Focus to provide that emergency heal with no mana cost. Since the chance of crit will be much higher a free Smite can be cast because of the talent Surge of Light from the Holy tree. The Shadow Tree is used to get Vampiric Embrace along with the improved version. An alternative would be to strip the pointsfrom Shadow Weaving and use them and one point from Improved Vampiric Embrace to get Silence.
The standard method of playing would involve landing Vampiric Embrace followed by Shadow Word: Pain.

If grouped then in between healing duties a Mind Flay can be used with refreshing Vampiric Embrance and ShadowWord:Pain asneeded on the main target.

Disc PvP Healer

(47/14/0) http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=bxTGzhMtrcqtf0tc

A build with increased survivability. Strong buffs, including Pain Suppressionand Power Infusion. Mana Burn is the strongest spell to use against opponents if you get caught in a 1 vs 1 situation. A 0.5 second Mass Dispel, as well as ImprovedPower Word: Shield, Reflective Shield, and Healing Focus make this a very effective healing build in PvP.

Common Disc PvP Healer (livelong build)

(41/20/0) http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=bxgMuhgtMcozfVxbc

This build seems to be the best current build for PvP priest healers as it allows you to take plenty of hits while still doing your job. This build is also the most popular among the 25th and up top rated priests in 2v2 3v3 and 5v5.

Common Disc PvP Max Healer Build
http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/classes/priest/talents.html?5002320133505112021551230051300000000000000000000000000000000000

This build I find keeps me alive long enough to top charts in healing inbattle grounds. For a more arena spec healer you should see the one above thisone. This build is to max out your healing while keeping you alive. The high stats will keep you going for a long time the large mana pool should keep yougoing for a long time plus the additional bonus healing on yourself while taking damage.

Reflect shield will almost kill anyone dealing damage to you. I find this vital when grouping with a friend especially a rogue with high burstdamage because if another rogue sneaks up on you and they will then half damageput back on them plus your rogue friend will be able to finish them off with burst damage. Just keep shield up and inner fire at ALL times.

Blessed Resilience PVP Disc/Holy build

(28/33/0) http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=bxLGzhgzMZfVthcMoV0h

Not as popular of a PVP arena spec as the full discipline build, at lowlevels of resilience (less then 250 to 300) and gear blessed resilience is morebeneficial for survival then focused will, as the priest may not be able tolive through enough crits for the stacking buff. Unfortunately, this build also must skip out on pain suppression, but gains better healing power, and still retains the ability to heal 5-man instances quite well.

Multi-purposePvP build

http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=bxMGzIztbZbZVMgzztR0t

While this build leaves out the powerful 41-shadow-point Vampiric Touchability and Misery, it incorporates Shadowform, Meditation, Inner Focus, DivineSpirit and Improved Divine Spirit, the latter four to try to prolong the priest’s mana as long as possible.

This build should be used for PvP battles, where a priest can damage and heal (secondary healer perhaps) concurrently. Shadowform here is debateable, due to its restrictions on healing while used,and can be switched (along with the 2 point Healing Focus) into the build to get Power Infusion if wanted. However, already with the discipline talents of Mental Strength, Matrydom, Improved Inner Fire, and the Divine Spirit talents,this build hopes to increase the survivablility and longevity of the priestwhile battling, at the same time leaving enough Shadow talents to increase thedamage output of the priest.

Note: Spirit Tap/Blackout is also for the priest to choose.

Unorthodox Disc Priest Arena Build

http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=bxMRkhgtMcqufZV0gz

This is for all those arena PvP fanatics. Mainly the standard Discipline build but with more emphasis on 2 vs 2 Arena PvP. The method of using a rank 1 Mind Flay to keep an opponent from kiting a less mobile partner and a rank 1 ShadowWord: Pain to procure Blackout make it extremely specialized.

The addition of Improved Psychic Scream can be stacked with the effect from Vengeful Gladiator’s Mooncloth Gloves (or any version of a priest’s Arena Reward gloves) reducing the cooldown on Psychic Scream to 23 seconds. The use of Power Infusion is noticeable when used to push damage as an opponent is near death and the addition of the priest’s damage would end the match quicker. Despite the damage talents, the main focus of this build is to provide support by both healing and harassment towards an opponent’s healer through a variety of interrupts, Mana Burns, and dispells. A Priest paired with a Rogue would see the most benefitfrom this build.

Tank Specced Unarmed Melee Priest Build

http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=bEMh0cxLZZEMMzMtRMt

This build is designed to be played as an off tank. Doing unarmed damage and providing support for casters. In the event of the death of the tank this build will take over the tanking for the team until the main tank is rezzed. It is played in shadowform for the 15% damage resist coupled with inner strength forthe armor bonus.