Priest PvP in WoW Forever: Shadow and healing, builds and rotations against every class

Defense and survival

Power Word: Shield is your defining ability. It is instant and at level 60 absorbs 950 damage, or 1140 talented, preventing cast pushback while it holds. Afterward, Weakened Soul prevents a new shield on that target for 15 seconds; the shield itself has a 4-second cooldown. Apply it before enemies reach you and before every long cast.

At level 60, Inner Fire grants nearly 1400 armor for 20 hits; with talents, over 2000 armor and 32 charges. Keep it active: armor matters against Warriors, Rogues and Hunters.

Psychic Scream fears up to 5 nearby enemies for 8 seconds, with fewer targets at lower ranks. Its cooldown is 30 seconds, or 26 talented. Dispel Magic cannot remove it, but any damage can break the fear, including your own Pain and Plague. Scream when enemies are close and have already spent their stuns and insignia, not in the first second of combat.

The PvP trinket is an equipped accessory you activate to break control on yourself. In the beta tooltip, the Greater Insignia of the Horde and Alliance versions remove stuns, fear, slows and other loss-of-control effects; they do not grant immunity to the next CC. Rank 2 means your PvP rank, not character level; the exact launch reward still needs confirmation.

Fear Ward is available to every Priest in Forever, not just Dwarves, but now both its cooldown and duration are 3 minutes. It blocks only one fear, so apply it to yourself or a partner when you see a Warlock, Priest or Warrior. You can no longer maintain the old constant coverage. It does not protect against Death Coil.

Fade lowers your threat against creatures for 10 seconds, and it only helps in a group where the creature can switch to someone else. It is useless against players, despite the Russian tooltip suggesting enemies cannot attack you. From level 34, Levitate lets you fall slowly and walk on water, but breaks on damage. It can save you from a cliff fall and serve as a spare buff to absorb an enemy dispel.

Shadow damage

Shadow Word: Pain is your main damage-over-time spell: around 760 damage over 18 seconds at level 60, lasting 24 seconds with talents. Apply it to nearby enemies to build pressure and stop Rogues and Druids from stealthing.

Mind Blast is Shadow's main direct-damage cast: 1.5 seconds, an 8-second cooldown or 5.5 talented, and roughly 500 damage. Cast it behind a shield, immediately after Scream, or with Inner Focus.

Mind Flay is the 11th Shadow point. It is a 3-second channel that damages and slows the target by 50%, keeping melee at range. Since October 15, Improved Mind Flay only makes each Mind Flay tick deal 10/20% more than the previous one; it no longer changes range or the slow. Our PvP builds spend those points elsewhere.

Every Priest gets Devouring Plague in Forever. It has a 24-second cooldown and heals you for all damage dealt. It is a disease, so Druids, Mages, Warlocks, Hunters, Rogues and Warriors cannot remove it; Paladins, Shamans, Priests and Dwarves can.

Shadow Word: Death is a new Forever spell learned at level 32. It is instant, has an 18-second cooldown and deals around 460 damage. If the target survives, you take damage equal to 10% of your health, making it a finisher rather than a routine attack.

Vampiric Embrace is the 16th Shadow point. For 30 seconds, your party is healed for 20% of your Shadow damage. Embrace has a 30-second cooldown and can no longer be resisted. In Classic it lasted a minute with a 10-second cooldown, so now apply it for burst windows. It is a curse: Mages, Druids and any Orc can remove it.

Shadowform is the 31st Shadow point, unlocked at level 40. It grants +10% Shadow damage, halves Shadow spell costs, doubles their critical damage bonus and reduces physical damage taken by 15%. You cannot heal in form, but can use everything else: Blizzard explicitly says all spells except healing are allowed. Leaving form to heal is expensive because reentering costs 40% base mana.

Blackout gives Shadow spells a 10% chance to stun for 3 seconds. Testers report that this rolls on application, not on every tick. The old rank 1 Pain stun-fishing trick is weaker in Forever because low ranks trigger talents less often.

Control, interrupts and dispels

Silence is the 21st Shadow point. It prevents spellcasting for 5 seconds; if the target is casting, it also interrupts and locks the spell school for 3 seconds. That interrupt is new in Forever; Classic Silence only silenced. Its cooldown is 45 seconds and range 20 yards. Use it on a healer's cast or Polymorph, and do not waste it on a Paladin under Voice of Truth or into Grounding Totem.

At level 60, Mind Control, rank 3 learned at 58, controls a humanoid up to level 74 for one minute. It has a 3-second cast and 20-yard range; while channeling, you stand still and are vulnerable. Undead break it with Will of the Forsaken, and the rank 2 insignia probably does too. Its main uses are walking enemies off cliffs or into water, moving a healer away from a flag carrier, or leading enemies into your guards.

Mana Burn burns up to 790 mana with a 3-second cast, or 2 seconds talented, and deals damage equal to half the mana burned. It is a key tool against Paladins, Druids, Shamans, Priests and Mages, but useless against Warriors and Rogues.

Dispel Magic removes magical control from allies, including Polymorph, Fear, Hammer of Justice, Frost Nova and roots, and strips enemy shields and blessings. From level 36 it removes two effects at once. It does not remove Psychic Scream, Blind (a poison), curses, poisons, or Rogue and Warrior stuns. Forever has no Mass Dispel.

Cure Disease and Abolish Disease remove diseases. Every Priest has Plague in Forever, so these abilities matter more than in Classic.

Healing

The level 60 Priest healing toolkit. Numbers are for the highest ranks.

