WoW - New Priest Help

I've never done a caster class before and the guides I've read on the official forums boggle me.
My concept is shadow to level and then either spec'ing raid shadow or raid heal at 70.

So my requests in order of precedence are:

1. Recommend me a good newbie caster guide. The official forum ones have conflicting information. And bad grammar. Obviously I can check EJ and the like... but that won't necessarily help me out through the first 40 levels. I understand exactly zero about spell mechanics in WoW.

2. Recommend me a good set of professions. Obviously tailoring seems cool but do engineering or jewelcrafting offer me fancy trinkets that have utility and longevity?

3. Which Alliance race is currently considered "best?" Draenai obviously seems like a strong contender but is +spell hit that vital for healing?

I suppose some explanation is in order since even Bort (one my best r/l friends) has no idea what's going on with the Reap/Shank/Titan trifecta.

Reap - PvP/PvE DPS - It was a tough call for me but Reap isn't geared or professioned up for full-time prot. spec. He's got the gear to pass muster on a select few heroics and all normal instances... but he's pretty inadequately geared otherwise. He's currently my lowest play priority.

Shanker - PvE DPS - His gear is decent to very good with most upgrades coming from ultra-expensive crafting recipes, late Kara, or 25 mans. He's my highest play priority.

Titanos - Ultra-hardcore Prot at 70 - I've twinked his engineering to 350 at level 50 to get the tanking helm. He's already got his flying mount money and once he hits 70, he'll begin grinding instances to get every single possible stinking drop he needs. At that point, he will probably become my main effort.

Once my priest gets up to level, I may begin switching back and forth between healing/tanking/DPS depending on the guild's needs. Obviously, Shanker is where I came from on the one I enjoy playing most... but every toon has something to offer.

Stick to one character.. its almost impossible to keep two reasonably geared characters for 25 man raids.. unless you play non stop and run Kara every week with both toons and get enough badge/crafted gear to be 25 man viable your looking at gimping 2 characters instead of getting 1 really well geared character.

And even then as you progress into SSC/TK you'll realize that you need to focus on one character even more and dedicate every run to overcome the completely random nature of drops.

its almost impossible to keep two reasonably geared characters for 25 man raids

Agreed 100%. But you have to be running 25-mans enough for this to be a problem. If the guild can't get there due to a lack of healers or tanks, what's the point in being the top DPS'er?

what's the point in being the top DPS'er?

Ha! I knew you were King of DPS.

Reaper81 wrote:
its almost impossible to keep two reasonably geared characters for 25 man raids

Agreed 100%. But you have to be running 25-mans enough for this to be a problem. If the guild can't get there due to a lack of healers or tanks, what's the point in being the top DPS'er?

Well there is that.. ideally you need 4 well geared Tanks and 7-8 Well Geared Healers.

Reaper81 wrote:

Recommend me a good set of professions. Obviously tailoring seems cool but do engineering or jewelcrafting offer me fancy trinkets that have utility and longevity?

Beyond, tailoring for a priest, probably leatherworking for a druid. Jewelcrafting has some craftable trinkets at 35, and the heal statues are nice for levelling. My priest JC is only L36 so I don't know about longevity.

Reaper81 wrote:

Which Alliance race is currently considered "best?" Draenai obviously seems like a strong contender but is +spell hit that vital for healing?

Read this. It's a discussion of priest racials (pre-Fear Ward changes). Still informative I think though.

http://www.wowinsider.com/2007/07/29...

Personally, I like the draenei priests. Human after that. Just my opinion based on the racial and priest talents and the types of skills I like to have available.

For a priest, build to this for the first 40 levels. After that, continue building into shadow, going back and filling out Blackout when you're about 40 points into the tree. At that point, move over to Discipline for this build. With a decent amount of spelldamage, you'll still be able to main heal groups through instances, so long as you're willing to drop out of Shadowform to do so.

When you get to 70, you can either stick with a shadow build, or roll into Holy/Disc. This is the build I'd run with, but I know Jut runs a good hybrid style build that picks up Imp Divine Spirit. IMO, you don't need more than one of those of those for a raid. Also, at this point in the post, I went and put a point into Healing Prayers, which knocks 10% mana cost off of Prayer of Mending/Prayer of Healing. This is a good thing, because Prayer of Mending is kind of like the priest equivalent to Chain Heal. Not as good as chain heal, IMO, but a rock solid essential to priest healing.

