DistillNote

Beta, level cap 30 · data read 11 Oct

Priest

Holy is the raid healer (Prayer of Mending capstone, Binding Heal), Discipline the shield-first PvP healer (Penance, Soul Warding, Divine Aegis), Shadow the DPS with Shadowform at 31.

Source pending

Alliance races: Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, Gnome (new)Horde races: Troll, Undead

Sourced: Blizzard news · 22 Sep

Our picks

Recommendation
PvE
Holy
Leveling
Shadow

What the tier lists say

Each rating exactly as its tier list gives it, with the list's own date. Ratings are opinions, so lists often differ; we compare them only within one role.

Discipline

PvE · healer lists

Different scalesA on one list, #2 of 5 on a ranked list

Discipline, PvE · healer lists
RatingListPage dateRead
Ahealerspage 3 Oct · read 6 Oct6 Oct
#2 of 5best raid healerspage not shownnot dated · read 6 Oct6 Oct

Holy

PvE · healer lists

Different scalesS on one list, #1 of 5 on a ranked list

Holy, PvE · healer lists
RatingListPage dateRead
Shealerspage 3 Oct · read 6 Oct6 Oct
#1 of 5best raid healerspage not shownnot dated · read 6 Oct6 Oct

Shadow

PvE · damage lists

One ratingA on 1 list

Shadow, PvE · damage lists
RatingListPage dateRead
Adamage dealerspage 3 Oct · read 6 Oct6 Oct

The whole class

PvP · class lists

Lists differS on one list, A on another

Priest, PvP · class lists
RatingListPage dateRead
SPvP tier listpage 2 Oct · read 6 Oct6 Oct
APvP tier listpage not shownnot dated · read 6 Oct6 Oct

Leveling

One rating

  • Bclass leveling tier list (levels 1–20) · page not dated

Class tier list, no mode stated

One rating

  • Aclass tier list · page not dated

What changed this patch

  • 1 Oct: Devouring Plague can crit; Shadow Weaving can no longer fail to apply; Shadow Word: Death respects Early Demise; Discipline's Inner Focus no longer gives its crit to periodic effects.

    Sourced: Dev notes · 1 Oct

  • Wands no longer gain damage from spell damage (global) — slows the wand-leveling route.

    Sourced: Dev notes · 24 Sep

  • Power Word: Shield can always overwrite an existing PW:S on a target without Weakened Soul; Renew can crit.

    Sourced: Dev notes · 24 Sep

  • Gnome: Contingency Plan can crit; Confounding Flash got a Holy cast visual; Eureka! cost discount cut to 10%.

    Sourced: Dev notes · 24 Sep

  • Night Elf: Starshards gets Twilight Focus pushback resistance.

    Sourced: Dev notes · 24 Sep

  • 8 Oct: Smite ranks 1–4, Lesser Heal ranks 1–3 and Heal ranks 1–2 retuned so each new rank is an upgrade.

    Sourced: Dev notes · 8 Oct

  • Discipline: Penance deals and heals less (it was tuned as a 3 sec channel; it lasts 2 sec). Its mana costs now keep it more efficient than Heal and Greater Heal: rank 1 costs 50% more; ranks 2 and 4 heal more.

    Sourced: Dev notes · 8 Oct

Seen in the beta

  • L20 consensus route: Wand Specialization first, Spirit Tap second; Disc over Shadow while Shadow bugs are open.

    Source pending

  • Penance needs 20 Discipline points — first castable at 30. One tester measured 10–30% less healing on higher-level targets in dungeons (possibly a bug).

    Source pending

  • Fear Ward is baseline for all priests. Alliance race spells: Human Divine Grace/Feedback; Dwarf Chastise/Desperate Prayer; Night Elf Elune's Grace/Starshards; Gnome Confounding Flash/Contingency Plan. The Horde's race spells aren't in our sources yet.

    Source pending

  • Sim, 11 Oct run: Shadow 697 (11th of 20 damage results).

    Sourced: Sim · 11 Oct run