Spell	Cast time	Healing	When to use
Flash Heal	1.5 sec	778-914	Main PvP heal
Greater Heal	3 sec	around 1900-2100	When left alone or behind a shield
Renew	instant	830 over 15 seconds	While moving; different Priests' Renews stack
Penance	2 sec channel	3 ticks of 425	Discipline, 12 sec cooldown; also damages enemies
Binding Heal	1.5 sec	778-914 to the target and yourself	Holy, 16th point
Prayer of Mending	instant	around 410 per trigger, up to 5 jumps	Holy, 31st point, 10 sec cooldown
Holy Nova	instant	heals the party and damages enemies within 10 yards	Holy, 11th point; avoid using near friendly Sap or your Scream

Discipline talent abilities

Inner Focus makes your next spell free and grants +25% critical strike chance if it is not periodic. It is off the global cooldown, so use it with Mind Blast or Greater Heal. Its cooldown is 3 minutes.

Power Infusion is the 31st Discipline point and requires Penance. Power Infusion grants +20% spell damage and healing for 15 seconds on a 3-minute cooldown. It does nothing useful for Rogues or Warriors: use it on yourself or an allied caster.

Soul Warding, Renewed Hope and Divine Aegis are new Discipline shield talents. Warding removes the shield cooldown; Renewed Hope increases healing critical chance on targets with Weakened Soul and removes 5 seconds of that debuff; Divine Aegis creates a shield worth 15% of critical healing. Together they create a cycle: shield, two or three heals, then shield again.

Quick reference

Ability	Level	Cooldown	PvP use
Power Word: Shield	6	4 sec	Absorb damage and prevent cast pushback
Psychic Scream	14	30 sec	Fear nearby enemies
Dispel Magic	18	-	Remove control from an ally or buffs from an enemy
Fear Ward	20	3 min	Block one fear
Devouring Plague	20	24 sec	Damage and self-healing
Mana Burn	24	-	Burn a healer's or caster's mana
Mind Control	30	-	Walk an enemy off a cliff or toward allies
Shadow Word: Death	32	18 sec	Finish a target while moving
Levitate	34	-	Slow falling and water walking
Mind Flay	talent, 20	-	Slow a melee opponent
Penance	talent, 30	12 sec	Healing or damage
Silence	talent, 30	45 sec	Silence and interrupt a cast
Shadowform	talent, 40	-	Damage, mana efficiency and physical damage reduction

Shadow: duels, world PvP and random battlegrounds (20/0/31)

The successor to Classic's Shadow PvP build. Forever fits the entire Shadow PvP toolkit into exactly 31 points: Blackout, Scream every 26 seconds, Silence, Embrace and Shadowform. The remaining 20 points go into Discipline survival: shorter control, stronger shields, more armor and Inner Focus burst. Its weakness is cast pushback without a shield; in form, your sustain is limited to shields, Plague and Embrace.

20/0/31Open in calculator →

Discipline 20

5/5413/3462/2493/3541/1573/3513/358

Holy 0

Shadow 31

3/5195/5105/5232/2152/2172/2211/1201/1253/3261/1305/5351/140

Why each talent matters

• Blackout 5/5Shadow spells have a 10% chance to stun for 3 seconds. Five points here are required for Improved Psychic Scream.
• Improved Shadow Word: Pain 2/2Pain lasts 24 seconds instead of 18: fewer refreshes and more damage.
• Shadow Reach 2/2+20% range for offensive Shadow spells: Blast, Pain and Death reach 36 yards, Flay 24.
• Shadow Focus 3/5Shadow spell hit chance. Classic PvP needed 3%; Forever's requirement is still unknown.
• Mind Flay 1/1Mind Flay: a 3-second damaging channel that slows by 50%. Your main way to keep melee away.
• Improved Psychic Scream 2/2Scream every 26 seconds instead of 30.
• Improved Mind Blast 5/5Mind Blast cools down faster, reaching 5.5 seconds at 5/5.
• Vampiric Embrace 1/1Embrace: your party heals from your Shadow damage for 30 seconds. Also the prerequisite for Shadowform.
• Shadow Weaving 3/3Each Shadow spell adds a stack, up to +10% to your Shadow damage.
• Silence 1/1Silence: 5 seconds of silence and a 3-second spell interrupt. A true Priest interrupt, on a 45-second cooldown.
• Darkness 5/5+10% Shadow damage and the points needed to reach Shadowform.
• Shadowform 1/1Shadowform: more damage, half-cost Shadow spells, doubled Shadow critical damage bonus and 15% less physical damage taken.
• Twin Disciplines 5/5+5% damage and healing for instant spells: Pain, Plague and Renew.
• Silent Resolve 3/3Stuns, fears and silences last 15% less time on you.
• Martyrdom 2/2After taking a critical hit, damage cannot push back your casts for 6 seconds, and you are harder to interrupt.
• Improved Power Word: Shield 3/3Shields absorb 20% more: 1140 instead of 950.
• Mental Agility 3/3Instant spells cost 10% less: shield, Pain, Plague, Silence and Scream.
• Inner Focus 1/1Inner Focus: a free Blast or Death with +25% critical strike chance every 3 minutes.
• Improved Inner Fire 3/3Inner Fire grants 45% more armor and 32 charges instead of 20. A major help against melee.

Level-by-level order

1. 10–14Blackout 5/5
2. 15–16Improved Shadow Word: Pain 2/2
3. 17–18Shadow Reach 2/2
4. 19Shadow Focus 1/5
5. 20Mind Flay 1/1
6. 21–22Improved Psychic Scream 2/2
7. 23–24Improved Mind Blast 2/5
8. 25Vampiric Embrace 1/1
9. 26–28Shadow Weaving 3/3
10. 29Improved Mind Blast 3/5
11. 30Silence 1/1
12. 31–32Improved Mind Blast 5/5
13. 33–34Shadow Focus 3/5
14. 35–39Darkness 5/5
15. 40Shadowform 1/1
16. 41–45Twin Disciplines 5/5
17. 46–48Silent Resolve 3/3
18. 49–50Martyrdom 2/2
19. 51–53Improved Power Word: Shield 3/3
20. 54–56Mental Agility 3/3
21. 57Inner Focus 1/1
22. 58–60Improved Inner Fire 3/3

Shadow for battlegrounds and caster matchups (8/12/31)

A new option unavailable in Classic. Battlegrounds expose you to several enemies at once, many casting spells. Forever's Twilight Focus protects every cast from damage pushback, not just healing, allowing Mind Blast, Flay, Mana Burn and Mind Control to finish under pressure. Spell Warding reduces magic damage by 10%; Silent Resolve shortens control chains; Devouring Contagion spreads Plague from a dead enemy to two nearby targets. The price is a weaker shield and no Improved Inner Fire armor or Inner Focus, so standard Shadow is better against Warriors and Rogues one on one.