Gear wise, you'll want to focus on spirit for leveling. All of your gear should have spirit on it. After that, spell damage, after that, int. So, you'll want to get gear that's of the owl, or of spirit, unless you can get some gear that's got spell damage and spirit, and maybe a little int. As long as you have loads of spirit though, not much else will matter that much; you'll have PW: Shield, and mobs aren't going to last long with SW:Pain ticking away.

If there's something I missed, ask and I'll fill in gaps, and if anyone knows a better way, teach us

edit to add races: I'd say Human, TBH. Now that everyone gets Fear Ward(a nearly useless version, IMO), Humans give you Diplomacy. Why is this important? Because you need 10% less rep for exalted with anyone that you might want exalted with. I'd suggest tailoring, since there are lots of sets that lend well to a priest, and stuff like JC, while good for leveling, doesn't give you much @ 70. There are better rings you can get from questing easily, and the two best healing trinkets going into KZ are from Black Morass(Scarab of the Infinite Cycle) and Lower City Revered(Lower City Prayerbook).

I was thinking along the same lines as Reap here about a priest. You'll want to look at the racial spells though, and one of the most useful I've seen in a raid context is a Draenai ability called Symbol of Life, which is an insta that provides the entire good with a large mana regen over 15 seconds. In a raid setting, that could provide being quite useful

I remember seeing a guide, and I'll look for it later that agreed that Shadow is best for leveling, but also having points in Disc for Improved Wands, since you'll be wanding alot while leveling until you get a solid 30 - 35 points to spend in shadow. The spirit regen on kills is also quite useful, since you won't have much downtime between those two talents.

I would suggest tailoring for sure. Once you hit 70, either holy or shadow spec, there are sets of 3 items that require tailoring to wear and are better than anything you will find in Kara. For shadow, the frozen shadoweave boots are the best boots in the game, period. For holy, I don't know but I am pretty sure Aes wears the mooncloth tailoring set still. For a second skill, just take on that makes you money.

In terms of levelling, there are a few things to remember. You are now almost entirely mana-dependent. Almost everything you do requires mana so it should be your number one goal to find ways to conserve mana or you will be experiencing a lot of downtime drinking and eating and dieing. You should start out by taking two talents: Spirit tap from the shadow tree and wand specialization from the disc tree. Spirit tap will increase your mana regen significantly and allow you to grind much faster. Wands can do a significant amount of damage at lower levels and you should buy a wand first chance you get and use it in almost every fight to conserve mana.

When you get to the point you can respec for shadowform, drop the wand specialization, it isn't neary as important as being able to melt faces. I would keep spirit tap until you are 70 or nearly so, unless you want to respec healing for outland first. I dropped spirit tap when I hit 70 for blackout and it took a while to get the right gear so that I could grind again without any downtime.

The other thing to understand with mana is the five second rule: You regen very little mana for five seconds after casting a spell. There are talents (spirit tap) and gear (MP5) that can help you out with this allow you to regen while you fight. Unless you want to drink after every couple of fights, you need to maximize your mana regen while in the five second zone.

I'll pitch in here because I know a thing or two about healing priests.

AJ covered some good points, especially the basic leveling Shadow build. You'll want to do that. You will want to decide on whether or not you are going Shadow all the way or if you are going to be a healer by level 60 though. If you are going healer, switch to a healing build at 60. The reason for this is that you'll want some valuable experience in instances as a healer. Yes, you could wait to 70, but I wouldn't recommend it, especially for someone new to the role. At 60, you have the luxury of being able to get into all the outland instances with others who are coming up through the levels, often alts, without having to worry about getting over your head since they really are low stress. At the same time, though, you will run into spots that will require quick thinking and fast reacting, getting a feel for how to handle some of the complexities of healing. Yes, you can do this at 70, but you'll run into a lot of requests to heal heroics, get keyed, jump into harder places right away, and it might be more trouble than it's worth. If you really want to get a good handle on healing before hitting 70, I suggest picking it up at 60. And yes, it will slow you down when it comes to questing/leveling, but there are always people around to help with the tougher quests, you will also learn a lot about your class as a healer solo, and there are usually others in the 60s you can get to know, group with, as you come up. By the time you hit 70, you'll be ready for anything.

