Priest
Rotations & Guide · PvE guide · PvP guide · Talent builds · Abilities · Talent Calculator · Macros · Changes vs Classic
Other classes: Warrior, Paladin, Hunter, Rogue, Shaman, Mage, Warlock, Druid
Priests are cloth healers and shadow casters. Forever gives them a large new toolkit: Penance for Discipline, Binding Heal, Litany of Light and Prayer of Mending for Holy (all talents), and baseline Shadow Word: Death for Shadow. Divine Spirit is now a trainer spell at 30. Several new spells are racial: Contingency Plan and Confounding Flash (Gnome), Divine Grace (Human), Dark Sacrifice (Undead) and Chastise (Dwarf).
Discipline (Healer)
Discipline is a mana-efficient absorb and burst healer in Forever. Penance, the tier 5 Discipline talent, channels holy light to heal an ally or damage an enemy on a 12 sec cooldown, Power Word: Shield prevents damage (Soul Warding takes away its cooldown), and Gnomes get Contingency Plan as a long-cooldown safety net. Inner Focus and Power Infusion boost key moments, and Divine Aegis turns critical heals into shields.
Holy (Healer)
Holy is the raw throughput healer. Forever adds Prayer of Mending (Holy's final talent, a bouncing heal on a 10 sec cooldown) and Binding Heal (a tier 4 talent that heals the target and you), and Humans get Divine Grace (instant emergency heal). Litany of Light, a new tier 5 talent, refunds mana when you alternate between different heal spells, and Spiritual Guidance turns Spirit into healing power.
Shadow (Caster DPS)
Shadow stacks DoTs and channels in Shadowform with Shadow Weaving boosting your shadow damage. Forever makes Shadow Word: Death baseline as an instant finisher with self-damage backlash, and Undead priests get Dark Sacrifice to convert health into mana. Vampiric Embrace heals your party from your shadow damage.
Tips & tricks: what ForeverDB learned
Discipline
Updated 8 October 2026 for build 1.60.1.70205 · From the game client
- Forever client: No simulation for this spec yet: the order here is the site's rotation card for level 30, with cooldowns and costs from the Forever client. (level 30)
- Forever client: Inner Focus has a 3 min cooldown at level 30 (client data): about once every second or third pull. (level 30)
- Forever client: Contingency Plan has a 10 min cooldown at level 30 (client data): plan on once per dungeon wing, not per pull. (level 30)
- Forever client: Divine Grace has a 10 min cooldown at level 30 (client data): plan on once per dungeon wing, not per pull. (level 30)
- Forever client: No simulation for this spec yet: the order here is the site's rotation card for levels 20-29, with cooldowns and costs from the Forever client. (levels 20–29)
- Forever client: Contingency Plan has a 10 min cooldown at levels 20-29 (client data): plan on once per dungeon wing, not per pull. (levels 20–29)
- Forever client: Divine Grace has a 10 min cooldown at levels 20-29 (client data): plan on once per dungeon wing, not per pull. (levels 20–29)
- Forever client: Desperate Prayer has a 10 min cooldown at levels 20-29 (client data): plan on once per dungeon wing, not per pull. (levels 20–29)
How to play it at level 30: priority, procs and cooldowns
What to press, in order. Cast the first one that is ready and whose condition holds.