8/12/31Open in calculator →

Discipline 8

5/5413/346

Holy 12

3/3492/3525/5542/359

Shadow 31

3/5195/5103/5232/2152/2172/2211/1201/1253/3261/1302/2315/5351/140

Why each talent matters

• Blackout 5/5Shadow spells have a 10% chance to stun for 3 seconds; Pain on multiple targets gives more chances. Required for Improved Psychic Scream.
• Improved Shadow Word: Pain 2/2Pain lasts 24 seconds, staying active longer across multiple targets.
• Shadow Reach 2/2Blast, Pain and Death reach 36 yards, letting you attack from behind allies.
• Shadow Focus 3/5Shadow spell hit chance. Forever's requirement is still unknown.
• Mind Flay 1/1Mind Flay slows a flag carrier by 50%.
• Improved Psychic Scream 2/2Scream every 26 seconds. On Darkspear Islands, it sends enemies into the water.
• Improved Mind Blast 3/5Mind Blast cools down faster.
• Vampiric Embrace 1/1Embrace: you and your party heal from your Shadow damage for 30 seconds. Required for Shadowform.
• Shadow Weaving 3/3Up to +10% to your Shadow damage.
• Silence 1/1Silence on the enemy healer: silence plus a 3-second interrupt.
• Devouring Contagion 2/2Plague costs half as much and jumps to two enemies within 10 yards if its target dies. In a team fight, that means free extra DoTs.
• Darkness 5/5+10% Shadow damage and the points needed to reach Shadowform.
• Shadowform 1/1Shadowform: half-cost Shadow spells, doubled Shadow critical damage bonus and 15% less physical damage taken.
• Twin Disciplines 5/5+5% instant-spell damage for Pain and Plague.
• Silent Resolve 3/3Stuns, fears and silences last 15% less time; battlegrounds have plenty of them.
• Twilight Focus 3/3A 70% chance that damage will not push back any spell: Blast, Flay, Mana Burn or Mind Control.
• Improved Renew 2/3Points to unlock the next row. Renew can only heal you outside Shadowform.
• Spell Warding 5/510% less damage from all spells.
• Blessed Recovery 2/3After a critical hit or a hit exceeding 30% of your health, recover part of that damage over 6 seconds.

Level-by-level order

1. 10–14Blackout 5/5
2. 15–16Improved Shadow Word: Pain 2/2
3. 17–18Shadow Reach 2/2
4. 19Shadow Focus 1/5
5. 20Mind Flay 1/1
6. 21–22Improved Psychic Scream 2/2
7. 23–24Improved Mind Blast 2/5
8. 25Vampiric Embrace 1/1
9. 26–28Shadow Weaving 3/3
10. 29Improved Mind Blast 3/5
11. 30Silence 1/1
12. 31–32Devouring Contagion 2/2
13. 33–34Shadow Focus 3/5
14. 35–39Darkness 5/5
15. 40Shadowform 1/1
16. 41–45Twin Disciplines 5/5
17. 46–48Silent Resolve 3/3
18. 49–51Twilight Focus 3/3
19. 52–53Improved Renew 2/3
20. 54–58Spell Warding 5/5
21. 59–60Blessed Recovery 2/3

Discipline: healer and duelist (34/17/0)

The successor to the deep Discipline build veterans considered Classic's best PvP healer. Shields without a cooldown, Power Infusion and strong pushback protection combine with Forever's new talents into a cycle: shield, two or three heals, shield again. Penance heals or damages, giving this healer respectable dueling ability. It lacks Spiritual Healing, Prayer of Mending and Spirit of Redemption, so total healing is lower than Holy's.

34/17/0Open in calculator →

Discipline 34

5/5103/3152/2183/3281/1233/3203/3243/3411/1271/1305/5313/3361/140

Holy 17

3/3442/3475/5491/1603/3543/357

Shadow 0

Why each talent matters

• Twin Disciplines 5/5+5% instant-spell damage and healing, including Renew.
• Silent Resolve 3/3Stuns, fears and silences last 15% less time on you.
• Martyrdom 2/2After taking a critical hit, damage cannot push back your casts for 6 seconds, and you are harder to interrupt.
• Improved Power Word: Shield 3/3Shields absorb 20% more: 1140 instead of 950.
• Inner Focus 1/1Inner Focus: a free Greater Heal with +25% critical strike chance every 3 minutes.
• Meditation 3/3Half your mana regeneration continues while casting. Healers need every bit of mana.
• Soul Warding 1/1Soul Warding: removes the shield cooldown and reduces its cost by 15%. Shield allies one after another.
• Mental Agility 3/3Instant spells cost 10% less: shield, Renew and Dispel.
• Penance 1/1Penance: a 2-second channel with three pulses of 425 healing on an ally or 92 damage on an enemy, on a 12-second cooldown.
• Renewed Hope 5/5Healing on a Weakened Soul target has 10% extra critical strike chance and removes 5 seconds of the debuff, allowing an earlier shield.
• Divine Aegis 3/3Each critical heal creates a shield worth 15% of the amount healed.
• Power Infusion 1/1Power Infusion: +20% spell damage and healing for 15 seconds. Use on yourself or an allied Mage or Warlock during burst.
• Improved Inner Fire 3/3Healers are focused first, so +45% armor and 32 Inner Fire charges are welcome.
• Twilight Focus 3/3A 70% chance that damage will not push back casts.
• Improved Renew 2/3Renew heals for 10% more, improving your healing while moving.
• Spell Warding 5/510% less damage from all spells.
• Blessed Recovery 3/3After a critical hit or a hit exceeding 30% of your health, recover 25% of that damage over 6 seconds.
• Inspiration 3/3Critical healing grants the target +25% armor for 15 seconds.
• Holy Nova 1/1Holy Nova: instantly heals nearby party members and damages enemies within 10 yards.

