Season of Discovery Priest Guide - Best Builds, Runes, and Rotation

Welcome, travelers, to our WoW Season of Discovery Priest guide, a comprehensive compendium that unveils the holy mysteries and shadowy depths of this class. In this extensive article, we embark on a journey through the diverse facets of Priestly mastery, exploring the nuances of divine healing, formidable damage dealing, and strategic utility.

Within these pages, we will go over the best Priest build Season of Discovery you can currently try and uncover the optimal talent configurations for Discipline, Holy, and Shadow specializations. Unravel the enigmatic runes that elevate Priestly prowess, enhancing your abilities to heal allies or unleash devastating shadow damage upon adversaries. Master the intricate rotations that harmonize spellcasting for maximizing healing output or dealing shadowy devastation.

Additionally, we traverse through the troves of gear, identifying the best in slot selections that empower Priest Season of Discovery to excel in their chosen specialization. Gain invaluable insights and strategic advice to navigate the challenges of Azeroth, transcending boundaries and harnessing the divine and shadowy energies that define this class.

 

 

Priest Changes in Season of Discovery Phase 4

In Phase 4 of WoW's Season of Discovery, Priests witness significant changes that augment their role in the game. The addition of new runes enhances the potency of existing meta builds discussed in the article, providing Priests with greater versatility and effectiveness in combat. Moreover, the introduction of the Molten Core 20-man raid introduces a plethora of new items tailored specifically for Priests, expanding their arsenal for Phase 4 encounters.

The brand-new runes you are to discover include the following:

• Pain and Suffering
• Surge of Light
• Divine Aegis
• Eye of the Void
• Despair
• Void Zone

You can learn more about the latest runes and the way they are discovered by reading our WoW SoD Priest Runes & Locations Guide. Priests continue to serve as versatile healers and formidable damage dealers. With refined abilities and access to powerful new runes, they maintain their pivotal role in supporting their allies and vanquishing their foes. The diverse loot pool from Molten Core offers Priests ample opportunities to optimize their gear setup for maximum effectiveness in raids and dungeons. Overall, Phase 4 of Season of Discovery heralds promising developments for Priests, with new runes and raid loot enriching their gameplay experience and reinforcing their position as indispensable members of any adventuring party.

Priest Pros & Cons

Before rushing to the game, we highly recommend weighing out the following Priest Pros and Cons in Season of Discovery we are going to share in this part of the guide. By getting acquainted with the class’s strong and weak sides, it will be much easier whether you even wish to try it in action or it does not look like your type at all:

Let us focus on the Priest Pros first of all:

• Amazing single target and cleave damage;
• Powerful buffs;
• Overwhelming debuffs for raids and dungeons;
• Can solo targets and groups of players equally well.

Moving on, we have the following Priest Cons to cover:

• Highly dependent on Mana;
• Vulnerable to CCs and Slow effects;
• Super squishy due to wearing Cloth armor;
• Both Void Plague and Shadow Word: Pain require too much time to deal decent damage.

Despite all the strong and weak sides we have just mentioned, Priest 1.15.3 remains a powerful choice due to its high versatility. Just by swapping your class-specific runes alone, you can change your role radically. From being a pure DPS to a healer, Priests excel in each role.

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How to Play Priest in WoW Season of Discovery

The answer to the question of how to play Priest in WoW SoD might not be as obvious as you think since it can act as a versatile healer, damage dealer, and utility specialist. Playing a Priest in this season necessitates a deep understanding of the class’s specs each offering distinct playstyles and abilities, such as:

• Discipline;
• Holy;
• Shadow.

As a Discipline Priest, focus on preventive healing and shielding, mastering the art of damage mitigation and supportive healing to fortify your allies in battles. The Holy specialization prioritizes direct healing spells, emphasizing reactive healing and restoration to keep your allies alive and thriving. Meanwhile, Shadow Priests excel in dealing Shadow damage, harnessing darkness and insanity to annihilate foes with devastating spells. BLOG20

Strategically managing mana while casting spells efficiently becomes pivotal for Priest gameplay in Season of Discovery. Learning the intricacies of spell rotations and cooldown management tailored to your chosen specialization optimizes your effectiveness in various encounters, whether healing allies or dealing damage to adversaries.

Additionally, mastering your utility abilities such as crowd control, dispels, and buffs greatly contributes to your group's success in raids, dungeons, or WoW Season of Discovery Priest PvP battles. Adaptability and versatility define this class’s role, enabling you to pivot seamlessly between healing and damage-dealing roles to meet the dynamic challenges presented in Azeroth.

 

Best Priest Race in WoW Season of Discovery

When it comes to the best Priest race in WoW SoD, it is important to focus your attention not only on the race itself but also what Priest-specific traits it brings. On top of that, you need to remember that Alliance can choose out of three options while Horde only has two alternatives to consider.