At 70, there are a couple of good builds for Healing. The IDS (Improved Divine Spirit) build is very good when working 5-mans (and 10-mans) because the spirit boost does more than the Healing Prayer or Empowered Healing bonus. Once you are ready for 25-man raiding, shifting more to the Holy Tree should be done by some of the Priests. You only need one IDS. Right now, though, we aren't doing 25-mans all that often so it's a bit premature to conjecture there. Us healing priests could use a good powwow once we take 25-mans seriously because there are tweaks to our builds that can really enhance our collective efforts to heal.

You can take the skinning/mining route to make money on your way up, but I would stress keeping a storage character ready to funnel all your tailoring mats to. Especially those Mageweave & Runecloth you'll get in the mid levels that you'll need by the boatload. You'll want to take Mooncloth (as a healer) or Shadowcloth (as a Shadow) later on. Those sets are far too good to pass up. I have some of the other good BoE cloth patterns that will be an instant boost, as well (like Whitemend & the healing cloak).

As far as gear goes, assuming you go healing, I can help you a lot with the mapping out on your plan. Aesildur has a +1200 as he hit 70, +1500 in the first week, +1700 by the second month, and +2k after three months (without heavy raiding). I've since shifted focus towards MP5 casting so that I can be well over 300 battle buffed. It really goes a long way to help support the heaving healing you'll need to pull.

You'll find leveling quite pleasant before then though. As a shadow, you'll hit your stride in the 30s, and then find the 40-60 range a breeze. You can mana battery yourself and vamp back health, shadowform will really make things easy at 40, and you'll very rarely have to stop to eat or drink, especially with supportive wand use (get good wands as you go up). You'll even have utility enough for running with Team Green type groups, depending on their needs, as either healer or DPS.

If you go healing, I could write volumes on various tricks, subtleties, and strategies for doing the best job possible in that role. When you get there, I'd be more than happy to get into specifics. Until then, have fun with Shadow and feel free to ask for expansion on any particulars you'd like more info on.

My piece of advice as a 70 human priest. Don't be a human. Their unique racial spell is complete crap.

Feedback

Dwarves get a stun/instant heal (which humans also get). Draeni get a party mana regen and a stun. Elves get an extra instant cast, 0 mana DoT spell and an evasion-like ability that reduces the chance they'll be hit by 20% for 15 seconds.

JoeBedurndurn wrote:

an evasion-like ability that reduces the chance they'll be hit by 20% for 15 seconds.

almost worthless since it's only good against ranged attacks, but starshards is useful when leveling.

JoeBedurndurn wrote:

My piece of advice as a 70 human priest. Don't be a human. Their racial spell is complete crap.

Feedback does lack a lot of use, but the Spirit Bonus for Humans is very, very yummy as a Priest. I'd consider taking Human for this alone.

First Things, First: This is a Shadow build. Even though I do have a healing Priest, I still used Shadow to get him where I wanted him before I switched to healing. My new Priest is and will stay a Shadow Priest because I wanted something different this time around but I still enjoy being a Priest.

Ok, this is lengthy so don't read this whole thing if you're not interested. I've leveled 2 Priests to 60 pre-BC and I have recently created a third who is in his late 60's. I created a guide for my own use that still works even after coming back to WoW after a year of no updates to it.

Now this guide only gets you to 60. At that point, you need to decide how you want to proceed. I ended up spec'ing out of this build into a non-Spirit build since fighting in Outlands is a bit more intense (I opted for more damage over mana regen). I see no reason why you couldn't stay with this setup since Spirit Tap is always useful for mana regen. The fight setup hasn't really changed with the exception of altering spell order on the fly depending on the situation (high-hp mob, spell resisted, interrupted, etc).

The Talent Build
This build focuses on leveling only. Specifically, minimizing downtime while retaining a high kill rate.