Level-by-level order

1. 10–14Twin Disciplines 5/5
2. 15–17Silent Resolve 3/3
3. 18–19Martyrdom 2/2
4. 20–22Improved Power Word: Shield 3/3
5. 23Inner Focus 1/1
6. 24–26Meditation 3/3
7. 27Soul Warding 1/1
8. 28–29Mental Agility 2/3
9. 30Penance 1/1
10. 31–35Renewed Hope 5/5
11. 36–38Divine Aegis 3/3
12. 39Mental Agility 3/3
13. 40Power Infusion 1/1
14. 41–43Improved Inner Fire 3/3
15. 44–46Twilight Focus 3/3
16. 47–48Improved Renew 2/3
17. 49–53Spell Warding 5/5
18. 54–56Blessed Recovery 3/3
19. 57–59Inspiration 3/3
20. 60Holy Nova 1/1

Holy: battleground healer (20/31/0)

The successor to Classic's 21/30/0. This offers the most healing: Prayer of Mending jumps through team fights, Binding Heal heals both you and your target, Spiritual Healing adds 10% to all healing, and Spirit of Redemption provides another 15 seconds of free healing after death. It is the weakest Priest duelist, but the most useful in large flag fights.

20/31/0Open in calculator →

Discipline 20

5/5413/3462/2493/3581/1543/3513/355

Holy 31

3/3102/3135/5155/5321/1233/3203/3243/3261/1251/1313/3371/140

Shadow 0

Why each talent matters

• Twilight Focus 3/3A 70% chance that damage will not push back casts.
• Improved Renew 2/3Renew heals for 10% more.
• Spell Warding 5/510% less damage from all spells.
• Blessed Recovery 3/3After a critical hit or a hit exceeding 30% of your health, recover 25% of that damage over 6 seconds.
• Holy Nova 1/1Holy Nova: instantly heals nearby party members and damages enemies within 10 yards.
• Inspiration 3/3Critical healing grants the target +25% armor for 15 seconds.
• Binding Heal 1/1Binding Heal: a 1.5-second cast healing both you and your target for 778-914 each at level 60. Useful when the healer is also under attack.
• Improved Healing 3/3Heal, Greater Heal, Penance and Prayer of Mending cost 15% less.
• Spirit of Redemption 1/1Spirit of Redemption: after death, heal for free for another 15 seconds while untargetable. Classic allowed 10 seconds.
• Divine Fury 5/5Greater Heal casts in 2.5 seconds instead of 3.
• Spiritual Healing 3/3+10% to all healing.
• Prayer of Mending 1/1Prayer of Mending: instant, with a 10-second cooldown; heals on damage or direct healing and jumps up to 5 times between allies within 20 yards.
• Twin Disciplines 5/5+5% instant-spell healing, including Prayer of Mending.
• Silent Resolve 3/3Stuns, fears and silences last 15% less time on you.
• Martyrdom 2/2After taking a critical hit, damage cannot push back your casts for 6 seconds.
• Improved Power Word: Shield 3/3Shields absorb 20% more.
• Inner Focus 1/1Inner Focus: a free Greater Heal with +25% critical strike chance.
• Meditation 3/3Half your mana regeneration continues while casting.
• Mental Agility 3/3Instant spells cost 10% less.

Level-by-level order

1. 10–12Twilight Focus 3/3
2. 13–14Improved Renew 2/3
3. 15–19Spell Warding 5/5
4. 20–22Blessed Recovery 3/3
5. 23Holy Nova 1/1
6. 24Inspiration 1/3
7. 25Binding Heal 1/1
8. 26–28Improved Healing 3/3
9. 29–30Inspiration 3/3
10. 31Spirit of Redemption 1/1
11. 32–36Divine Fury 5/5
12. 37–39Spiritual Healing 3/3
13. 40Prayer of Mending 1/1
14. 41–45Twin Disciplines 5/5
15. 46–48Silent Resolve 3/3
16. 49–50Martyrdom 2/2
17. 51–53Improved Power Word: Shield 3/3
18. 54Inner Focus 1/1
19. 55–57Meditation 3/3
20. 58–60Mental Agility 3/3

Hybrid without Shadowform: Penance and Silence (30/0/21)

For players who prefer control to damage. Discipline provides cooldown-free shields, Penance, Renewed Hope and shields from critical heals; Shadow adds Blackout, Scream every 26 seconds and Silence. Without Shadowform you deal less damage, but are hard to kill while silencing and fearing enemies.