• Let’s start by looking at Alliance Priest choices:

Dwarves offer the renowned Fear Ward ability, allowing Priests to dispel Fear effects on a single player every 30 seconds – a historically invaluable skill. However, Season of Discovery introduces an even more potent tool with the Inspiration Exemplar, a Paladin Rune that consistently dispels Fear and Sleep effects on nearby party members, offering group-wide protection compared to the singular target safeguard of Fear Ward.

Conversely, Night Elves boast the unexpectedly potent Starshards spell, a potential replacement for Mind Flay in Discipline DPS builds. Yet, for Shadow Priests utilizing talents like Shadow Focus, Shadow Weaving, Shadowform, and Darkness, Starshards loses significance.

Lastly, Humans provide minimal advantage for Priests, lacking significant racial abilities, making them less desirable in optimizing the Priest class.

• Moving further, we have Horde Priest options:

Trolls possess the Shadowguard ability, dealing Shadow damage when struck – a feature beneficial in encounters involving AoE hits or potentially disrupting Rogue ambushes in PvP by triggering Blackout. Additionally, the Berserking racial provides a potent boost, notably amplified when combined with Shadow Word: Death, though it escalates mana consumption significantly.

Conversely, Undead Priests wield Devouring Plague, a potent 3-minute cooldown DoT that self-heals, albeit with a substantial 215 Mana cost – twice that of Shadow Word: Pain. Combining it with Inner Focus allows for a cost-free cast, yet forgoes the 25% increased critical chance the ability typically provides. Will of the Forsaken, an Undead racial, holds strength but carries less significance in PvE scenarios compared to its utility in PvP engagements.

Priest Stat Priority

Being a highly versatile class, your Priest stat priority can radically changes depending on what specialization you go for. In the following part of our article, we will provide you with two options whether you are playing as a DPS or Healer. Do remember that you can experiment with the suggested setups but we highly recommend that you stick to them if you are only starting out playing as a Priest in Season of Discovery.

Below, you can see what Priest stats you want to prioritize when performing as a DPS:

1. Spell Hit;
2. Spell Power;
3. Mana per 5 Seconds;
4. Spell Crit;
5. Intellect;
6. Spirit.

However, your Priest stats will look different if you decide to be a Healer:

1. Healing Power;
2. Mana per 5 Seconds;
3. Spirit;
4. Intellect;
5. Spell Crit;
6. Stamina.

Let us imagine you are going to play as a damage dealer, then here is a short explanation of why we have decided to go for this stat priority then. Spell Hit stands as a rare yet crucial stat until reaching the Hit cap, significantly enhancing our spellcasting accuracy. Spell Power, another crucial aspect, amplifies the potency of all spells, particularly enhancing DoT effects like Shadow Word: Pain, often scaling close to a 1:1 ratio with Spell Power.

In addition to maximizing damage output, sustaining power throughout an entire encounter remains paramount. Attributes such as Mana per 5 seconds (Mp5), Intellect, and Spirit play vital roles in achieving this goal. Mp5, being the most advantageous among the three, disregards the five-second rule, ensuring consistent regeneration. While Meditation enhances the value of Spirit, making it more akin to Mp5 functionality, especially in sustaining Mana reserves.

Best Priest Runes Season of Discovery Phase 4

We have finally come to one of the most exciting aspects of the brand-new season. Of course, we are talking about the best Priest runes Season of Discovery, which let you significantly enhance your chosen build whether you are aiming to play as a DPS or Healer. However, you need to choose wisely when it comes to inserting runes into your gear pieces since you only have three slots available:

1. Eye of the Void (Head) – Lets you summon an Eye of the Void to aid you in battle for 30 seconds. This mystical eye possesses the ability to cast a range of curses upon your designated target.
2. Despair (Wrists) – Allows your periodic damage from your spells can be critical strikes.
3. Shadow Word: Death (Gloves) – Deals a ton of Shadow damage to the chosen target. If the enemy does not die when Shadow Word: Death is active, the caster will take the same amount of damage as the foe did;
4. Prayer of Mending (Legs) – Heals the chosen target the next time they suffer damage or are healed. When this happens, Prayer of Mending goes to another party or raid member within 20 yards. This can happen up to 5 times with the effect lasting 30 seconds after each jump. Do remember that only one target can be affected by this ability at a time;
5. Strength of Soul (Chest) – When casting Lesser Heal, Heal, Greater Heal, or Flash Heal, the remaining duration of Weakened Soul on healed targets diminishes by 4 seconds. Furthermore, individuals shielded by your Power Word: Shield will receive Rage from inflicted damage, even if the shield absorbs it. Additionally, Righteous Fury will activate upon damage absorbed by Power Word: Shield, treating it akin to a healing effect;
6. Penance (Gloves) – Deals Holy damage to the chosen enemy target or heals an ally instantly and every second for 2 seconds in total;
7. Homunculi (Legs) – Fragment your soul to conjure three miniature duplicates, each wielding a mace, sword, or axe. These replicas engage your current target, diminishing its attack speed, attack power, and armor upon impact.

