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Priest talent analysis

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A Priest's Talent trees focus on the Priest's two main roles in a party: Mitigation/Healing (Discipline/Holy respectively), and DPS (Shadow).

Contents

Talent Trees in General

A Priest's talent choices depend largely on what role they wish to have, but a Priest can perform a healing or damage role regardless of their spec (ex: a Shadow Priest can heal instead of DPS).

The Holy tree is the popular choice for players who prefer a healing role. While some of the talents add to a Holy Priest's damage (probably to make it easier for soloing), the majority of Holy talents improve the Priest's healing spells. Holy Priests are among the best healers in the game with their key spells Circle of Healing and Guardian Spirit, possibly only rivaled by a Restoration Druid in Tree of Life form.

The Discipline tree has become a legitimate healing spec with recent changes to the tree. While Holy priests focus on raid healing and pushing health bars up, Discipline priests excel at keeping one or two targets alive. Discipline priests don't top heal charts because they spend a lot of time preventing damage from occurring in the first place with key talents like Improved Power Word: Shield and Grace, and their 51-point spell Penance. In addition, Discipline is able to put out damage that Holy priests generally can not.

The Shadow tree is largely a DPS tree. Shadow Priests can deal a good amount of single-target DPS, and also have several other abilities that benefit the party. One of a Shadow Priest's greatest abilities is supplemental healing through Vampiric Embrace, as well as party-wide mana regeneration through Vampiric Touch.

Discipline

Unbreakable Will Unbreakable Will

5 points: Reduces the duration of Stun, Fear, and Silence effects done to you by an additional 30%.

  • The Stun and Fear resistance isn't very useful in PvE, since you won't be getting stunned very often (most stuns are melee range effects) and you have Fear Ward, but the Silence resistance is fairly useful. For PvP, this talent's basically a must-have.
    • Solo Utility: Almost useless, since most mobs that can stun, fear, or silence you aren't running around in places where you'd be soloing.
    • Raid Utility: Good if you're in a raid situation where a boss is going to use AoE silence or fear (if your Fear Ward is, say, on a tank) effects, but points are better spent on increasing pure effectiveness.
    • PvP Utility: Almost essential. Priests are already very squishy so any extra time to act is invaluable. Many classes with spell interrupt abilities (Rogues and Warriors, especially) can talent their interrupts to Silence the target.
  • Bottom Line: Not worth the points for soloing, situational in raids, and amazing for PvP.

Twin Disciplines Twin Disciplines

5 points: Increases the damage and healing done by your instant spells by 5%.

Silent Resolve Silent Resolve

5 points: Reduces the threat generated by your Holy and Discipline spells by 20% and reduces the chance your spells will be dispelled by 30%.

  • A boon for raiding Holy/Discipline Priests, and the dispel chance reduction is good in PvP.
    • Solo Utility: Useless. Few (if any) mobs will dispel your buffs and debuffs, and threat doesn't matter if you're alone.
    • Raid Utility: A healer rarely produces the kind of threat that a tank or dps does, and so this talent is not as powerful as it seems. However, fights that involve a constant barrage of Circle of Healing casts can benefit from this ability, although even then Fade can be enough.
    • PvP Utility: Threat doesn't matter in PvP, but the dispel resistance is good for your buffs and debuffs.
  • Bottom Line: Useless for soloing, threat reduction is situational but still handy in raids, and the dispel resistance is good in PvP.

Improved Inner Fire Improved Inner Fire

3 points: Increases the effect of your Inner Fire spell by 45%, and increases the total number of charges by 12.

  • A good Talent to take. The extra spellpower granted from ranks 8 and 9 of Inner Fire is nice in any situation.
    • Solo Utility: Anything that boosts a cloth-wearer's Armor rating is a great thing to have.
    • Raid Utility: If you draw aggro during a raid, you will die with or without this talent. Otherwise, most raidwide damage does not take armor into account. In short, the extra armor is useless on a raid. However, at level 71 Inner Fire provides extra spellpower as well, making this talent essential for priests level 71+.
    • PvP Utility: Melee classes usually look at a Priest as an easy kill. Higher Armor isn't just going to keep you alive longer, it's going to surprise anyone who tries to take you out with melee attacks (watch out for Rogues, though; they have Talents to ignore armor, they attack so fast that your Inner Fire won't last long, and there isn't much that'll protect you from an Ambush crit). The spellpower bonus is always a plus.
  • Bottom Line: Ok for soloing, essential and raiding, good for PvP.

Improved Power Word: Fortitude Improved Power Word: Fortitude

2 points: Increases the effect of your Power Word: Fortitude and Prayer of Fortitude spells by 30%, and increases your total Stamina by 4%.

  • Great for any Priest, no matter what you do or what your spec.
    • Solo Utility: A bigger effect from PW:F means more health, more health means you're less likely to get your ass handed to you.
    • Raid Utility: Bigger buffs to your group members. Even better for the tanks, since you get more time to get a heal off if something goes wrong.
    • PvP Utility: For two points, you gain almost 500 health plus another 4% of your stamina; This is easily another 500 health. with resilience and a priests mitigation, this health goes a long, long way in pvp.
  • Bottom Line: Unbelievably good for all specs. Take this talent.

Martyrdom Martyrdom

2 points: Gives you a 100% chance to gain the Focused Casting effect that lasts for 6 seconds after being the victim of a melee or ranged critical strike. The Focused Casting effect reduces the pushback suffered from damaging attacks while casting Priest spells and decreases the duration of Interrupt effects by 20%.