Shadow
Level 10-14: 5 points in Spirit Tap.
With your focus on in-fight regen, concentrated casting and no downtime, this talent is a must. It's great for mana regen and the more Spirit you have, the higher the bonus.
Level 15-16: 2 points in Improved Shadow Word: Pain.
This is one of your primary damage sources and usually your second damage opener.
Level 17-19: 3 points in Blackout (3/5).
A must have, when it does proc, you get some breathing room to work without taking damage.
Level 20: 1 point in Mind Flay (1/1).
This slows the target down allowing you to get more damage in before it closes. Can proc Blackout.
Level 21-22: 2 points in Blackout (5/5)
To maximize Blackout
Level 23-24: 2 points in Shadow Focus (2/5)
Self-explanatory.
Level 25-26: 2 points in Shadow Reach.
The more distance between you and your target, the more time you have.
Level 27-31: 5 points in Shadow Weaving (5/5)
To deal more damage, always a plus.
Level 32-34: 3 points in Focused Mind (3/3)
To deal more damage, always a plus.
Level 35: 1 point in Vampiric Embrace (1/1)
I found myself not using this spell much, but it's needed to get Shadowform.
Level 36-39: 4 points in Darkness (4/5)
Increased damage, need I say more?
Level 40: 1 point in Shadowform (1/1)
This is how you are going to do the most damage until you respec. It's a must for this guide to work.
A note about Shadowform: Keep in mind that you can always cast Discipline spells when in Shadowform. This includes Power Word: Shield and Power Word: Fortitude. Therefore, once you go into Shadowform, you should never need to leave it when leveling.

Discipline:
Level 41-45: 5 points in Wand Specialization (5/5)
With wands doing 20-40% of your damage, this talent is very attractive. Be sure to spec out of it at 60 though.
Level 46-48: 3 points in Improved Power Word: Shield (3/3)
You'll be coming up to harder hitting melee mobs, so the extra absorption is a must.
Level 49-50: 2 points in Improved Power Word: Fortitude (2/2)
More Stamina for when you take on tougher mobs.
Level 51-53: 3 points in Meditation (3/3)
The idea is high mana regen to greatly minimize downtime. This talent will help.
Level 54-55: 2 points in Unbreakable Will (2/5)
This helps especially against caster types and melee that likes to stun
Level 56-60: 5 points in Metal Agility (5/5)
This will reduce your mana cost of insta-cast spells you'll be using thus saving more mana.

Equipment Choices

The short version: Spirit > Stamina > Intellect

This means choosing a +10 Spirit item over a +20 Intellect one. If you follow this guide, you will never drink while killing, so maximizing mana is almost completely irrelevant. You might choose a +20 Intellect over a +3 Spirit item in one or two slots so your maximum mana pool won't be ridiculously low (for emergencies and natural variance), but usually you will get a decent level of Intellect anyway since most cloth items have some of it. Stamina is important because you want to avoid casting healing spells in combat. It stops your regen, you lose lots of time because of the wand cooldown, and your kill rate goes down.

It's said that items with +spell/shadow damage are something you should look out for. While its tricky giving hard advise on Spirit vs Spell Damage, the latter gives you more DPS while not touching your regen/expense balance. Personally, I didn't have much of the +damage gear and I didn't really notice any difference.

Since you won't be running instances with this guide until the 50's, don't worry too much about other gear. The only instance I ran in the low 50's was Sunken Temple and that was only just to get the items I needed for my quest. I didn't bother doing the whole instance.

Items to look out for:
Something worth noting is that shopping on the AH constantly would be a really good thing. I was able to get some good deals on "hidden treasures" thus saving me a lot of time.

Gravestone Scepter: [urlhttp://www.thottbot.com/?i=2321 [/url]
Quest reward from BFD, get this as soon as you are able to get the quest. While shadow damage wands won't benefit from the Darkness talent and Shadow Form, you will get the +15% damage from shadow vulnerability (later on, anyway).

As your wand will do about 20%-40% of your total damage, always keep an eye out for good ones, this is your most important equipment slot!

Illusionary Rod:
This comes from Arcanist Doan in Scarlet Monestary. Get this staff ASAP! It's one of the best staves for this level range and you can start using it at Level 34.

