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Introduction

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Hello everybody, and welcome.

This guide is in a small sense an extension to Jame's leveling guide. However instead of telling you where to go what to do, it aims to help you shape you Priest so that you can level as easily as possible.

It is aimed towards players who at least one of the following applies to :

• Have an at least rudimentary knowledge of the game.
• Haven't played a priest to a high level before
• Players who know how to play the class, but just want to make sure they haven't missed anything and are leveling as efficiently and easily as possible.

Though just because its aimed at those players doesn't mean others can't get any use from it.

For many leveling a priest sounds like a very daunting task, it isn't a rogue or hunter that's for sure. In fact many players start a priest and give up around level 20 or 30. Don't though! I have found the priest one of the most rewarding classes to level, and once you gain some levels (some being 47-50)one of the easiest class's to level.

Let's be clear: Low level priests suck, they are a pain to level.
But after that you will have a character you will love for almost every situation.

You will be able to

1. Solo with ease and not have to worry about mana.
2. Solo average to moderately tough elites with little trouble.
3. Get in to nearly any group as a healer OR a dps AND do well at it.
4. Be the one cloth class that stands and takes a beating and doesn't care!

Enjoy the guide.

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0.0 Table of Contents

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• Introduction

• 0.0 Contents

• 1.0 Key

• 2.0 Race, Class and Professions

• 3.0 Leveling
• 3.1 The Early levels
• 3.11 Killing strategy 10-19
• 3.2 The Intermediate levels 20-39
• 3.21 Killing strategy 20-39
• 3.3 The advanced levels 40-59
• 3.31 Killing strategy 40-59
• 3.4 The high levels 60-80
• 3.41 Killing strategy 60-80

• 4.0 Talents

• 5.0 Gear

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2.0 Key

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Priest Spells:

- Shadowform

- Dispersion
- Shadowfiend
- Vampiric Touch
- Shadow Word: Pain
- Devouring Plague

- Mindblast
- Mindflay
- Mindsear

- Power word: Shield
- Wand

- Psychic Scream
- Psychic Horror
- Silence

- Renew
- Heal

Other:

AH - Auction House.
DPS - Damage per second.
GCD - Global cooldown
CD - Cooldown
BFD - Black fathom depths
SFK - Shadowfang Keep

STRAFE - I will mention this a lot. Strafing is how you run from an enemy while still able to cast at it. Have your side to the enemy pull with you main spell now use q or e to run away, while running cast you instant spells.

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1.0 Race, Class and Professions

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Class

Self evident I think?

Race

Race used to have a much larger impact than it does now but here are the advantages of each race and how they apply to a priest.

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Alliance

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Dwarf

Stoneform : Activate to gain immunity to poison, disease, and bleed (will also remove these types of debuffs); +10% Armor; Lasts 8 seconds. 3 minute cooldown.

Half decent spell, There is better out there, prety much only pvp viable.

Frost Resistance : Reduces the chance you will be hit by Frost spells by 2%.

Simply meh, frost mages and saphiron, and even then it hardly makes much difference. Hardly worth mentioning.

Find Treasure : Activate to see treasure chests on mini map - lasts until canceled - no cooldown.

A usefull skill especialy at high levels were finding chests can be quite profitable. Doesnt do anything for the class though.

Dwarf skills rating: 1/5

Human

Every Man for Himself : Removes all movement impairing effects and all effects which cause loss of control of your character. This effect shares a cooldown with other similar effects, 2 minute cooldown.

Free pvp trinket = Win

Perception : Increases your Stealth detection, passive.

Suprising how often this can save your life. Decent spell.

Diplomacy : Reputation gains increased by 10%.

Another siprisingly good ability 10% doesnt sound like much but it does make a diference

The Human Spirit : Increase spirit by 3%.

3% isn't much, but it's a stat we value ad increases our dps. I'm not complaining.

Human skill rating PVE 3/5
PVP 5/5

Nightelf

Shadowmeld : Activate to slip into the shadows, reducing the chance for enemies to detect your presence. Lasts until cancelled or upon moving. Any threat is restored versus enemies still in combat upon cancellation of this effect, 2 minute cooldown.

Absolutely brilliant PVE skill. Will save your life often, which increases levelling rate. Great in instances when you are going to wipe so that you can rez your team mates.

Quickness : Reduces the chance that melee and ranged attackers will hit you by 2%.

Another great pve skill, useless in pvp as everyone will have some +hit.

Wisp Spirit : Transform into a wisp upon death, increasing speed by 75%.
Saves time, increases levelling rate, good skill.

Nature Resistance : Reduces the chance you will be hit by Nature spells by 2%.

Much the same as dwarfs, Useless.

Nightelf skill rating PVP 2/5
PVE 5/5

Draenei

Gift of the Naaru : Heals the target of 170 damage over 15sec. The amount healed is increased based on the caster's Spell Power or Attack Power, whichever is higher. This ability does not lose casting time from taking damage. 3 minute cooldown.