  • This talent's kind of a two-edged sword. The immunity to pushback is great, and the interrupt resistance is nice. But you have to get hit by a crit--a white damage crit at that--and Priests aren't exactly good at surviving that kind of attack.
    • Solo Utility: Good. When you're soloing, you have to take all the hits, so any critical hits you take are going to make it easier to either survive or kill whatever you're fighting. The Interrupt resistance won't be as useful, since not many mobs have an interrupt ability, but it's good to have just in case.
    • Raid Utility: Not worth it. You need to get hit for this talent to kick in, and in a raid or group, that's not something that's supposed to happen. Even if you do get the proc, you'll probably only be casting spells like Fade, Renew, Circle of Healing, or Power Word: Shield, so the pushback immunity on your casting is wasted.
    • PvP Utility: Pretty good. In PvP, especially Battlegrounds, melee classes and Hunters usually have quite a bit of +crit gear, so it's more likely that you'll get the proc. The interrupt resistance is also great; a lot of classes get powers that interrupt casting.
  • Bottom Line: Good for Soloing and PvP, not worth it if you're going to be grouping and raiding a lot.


Improved Power Word: Shield Improved Power Word: Shield

3 points: Increases the damage absorbed by your Power Word: Shield by 15%.

  • Good for many situations.
    • Solo Utility: PW:S is the Priest's main "Panic Button" in solo situations. A boost in the amount of punishment the shield can take is good for making an escape.
    • Raid Utility: Discipline priests, who focus their healing strategy around using Power Word: Shield, benefit enormously from this talent. Generally not taken by Holy or Shadow priests for build reasons--the benefit offered by the talent just isn't enough to make it viable.
    • PvP Utility: Good for when you run into a place with a lot of fighting going on. Just remember what was said about Improved PW:F: It won't help you much if your opponent can dispel your buffs.
  • Bottom Line: Great for soloing and grouping, okay for PvP. Essential for deep Discipline spec.

Inner Focus Inner Focus

Requires 10 points in Discipline Talents
1 point: Instant cast, 3 min cooldown. When activated, reduces the mana cost of your next spell by 100% and increases its critical effect chance by 25% if it is capable of a critical effect.

  • Great for many situations. Off the global cooldown, which means it can be used just before any other spell.
    • Solo Utility: Because of the short cooldown, it is advisable to use this ability whenever it is available while soloing. It will increase your mana efficiency and add a bit extra damage output. Especially good synergy with Surge of Light .
    • Raid Utility: This is an amazing ability for raiding priests. As any spell cast with no mana cost will not activate the five second rule, use it any time you find yourself outside the five second rule to stay outside longer. See the Formulas:Mana Regen page for more information. Great synergy with Holy Concentration. In addition, the improved crit chance makes Prayer of Healing, Circle of Healing, and Penance a force to be reckoned with.
    • PvP Utility: Can be difficult to use in PvP, but very powerful for its mana conservation. Saving 1250 mana from a Mass Dispel, or 2400 mana from a Divine Hymn (that has +25% crit chance) can be a huge swing.
  • Bottom Line: Excellent for soloing efficiency, great for playing the five second rule and power heals while raiding, and nice for big spells in pvp. This talent is great as long as you remember to use it.

Meditation Meditation

Requires 10 points in Discipline Talents
3 points: Allows 50% of your mana regeneration to continue while casting.

  • Essential no matter what you do.
    • Solo Utility: A good way to help reduce downtime, since you'll have more mana by the end of the fight.
    • Raid Utility: Because spirit gives mana regeneration while not casting, and most priest gear has heavy spirit, it is essential to use this talent. It supplies a great bulk of the "while casting" mana which is so important while raiding.
    • PvP Utility: Nothing special, but the regeneration might be helpful in case you need to try to conserve mana.
  • Bottom Line: Regardless of specialisation, every healing priest build should have this talent, as well as most shadow builds.

Absolution Absolution

Requires 10 points in Discipline Talents
3 points: Reduces the mana cost of your Dispel Magic, Cure Disease, Abolish Disease and Mass Dispel spells by 15%.

  • Makes it more mana-efficient to dispel Magic and Disease debuffs.
    • Solo Utility: Okay. Just a little less mana used to get rid of a Disease or Magic debuff.
    • Raid Utility: Generally not taken by raiding priests. There are just too few fights where a priest finds herself casting enough Dispels to make this worth taking.
    • PvP Utility: Dispelling is on par with making people not die in terms of importance in PvP. With the amount of dispelling one should be doing this talent can save a lot of mana over the course of a match.
  • Bottom Line: Generally useless for raiding, okay for soloing, Fantastic for PvP if you can spare the points.

Mental Agility Mental Agility

Requires 15 points in Discipline Talents
5 points: Reduces the mana cost of your instant cast spells by 10%.

  • Good for the people who like to cast instant spells.
    • Solo Utility: You use less mana on your instant cast spells, so you have both more mana for the longer cast times and slightly less downtime.
    • Raid Utility: This talent is a mainstay of any Circle of Healing priest, as well as for deep Discipline priests who should be spamming Power Word: Shield. Also necessary to get Power Infusion.
    • PvP Utility: Like Renew, PW:S, and Psychic Scream? This is going to be a nice thing to have if your mana is low for some reason (Warlocks using Drain Mana :( ).
  • Bottom Line: Extremely beneficial for healing priests. Not necessary for Shadow priests, who could be spending these points in the Shadow tree for more damage.

