Priest Guide  Priest Guide  Priest Spells  Priest Races  Priest Talents  Priest Builds  Priest Professions  Priest Raiding  Priest Benediction  Priest Deathknell  Priest Strategy  

Priest WOW Rading

The views expressed here concerning talent builds are my opinions to be a successful long term, mana managing healer and do not express the need for you to spec to this particular build.

Chapter 1: General Class Description

“The Priest class is the master of healing and hate control. Other classes such as the Shaman, Druid, and Paladin can heal, but not as well as the Priest. The Priest can also resurrect dead players along with the Shaman and Paladin. The Warlock also has the ability to resurrect, through the use of soul stones. The Priest has some buffs that can help party members. The Priest can even take control of humanoid monsters at higher character levels.”

Although this was what Blizzard had intended on a Priest class being the current version on your priest is a lot different and at times not the top healer depending on which end game raid boss one might be fighting.

Chapter 2: Shadow vs. Holy Priest

Now this subject is rather sensitive to some so I will generalize what I feel is an excellent end game raiding priest build. While all priest’s Holy & Shadow are capable of healing on an even footing for the most part, there is a viable benefit to going Holy & Discipline specced over a full Shadow specced priest build.

First and foremost is the benefit of the available talents that not only enhance your mana pools and increase the healing ability of your spells but more importantly is the ability to provide longevity during a long endurance fight.

As a Holy/Discipline specced priest you gain the advantage of the following spells and abilities:

Improved Renew: increase in your renew ability by 15% when maxed out.

Spiritual Healing: increase the amount all your available spells can heal by 10% when maxed out.

Improved Prayer of Healing: reduce the mana cost of your POH spell by 20% when maxed out.

Improved Power Word: Shield: reduce the cost of your PW: S Weakened Soul debuff by 15 seconds when maxed out.

Mental Agility: reduce the mana cost of your instance cast spells such as Renew and PW: S by 10% when maxed out.

Mental Strength: increase your maximum mana pool by 10% when maxed out.
While there are other spells and abilities available the above few listed can provide a Holy/Discipline specced priest a significant advantage over a Shadow specced priest during a sustained endurance boss fight. Just the spells listed can take a decently geared lvl 60 priest and enhance their performance by gaining a mana poll of +700 additional mana while allowing a saving of almost 1200 mana during healing.

Yes all this can be offset by rotating healers or drinking a mana pot during fights but the goal here is not to say a Shadow priest cannot do the same this is just a generalization of how a Holy/Dimpling specced priest can be more beneficial during a long endurance fight by boosting their spells and talents.

Chapter 3: How To Prepare For Raiding

Sounds simple enough, but you will be surprised by how many times a priest has come to raids unprepared for a 4 or 5 hour raid event. Knowledge is power! Each and every person, including the priest should know what is expected of the raid to kill a boss. Research strat guides, view forum posts and ask question prior to the event so you know exactly what to expect from the boss as a whole and not just who do I heal.

First and foremost all priest should bring at least 40 candles on average to insure you have the regents you need to buff your party and if needed to cover another priests party. Do not ever assume every single priest in the raid is coming as equipped as you are so prepare for the worst and hope for the best and help insure the raid group as a whole can and will succeed.

Next item to make sure you have a surplus on is Major Mana Potions. Do not assume you will be given Mana pots by guild alchemists when you arrive at the raid. As a priest it is your responsibility to bring enough items for yourself to provide your healing services from the start to the end of the raid. 5 Mana pots over 4 or 5 hours will not be enough, especially those priests assigned to major healing rotations. 20 Mana pots per healer for a 4 or 5 hour raid event is suffice and allows you to stand your ground during long endurance fights.

One of the most over looked and last items to make sure you are well stocked on is Heavy Runecloth Bandages. During most fights priest will not be holding aggro allowing you to step back and bandage yourself should you have taken damage. You may ask why use a bandage when I can heal myself? - Easy, mana conservation for those DPS classes that need the healing more than you do for the 10 seconds it takes to place a bandage on yourself. 40 Bandages for a long night of raiding would be prudent.

Chapter 4: Raid Location Gear Essentials

Short, sweet and to the point! Know what is planned for the raid and bring the needed backup gear along with your primary healing gear. If the raid will be fighting in Molten Core, insure you bring any available items you have to help increase your ability to resist the primary damage type in the instance.

Molten Core is obviously fire based and as such all healers should have enough gear as back up to provide 120 to 150 fire resistance. This number is the targeted amount a healer would like to acquire during difficult fights. Do not assume a totem or a fire pot will be enough resistance protection during these fights. Come prepared or expect to be rezzed a decent amount.

Zul Gurub is primarily poison and nature resistance gear essential. While not as severe as the large Molten Core instance anything that provides a player with the chance to resist a harmful dot or effect is beneficial to not only you but also the raid.

Blackwing Lair utilizes full and partial fire resistance gear sets. Insure you have a fire resist set equal to 200+ resist regardless of stats for the Vael fight while only needing the basic fr gear from Molten Core for the remaining bosses that warrant the need for fr gear.

Chapter 5: Main Tank & Healing Rotation Healers vs Back-Up Healers

As with any high end raid boss not every priest will spam a flash heal on the tank and dps classes. If we did all the priest would be out of mana and worthless to the raid before the fight was over. To balance this, one to two primary healers are assigned to watch the Main Tank or a rotation of 2 to 4 healers will provide the same service. If you are one of these assigned healers your primary goal is to insure that Main Tank does not die regardless who else is in the raid. Utilize communication and mana conservation while keeping the Main Tank healed.

For those healers not assigned one of these jobs your goal is to watch the rest of the raid group and make sure all members are kept alive while still maintaining at least 50% of your mana pool should you need to step up and start healing a Main Tank. A backup healer called to heal a Main Tank with no mana is worthless - heal the raid but maintain mana conservation.

Chapter 6: Utilizing Dispel Or Wipe The Raid!

The single most important ability a priest has besides healing in a raid setting is our ability to Dispel magic debuffs off of raid members. While this may seem somewhat trivial it is by far the most often reason a wipe can happen during a main boss fight. As a priest it is essential every priest in the raid utilizes this ability to the max especially as a backup healer. While most Main Tank or healing rotation healers will not have the time to Dispel magic during their healing cycle the bulk of this work will fall to the Backup healer. Watch the primary healers and tanks during any boss fights and Dispel them when a debuff is placed on them. DO NOT assume someone will get it off - YOU get it off ASAP. Lack of dispelling can be the difference between a boss win or a raid wipe.

If you follow these basics rules and prepare your self properly any priest new to raiding should have a far more enjoyable and successful time healing as you enter the realm of end game raiding.