For a Mage or Warlock partner, replace Silence with Power Infusion (31/0/20). They cannot fit together because that requires 52 points. Choose Silence for duels against healers and casters, or Power Infusion for a caster duo. Open the variant in the calculator →

30/0/21Open in calculator →

Discipline 30

5/5103/3152/2183/3241/1233/3203/3281/1271/1305/5313/336

Holy 0

Shadow 21

1/5495/5403/5532/2452/2472/2511/1501/1553/3561/160

Why each talent matters

• Twin Disciplines 5/5+5% instant-spell damage and healing.
• Silent Resolve 3/3Stuns, fears and silences last 15% less time on you.
• Martyrdom 2/2After taking a critical hit, damage cannot push back your casts for 6 seconds.
• Improved Power Word: Shield 3/3Shields absorb 20% more.
• Inner Focus 1/1Inner Focus: a free cast with extra critical strike chance every 3 minutes.
• Mental Agility 3/3Instant spells cost 10% less.
• Soul Warding 1/1Soul Warding: removes the shield cooldown.
• Improved Inner Fire 3/3Inner Fire armor and charges: melee will be attacking you.
• Penance 1/1Penance: healing and damage on a 12-second cooldown.
• Renewed Hope 5/5Healing on a Weakened Soul target crits more often and removes 5 seconds of the debuff.
• Divine Aegis 3/3Critical healing creates a shield worth 15% of the amount healed.
• Blackout 5/5Shadow spells have a 10% chance to stun for 3 seconds; required for Improved Psychic Scream.
• Improved Shadow Word: Pain 2/2Pain lasts 24 seconds.
• Shadow Reach 2/2+20% range for offensive Shadow spells.
• Shadow Focus 1/5Shadow spell hit chance.
• Mind Flay 1/1Mind Flay: a 50% slow.
• Improved Psychic Scream 2/2Scream every 26 seconds.
• Improved Mind Blast 3/5Mind Blast cools down faster.
• Vampiric Embrace 1/1Embrace: party healing from Shadow damage.
• Shadow Weaving 3/3Up to +10% to your Shadow damage.
• Silence 1/1Silence: silence and an interrupt, the reason for the build.

Level-by-level order

1. 10–14Twin Disciplines 5/5
2. 15–17Silent Resolve 3/3
3. 18–19Martyrdom 2/2
4. 20–22Improved Power Word: Shield 3/3
5. 23Inner Focus 1/1
6. 24–26Mental Agility 3/3
7. 27Soul Warding 1/1
8. 28–29Improved Inner Fire 2/3
9. 30Penance 1/1
10. 31–35Renewed Hope 5/5
11. 36–38Divine Aegis 3/3
12. 39Improved Inner Fire 3/3
13. 40–44Blackout 5/5
14. 45–46Improved Shadow Word: Pain 2/2
15. 47–48Shadow Reach 2/2
16. 49Shadow Focus 1/5
17. 50Mind Flay 1/1
18. 51–52Improved Psychic Scream 2/2
19. 53–54Improved Mind Blast 2/5
20. 55Vampiric Embrace 1/1
21. 56–58Shadow Weaving 3/3
22. 59Improved Mind Blast 3/5
23. 60Silence 1/1

Niche: Smite and Holy Fire (31/20/0)

An unusual build requested on beta forums: deal damage with Smite, Holy Fire and Penance, with Discipline supplying shields and Power Infusion. However, Forever's highest Smite rank deals less than half the damage it did in Classic, so this is a fun build rather than a win-at-all-costs choice.

31/20/0Open in calculator →

Discipline 31

5/5105/5153/3231/3392/2373/3261/1293/3203/3311/1301/1342/5351/140

Holy 20

3/3465/5415/5491/1542/3552/2592/257

Shadow 0

Why each talent matters

• Power in Light 5/5Smite and Penance deal 10% more damage to a target affected by your Holy Fire or Shadow Word: Pain.
• Twin Disciplines 5/5+5% instant-spell damage and healing.
• Improved Power Word: Shield 3/3Shields absorb 20% more.
• Silent Resolve 3/3Stuns, fears and silences last 15% less time on you.
• Mental Agility 3/3Smite, Holy Fire and instant spells cost 10% less.
• Inner Focus 1/1Inner Focus: a free cast with extra critical strike chance every 3 minutes.
• Soul Warding 1/1Soul Warding: removes the shield cooldown.
• Improved Inner Fire 3/3Inner Fire armor: melee range is dangerous for you.
• Penance 1/1Penance: damage and healing on a 12-second cooldown.
• Renewed Hope 2/5Healing on a Weakened Soul target crits more often.
• Martyrdom 2/2After taking a critical hit, damage cannot push back your casts for 6 seconds.
• Holy Precision 1/3Some Holy spell hit chance.
• Power Infusion 1/1Power Infusion: +20% damage and healing for 15 seconds; use on yourself for burst.
• Holy Specialization 5/5+5% Holy spell critical strike chance.
• Twilight Focus 3/3A 70% chance that damage will not push back casts.
• Divine Fury 5/5Smite, Holy Fire, Heal and Greater Heal cast 0.5 seconds faster.
• Holy Nova 1/1Holy Nova: nearby damage and party healing.
• Blessed Recovery 2/3After a critical or heavy hit, recover some damage over 6 seconds.
• Searing Light 2/2+5% Holy damage and a chance for Holy Fire ticks to grant a free Holy Nova.
• Holy Reach 2/2+20% Smite and Holy Fire range.

Level-by-level order

1. 10–14Power in Light 5/5
2. 15–19Twin Disciplines 5/5
3. 20–22Improved Power Word: Shield 3/3
4. 23–25Silent Resolve 3/3
5. 26–28Mental Agility 3/3
6. 29Inner Focus 1/1
7. 30Soul Warding 1/1
8. 31–33Improved Inner Fire 3/3
9. 34Penance 1/1
10. 35–36Renewed Hope 2/5
11. 37–38Martyrdom 2/2
12. 39Holy Precision 1/3
13. 40Power Infusion 1/1
14. 41–45Holy Specialization 5/5
15. 46–48Twilight Focus 3/3
16. 49–53Divine Fury 5/5
17. 54Holy Nova 1/1
18. 55–56Blessed Recovery 2/3
19. 57–58Searing Light 2/2
20. 59–60Holy Reach 2/2

Which build to choose

• Want kills and control in duels, world PvP and random battlegrounds? Shadow 20/0/31.
• Mostly play Shadow in battlegrounds, or constantly face Mage and Warlock pressure? Shadow 8/12/31.
• Want to heal without being helpless in duels? Discipline 34/17/0.
• Healing large battleground teams in a group? Holy 20/31/0.
• Prefer control to damage, or have not reached Shadowform yet? Hybrid 30/0/21.
• At level 40, get dual specialization: Shadow plus Discipline or Holy. These builds share 17 Discipline points, making the transition familiar.