Improved Mana Burn Improved Mana Burn

Requires 15 points in Discipline Talents
2 points: Reduces the casting time of your Mana Burn spell by 1 sec.

  • Controversial. It's useless in some situations (fighting a Warrior in PvP, for example), but an enormous help in others (destroying a mob's mana supply so they can't heal). Whether or not this is going to be useful depends on what you usually do.
    • Solo Utility: Most mobs have too much mana for mana burn to be effective.
    • Raid Utility: Same as Solo Utility
    • PvP Utility: Mana Burn shines in PvP. Everyone except for Warriors, Rogues, and Druids in Bear/Dire Bear/Cat Form is going to hate this (don't bother using it on Warlocks; they can just drain your mana and health to get back what you destroyed); Hunters, Shamans, and Paladins are going to be your worst enemies if you like to use Mana Burn in PvP (they hate losing their mana to Warlocks and Priests).
  • Bottom Line: Awesome in PvP, otherwise worthless

Reflective Shield Reflective Shield

Requires 20 points in Discipline Talents
2 points: Causes 45% of the damage absorbed by your Power Word: Shield to reflect back at the attacker. This damage causes no threat.

  • The "absorbed by your shield" is important. The damage only procs for shields used on yourself.
    • Solo Utility: Not that great; most mobs don't do enough damage for the reflection effect to matter that much. Still, the damage it does cause is going to help bring the mob down a little faster, but you could just put those three points into Shadow and achieve better results.
    • Raid Utility: Not useful. The only time this talent does damage is when the shield is on yourself AND absorbs damage--and chances are you're busy shielding the tanks and high-threat DPS players.
    • PvP Utility: Excellent. People cannot tell what Talents you have without checking the Armory, so they are not very likely to know that they will take almost half of the damage they throw at you.
  • Bottom Line: Great fun in PvP, passable for soloing. Not advisable in any sort of group.

Mental Strength Mental Strength

Requires 20 points in Discipline Talents
5 points: Increases your total intellect by 15%.

  • Caster + Mana Bonus = Good.
    • Solo Utility: You have more mana to use, so you can blow through more mobs before you need to stop to restore your mana.
    • Raid Utility: You need all the mana you can get, either for DPS or healing.
    • PvP Utility: More mana for more heals, damage, and fears.
  • Bottom Line: If you're going this far into Discipline, you should get this.

Soul Warding Soul Warding

Requires 20 points in Discipline Talents
Requires 3 points in Improved Power Word: Shield
1 point: Reduces the cooldown of your Power Word: Shield ability by 4 seconds, and reduces the mana cost of your Power Word: Shield by 30%.

  • Whoa. This talent makes Power Word: Shield even more spammable by effectively removing the cooldown of the spell. Not to mention the 30% decrease in mana cost. With this talent, you can use PW:S with the frequency of Renew. Combine this with Borrowed Time and you can shield a dozen raid members before the Weakened Soul effect wears off the first one.
    • Solo Utility: The 30% mana reduction is nice. Of course, with the Weakened Soul debuff, you're not going to be refreshing PW:S fast enough on yourself to see any benefit from the removal of the cooldown.
    • Raid Utility: This talent turns the priest into a "raid shielder". Combine this with Borrowed Time, Glyph of Power Word: Shield, and a Renew here and there for respectable AoE damage mitigation.
    • PvP Utility: Godly for PvP. Quickly shield a handful of PvP-raid members fighting in Arena/Battlegrounds for little mana. PW:S causes the Weakened Soul debuff which Renewed Hope relies upon.
  • Bottom Line: This is quite a little gem of a talent. Essential as part of any Discipline build.

Focused Power Focused Power

Requires 25 points in Discipline Talents
2 points: Increases damage and healing done by your spells by 4%. In addition, your Mass Dispel cast time is reduced by 1 sec.

  • Good for many situations.
    • Solo Utility: More damage = win. The cast time reduction for Mass Dispel isn't as useful, since you can just use an ordinary Dispel Magic.
    • Raid Utility: Same as solo. Being able to cast a faster Mass Dispel is helpful if the mobs have a lot of buffs and there are a large amount of damaging debuffs on your raid members.
    • PvP Utility: The improvements to Mass Dispel are going to make it harder for your opponents to get an advantage.
  • Bottom Line: Generally only Discipline priests will make it this far down here and it is a good addition to the build, increasing overall output of healing for PvE and eliminating a long cast on Mass Dispel in PvP.

Enlightment Enlightenment

Requires 25 points in Discipline Talents
3 points: Increases your total Spirit by 6% and increases your spell haste by 6%.

  • Spirit and Haste. Unfortunately, it is so far into the Discipline Tree that you can't have this and the high-end Shadow talents.
    • Solo Utility: More spirit means faster mana regen, and more haste means faster casts.
    • Raid Utility: As above.
    • PvP Utility: As above.
  • Bottom Line: Essential talent if you are this far into Discipline. Unfortunately, most Holy and Shadow builds cannot afford to go this deep into the tree.

Focused Will Focused Will

Requires 30 points in Discipline Talents
3 points: Increases your spell critical effect chance by 3%, and after taking a critical hit you gain the Focused Will effect, reducing all damage taken by 4% and increasing healing effects on you by 5%. Stacks up to 3 times. Lasts 8 sec.