- Power Word: Shield: Whenever it's ready: On the tank first; rank 5 absorbs 291 before Improved Power Word: Shield, and Soul Warding in the healing build takes away its 4 sec cooldown. (ForeverDB guide, Forever client)
- Penance: Whenever it's ready: On cooldown on the most injured player: 184 healing instantly and every 1 sec for 2 sec, 12 sec cooldown. (ForeverDB guide, Forever client)
- Renew: When it's missing from you: Keep it on the tank. (ForeverDB guide, Forever client)
- Heal: Whenever it's ready: Rank 3 heals 490 to 556; your main efficient heal. (ForeverDB guide, Forever client)
- Flash Heal: Whenever it's ready: Fast heal for sudden damage. (ForeverDB guide, Forever client)
Keep up:
- Renew on you, at least 0% of the time (ForeverDB guide, Forever client)
Cooldowns:
- Inner Focus: as needed (ForeverDB guide, Forever client)
- Contingency Plan: On the pull (ForeverDB guide, Forever client)
- Divine Grace: as needed (ForeverDB guide, Forever client)
Latest changes:
- : First profile (first study)
Holy
Updated 8 October 2026 for build 1.60.1.70205 · From the game client
- Forever client: No simulation for this spec yet: the order here is the site's rotation card for level 30, with cooldowns and costs from the Forever client. (level 30)
- Forever client: Divine Grace has a 10 min cooldown at level 30 (client data): plan on once per dungeon wing, not per pull. (level 30)
- Forever client: No simulation for this spec yet: the order here is the site's rotation card for levels 20-29, with cooldowns and costs from the Forever client. (levels 20–29)
- Forever client: Divine Grace has a 10 min cooldown at levels 20-29 (client data): plan on once per dungeon wing, not per pull. (levels 20–29)
- Forever client: Desperate Prayer has a 10 min cooldown at levels 20-29 (client data): plan on once per dungeon wing, not per pull. (levels 20–29)
How to play it at level 30: priority, procs and cooldowns
What to press, in order. Cast the first one that is ready and whose condition holds.
- Renew: When it's missing from you: Keep it on the tank; rank 4 heals 160 over 15 sec, and Improved Renew adds 15%. (ForeverDB guide, Forever client)
- Heal: Whenever it's ready: Main heal: rank 3 heals 490 to 556, and Improved Healing makes it 15% cheaper. (ForeverDB guide, Forever client)
- Binding Heal: Whenever it's ready: When you're hurt too: heals the target and you for 223 to 271 in one cast, and switching to it from Heal triggers Litany of Light. (ForeverDB guide, Forever client)
- Flash Heal: Whenever it's ready: Fast heal for spikes. (ForeverDB guide, Forever client)
- Power Word: Shield: Whenever it's ready: On the tank for sudden danger. (ForeverDB guide, Forever client)
Keep up:
- Renew on you, at least 0% of the time (ForeverDB guide, Forever client)
Cooldowns:
- Divine Grace: as needed (ForeverDB guide, Forever client)
Latest changes:
- : First profile (first study)
Shadow
Updated 8 October 2026 for build 1.60.1.70205 · From the DPS simulator, the game client
- Simulator: Devouring Plague (1 min cooldown): the simulator uses it on the pull at level 30. (level 30)
- Simulator: Best consumable at level 30: Scroll of Intellect II (+3.7% DPS in the simulator); then Lesser Arcane Elixir (+3.5%). (level 30)
- Simulator: The party buff that helps you most at level 30 is Arcane Intellect from a Mage: +6.2% DPS in the simulator. (level 30)
- Simulator: Where your damage comes from at level 30: Mind Flay 36%, Starshards 20%, Shadow Word: Pain 19% (simulator: recommended build, best gear for the level, 60 s single-target fight). (level 30)
- Simulator: Shadow Word: Pain is worth 9% of your DPS at level 30: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. It kept it on the target 79% of the time. (level 30)
- Simulator: Starshards is worth 5.7% of your DPS at level 30: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. (level 30)
- Simulator: Stat values at level 30 (simulator, 1 spell power = 1): Intellect 2.2. (level 30)
- Simulator: Devouring Plague (1 min cooldown): the simulator uses it on the pull; it's worth 1.4% of your DPS at levels 20-29. (levels 20–29)
- Simulator: Best consumable at levels 20-29: Lesser Arcane Elixir (+5.9% DPS in the simulator); then Briny Seafood Stew (+5.5%). (levels 20–29)
- Simulator: The party buff that helps you most at levels 20-29 is Arcane Intellect from a Mage: +2.5% DPS in the simulator. (levels 20–29)
- Simulator: Where your damage comes from at levels 20-29: Mind Flay 34%, Shadow Word: Pain 21%, Starshards 18% (simulator: recommended build, best gear for the level, 60 s single-target fight). (levels 20–29)
- Simulator: Shadow Word: Pain is worth 13.9% of your DPS at levels 20-29: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. It kept it on the target 92% of the time. (levels 20–29)
- Simulator: Mind Blast is worth 6.9% of your DPS at levels 20-29: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. (levels 20–29)
How to play it at level 30: priority, procs and cooldowns
What to press, in order. Cast the first one that is ready and whose condition holds.