In battlegrounds

Shadow offers a distinctive mix: Silence on the enemy healer in a central fight, Scream on a group around a flag, and both offensive and defensive dispels. Classic veterans argued that Dispel alone makes Priest one of Warsong Gulch's most valuable classes: remove sheep and roots from allies, and blessings and shields from enemies.

Other tools matter too: spread Pain for pressure and to prevent Rogues from stealthing; Flay slows flag carriers; Plague spreads through groups with Devouring Contagion; Death finishes runners. Mana Burn is effective against healers, but do not overuse it: while burning mana, your team loses your damage.

Remember your range: Silence, Flay and Mind Control have a base 20-yard range; Scream reaches 8. Shadow fights at medium range and enters groups only with a shield. Random teams focus you less often than healers, so take advantage.

• Enemy flag carrier: Mind Flay, Pain and Plague, dispel buffs and Free Action Potion, then Death to finish.
• The healer sustaining the central fight: Silence while your team attacks a target, and Mana Burn if you are left alone.
• Cloth and casters: Pain, Plague and Mind Blast.
• Melee on you or your carrier: shield, Scream and Flay.

Darkspear Islands

The Islands are Forever's new level 30-60 battleground, 15 versus 15: four bases and a central flag delivered to a controlled base. Cover is scarce, ranged classes outperform melee, and sharks swim in the water. Testers report that fear sends enemies into the sea; one called it the map's strongest spell.

The simple rule: Scream with your back toward land so enemies run into the sea. Do not stand right at the shore, because you can be feared or Mind Controlled toward sharks too. Before fighting near water, Fear Ward yourself or the carrier. To interrupt a base capture, use Mind Blast or your wand: in Classic, Pain and Flay ticks did not interrupt captures, and the Islands' behavior is not yet verified.

In the world

Shadow is the strongest solo world PvP Priest. Pain, Plague and Embrace sustain you through long fights, Scream buys time, and Shadowform finally addresses the old mana problem by halving Shadow spell costs. If an enemy dies under your Embrace, Spirit Tap grants mana even if someone else lands the killing blow.

Enemy hotspots are the usual ones: Hillsbrad Foothills, Ashenvale, Stranglethorn Vale and later-level zones. The full table is in the Rogue PvP guide. Priests also enjoy unguarded boats and cliffs ideal for Mind Control. More on those tricks below.

Duels

Before accepting, apply Inner Fire and, if Undead, Touch of Weakness. Then follow the classic sequence: shield, Pain, Plague, Embrace, Mind Blast and Flay to keep melee at range. Save Scream until the enemy has spent their insignia and stuns, and Silence for healing or Polymorph.

Shadow usually has an advantage against Warriors, Paladins and Druids. Insignias and consumables decide Rogue and Mage fights, while a Warlock sharing damage with a demon is the hardest opponent. Agree beforehand whether potions and Engineering are allowed.

In battlegrounds

Stay behind allies, near cover and toward the edge of your 40-yard range: that is the range of shield, Binding Heal and Prayer of Mending. Keep the carrier within healing range. Use instant spells while moving and long casts from cover.

• Yourself: Inner Fire, shield before contact, Renew. Fear Ward yourself if a Warlock, Priest or Warrior is nearby.
• Carrier or focused ally: shield, Renew, Prayer of Mending, then Flash Heal or Penance.
• Control: dispel an ally if it saves them or enables a kill.
• Allied burst: Power Infusion on a Mage or Warlock; Inner Focus for a large heal.

What to dispel first

Dispel removes only magic; diseases require separate spells. This priority order works in most situations.

Priority	What to remove	Examples
1	Control on a healer or carrier	Polymorph, Fear, Seduction, Freezing Trap, Repentance, Death Coil, Mind Control, Hammer of Justice, Blackout
2	Roots and slows on the carrier	Frost Nova, Entangling Roots, Frostbolt, Concussive Shot, Frost Shock, Earthbind
3	Silence on an allied healer	Silence, Counterspell silence
4	DoTs on the carrier	Corruption, Immolate, Pain; Cure Disease removes Plague
5	Marks on friendly stealth classes	Hunter's Mark and Faerie Fire on your Rogues
Cannot remove	Not removable with Dispel Magic	Psychic Scream, Intimidating Shout, Scatter Shot, Sap, Gouge, physical stuns, Blind and Viper Sting (poisons), curses, Hamstring, Wing Clip, Mind Flay
From enemies	Remove buffs	Blessings of Protection and Freedom, Priest shield, Ice Barrier, Mana Shield, Innervate, Barkskin, Power Infusion, Fear Ward. Divine Shield and Ice Block cannot be dispelled

Surviving focus fire

Maintain shield and Inner Fire; Scream when two melee attackers reach you. Discipline and Holy passives add toughness. Silent Resolve shortens control, Martyrdom and Twilight Focus prevent cast pushback, and Blessed Recovery restores some damage taken. Holy also has Spirit of Redemption, allowing 15 seconds of healing after death.

Priests have little large instant self-healing: Desperate Prayer is Dwarf-only in Forever, and Fade does not work against players. Against Rogues and Warriors, use Free Action Potion before contact and stay near allies.

World PvP duos

A Rogue or Warrior with a Priest behind them is a classic world PvP duo. The healer turns the partner into a boss: shield during enemy burst, dispel sheep, Fear and Hammer, and apply Fear Ward before fighting a Warlock.

In Forever, shielding your Warrior no longer interferes with Rage: since October 8, Rage from incoming damage is calculated as though the absorption were absent. Binding Heal heals both partner and Priest; Humans can apply a second shield immediately through their Divine Grace racial, while Gnomes prepare Contingency Plan on their partner. Power Infusion is useless on Rogues and Warriors because it only boosts spells.