  • Bad in that it requires you to get nailed by a critical hit, but the effects of the buff are a bit better than the one from Martyrdom. The spell critical chance makes this talent attractive for raiders.
    • Solo Utility: Nice to have; any crits you take are going to make it harder for the mob to kill you, and easier for you to heal the damage (even if the buff is a little short).
    • Raid Utility: Ignore the "taking a critical hit" part, the 3% spell crit this talent grants you isn ot all that bad. You would need 138 spell crit rating at level 80 to make up for not having this talent. Your Divine Aegis shields rely upon spell crit. Inspiration (if you take it) in the Holy tree relies on crit. Granted, Focused Will's placement deep in the Discipline tree doesn't give this talent a lot of pizazz for the raider but more spell crit is always attractive.
    • PvP Utility: Nice to have; you'll be harder to kill if they get a crit (they'll be trying to get one), and you can heal the damage faster.
  • Bottom Line: A good tool all round but not essential.

Power Infusion Power Infusion

Requires 30 points in Discipline Talents
Requires 5 points in Mental Strength
1 point: 16% of base mana, 30 yd range, Instant cast, 3 min cooldown. Infuses the target with power, increasing spell casting speed by 20% and reducing the mana cost of all spells by 20%. Lasts 15 sec.

  • A great spell to have. Generally used on the highest DPS spellcaster to really crank out damage but can also be reserved for healers (either yourself or another) if mana is an issue or heals need to be spammed quickly.
    • Solo Utility: A decent buff that allows you to cast 20% faster, giving you up to 20%Dps or Hps, while increasing your mana efficiency for 15 seconds.
    • Raid Utility: Acts as an individual "mini-Heroism" for a player, increasing DPS or HPS.
    • PvP Utility: A nice way to increase your DPS but is susceptible to being dispelled or stolen
  • Bottom Line: If you are this deep into Discipline, you should get it. An almost required talent.

Improved Flash Heal Improved Flash Heal

Requires 35 points in Discipline Talents
3 points: Reduces the mana cost of your Flash Heal by 15%, and increases the critical effect chance of your Flash Heal by 10% on friendly targets at or below 50% health.

  • Reduces the mana cost and ups the crit chance of Flash heal at low health.
    • Solo Utility: If you are leveling discipline then this talent may be skippable depending on how much damage you are taking. In overpulling this may be useful to get your hp back up but the mana cost won't be as important see as how more time will be spent dpsing than healing.
    • Raid Utility: Essential for deep-disc healers. Penance and Flash Heal are your main healing spells and the reduces mana cost will help sustain your mana over the longer, more healing intensive fights. Couple this talent with Glyph of Flash Heal and you've got a 25% mana cost reduction on flash heal along with the upped crit after 50% health in case someone gets in a nasty situation with Penance on cooldown.
    • PvP Utility: Mana will almost always be an issue in arena matches especially with the overall lack of direct mp5 on cloth PvP gear. This will help with more taxing fights and allow you the chance to get an almost guaranteed Divine Aegis on a low health target.
  • Bottom Line: Not amazing for leveling but a lovely talent for disc priests in either raiding or pvp situations.

Renewed Hope Renewed Hope

Requires 35 points in Discipline Talents
2 points: Increases the critical effect chance of your Flash Heal, Greater Heal and Penance (Heal) spells by 4% on targets afflicted by the Weakened Soul effect, and you have a 100% chance to reduce all damage taken by 3% for 20 sec to all friendly party and raid targets when you cast Power Word: Shield.

  • 4% critical chance on targets you cast a shield on, with a raid-wide 3% damage reduction every time you cast Power Word: Shield.
    • Solo Utility: Since you will commonly use Power Word: Shield on yourself, this is essentially a free 4% crit to heal yourself not to mention the 3% damage reduction from the aura.
    • Raid Utility: Same as Solo, except it's likely a free 4% crit on your tanks rather than yourself.
    • PvP Utility: Yes, if you're looking to spend points in something to buff heals.
  • Bottom Line: For PvE, this is great! Useful for PvP too. Divine Aegis relies upon heal criticals -- don't get it without this talent as well.

Rapture Rapture

Requires 35 points in Discipline Talents
3 points: When your Power Word: Shield is completely absorbed or dispelled you are instantly energized with 2.5% of your total mana, and you have a 100% chance to energize your shielded target with 2% total mana, 8 rage, 16 energy or 32 runic power. This effect can only occur once every 12 sec.

  • This talent allows Discipline priest to chain cast. As long as their shields are absorbing damage and they aren't overhealing too badly, Rapture has more returns than a Wal-Mart on December 26. However, the jury is out on whether or not Rapture is still bugged. In the past it gave returns based on the target's mana, rather than the priest's--so it gave little or no benefit when the target is a rage-generating warrior or runic-power death knight.
    • Solo Utility: As a skill that eases on mana costs for self-healing, this can reduce downtime.
    • Raid Utility: Yes, without question. This is how you survive long fights while all the other healers run out of mana and burn a Runic Mana Potion.
    • PvP Utility: The solution if you're running out of mana.
  • Bottom Line: Outstanding and central to a priest's regen--if working correctly.

Aspiration Aspiration

Requires 35 points in Discipline Talents
2 points: Reduces the cooldown of your Inner Focus, Power Infusion, Pain Suppression and Penance spells by 20%.

  • Since Penance is a Discipline priest's main heal, reducing the cooldown from 10 seconds to 8 is serious business. Bringing Power Infusion to 1½ minutes, and Inner Focus and Pain Suppression to 2½ minutes is also great.
    • Solo Utility: Not so great. Penance is not currently self-target, so the only benefit is to skills that are generally only needed once during fights with elite mobs.
    • Raid Utility: Utterly fantastic. Helps spam Penance, and often allows you to squeeze in an extra Power Infusion before a boss's enrage timer.
    • PvP Utility: Amazingly beneficial as it reduces the CD of both Penance as well as Pain Suppression making it essential for arena.
  • Bottom Line: Gigantic boon toward healing in any setting.