Dreamweave Vest / Gloves (Level 40) & Dreamweave Circlet (Level 45)
The Dreamweave set has the perfect stats for you, +spirit and +spell damage. It is tailor-made from trainer recipes, so getting it from guildies, the AH, or making it yourself should be no problem.

Umbral Wand of the "…
Level 40+ wands. These have Shadow Damage, which is what you want. It would be ideal if you can get the "of the Whale" version that has spirit and stamina, but any will do. You can find these on the AH sometimes.

Dalewind Trousers (Level 47)
25 Spirit? Yes, please! Check the AH when you get to Level 40 and up for this item. It is rare but has the wrong stats for most people, so you can make a great deal on these if you keep a lookout. I spent 25 gold buying them on the AH. The best 25 gold I've ever spent.

Extra note on gear:
These were just a few examples worth noting. You should always keep an eye out for other gear that falls along the lines of the ones listed above. Use your judgment.

Fight Tactics

Fighting tactics are the most important part of this guide. There are 2 different methods I used pretty much exclusively:

Method 1:
Mind Blast, Shadow Word: Pain, Mind Flay, 2nd Mind Flay if mana permits, wand till death.

Method 2:
Shield, Mind Blast, Shadow Word: Pain, Mind Flay, Mind Flay, third Mind Flay if one of the spells stunned, wand till death.

The key concept behind this approach is having 5-6 seconds at the end of each fight to regenerate your mana, and already being past the "5 second rule" when Spirit Tap kicks in. Before level 40, take care not to heal yourself, even with a Renew, between each fight. Apart from the cost of the spell itself, you also lose 5 seconds of mana regen, which is in the range of 100-200 extra mana. Wait 2 or 3 fights and cast a single Big heal, or use bandages (I recommend the latter). Past level 40, when you have Shadow Form, use bandages only.

When to use each method
Method 1
Uses a lot less mana, but you lose more health on average. Use this against low damage opponents, when you have more health than mana, or when you are 2+ levels above the enemy.

Method 2
This method is a lot faster. You spend more mana, but typically lose next to no health; all casts are still in one bunch meaning you lose very little in terms of extra regen. Use this method against higher lvls, when you have low health but leftover mana and against most casters (they have less health, but can interrupt MF with their spells, plus their dps is a lot higher). Especially after level 40, you will use this method most of the time, as you will fight enemies 1 level above you due to your insane DPS. Your regen will also be beyond what Blizzard expects any character of your level to have, so you can get away with it.

Always use your absolutely max range! With the right timing, you can get MB, SWP and 2x MF in before the enemy gets his first hit.

This way, you will regenerate around 800-1200 mana between each fight at later levels, which is about the same you spend each fight. I stopped to drink only when I got unexpected adds while already low on mana, and sometimes after rebuffing Power Word: Fortitude.

Note: as of 1.7.0, The 5 second rule (No mana regeneration for 5 seconds after casting a spell, in case you did not know) starts only at the END of channeled spells. This is actually a slight problem, as in 1.6.1 your regen would start 2 seconds after the last Mind Flay, now its 5 seconds after. That's about 100 mana/fight more later on.

One last tip on combat: Use lower levels of Shield and pre-40, Heal. The sole purpose of Shield is to not allow enemies to interrupt your Mind Flay. Once you start using your wand, Shield should be used up. Regenerating a little mana while bandaging is way more effective than using lots of mana on Shield, which is a terribly ineffective spell. Also use lower level bandages at first, you don't have as much health as a warrior anyway. Although I don't remember having to use heavy runecloth, it doesn't hurt to have them around just in case.

Professions

If you want to level fast, then they are a waste of time. I spent a lot of time with Alchemy and Tailoring so I did waste some of my played time. If I had focused on just getting levels, I probably would have gotten to Level 60 is way less than 11 days played time. Now this was before the Patch 2.3 changes. I managed to get to 60 in just over 5 days played time, that's including taking on Tailoring and Enchanting. I wasn't in a huge hurry to level as fast as possible since this char was going to be my main and I didn't feel like backtracking to do professions.

A good way to make money, however, is to get 2 gathering professions. They don't waste time and money since you can collect while you are leveling. These professions are: Herbalism, Skinning, and Mining. Personally from experience, I'd go with Herbalism and Skinning. The high end herbs you will gather can go to the guild in exchange for DKP and you can sell the leather from skinning and make a good profit doing so.