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Best Priest Builds Season of Discovery Phase 4

Similarly to other classes, you have several best Priest builds Season of Discovery to choose from and experiment with. As the season goes on, they might change slightly or radically depending on what nerfs and buffs are introduced by the developers. Make sure to stay with us, as we will keep you updated on the latest and most potent builds for this class.

Shadow Build

With the start of Phase 4, you now have access to the most important talents like Shadowform and Darkness, meaning this is still the best Priest SoD build in terms of dealing damage you can try out. With the idea to squeeze out the maximum damage possible, we focus our attention on Shadow Focus and Shadow Weaving. On top of that, Spirit Tap can help you while leveling but will be rarely useful during raids. We also highly recommend that you include brand-new runes like Despair and Eye of the Void in this build. Both of them are extremely powerful in terms of raw DPS they bring.

Discipline Build

Continuing our Priest healer guide Season of Discovery, the Discipline build option is also worth your attention while it does not seem like the most viable alternative at first glance.

Looking at our talent tree, significant choices emerge to bolster our damage output, but by level 50, the emphasis shifts towards enhancing mana conservation. A standout talent, Meditation, ensures 15% of Spirit-based mana regeneration persists beyond the 5-second rule, proving pivotal in sustaining spellcasting throughout prolonged encounters.

Additionally, acquiring Inner Focus grants a free cast every 3 minutes, proving beneficial when utilizing resource-intensive spells like Mind Sear or Devouring Plague or aiming for a critical strike with potent spells such as Shadow Word: Death. At this level milestone, investing a point in Mental Agility, while not a substantial increase, contributes noticeably, especially when frequently casting Damage over Time spells.

Holy Build

Your talent selection as a Holy Priest is largely predetermined, as some of the most potent talents in the Holy tree are situated towards the lower tiers, including Spirit of Redemption, Spiritual Guidance, and Spiritual Healing.

The recommended Rune Engravings outlined above are nearly essential, as alternative choices significantly diminish the damage output of this build. While Penance can and should be replaced with Circle of Healing when your group faces consistent AoE damage, and Power Word: Barrier can be substituted if your group is coordinated enough to maximize its damage reduction during situations involving either a single massive hit or sustained group damage. Do not worry about fighting mobs, as your WoW Season of Discovery Priest PvE potential is not the most impressive, but it is still a worthy one. BLOG20

Priest Leveling Guide WoW Season of Discovery

To ensure you always stay ahead of others and hit the current level cap in no time, we have prepared this quick Priest Leveling guide WoW Season of Discovery for you to read below. By following the tips and tricks outlined there, you will get to experience endgame content in a blink of an eye and become the best player on your server.

Priest Leveling Consumables:

1. Elixir of Wisdom – Given the limited assortment of caster consumables available at early levels, this elixir stands as one of the most reliable choices for boosting capabilities;
2. Swiftness Potion – Since we lack additional mobility, this potion becomes instrumental in adjusting position or engaging adversaries effectively;
3. Mana Potion – Given our prevailing mana issues, maintaining a stockpile of these potions remains imperative at all times;
4. Greater Healing Potion – An essential backup for emergency healing, always a good item to have on hand;
5. Iron Grenade – This versatile tool provides additional threat, potential AoE interruption against trash packs, and its use while on the move makes it a must-have in your inventory;
6. Solid Dynamite – As a higher damage alternative to the Iron Grenade, it is preferable when stationary or if the stun effect of the Iron Grenade is not necessary.

Priest Leveling Tips & Tricks:

• Embrace Wand Usage: Rely heavily on your wand early on. It conserves mana and is an efficient way to deal damage while waiting for spells to cooldown;
• Balancing Heal & Damage: Prioritize damage spells while leveling, occasionally interjecting healing when necessary. Utilize your offensive abilities to eliminate threats swiftly;
• Optimize Talent Build: Focus on talents that enhance damage or mana efficiency early on. Investing in talents like Spirit Tap and Wand Specialization aids in resource management;
• Group Play Advantage: Utilize group play to your advantage. Pairing up or joining parties can be advantageous for both protection and faster quest completion;
• Stay Stocked: Always keep ample supplies of consumables like mana potions, healing potions, and food to ensure uninterrupted progression and survival during quests.