A heal we can use in shadow form, it's not much but just remember to use it often and it will save your life more than once and decrease downtime.

Heroic Presence : Increases chance to hit with all spells and attacks by 1% for you and all party members within 30 yards.

Awesome for raiding, less hit means more dps. Unless you want to heal when you hit 80... then it's useless.

Shadow Resistance : Reduces the chance you will be hit by Shadow spells by 2%.

Better than the other resistances but still meh.

Draenei skill rating PVP 3/5
PVE 4/5

Summary

If you want to pvp, go human.

If you want to raid as a shadow priest, Draenei or Human as they increase your dps. Draenei more so

If you want to heal any of the three they all have their advantages, Spirit vs extra heal vs shadowmeld

For levelling, Draenie or Nightelf

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Horde

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Troll

Berserking : Activate to increase attack and casting speed for 10 seconds. Speed is raised by 10% at full health, increasing as health is lost to a maximum bonus of 30%. 3 minute cooldown.

Great dps boost useful in leveling and raiding.

Regeneration : Increase health regeneration bonus by 10%. Also allows 10% of normal health regen during combat.

Can't complain, it's not significant though.

Beast Slaying : 5% damage bonus when fighting against Beasts.

Decent, nothing much to say.

Da Voodoo Shuffle : Reduces the duration of all movement impairing effects by 15%. Trolls be flippin' out mon!

Not bad but not really needed with fade and dispersion.

Troll skill rating Pvp 3/5
Pve 5/5

Forsaken

Will of the Forsaken : Removes any Charm, Fear and Sleep effect. 2 minute cooldown.

On a seperate cooldown to pvp trinket. Good pvp skill.

Cannibalize : When activated, regenerates 7% of total health every 2 seconds for 10 seconds. Only works on Humanoid or Undead corpses within 5 yards. Any movement, action, or damage taken while Cannibalizing will cancel the effect.

We can heal, but not bad if you don't want to switch out of shadowform.

Underwater Breathing : Underwater breath lasts 233% longer than normal.

No complaining here, makes certain quests much easier.

Shadow Resistance : Reduces the chance you will be hit by Shadow spells by 2%.
See draenei.

Forsaken skill rating Pvp 5/5
pve 3/5

Blood elf

Arcane Torrent : Activate to silence all enemies within 8 yards for 2 seconds. In addition, you gain 15 Energy, 15 Runic Power or 6% Mana. 2 min. cooldown.

As if we needed more mana, but it's instant and pvp useful.

Magic Resistance : Reduces the chance you will be hit by spells by 2%

Best resistance skill works for all schools, good skill

Bloodelf skill rating PVP 4/5
PVE 4/5

Summary

For PVP pick forsaken

For PVE Horde racials are very balanced take your pick.

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3.0 Leveling

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General Tips:

The priest needs s few gold to start up, So try to make it on a server where you have your main on, or where a friend can give you a loan. It will make your life so much easier.

Be wary of humanoids, until level 47-50 you wont be able to deal with multiple mobs without a lot of trouble. Pull carefully, and fear wisely

If you aggro a mob (while passing), you may be tempted to keep running till it loses interest. DON'T. Instead turn around and kill it. You are a weak clothie much better at doing damage than taking damage, and if you happen to run in to another mob or get snared as you flee you could find your self very dead very quick.

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3.1 The early levels: 1-19

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Level 1-9
At level 5 it is worth getting http://www.wowhead.com/?item=11287 for when you run out of mana.

Other than that just remember to save some mana to shield and heal yourself. You should not have too much trouble and it takes next to no time to level.

Level 10-19

Spirit tap is great. Focus on getting gear with spirit and spell damage on it. Using the auction house is a good bet, just so you aren't wearing any white items.

Get http://www.wowhead.com/?item=11288 off the auction house at level 13. Up to level 22 it does nearly the same damage as smite, 17.5 dps instead of 23.2. There is a moderate difference, but you wand doesn't cost Mana. At level 17 you can get http://www.wowhead.com/?item=5198 from Deadmines, which does 22.3dps, which is easily better than smite.

Next Bfd is the way to go. Now that Auberdine Stormwind and ironforge are all connected(boat and Deeprun tram) there is little excuse not to go.
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=7001 drops there it is definitely worth getting. To get in to the group easily go as healer, you can probably get in to this instance as low as level 20. Getting this item at such a low level will save you a lot of time.

Killing strategy

As needed:

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The intermediate levels 20-39

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Level 20-30

Your spells:

If you didn't go BFD the wand just wont seem to be cutting it. On the bright side we have a crappy MF to make up for it. It's not all bad, you do have holy fire and devouring plague.
Holy fire is probably the best priest damage spell in the game, use it when ever it is up.

Level 30-39

Now we start getting some really essential talents and decent gear. From now on things just get easier and easier.