Divine Aegis Divine Aegis

Requires 40 points in Discipline Talents
3 points: Critical heals create a protective shield on the target, absorbing 30% of the amount healed. Lasts 12 sec.

  • Commonly called the priest's Bubble. Assuming Divine Aegis fully absorbs damage, this effectively changes your healing crits from 150% normal power to 195%.
    • Solo Utility: Good. If you're spending time healing yourself, the bubble adds some survivability.
    • Raid Utility: One of the defining skills of Discipline, converting your crit chance into pure mitigation
    • PvP Utility: Can provide a healer with some extra time to get their target back up to full health; however the proc rate itself varies with your crit rating so it is not guaranteed to go off when you want it to. Works well with disc and early holy's crit talents.
  • Bottom Line: Take it. This is one of the reasons priests go Discipline.

Pain Suppression Pain Suppression

Requires 40 points in Discipline Talents
1 point: 8% of base mana, 40 yd range, Instant cast, 3 min cooldown. Instantly and permanently reduces a friendly target's threat by 5%, reduces all damage taken by 40% and increases resistance to Dispel mechanics by 65% for 8 sec.

  • It's not as flashy as some of the other top-tier Talents (like Dragon's Breath or Mangle), but it's pretty good.
    • Solo Utility: Only good for the 40% damage reduction, but that's pretty nice in case you get more mobs you can handle (or the one you're fighting got you down to under half health then healed itself).
    • Raid Utility: The 5% threat reduction can be useful for saving a DPS that just pulled aggro. However, this should almost always be reserved for tanks. Hodir's Frozen Blows, Deconstructor's Tantrums, and Auriaya trash, among other hard hitting moves in Ulduar can be mitigated greatly. The 5% threat reduction will in no way jeopardize a well geared or well played tank's threat on a boss.
    • PvP Utility: This is key to getting yourself out of a sticky situation. Throwing it on a low health target or using it on yourself while stunned (curtisy of Glyph of Pain Suppression can buy you those essential extra seconds to throw up a heal, trinket, or get away.
  • Bottom Line: Great cool down for hard to heal PvE fights and an essential "Oh, crap" button in PvP or soloing.

Grace Grace

Requires 40 points in Discipline Talents
2 points: Your Flash Heal, Greater Heal, and Penance spells have a 100% chance to bless the target with Grace, increasing all healing received from the Priest by 3%. This effect will stack up to 3 times. Effect lasts 15 sec. Grace can only be active on one target at a time.

  • When you heal, you buff the target. Simple yet effective.
    • Solo Utility: If you're using Flash Heal or Penance on yourself, this adds survivability. Not useful at all if you're relying only on Renew and Power Word: Shield
    • Raid Utility: Yes. For tank healing it is essential; however it becomes less useful if you are a raid healing disc priest.
    • PvP Utility: Situational. 9% extra healing is nothing to scoff at; however, the buff is only able to be up on one target. This is easily solved with penance. A full three tick penance will reapply 3 stacks of grace to your target in 2 secs.
  • Bottom Line: Key for raiding, decent in pvp.

Borrowed Time Borrowed Time

Requires 45 points in Discipline Talents
X points: Grants 25% spell haste for your next spell after casting Power Word: Shield, and increases the amount absorbed by your Power Word: Shield equal to 40% of your spell power. (6 seconds)

  • Improves the Discipline priest's key spell, Power Word: Shield. In addition, it procs after any use of Shield, and is not consumed by spells like Holy Nova and Penance. Throw off a shield every few seconds and enjoy the free global cooldown reduction!
    • Solo Utility: Better shields and a free haste effect after each one.
    • Raid Utility: You're spamming Shield anyway, so the bonus is nice. This also allows for quick single-target saving--shield the target, then use the haste to fire off a quick Penance (which stacks Grace), and follow with a Flash Heal.
    • PvP Utility: Same as Raid
  • Bottom Line: Yes, you want this talent.

Penance Penance

Requires 50 points in Discipline Talents
1 point: Launches a volley of holy light at the target, causing 184 Holy damage to an enemy, or 670 to 756 healing to an ally every 1 sec for 2 sec.

  • At level 80, damages for 288 and heals for 1484 to 1676. Note that each cast actually has THREE ticks--one instantly, one a second later, and another after one more second.
    • Solo Utility: Marginal. Another other damage spell is a better use of mana.
    • Raid Utility: The main spell in a disc healer's arsenal. Completely essential.
    • PvP Utility: The main spell in a disc healer's arsenal. Completely essential.
  • Bottom Line: Along with improved shields, Penance defines the Discipline priest as a healer capable of swiftly and efficiently bringing a single target from near death to max health. Take it, and wonder how you ever managed to heal without it.

Holy

Healing Focus Healing Focus

2 points: Reduces any pushback suffered from damaging attacks while casting any healing spell by 70%.

  • This Talent's not that useful: You can get more pushback resistance from a Power Word: Shield cast.
    • Solo Utility: A nice boost if you need to heal yourself in a fight, but you can always just throw on PW:S if you need to heal; a 100% pushback resistance while shielded beats a 35/70% resistance with this talent (Note that you may be unable to cast a PW:S on you, due to the debuff it gives you or lack of mana, in which case this is a life saver).
    • Raid Utility: Very few times will push back be an issue in a raiding environment for a healing priest. The only time it will occur is when aggro has been gained on a mob at which point Fade is a better option seeing as how you will likely be too dead to heal yourself otherwise making push back a moot point.
    • PvP Utility: 70% push back reduction is very useful for getting those essential heals off while that rather angry rogue or warrior decides to use you as a punching bag.
  • Bottom Line: Great for PvP, may be of use while soloing, but raiders would get more use out of putting points elsewhere.