- Shadow Word: Pain: When it's missing from the target: Keep it on the target: up 79% of the sim's fight; worth 9% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
- Starshards: Whenever it's ready: Cast it when it's ready (30 s cooldown); worth 5.7% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
- Mind Blast: Whenever it's ready: Cast it when it's ready (8 s cooldown); worth 3.2% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
- Mind Flay: Fill the gaps with it: Your filler: cast it when nothing above is ready; worth 8.4% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
- Wand: out of mana: Only when you're out of mana; worth 4.1% of your DPS (Simulator)
Keep up:
- Shadow Word: Pain on the target, at least 75% of the time (Simulator, Forever client)
Cooldowns:
- Devouring Plague: On the pull (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
Before the pull:
- Arcane Intellect (Simulator, Forever client)
- Blessing of Wisdom (Simulator, Forever client)
- Blessing of Kings (Simulator, Forever client)
- Mark of the Wild (Simulator, Forever client)
- Scroll of Intellect II (Simulator, Forever client)
- Lesser Arcane Elixir (Simulator, Forever client)
- Elixir of Wisdom (Simulator, Forever client)
- Briny Seafood Stew (Simulator, Forever client)
Latest changes:
- : First profile (first study)
Every spec's latest changes. Re-studied every week and after each new game build.
Best in slot gear at any level: Discipline, Holy, Shadow
Priest abilities
- Focused Casting
- Lesser Heal (level 1)
- Power Word: Fortitude (level 1)
- Smite (level 1)
- Shadow Word: Pain (level 4)
- Power Word: Shield (level 6)
- Fade (level 8)
- Renew (level 8)
- Confounding Flash (level 10)
- Desperate Prayer (level 10, from the Classic class quest Desperate Prayer (rank 1))
- Divine Grace (level 10)
- Hex of Weakness (level 10, from the Classic class quest Hex of Weakness (rank 1))
- Mind Blast (level 10)
- Resurrection (level 10)
- Starshards (level 10, from the Classic class quest Returning Home (rank 1))
- Touch of Weakness (level 10, from the Classic class quest Touch of Weakness (rank 1))
- Inner Fire (level 12)
- Cure Disease (level 14)
- Psychic Scream (level 14)
- Heal (level 16)
- Dispel Magic (level 18)
- Chastise (level 20, from the Classic class quest A Lack of Fear (rank 1))
- Contingency Plan (level 20)
- Dark Sacrifice (level 20, from the Classic class quest Devouring Plague (rank 1))
- Devouring Plague (level 20)
- Elune's Grace (level 20, from the Classic class quest Elune's Grace)
- Fear Ward (level 20)
- Feedback (level 20, from the Classic class quest Arcane Feedback (rank 1))
- Flash Heal (level 20)
- Holy Fire (level 20)
- Mind Soothe (level 20)
- Shackle Undead (level 20)
- Shadowguard (level 20, from the Classic class quest Shadowguard (rank 1))
- Mind Vision (level 22)
- Mana Burn (level 24)
- Divine Spirit (level 30)
- Mind Control (level 30)
- Prayer of Healing (level 30)
- Shadow Protection (level 30)
- Abolish Disease (level 32)
- Shadow Word: Death (level 32)
- Levitate (level 34)
- Greater Heal (level 40)
- Lightwell (level 40)
- Lightwell Renew (level 40)
- Prayer of Fortitude (level 48)
- Prayer of Shadow Protection (level 56)
- Prayer of Spirit (level 60)
Data from the WoW Forever beta client, build 1.60.1.70205, extracted .