Class
Priest
Versatile cloth-wearing healers and Shadow damage dealers, specializing in Discipline, Holy or Shadow.
Details
- Armor type
- Cloth
- Confirmed roles
- Healer, Damage
- Resources
- Mana
- Specializations
- Discipline · Holy · Shadow
- Abilities & talents
- 18 confirmed changes (below)
Specializations
Discipline
The Priest specialization focused on protection and absorb shields.
Role: not officially stated
Holy
The Priest healing specialization.
Role: not officially stated
Shadow
The Priest damage-over-time specialization.
Role: not officially stated
Race availability
What’s different from Classic?
Only changes Blizzard has published. Abilities and talents can still change during the beta.
Fear Ward
Baseline ability · Level 20
Classic: Not described in the official source.Forever: Available to all Priests regardless of race.Official source ↗ConfirmedDevouring Plague
Baseline ability · Level 20
Classic: Not described in the official source.Forever: Available to all Priests regardless of race.Official source ↗ConfirmedDivine Spirit
Baseline ability · Level 30
Classic: Not described in the official source.Forever: Now baseline for all Priests.Official source ↗ConfirmedShadow Word: Death
Baseline ability · Level 32
Classic: Not described in the official source.Forever: New baseline instant Shadow damage spell; the Priest takes 10% of max health if the target survives. 15-second cooldown.Official source ↗ConfirmedPrayer of Healing
Baseline ability
Classic: Healed the Priest’s own party.Forever: Heals all members of the target’s party and their pets.Official source ↗ConfirmedRenew
Baseline ability
Classic: Not described in the official source.Forever: Can be active from multiple Priests on the same target.Official source ↗ConfirmedFade
Baseline ability
Classic: Not described in the official source.Forever: Threat reduction effect doubled.Official source ↗ConfirmedPriest racial spells
Racial
Classic: Not described in the official source.Forever: Every race’s two Priest racial spells were re-evaluated; Gnome Priests gain Confounding Flash and Contingency Plan.Official source ↗ConfirmedPenance
Talent · Discipline Priest
Classic: Not described in the official source.Forever: New 21-point talent: a 2-second channel that damages enemies or heals allies, 12-second cooldown.Official source ↗ConfirmedSoul Warding
Talent · Discipline Priest
Classic: Not described in the official source.Forever: New 16-point talent reducing Power Word: Shield’s cooldown and Mana cost.Official source ↗ConfirmedMeditation
Talent · Discipline Priest
Classic: Not described in the official source.Forever: Mana benefit from Spirit increased substantially.Official source ↗ConfirmedDivine Aegis
Talent · Discipline Priest
Classic: Not described in the official source.Forever: Critical heals create an absorb shield on the target.Official source ↗ConfirmedBinding Heal
Talent · Holy Priest
Classic: Not described in the official source.Forever: New 16-point talent healing the Priest and their target, with no cooldown.Official source ↗ConfirmedPrayer of Mending
Talent · Holy Priest
Classic: Not described in the official source.Forever: New 31-point talent: a heal that jumps between party or raid members up to 5 times.Official source ↗ConfirmedImproved Prayer of Healing, Lightwell
Removed talent · Holy Priest
Classic: Not described in the official source.Forever: Removed from the Holy tree.Official source ↗ConfirmedVampiric Embrace
Talent · Shadow Priest
Classic: Not described in the official source.Forever: Now the 16-point talent; lasts 30 seconds on a 1-minute cooldown.Official source ↗ConfirmedShadow Weaving
Talent · Shadow Priest
Classic: Benefited party and raid members.Forever: Benefits only the casting Priest, with a moderately smaller damage increase.Official source ↗ConfirmedShadowform
Talent · Shadow Priest
Classic: Not described in the official source.Forever: Allows all non-healing spells, halves Shadow spell Mana costs and adds 100% Shadow critical damage bonus.Official source ↗Confirmed
Racial spells by race
Each race of Priest has its own class-specific spells.
Gnome · Level 10
Confounding Flash
Confuses up to 5 nearby enemies for 3 seconds; damage breaks the effect. 0.5 second cast, 2-minute cooldown.
Gnome · Level 20
Contingency Plan
Wards a friendly target for 30 seconds; below 35% health it gains an absorb shield and a heal over time. Stacks with Renew and Power Word: Shield. 5-minute cooldown.
Desperate Prayer
Unchanged from Classic.
Dwarf · Level 20
Chastise
Damages and immobilizes a Humanoid target for 2 seconds. Instant, 2-minute cooldown.
Human · Level 10
Divine Grace
Instantly heals a friendly target below 50% health and removes Weakened Soul. Cannot target self. 5-minute cooldown.
Feedback
Unchanged from Classic.
Night Elf · Level 10
Starshards
Damage increased substantially; now has a 30-second cooldown.
Night Elf · Level 20
Elune’s Grace
Reduces the chance for melee and ranged attacks to hit the Priest by 50% for 15 seconds or until 3 attacks miss. 5-minute cooldown.
Hex of Weakness
Unchanged from Classic.
Shadowguard
Unchanged from Classic.
Touch of Weakness
Unchanged from Classic.
Undead · Level 20
Dark Sacrifice
Converts the Priest’s own health into Mana over time; Mana gained increases with Spirit.
What Blizzard has confirmed
Class updates
1 confirmed
- Every class is being revisited with new abilities and talent updates designed to preserve the feel of the original game.[3] (confirmed)
Talents
2 confirmed
Strengths and limits
1 confirmed
- Priests remain the most versatile healer, with heal-over-time spells, direct heals and absorb shields, but wear cloth and have few escapes.[2] (confirmed)
More official images of Priest
Related
Covered in official news
Change history
· Added
Added from official Blizzard source(s).