WoW: Level 85 Reference Guide for Priests

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Base Talent Spec

Talent builds (or talent specs) are identified by the names of the talent trees. Each class sports three separate talent trees and the Priest class is no different. The three talent trees available to Priests are: Shadow, Discipline, and Holy. Each tree contains various and vastly different talents to allow the Priest to excel in their chosen tree of choice. Below can be found the currently popular base talent specs for each of the three trees:

Shadow

8/0/31

This basic Shadow spec gives the Priest every base ability they need to maximize their damage while still leaving two points left over to place wherever the Priest so chooses.

Discipline

33/8/0

This base talent spec aimed at Discipline Priests gives access to many important and useful spells such as Archangel and Atonement allowing the Priest to not only complete simple 5 mans but easily complete larger raid dungeons as well.

Holy

6/32/3

This base talent spec aimed at Holy Priests gives the Priest access to many important spells such as Lightwell and Darkness allowing them to not only complete simple 5 mans but easily complete larger raid dungeons as well.

Stats

Stats (or Attributes) are the basic building blocks of every single class. All characters of the same class begin with the same amount of each stat. Some examples of stats are Agility, Stamina, Intellect, and Critical Strike. To increase stats players of all classes rely heavily on various pieces of equipment, gems, and enchants as well as temporary effects such as buffs, elixirs, and scrolls.

All classes need to be concerned with stats as nearly all combat mechanics rely on them in some fashion. The stats needed for each class, and in turn each talent tree vary greatly and need to be understood in order to be an effective player. Below are the most sought after stats (listed in order of importance) for each of the three talent trees available to the Priest:

Spec	Important Stats	Notes
Shadow	Hit Spirit Intellect Spellpower Crit Haste Mastery	Hit and in turn Spirit are the most valuable statistics until the cap (1742 or 17%) is reached. At this point Hit Rating and in turn Spirit becomes completely and totally useless for the Shadow Priest and should be bumped off the list entirely. Reaching the hit cap is easier than ever before since Spirit (thanks to the Twisted Faith talent) mirrors the value of hit and is therefore handled exactly the same. However, if given the choice between Spirit or Hit the Priest should always choose Spirit as it does provide a small amount of mana regeneration as well.
Discipline	Intellect Spirit Critical Strike Haste Mastery Spellpower	Intellect and Spirit are huge priorities for the Discipline Priest. However, despite the fact that none of the other stats are as important or as useful for this particular spec a balance must be kept between them as they play upon each other increasing the others values.
Holy	Intellect Spirit Haste Mastery Spellpower	Haste is only a priority until the cap (12.5%) is reached. After this cap is reached, Haste falls to the bottom of the list.

Glyphs

Glyphs are spell and ability enhancements created by scribes. There are currently three types of Glyphs:

Prime - Prime Glyphs are effective in combat and generally increase the healing or damage of a particular ability.
Major - Mainly feature spell changes and usually come with a trade off. For example the glyph may increase direct damage but removes the DoT effect of the spell.
Minor - Provide convenient or cosmetic improvements that usually result in a lackluster effect. While no player should be without Minor Glyphs, choosing which of these glyphs to use is typically left up to the individual player.

Below is a list of acceptable Glyphs for each of the three types of Priests:

* - Indicates a must have Glyph all others should be considered suggestions and are left totally up to the individual Priest’s discretion.

	Prime	Major	Minor
Shadow	Mind Flay Shadow Word: Pain *Shadow Word: Death	*Spirit Tap Fade Fear Ward Mass Dispel Inner Fire	Fading Shadowfiend Levitate Fortitude Shadow Protection
Discipline	Penance Power Word: Barrier *Prayer of Healing	*Divine Accuracy Holy Nova Mass Dispel Fade Pain Suppression	Fading Shadowfiend Levitate Fortitude Shadow Protection
Holy	Renew Prayer of Healing Flash Heal Power Word: Shield Lightwell Guardian Spirit	*Circle of Healing Mass Dispel Spirit of Redemption Dispel Magic Fade Divine Accuracy	Fading Shadowfiend Levitate Fortitude Shadow Protection

Gems

Gems are items that can be placed into a socket of another item to give that item additional bonuses. Gems cannot be removed once they are placed in an item, however they can be overwritten by another gem placed in the same socket, which will in turn destroy the original gem.

There are three primary colors of gems (red, yellow, and blue) as well as three secondary colors (orange, green, and purple). Besides these colors there are also meta gems which can only be placed in meta sockets, and prismatic gems that will match any color. Any of these gems can be placed in any socket, however if the gem matches the socket color an additional bonus will be provided to the user.

Spec	Gems	Meta
Shadow	Artful Ember Topaz Potent Ember Topaz Brilliant Inferno Ruby Purified Demonseye Zen Dream Emerald	Ember Shadowspirit Diamond
Discipline	Brillant Inferno Ruby Potent Ember Topaz Purified Demonseye Zen Dream Emerald Artful Ember Topaz	Ember Shadowspirit Diamond Revitalizing Shadowspirit Diamond
Holy	Artful Ember Topaz Potent Ember Topaz Brilliant Inferno Ruby Purified Demonseye Zen Dream Emerald	Ember Shadowspirit Diamond Revitalizing Shadowspirit Diamond

Enchants

Enchants are a permanent stat bonus that is added to various pieces of equipment. Only one enchantment can be active on a piece of gear at one time. Enchantments provide a variety of effects and can greatly improve a character’s game play. For this reason it is very important that all players have the appropriate enchantments at all times.

Shadow

Item Slot	Enchant
Head	Arcanum of Hyjal
Shoulder	Greater Inscription of Charged Lodestone
Back	Greater Intellect Darkglow Embroidery Lightweave Embroidery
Chest	Peerless Stats Exceptional Spirit
Wrist	Speed Exceptional Spirit Mighty Stats
Belt	Ebonsteel Belt Buckle
Legs	Powerful Enchanted Spellthread Powerful Ghostly Spellthread
Feet	Earthen Vitality Haste Mastery Lavawalker
Ring	Intellect
Off-Hand	Superior Intellect
Weapon	Hurricane Heartsong Power Torrent

For information on Discipline and Holy Enchants please see our guide on the Best Enchants for Healers.

Consumables

Consumables are single use or charge items that can greatly buff a players performance. Some examples of consumables are; Flasks, Foods, and Potions. Making these items can be expensive and in some cases time consuming. More expensive consumables (such as flasks) are normally only used in raids. Players who neglect to come prepared with the appropriate consumables are not only hindering themselves but the other players in their group or raid, therefore it is very important to always be well stocked with the appropriate consumables for their spec and class.

Spec	Flasks	Elixirs	Potions
Shadow	Flask of Battle Flask of Flowing Water Flask of the Draconic Mind	Elixir of the Master Elixir of Mighty Speed Ghost Elixir Prismatic Elixir	Mighty Rejuvenation Potion Mythical Mana Potion Mythical Healing Potion Jungle Remedy Potion of Concentration Volcanic Potion
Discipline	Flask of Battle Flask of Flowing Water Flask of the Draconic Mind	Elixir of Mighty Speed Elixir of the Master Ghost Elixir Prismatic Elixir	Mighty Rejuvenation Potion Mythical Mana Potion Mythical Healing Potion Jungle Remedy Potion of Concentration Volcanic Potion
Holy	Flask of Battle Flask of Flowing Water Flask of the Draconic Mind	Elixir of the Master Elixir of Mighty Speed Ghost Elixir Prismatic Elixir	Mighty Rejuvenation Potion Mythical Mana Potion Mythical Healing Potion Jungle Remedy Potion of Concentration Volcanic Potion