Grinding vs Leveling

Now we talk about the age-old debate. Personally, I absolutely hate grinding. I find it so extremely boring that I find myself wanting to go do something else. So to solve this problem, I focused on nothing but quests. Most people say that doing quests after level 30 is a waste of time. I'm here to say that it isn't true. All it takes is a little planning and a bit of patience. I've leveled 3 characters to level 60 in around 11 days played time and all I did was quests, I never stopped to grind a single level.

"How did you do that?" you ask. It's simple, as I said all it takes is a little planning. I created a checklist for me that gave level ranges for each zone in the game. I took a minute (at any given level range) to plan out where I will go and in what order. I pretty much stayed with that decision and found myself leveling in no time. I didn't do this with my first character since I took my time to enjoy the game, but I did for my other three characters.

On a side note:
This is just some notes that I made for my current Priest that are not part of my original guide in regards to talents. This is only useful if you plan on staying Shadow after L60. I've been taking these talents in the exact order listed.

Shadow:
2pts in Misery
1pt in Vampiric Touch
2pts in Misery
2pts in Shadow Focus
2pts in Improved Vampiric Embrace
(Grab Inner Focus)

Discipline:
1pt in Inner Focus (At level 70)

ranalin wrote:
JoeBedurndurn wrote:

an evasion-like ability that reduces the chance they'll be hit by 20% for 15 seconds.

almost worthless since it's only good against ranged attacks, but starshards is useful when leveling.

Wowhead shows it as melee and ranged, but I don't have an elf priest of my own to check it out with. I know the old version of elune's grace was ranged only, but I believe it got buffed up.

JoeBedurndurn wrote:
ranalin wrote:
JoeBedurndurn wrote:

an evasion-like ability that reduces the chance they'll be hit by 20% for 15 seconds.

almost worthless since it's only good against ranged attacks, but starshards is useful when leveling.

Wowhead shows it as melee and ranged, but I don't have an elf priest of my own to check it out with. I know the old version of elune's grace was ranged only, but I believe it got buffed up.

I've not looked at mine in months but it used to be range only.

JoeBedurndurn wrote:

My piece of advice as a 70 human priest. Don't be a human. Their unique racial spell is complete crap.

Feedback

Dwarves get a stun/instant heal (which humans also get). Draeni get a party mana regen and a stun. Elves get an extra instant cast, 0 mana DoT spell and an evasion-like ability that reduces the chance they'll be hit by 20% for 15 seconds.

For the most part, I find all the priest racials alliance side to be pretty crappy; now that Fear Ward has been spread out and nerfed, horde has the only decent racials left. So, out of the alliance races, you have Nelves, Dwarfs, Draenei and Humans. Draenei core racials are probably the best of the bunch, but as I mentioned, Humans have one single important ability that ties into raiding that puts them head and shoulders above the other three: Diplomacy. What makes this so important? It's 10% less rep you'll need to get by faction. That adds up very fast, and for gearing out for raiding in short order, I would say that this trumps everything else out there.

Branloch wrote:

The short version: Spirit > Stamina > Intellect

Maybe for leveling, but mp5 gear > spirit when raiding.

ranalin wrote:
Branloch wrote:

The short version: Spirit > Stamina > Intellect

Maybe for leveling, but mp5 gear > spirit when raiding.

I don't know if you noticed, but he was talking only about leveling.

AnimeJ wrote:
ranalin wrote:
Branloch wrote:

The short version: Spirit > Stamina > Intellect

Maybe for leveling, but mp5 gear > spirit when raiding.

I don't know if you noticed, but he was talking only about leveling.

I know that why said maybe for leveling.

Very nice guide Branloch!

Your talent choices need to be modified for post-BC. Since you can go all the way to level 50 before maxing out the shadow tree, it does not make sense to skip over to the disc tree at level 40 anymore. I am a big proponent of taking the wand specialization talent at levels 15-20 as you will likely be using your wand to greatest effect during those levels. It doesn't make sense to wait until after level 40 when you have shadowform and wanding become much less important. Once you hit 40, you should respec out of wand specialization and take shadowform.

ranalin wrote:
AnimeJ wrote:
ranalin wrote:
Branloch wrote:

The short version: Spirit > Stamina > Intellect

Maybe for leveling, but mp5 gear > spirit when raiding.