Improved Renew Improved Renew

3 points: Increases the amount healed by your Renew spell by 15%.

  • A good investment; Renew is one of the most commonly used heals for keeping party members topped off.
    • Solo Utility: Renew's already a good way to keep your health up during a fight, so this just makes it better.
    • Raid Utility: You won't have to use up as much mana trying to keep your raid members alive; just throw on a Renew and maybe a PW:S to keep their health up.
    • PvP Utility: A powered-up instant cast heal is going to be a big help in PvP, since you don't have to worry about getting interrupted.
  • Bottom Line: A good choice for soloing and group healing, and it can be helpful in PvP.

Holy Specialization Holy Specialization

5 point: Increases the critical effect chance of your Holy spells by 5%.

  • Very nice; a crit bonus to both healing and damage spells is a big help for healing priests.
    • Solo Utility: A higher crit chance means you can kill mobs faster.
    • Raid Utility: Crits on heals are going to restore more health, so you don't have to heal quite as frequently. Many healer talents also proc of crits sure as deep discipline's Divine Aegis, and holy's Inspiration and Surge of Light. Essential for healing builds; however Shadow Priest's are left in the cold seeing how this talent only effects HOLY spells.
    • PvP Utility: Criting with an offensive Smite or Holy Fire may help end the match early and the crit healing only makes it better when your Divine Aegis preventing more damage and allowing you extra time to throw up a heal, fear, or maybe mana burn that rather annoying healadin on the other team.
  • Bottom Line: Excellent talent for those who are going deep into the Holy or Discipline tree. Since Shadow priests can't cast holy spells, though, it's not good at all.

Spell Warding (Priest Talent) Spell Warding

Requires 5 points in Holy Talents
5 points: Reduces all spell damage taken by 10%

  • Situationally useful. It depends on what you like to do.
    • Solo Utility: Not godly, but it's nice to have in case you run into a caster mob, or you aggro a patrolling caster mob while you're trying to kill someone else.
    • Raid Utility: Virtually useless unless you're fighting mobs with AoE spells such as Sapphiron or Hodir and even then the damage is easily healed through without this. Points best spent elsewhere.
    • PvP Utility: Useful against any form of class that uses magic including DKs and Retadins. Atleast a few points should be allotted here if they can be afforded in your PvP build.
  • Bottom Line: A nice thing to have for soloing and PvP. Not worth it for raiding.

Divine Fury Divine Fury

Requires 5 points in Holy Talents
5 points: Reduces the casting time of your Smite, Holy Fire, Heal and Greater Heal spells by .5 sec.

  • Any Holy Priest worth their mana will take this.
    • Solo Utility: Faster casts means fewer pushback chances and more spells in a shorter amount of time.
    • Raid Utility: A must-have if you're planning on being a Holy group healer. Your party members are depending on you for heals, and the faster you can get them off the better. Discipline priests get more use from Flash Heal though and Penance and would be better off sticking at least 3 of the 5 points in Improved Renew instead while making your way down to Inspiration.
    • PvP Utility: Faster casts mean fewer chances to be interrupted on your offensive attacks, making this great for PvPing.
  • Bottom Line: If you're going deep into the Holy tree for raiding this is a great talent. Great for soloing and solid enough for PvPing.

Desperate Prayer Desperate Prayer

Requires 10 points in Holy Talents
1 point: Instantly heals the caster for 263 to 325.

  • Heals for 3716-4384 at level 80. A terrific panic button for priests who need a heal NOW.
    • Solo Utility: One point that can make the difference between death and victory.
    • Raid Utility: With raid heavy damage fights making up most encounters this could easily save you during that Safety Dance lag spike, the unlucky Light Bomb during Tantrum, or any of Ignis's molten friends that might decide to give you a hug before the add tank taunts.
    • PvP Utility: Essential. As a healer in PvP you will be most likely to get attacked and sometimes you have what seems like less than a second after getting out of that rogues stun lock at 200hp to decide what to do. Welcome to a self-target only, INSTANT heal that can crit for about 10k. (Thank you, Blizzard.)
  • Bottom Line: All healers need this.

Blessed Recovery Blessed Recovery

Requires 10 points in Holy Talents
3 points: After being struck by a melee or ranged critical hit, heal 15% of the damage taken over 6 sec. Additional crits taken during the effect increase healing received.

  • Situationaly useful.
    • Solo Utility: You'll be taking all the hits, so anything to help take the sting out of a critical strike is welcome.
    • Raid Utility: There are very few times when mobs will be aggroing onto the healer. When they do they are either too weak to really matter (Gluth's zombies, and Maexxna's spiders) or they will 2 shot you regardless of crit or noncrit. 3 Points would be far more beneficial elsewhere.
    • PvP Utility: Nice. Every class will try to stack on as much +crit gear as they can, so being able to get healed from getting hit by a critical strike is a lifesaver.
  • Bottom Line: Good to have for soloing or PvP, not a very good investment in raids.

