WoW Forever

    Holy Priest build and talents in WoW Forever

    The key Holy talents, which stats to collect, and which heal to cast when. A healing build for dungeons and raids, explained for new players.

    Based on betaChecked Patch Launch (Nov 4)

    At a glance

    RoleHealer
    Stat priority
    1. Healing power
    2. Intellect and mana per 5 seconds (guides rank these in a different order)
    3. Spirit, which matters most in long fights
    4. Critical strike
    Key gear
    • Cloth armor with healing power.
    • A staff, or a one-hand weapon with an off-hand. Pick the one with more healing.
    • A wand for damage while leveling and to save mana.
    Tips
    • Don't cast your biggest heal on small damage. Use Renew for light, steady damage.
    • Change spells. Litany of Light only refunds mana when the heal is different from your last one.
    • Save Inner Focus for Greater Heal, your most expensive heal.

    Talent plan by level

    The level-by-level talent order is being written.

    Is Holy right for you?

    Holy is the Priest’s main healing spec. You keep your group alive with direct heals, heals over time and group heals. Groups always need healers, so it is easy to find dungeon and raid spots.

    Priests wear cloth and have almost no escapes, so you depend on your tank. Holy is slow on your own. Many Priests level as Shadow and switch to Holy for dungeons. See the Priest leveling guide.

    Key talents

    These are the talents experienced players build Holy around. The Warcraft Tavern build puts 33 points in Holy and 18 in Discipline. For the exact points, use the Wowhead talent calculator until we add a full order.

    • Meditation (Discipline). You keep some mana regeneration while casting. In WoW Forever, Blizzard made its Spirit bonus much bigger. Guides say every healing Priest should take it.
    • Improved Renew. Renew heals more. Renew is your most used spell.
    • Litany of Light. New in WoW Forever. Each heal refunds part of its mana cost, but only when it is a different spell from your last heal.
    • Holy Binding (16 points). Replaced Binding Heal on November 2. When you Flash Heal someone else, you are also healed for 50% of it, with no extra threat.
    • Spiritual Guidance. Turns part of your Spirit into extra healing. In WoW Forever its spell damage bonus is only about a third of the healing bonus.
    • Spiritual Healing. All your heals are stronger.
    • Improved Healing. Cheaper heals. It now also lowers the cost of Prayer of Mending.
    • Inspiration. In WoW Forever it triggers from all your direct critical heals, not only a few spells.
    • Spirit of Redemption. You need it to take Prayer of Mending.
    • Prayer of Mending (31 points). The capstone. It heals a target the next time they take damage, then jumps to another party member, up to 5 heals. 10-second cooldown.

    Optional picks from the guide: Mental Agility if you run out of mana a lot, and Holy Precision if your group needs your Dispel Magic to land on enemies.

    How to heal

    Healing reacts to damage, so there is no fixed rotation. Use your spells like this:

    1. Renew on anyone taking light, steady damage. Several Priests’ Renews can now stack on one target.
    2. Prayer of Mending on the tank whenever it’s ready.
    3. Power Word: Shield before a big hit, or to stop your cast from being pushed back.
    4. Heal or Greater Heal when you have time to cast. Use Inner Focus first so that Greater Heal costs no mana.
    5. Flash Heal in emergencies. With Holy Binding, it heals you too.
    6. Prayer of Healing when one party takes damage. In WoW Forever you can cast it on another party in the raid.
    7. Dispel Magic and Cure Disease on dangerous effects.

    Tips for new players

    • Mana is your real health bar. Lower ranks of a heal cost less. Use them when a full heal would be wasted.
    • Buff before the pull. Keep Power Word: Fortitude, Divine Spirit and Inner Fire up. Divine Spirit is now baseline for every Priest at level 30.
    • Fear Ward for everyone. All Priests now learn it at level 20. Put it on the tank before fights with fears.
    • Use Fade if enemies start hitting you.
    • Stay at range from enemies, and keep line of sight to your group.
    • Pick your race for the tools. Human Divine Grace heals a target below 50% health and removes Weakened Soul. Undead Dark Sacrifice turns health into mana. See Races and racials.

    Sources

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