I don't know if you noticed, but he was talking only about leveling.

I know that why said maybe for leveling.

Right, but criticizing a leveling guide that doesn't talk anything about endgame is rather pointless and to a lesser extent, rude.

AnimeJ wrote:

For the most part, I find all the priest racials alliance side to be pretty crappy; now that Fear Ward has been spread out and nerfed, horde has the only decent racials left. So, out of the alliance races, you have Nelves, Dwarfs, Draenei and Humans. Draenei core racials are probably the best of the bunch, but as I mentioned, Humans have one single important ability that ties into raiding that puts them head and shoulders above the other three: Diplomacy. What makes this so important? It's 10% less rep you'll need to get by faction. That adds up very fast, and for gearing out for raiding in short order, I would say that this trumps everything else out there.

Diplomacy and perception are why humans are my second choice. I've found perception to be handy in arenas to spot stealthers. Diplomacy helps cut down on grinding as you point out.

I like the draenei the best though. Mana free bonus heal (Gift), party-wide mana regen (Symbol of Hope) and, with the changes to Fear, CHASTISE! Gotta love a priest with a stun.

Maybe my preferences have a bit of a PvP bent.

AnimeJ wrote:
ranalin wrote:
AnimeJ wrote:
ranalin wrote:
Branloch wrote:

The short version: Spirit > Stamina > Intellect

Maybe for leveling, but mp5 gear > spirit when raiding.

I don't know if you noticed, but he was talking only about leveling.

I know that why said maybe for leveling.

Right, but criticizing a leveling guide that doesn't talk anything about endgame is rather pointless and to a lesser extent, rude.

i wasn't criticizing just adding my 2cent... people trying out a new class for the first time need to know as much info as they can. I've seen a lot of new priest get hung up on the spirit stat and wanted to post about mp5 gear.

and just to think i was thinking you were the one being rude.

Draenei is an interesting choice as a Priest, but I think it's not the equal of Human. Gift of Naaru, while definitely useful as you level, has no real use later on. And unless I am way off base, I believe Reap is thinking long term. He wants help learning how to play/level early on, but in the end, he'll want his character to be as strong as possible at 70. That leaves Inspiring Presence (+1% spell-hit) as the main attraction. As it doesn't stack, having a Draenei Shaman gives that, and more specifically, if he is going healing, it doesn't do anything for him there.

However, the +10% Spirit aids in Healing & MP5, contributes early on and only gets stronger as the Priest increases in level. Couple that with the grind reducing Diplomacy bonus... yes, I think Human is the better choice for a Healing Priest.

Playing the class well, though, will trump any race choices, though. I would expect Reap to make any race work in the end.

Dude, AnimeJ, you called someone else rude...excuse me while I clean my monitor.

Would be a good idea. I plan to have Logan sit in for me when I am on my honeymoon.

- Legion, taking "keeping it in the family" to a whole new level.

Xbox Live: Fedaykin98

Holy lord Reap, a fourth? I've been slacking... but I have dusted off my old Pally and would like to level him to 70. We'll see.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

Dude, AnimeJ, you called someone else rude...excuse me while I clean my monitor.

Would be a good idea. I plan to have Logan sit in for me when I am on my honeymoon.

- Legion, taking "keeping it in the family" to a whole new level.

Xbox Live: Fedaykin98

Says the Az who proposes a night of griefing

Copingsaw wrote:

Very nice guide Branloch!

Your talent choices need to be modified for post-BC. Since you can go all the way to level 50 before maxing out the shadow tree, it does not make sense to skip over to the disc tree at level 40 anymore. I am a big proponent of taking the wand specialization talent at levels 15-20 as you will likely be using your wand to greatest effect during those levels. It doesn't make sense to wait until after level 40 when you have shadowform and wanding become much less important. Once you hit 40, you should respec out of wand specialization and take shadowform.

Well, keep in mind this guide was done before BC when I quit. I just recently dusted it off and tried it out on a new Priest and it still worked relatively well. I did change one talent which was Focused Mind which didn't exist before. But I pretty much left the rest of the talents and the order to get them in alone. And I started my priest right before the Christmas holidays.