Inspiration Inspiration

Requires 10 points in Holy Talents
3 points: Reduces your target's physical damage taken by 3%/7%/10% for 15 sec after getting a critical effect from your Flash Heal, Heal, Greater Heal, Binding Heal, Penance, Prayer of Healing, or Circle of Healing spell.

  • Very useful Talent for healers.
    • Solo Utility: 10% damage reduction is substantial realizing that the majority of mob damage you take will be physical, but the chance of critically healing yourself and still having the buff when you engage your next mob are slim.
    • Raid Utility: The damage reduction is invaluable for tanking and is easy to keep up for most of the fight on one target. Interestingly, the buff can be on multiple targets at a time, but as a raid healer the usefulness of the talent is decreased due to the fact that most of the people you heal should not be taking physical damage.
    • PvP Utility: This talent is great against physical damage dealers, but provides no mitigation against magical damage. The bonus may not be up all the time in pvp, and priests who stack crit will see the greatest benefit from this talent. In addition to its effect, the proc also adds another buff that dispellers must burn through.
  • Bottom Line: A must-have for raids, useful for soloing, and situational in pvp.

Holy Reach Holy Reach

Requires 15 points in Holy Talents
2 points: Increases the range of your Smite and Holy Fire spells and the radius of your Prayer of Healing, Holy Nova, Divine Hymn and Circle of Healing spells by 20%.

  • A range increase for holy's offensive spells and aoe heals.
    • Solo Utility: If leveling as disc, holy, or some combination it is a decent talent due to the range increase of your Smite and Holy Fire; however, not a terribly impressive talent for soloing all together.
    • Raid Utility: For Priests deciding to go deep Holy this is amazing for raid healing. If you are disc your points are best spent elsewhere.
    • PvP Utility: The increased range on offensive spells is nice for any healy PvPer; however, unless you are pvping as deep holy this talent is almost useless and even then not the best thing to put points in.
  • Bottom Line: Mediocre for soloing, decent for PvP, amazing for deep Holy raiders.

Improved Healing Improved Healing

Requires 15 points in Holy Talents
3 points: Reduces the mana cost of your Lesser Heal, Heal, Greater Heal, Divine Hymn and Penance spells by 15%.

  • Reduced mana cost to some healing spells.
    • Solo Utility: This talent focuses on healing spells which makes it almost moot for soloing. The reduced mana cost will save a slight amount of drinking time in the long run however not enough to be noticeable.
    • Raid Utility: If a disc healer can afford the points to grab this, the reduced mana cost to Penance is nice; however most disc builds can't afford this many points into the holy tree. For Holy Priests this is a nice talent but seeing as how only 2 of the spells will actually be used in raids (Greater Heal and Divine Hymn) one of which is on a decently long cool down, its utility is slightly disappointing. A good mana saver for when you do use those spells though.
    • PvP Utility: If PvPing, the reduced mana cost is nice due to how mana taxing long fights can be; however, seeing as how it only helps with a couple spells and the spell it helps with has a rather long cast, comparatively, points may be better spent in other more beneficial talents such as spell warding or blessed recovery.
  • Bottom Line: With two of the spells getting replaced as you level (lesser heal and heal), divine hymn on a 10 minute CD, and the other two spells being situationall used based on spec, this talent is mediocre regardless of use.

Searing Light Searing Light

Requires 5 Points in Divine Fury and 15 points in Holy Talents
2 points: Increases the damage of your Smite, Holy Fire, Holy Nova and Penance spells by 10%.

  • Increases damage done by holy spells.
    • Solo Utility: This is a really good soloing talent as it increases the damage of all offensive holy spells by 10%.
    • Raid Utility: There are very, very, very few opportunities for a healer to DPS in raids and even fewer where they should. This is one of those talents best not taken, points instead should be put into a talent that helps your healing or utility in raids.
    • PvP Utility: This is rather good for those offensive moments in PvP. While few disc builds will find room for this talent, some holy builds may. Just dont get caught up and forget your priority is healing.
  • Bottom Line: Great for soloing, decent for holy pvp, should be avoided in any serious raiding builds.

Healing Prayers Healing Prayers

Requires 20 points in Holy Talents
2 points: Reduces the mana cost of your Prayer of Healing and Prayer of Mending spell by 20%.

  • Reduces the mana cost of PoM and PoH.
    • Solo Utility: Not amazing for soloing as Prayer of Healing is a group heal.
    • Raid Utility: Great for Holy Priests especially when assigned to raid.
    • PvP Utility: Not amazing but decent. PoH takes a while to cast and is easily interrupted by a Kick, Counterspell, etc. Mana is always an issue so reduced cost on PoM is nice.
  • Bottom Line: Great for raid, mediocre for anything else.

Spirit of Redemption Spirit of Redemption

Requires 20 points in Holy Talents
1 points: Increases total Spirit by 5% and upon death, the priest becomes the Spirit of Redemption for 15 sec. The Spirit of Redemption cannot move, attack, be attacked or targeted by any spells or effects. While in this form the priest can cast any healing spell free of cost. When the effect ends, the priest dies.

  • Allows you to heal, free of charge, for 15 seconds after you are killed. This effect may be extended to 21 seconds with Glyph of Spirit of Redemption
    • Solo Utility: When you are dead you are dead, there is no one else to heal. Really it only makes you look foolish when soloing until you cancel the effect(or it ends) and you start the corpse run back. The spirit increase is decent however if paired with other talents.
    • Raid Utility: Ideally in a raid you should never die. Assuming you have, however, this would allow you to continue healing your assigned target for between 15 seconds (unglyphed) and 21 seconds(glyphed) while your raid makes plans for a brez. The 5% additional spirit is nice as it ups both your mp5 (Meditation) and spell power (Spiritual Guidance.)
    • PvP Utility: When PvPing holy it may allow the extra heals your partner or team needs to turn the odds back in their favor after you go down. In this form you are untargetable and therefore uninterpretable, which is a plus.
  • Bottom Line: Essential for Raiding, decent for PvP, negligable for Soloing outside of the spirit bonus.