Priest Best in Slot Gear WoW Season of Discovery Phase 4

The following part of our guide is devoted to Priest best in slot gear you can get your hands on during the current phase. This table mainly consists of items you are going to find in the brand-new raid added with Phase 4 called Molten Core. However, we need a bit more time to compare all the items that have been recently added. Until then, use the equipment you see listed further to conquer the latest raid. Do keep in mind that collecting all the items from the list below might be challenging, yet you know what you should strive for anyway:

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Best Priest Rotation

Similarly to builds and gear, you can experiment with the recommended WoW Priest rotation Season of Discovery we have prepared for you below. However, we would advise that you stick with the following options if you are new to the game or simply wish to use a ready-made decision:

Shadow/Discipline Rotation:

1. Always keep Void Plague active;
2. Make sure Shadow Word: Pain is always active;
3. Use Mind Blast;
4. Cast Shadow Word: Death;
5. Use Mind Flay if talented;
6. Cast Smite.
   
   

Holy Rotation:

1. Pre-cast Holy Fire on pull;
2. Cast Smite.

In the absence of Improved Shadow Word: Pain and Shadow Focus, investing time in casting standard Shadow spells proves less rewarding. As a result, Smite becomes our primary spell choice. Although Holy Fire boasts potency, its extended casting time makes it suitable only for initiating combat.

Healing Rotation:

1. In emergencies, employ Power Word: Shield promptly to shield a threatened raid member from incoming damage;
2. When multiple group members are damaged, consider casting Circle of Healing. Its expanded 40-yard range efficiently heals up to five targets, proving effective even when two receive a full heal;
3. If equipped with the Prayer of Mending rune, cast it regularly on the tank, particularly before anticipated raid damage. Despite potential minimal bounces, its low mana cost makes it a valuable contribution;
4. Maintain a continuous Renew on the tank to regulate their damage intake and potentially create opportunities for full spirit regeneration while briefly using the wand;
5. Address residual damage using Heal or Flash Heal, selecting Heal for efficiency and potential full-value regeneration, or Flash Heal for swift spot healing, not merely chip damage;
6. Utilize your wand on the boss during idle moments. If uninterrupted for at least 5 seconds before the need for healing arises again, consider employing Inner Focus to extend the time outside the five-second rule.

Best Priest Professions in WoW Season of Discovery

Engineering is the best Priest profession WoW Season of Discovery, as it offers various gadgets that benefit this class in combat and utility situations. Devices like Gnomish Mind Control Cap and Goblin Rocket Helmet provide crowd control abilities, aiding in managing threats. Additionally, tools such as Iron Grenades and Thorium Grenades assist in crowd control and damage in challenging encounters.

Besides, Engineering offers powerful trinkets like Goblin Sapper Charge for AoE damage, enhancing a Priest's toolkit with unique utility and situational advantages, making it an optimal profession choice for versatility and aiding in challenging scenarios.

Best Priest Consumables

As our guide draws to an end, we would like to share the best Priest consumables WoW Season of Discovery you can find useful when participating practically in any type of in-game content:

1. Mana Potion – Restores approximately 520 Mana and has a cooldown of 2 minutes;
2. Heavy Crocolisk Stew – Provides an additional 8 Stamina and Spirit, available in various versions;
3. Minor Mana Oil or Minor Wizard Oil – Both useful, but the MP5 version is more beneficial when Mana conservation is a priority;
4. Scroll of Spirit II – Acts as a substitute for Divine Spirit, unavailable in Phase 1;
5. Scroll of Intellect II and Elixir of Wisdom – Serve as alternatives to Arcane Intellect in the absence of a Mage in your raid;
6. Elixir of Fortitude – Offers added Health, aiding in survival during raid or PvP engagements;
7. Elixir of Defense – Grants increased Armor, potentially useful in PvP by reducing physical damage taken;
8. Heavy Silk Bandage – Although slower than standard casts, these bandages provide substantial healing at early levels.

Do keep in mind that these are only of the strongest and most obvious options. You can use plenty of other consumables, as there are tons of them and all of them can be equally useful depending on the situation.

Conclusion

To sum up our Season of Discovery Priest guide, we have navigated through optimal builds, essential runes, and effective rotations. Understanding the intricate dynamics of Priest gameplay, we have delved into the critical aspects that maximize your potential in this season. From the best gear choices to insightful strategies, this guide equips you with the knowledge and tools to excel as a Priest in Season of Discovery.

Mastering the balance between healing and damage-dealing capabilities, Priests stand poised to be formidable assets in raids, dungeons, and PvP scenarios, making this guide an invaluable resource for maximizing your Priest's potential in the evolving challenges of WoW's Season of Discovery.

F.A.Q.