Two caveats. You cannot remove Blind from a Rogue because it is a poison. Your Scream can also fear a target your partner has Sapped, so agree on control assignments beforehand.

Discipline duels

Classic healers were weak duelists: durable, but slow to kill. Forever gives Discipline Penance, shields from critical heals, faster Renewed Hope cycles and 2-second Mana Burn. Before October 8, one tester said beta Priests almost never lost duels. After the Penance nerf, the healer remains durable but has limited damage: three pulses of 92, Smite, Plague and Shadow Word: Death.

Against casters and Paladins, Discipline has Mana Burn and Dispel. Against Warriors and Rogues, half those tools do nothing and the fight becomes a long siege. Choose Shadow if winning duels is your main goal; choose Discipline if you want to heal without becoming easy prey.

Warrior

Warrior threats include Charge, Intercept, Hamstring, Intimidating Shout and Berserker Rage, which grants 10 seconds of fear immunity. From level 40, Mortal Strike halves healing, including your Plague and Embrace. Flay will not let you escape permanently because Intercept brings the Warrior back, so survive the damage: shield, talented Inner Fire, and Embrace with Pain and Plague. While the shield holds, it absorbs the Warrior's damage. Scream only after Berserker Rage expires.

As a healer: Warriors are your main hunters. Shield, Scream after Charge or Intercept, then retreat toward allies. Hamstring and Piercing Howl are not magic and cannot be dispelled.

Paladin

Forever also gives Horde an Undead Paladin. Threats include Hammer of Justice, a 6-second stun at level 60, Repentance, Voice of Truth, which grants 6 seconds of silence and interrupt immunity, and Divine Shield. Do not waste Silence during Voice of Truth. Your main route to victory is Mana Burn: without mana, the Paladin cannot heal. Dispel Freedom and Protection from them, and Hammer and Repentance from yourself when able. Against Dwarves, bait Stoneform with Plague first.

As a healer: Hammer and Repentance can combine into up to 12 seconds without healing; remove them from allies immediately. Strip Freedom and Protection from enemy carriers.

Hunter

The main threat is Viper Sting: at level 60 it burns over 1100 mana in 8 seconds, but Forever gives it a 15-second cooldown, or 9 talented, so it cannot stay up constantly. Hunters also have undispellable Scatter Shot, Freezing Trap placed under themselves in combat, and stronger pets. Inner Fire reduces shot damage through armor; Scream both Hunter and pet, apply DoTs and Mana Burn. Viper Sting is poison, so Dispel cannot remove it; ordinary Antivenom is insufficient at 60, requiring Potion of Poison Cleansing or Restorative Potion.

As a healer: expect Sting and Aimed Shot, with a trap at your feet. Remove traps and Concussive Shot from the carrier, and Hunter's Mark from friendly stealth classes.

Rogue

Rogues open from stealth, and Forever's Sap no longer breaks it, letting them Sap and choose their moment. The veteran rule: use your rank 2 insignia on Kidney Shot, not Cheap Shot, then Scream immediately. Prepare shield, Inner Fire and Touch of Weakness. Embrace with Pain heals you even while stunned. Against Mind-numbing Poison, rely on instant spells: shield, Pain, Plague and Death. Rogues cannot remove Plague.

As a healer: Rogues specialize in hunting healers. The High Alert perk does not work in battlegrounds, so stay with allies, shield before the opener and Scream after Kidney Shot.

Mage

Forever's main Mage threat is Ice Lance, dealing triple damage to frozen targets. Dispel Frost Nova immediately before Lance lands. Mages also have Counterspell, Polymorph, Ice Block, Ice Barrier and Cold Snap. Mana Burn forces Counterspell or Block; remove Barrier and Mana Shield so only Block remains. If they Block, start Mind Blast, cancel it, then time a completed cast for Block's end.

As a healer: expect Counterspell on healing, though Scream remains available, and Polymorph on you. Remove sheep, Nova and Frostbolt slows from the carrier.

Warlock

Shadow's hardest opponent. Warlocks have Fear, Howl of Terror, Death Coil and Succubus Seduction. A Felhunter removes your shield, Inner Fire and Fear Ward; DoTs can crit; the demon shares the Warlock's damage taken. Fear Ward before combat absorbs the first fear, but apply it when Devour Magic is cooling down or the Felhunter is absent. Open with Plague and dispel Fear, Seduction, Death Coil, Corruption and Immolate whenever able. You cannot remove curses.

As a healer: Fear, Spell Lock and Curse of Tongues threaten you. Remove Fear, Seduction and Death Coil from allies; Fear Ward your carrier.

Shaman

Alliance also has Shamans in Forever: Dwarves. Totems last 5 minutes and reach 30 yards. Tremor protects against fear, so destroy it before Scream. Grounding Totem absorbs a targeted spell, so do not feed it Silence, Plague or Mana Burn. Shamans remove Plague and strip shield and Inner Fire with Purge. Against Enhancement, maintain range and Flay.

As a healer: Earth Shock interrupts healing and Purge removes shields and Renew. Scream during Stormstrike pressure; remove Frost Shock and Earthbind from the carrier.

Druid

Druids are among Shadow's easiest opponents; Mobalytics calls Priest a Druid's nightmare. They cannot remove Plague. When they leave form to heal, Mana Burn forces them to either cancel healing by shifting or lose mana. Dispel Innervate, Rejuvenation and Barkskin; Silence immediately after Nature's Swiftness. Against Cat and Bear, maintain shield and Inner Fire. Mind Control does not work on Druids in beast forms.

As a healer: remove Entangling Roots, Frost Nova and Concussive Shot from your Druid carrier; remove healing effects and Barkskin from the enemy's.