Spiritual Guidance Spiritual Guidance

Requires 20 points in Holy Talents
5 points: Increases spell power by 25% of your total Spirit.

  • A nice spell power boost for Holy Priests.
    • Solo Utility: Spell power is always useful.
    • Raid Utility: Same.
    • PvP Utility: Same.
  • Bottom Line: Provides a great Spell power boost which is useful for any purpose.

Surge of Light Surge of Light

Requires 25 points in Holy Talents
2 points: Your spell criticals have a 50% chance to cause your next Smite or Flash Heal spell to be instant cast, cost no mana but be incapable of a critical hit. This effect lasts 10 sec.

  • Allows you a free, instant cast Flash of Light or Smite.
    • Solo Utility: If leveling or grinding as Holy, this spell will allow you quick damage or healing on a target.
    • Raid Utility: In a raid, where a Holy priest will be critically hitting a substantial amount, this allows for a free heal, saving mana and time as well as allowing a chance to get out of the 5 second rule, or to stay out of it.
    • PvP Utility: As above, this will allow a free heal in PvP, where mana can be precious. Additionally, this will allow the full power of a Flash Heal with no risk of being interrupted or locked out of Holy magic.
  • Bottom Line: A good investment of talents, fully worth 2 points.

Spiritual Healing Spiritual Healing

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Holy Concentration Holy Concentration

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Lightwell Lightwell

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Blessed Resillience Blessed Resilience

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Empowered Healing Empowered Healing

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Serendipity Serendipity

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Improved Holy Concentration Improved Holy Concentration

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Circle of Healing Circle of Healing

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Test of Faith Test of Faith

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Divine Providence Divine Providence

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Guardian Spirit Guardian Spirit

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X


Shadow

Spirit Tap Spirit Tap

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Improved Spirit Tap Improved Spirit Tap

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Blackout Blackout

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Shadow Affinity Shadow Affinity

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Improved Shadow Word:Pain Improved Shadow Word: Pain

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Shadow Focus Shadow Focus

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Improved Psychic Scream Improved Psychic Scream

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Improved Mind Blast Improved Mind Blast

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Mind Flay Mind Flay

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Veiled Shadows Veiled Shadows

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Shadow Reach Shadow Reach

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Shadow Weaving Shadow Weaving

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Silence Silence

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Vampiric Embrace Vampiric Embrace

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Improved Vampiric Embrace Improved Vampiric Embrace

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Focused Mind Focused Mind

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Mind Melt Mind Melt

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Darkness Darkness

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Shadowform Shadowform

Requires 30 points in Shadow Talents
Requires 1 point in Vampiric Embrace
1 point: Assume a Shadowform, increasing your Shadow damage by 15%, reducing all damage done to you by 15% and threat generated by 30%. However, you may not cast Holy spells while in this form except Cure Disease and Abolish Disease. Grants the periodic damage from your Shadow Word: Pain, Devouring Plague, and Vampiric Touch spells the ability to critically hit for 100% increased damage.

  • The signature of a Shadowpriest, one is not a Shadowpriest without this talent. This aura will increase the priests damaging Shadow magic to the level required for competitive DPS as well as reducing damage done to the priest, and reducing threat. Also, it will allow the Shadowpriests DoTs to critically hit. All of this is at the cost of being unable to use the Holy tree for spells such as heals. Discipline spells may still be used.
    • Solo Utility: For soloing, this talent shines in faster, more efficient kills.
    • Raid Utility: In raids, this will allow the priest to deal damage worthy of raiding with, allowing them to compete with other damage dealers.
    • PvP Utility: The damage reduction of Shadowform makes it very useful for PvP, allowing the priest to be not so easy to kill.
  • Bottom Line: It is perhaps the most valuable talent in the Shadow tree and no Shadowpriest should ever be without this.

Shadow Power Shadow Power

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Improved Shadowform Improved Shadowform

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Misery Misery

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Psychic Horror Psychic Horror

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Vampiric Touch Vampiric Touch

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Pain and Suffering Pain and Suffering

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

Twisted Faith Twisted Faith

Requires X points in X Talents
X points: TOOLTIP

  • DESCRIPTION
    • Solo Utility: X
    • Raid Utility: X
    • PvP Utility: X
  • Bottom Line: X

name Dispersion

Requires 50 points in Shadow Talents
Requires 1 points in Vampiric Touch
1 point: You disperse into pure Shadow energy, reducing all damage taken by 90%. You are unable to attack or cast spells, but you regenerate 6% mana every 1 sec for 6 sec. Dispersion can be cast while stunned, feared or silenced.

  • Avoid damage, restore mana, and escape stun. Too neat!
    • Solo Utility: Useful for the last two effects, but not the damage reduction--the mob is still going to be attacking you when Dispersion ends.
    • Raid Utility: Same as Solo, except the 6 seconds might also be long enough for your tank to pull aggro.
    • PvP Utility: Fantastic as a counter to spike damage and stuns.
  • Bottom Line: After spending 50 points in Shadow, one more point is nothin'!
Retrieved from "http://www.wowwiki.com/Priest_talent_analysis"