The whole goal of the guide is to get to Shadowform as soon as possible because it plays a major role in both taking and dealing damage. At that point, I delved into the Disc tree. If you use this guide, you do NOT want to ditch Wand Spec. It's a major damage dealer with this setup due to Shadow Vulnerability. Shadow Wands benefit from that debuff, which not many people are aware of. Even in my mid to late 60's, I still have this spec because I continue to keep an eye out for shadow wands.

Now, being new to Outlands, I wasn't sure if this talent set up would continue to work post-60. But, now that I'm not spec'd into Spirit Tap (I respec'd when I went to Outlands at 60), I don't last as long but I do kill faster which is a tradeoff for me. The idea is to minimize down time as much as possible. I can normally take out about 5-7 mobs before I have to stop for a quick drink, whereas with this guide pre-60, the only time I had to stop to drink was when I had to deal with 2+ mobs at once. Mana regen took care of my needs as long as I paid attention to my spell order and didn't needlessly waste mana.

On a side note, this is not a raiding spec. When I hit 60, both my priests were spec'd into Disc/Holy and Holy/Disc for raiding because that was their purpose. My new priest is the first for me to go Shadow for raiding so it'll be a new learning experience.

ranalin wrote:
AnimeJ wrote:
ranalin wrote:
AnimeJ wrote:
ranalin wrote:
Branloch wrote:

The short version: Spirit > Stamina > Intellect

Maybe for leveling, but mp5 gear > spirit when raiding.

I don't know if you noticed, but he was talking only about leveling.

I know that why said maybe for leveling.

Right, but criticizing a leveling guide that doesn't talk anything about endgame is rather pointless and to a lesser extent, rude.

i wasn't criticizing just adding my 2cent... people trying out a new class for the first time need to know as much info as they can. I've seen a lot of new priest get hung up on the spirit stat and wanted to post about mp5 gear.

and just to think i was thinking you were the one being rude.

Actually, MP5 wouldn't be much of a benefit because there isn't much MP5 gear before you get into Outlands and even then it seems kinda sparse to me. The reason why you want to get as much Spirit gear as possible is because of Spirit Tap. When it kicks in, it doubles your total Spirit thus greatly increasing your mana regen for the duration of the Tap. If played right, you can regen any used mana from the previous fight in short order. By the time I started my next fight, I was at full mana. The whole idea is to make full use of the 5 sec mana rule and use it to its fullest extent.

Branloch wrote:
ranalin wrote:
AnimeJ wrote:
ranalin wrote:
AnimeJ wrote:
ranalin wrote:
Branloch wrote:

The short version: Spirit > Stamina > Intellect

Maybe for leveling, but mp5 gear > spirit when raiding.

I don't know if you noticed, but he was talking only about leveling.

I know that why said maybe for leveling.

Right, but criticizing a leveling guide that doesn't talk anything about endgame is rather pointless and to a lesser extent, rude.

i wasn't criticizing just adding my 2cent... people trying out a new class for the first time need to know as much info as they can. I've seen a lot of new priest get hung up on the spirit stat and wanted to post about mp5 gear.

and just to think i was thinking you were the one being rude.

Actually, MP5 wouldn't be much of a benefit because there isn't much MP5 gear before you get into Outlands and even then it seems kinda sparse to me. The reason why you want to get as much Spirit gear as possible is because of Spirit Tap. When it kicks in, it doubles your total Spirit thus greatly increasing your mana regen for the duration of the Tap. If played right, you can regen any used mana from the previous fight in short order. By the time I started my next fight, I was at full mana. The whole idea is to make full use of the 5 sec mana rule and use it to its fullest extent.

mp5 starts showing up around level 55 and yea it's not always as easy to find but it's out there. So for leveling i can see Spirit being helpful but it was my experience that with the duration of spirit tap being so short and your mana pool so large that from level 45 and up it wasn't worth it and by the time you're 60 you can be gaining 80-100+ mana a tick while in combat with the mp5 gear. Of course it gets better when you hit the Outlands.

I do agree though that if you can't find the mp5 gear and you're leveling some spirit gear will help.