Priest

The mirror is a dispel war. Strip shield, Inner Fire, Fear Ward and Power Infusion; the enemy will do the same. Cheap buffs such as Levitate or low-rank Shadow Protection absorb some dispels. Mind Blast immediately after Scream so they cannot respond with Silence. Improved Mana Burn gives an advantage. Remember that Forever gives both Priests Fear Ward, access to Penance through talents and their racial Priest spells.

As a healer: the enemy Priest strips shields and Renew. Rank 1 shields on secondary targets can waste their mana on dispels.

How to drop an enemy: step by step

Almost every Priest joke follows one pattern: take the enemy, walk them to the edge and let go. Here is how to do it without the control breaking halfway.

• Pick the target. Mind Control takes humanoids: rank 1 at level 30 works on enemies up to 44, rank 2 up to 59 and rank 3 up to 74. A Druid in animal form and a Shaman in Ghost Wolf are not humanoids, and Undead break free with Will of the Forsaken, so they make poor targets for jokes. A player who just stepped off a flight path cannot be taken either while Honorless Target is on them.
• Stand at the edge yourself. The spell takes 3 seconds to cast from 20 yards and breaks if the target gets more than 100 yards away from you. So stand at the ship's rail or the cliff edge yourself instead of dragging the enemy across the map.
• Don't stall. Control lasts up to a minute, but the target keeps trying to break free, and in Classic diminishing returns apply on players too, so in practice you have a few seconds. Walk the enemy to the edge right away, no sightseeing.
• Protect your body. While you hold the control, your character stands still, and any damage to you shortens it. Check that the target's friends are not around, or start when they are busy.
• Let go at the edge. Walk the enemy over the rail or the cliff edge, or release them in deep water, and the drop or a departing boat does the rest. If the enemy has a Mage's Slow Fall or is a Priest under Levitate, a cliff won't kill them, so take them to a boat instead.
• Expect an answer. Casting Mind Control on an enemy flags you for PvP, so on Normal rules be ready for a reply after the joke.

Places, legends and ideas

• Boats. There are no guards aboard and nowhere to run. Mind Control just after departure leaves the enemy in the water while the boat sails away.
• The legend of Booms. On US Stonemaul, an Undead Priest named Booms collected a toll at Menethil Harbor. Anyone who refused was walked overboard as the boat departed. He became memorable enough for Blizzard to later add an NPC bearing his name.
• Cliffs and water. Arathi Basin's Lumber Mill, Thousand Needles ledges and bridges are excellent places to drop enemies. Darkspear Islands' shark-filled water serves the same purpose even more reliably.
• The Warsong portal. Classic Priests walked enemies through Warsong Gulch's exit portal, giving them the 15-minute Deserter debuff. Blizzard disabled the portals in 2020. Their status in Forever is unknown.
• Steak for Magni. In 2019 on Arugal, a guild took turns Mind Controlling a Tauren carrying Sulfuras, escorting him through Ironforge to King Magni.
• Killed by the elevator. The old Undercity elevator meme often appears in Mind Control discussions. We did not, however, find verified stories of players being Mind Controlled into its shaft.
• Their own side hits them. While you hold an enemy, they count as friendly to your side and hostile to their own. In February 2020 a Horde Priest took control of the Stormwind herald who announces the Onyxia head buff every day, and about two hundred Alliance players together with the guards killed the herald so the buff could be triggered again. Blizzard replied that this already worked back in 2005 and left the mechanic in. It most likely works the same on players: walk an enemy into their own outpost and their guards will hit them while you hold on. Your guards, on the other hand, won't touch them, which is how the Tauren with Sulfuras was walked through all of Ironforge.
• Bring the flag carrier home. Mind Control is not on the list of things that drop the flag in Warsong Gulch, so a controlled enemy flag carrier most likely keeps the flag. Walk them to your team, but remember that while they are under your control they count as friendly and your team cannot hit them. So let go right in the middle of your side. Mind Control also pulls attackers off the flag room roof, as a 2019 Warsong Gulch guide advised.
• Into an elite camp. Walk the enemy to elite creatures and make them hit one: the aggro stays on them after the control ends.
• Hunter against their own pet. Take a Hunter and send them at their own pet. It is an old tip, and we'll check it in Forever at launch.
• Parcel to another continent. Booms in reverse: walk the enemy onto a departing boat or zeppelin and stay on the dock yourself. The control breaks at 100 yards and the enemy sails away. We found no stories of this, so you could be the first.
• Blackrock Mountain lava. This trick became a meme even in Hearthstone: the flavour text of Solemn Vigil remembers those Priests walked into the Blackrock lava. In Forever it is fun for level 50+.
• The 2004 beta. In the original game's beta, Priests could take control of enemy-faction vendors and their allies bought goods from them. That was closed long ago, but the story stayed.
• No jokes on Hardcore. In October 2023 Blizzard banned Mind Control in normal duels on Hardcore realms. It is only allowed in Mak'gora, the duel to the death.

Other tricks

• Cover buffs. Cheap buffs such as Levitate absorb enemy dispels and protect shield and Renew. An old trick that still works.
• Mind Vision. Mind Vision lets you see through a target's eyes. Veterans used /target Name to apply it to an enemy carrier and watch their route.
• Holy Nova against stealth. In Classic, rank 1 Holy Nova revealed Rogues and Druids near flags. This is not yet verified in Forever.
• Dwarf Fear Ward bot. In Classic, only Dwarves had Fear Ward, earning invitations for one buff. All Priests have it in Forever, leaving that meme in the past.
• Fade will not save you. Forever's Russian tooltip says enemies cannot attack you, but in fact Fade only lowers your threat by a fixed amount for 10 seconds. Players ignore threat and keep hitting you, and a creature won't let go when you are solo either, since nobody else is on its list. It only helps in a group, where the creature can switch to the tank, and the threat returns after 10 seconds.