Before you do Jame's guide do Sfk a few times for all the great gear it gives, robes of Arugul will last you at least ten levels.

Note: he's a damn hard boss, read the strategies on the internet and find a suitable group to do it with. An average pug will wipe SFK many times.

Follow Jame's guide, You will never be pulling mobs more than one level higher than you unless he is sure you can do it.

Killing strategy 20-39

With all killing strategy there are no fixed rules but generally there are two ways, focused damage and Split damage. Just remember when you are pulling multiple mobs, figure out what you are going to do before you pull.

Remember if you can fear the mob safely you can probably kill one more than I say you can, as long asyou have enough mana.

20-29 - No vampiric embrace

One mob

This should be quite easy with the mob posibly dying before it even reaches you.

Two mobs

Very similar strategy except:

Shadow Word: Pain on the other mob while strafing.

Shield our selves to deal with the new mob.

Finish the first mob with wand.

Mind blast/ holy fire second mob (mana dependent).
OR
Wand with (Sheild and heal)

30-39 - With Vampiric Embrace

One mob

Two mobs- With Vampiric Embrace

Your Health at 50-75% cast

Changes:

Strafe for longer so no time for mind flay.
Shadow Word: Pain and Vampiric Embrace on both mobs
Devouring plague on First mob.
Mind blast + wand to kill first mob

Three mobs - At this level this is pushing it. You may wellhave to drin a mana potion. What out for humanoidswith interupts and such. they are beyond your capability(For now )

General rule - If one is mage or caster, kill as quick as possible note mages can't be strafed.

1: On caster

2: Self

3: Both Melee

MAKE SURE CASTER IS DEAD / WILL DIE SOON

4: On Melee

5: Self

6:

If three melee, its easier.

When they reach you kill them one by one.

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3.2 The advanced levels: 40-60

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Level 40-59

Quests: One available at level 50. This is a four part quest series worth 26450 exp and gives a excellent shadow wand: 51.3dps 9 spell power 3 stamina.

For maximum exp make sure you take the quests for Sunken temple and do Zul'farak when Jame suggests it.

• Cenarion Aid, get near city trainer (buy an Ichor of undeath)
• Quote:

  1. Go north on the other side of the road to Shadowsong Shrine (13,74). Kill 6 Highborne Apparitions and 6 Highborne Lichling. There's more of them just a bit further to the northeast.

  2. When done with that, go further to the northeast until Haldarr Encampment, kill satyrs there until you have [47] A Land Filled with Hatred complete.
  

  
  2.5 Go to 42.4,42.7, Turn in Cenarion aid get follow up.
  
  Quote:

  
  3. Go back to Talrendis Point [Killing all coursers you see until you have four courser glands] and turn in the two quests. You should be level 52 by now. If you're not, don't worry, there will be an optional circuit soon.

  
  
• Quote:

  4. Get back on the road and ride northeast. Go around the ruins of Eldarath by the west side

  Turn in quest while passing and get follow up
• Immediately turn again and get follow up. Continue with Jame's guide as normal When Jame suggests doing sunken temple do it. Turn in quest at Greta Mosshoof when Jame next sends you to Felwood.
  

Killing strategy 40-59

The above strategies now all change because we have SHADOWFORM!
Which is arguably THE best talent priests have.

So there are a few changes from here on out.
1. Always stay in Shadowform. Switching forms is expensive, and unneeded most of the time

2. This means no more holy fire. Don't forget you can still shield

3. Don't worry about strafing so much, unless on multiple mobs elites aka, Hard stuff.

4. Mindflay is now good. Use it in-between mindblasts and dots

Something like this will be fine when soloing.
40-49

Multiple mobs
I won't go in to too much detail as the above strategies as 1: you should know what you are doing by now.

2: it's much easier to kill mobs and

3: the above stategies should have given you a feel for how to adapt to multiple mob encounters.

50-59
Vampiric touch means we now have two easily usable dots.
And all strategy goes out of the window now you can spam two dots and lifesteal

Sometimes only will be enough to kill a mob. This can make for VERY easy grinding.

Examples: (of the top of my head, there are many more)
Hinterlands, level killing 47 green oozes
Borean tundra level 74 killing level 71 Rune binders

IMPORTANT NOTE:Check that your dots will kill a mob, and that you weren't criting too much while testing that. Last thing you want is to dot everything fear and then have 5-10 red health mobs attacking you and you're out of mana.

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3.3 The High levels.

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Killing strategy 60-80

The killing strategy stays mostly the same, expet it becomes easier to kill so you can kill more mobs at the same time.

Here are the new spells you can incorporate in to your strategy.

Level 60 -
Amazing utility, so many ways you can use it. You can use it to tank for 6 seconds if you agro in groups. To escape hard hitting elites. To regen mana. To fill the gap between fears and PW:S when you have a bunch of monsters all dotted up.

Note:If you shield and then cast dispersion, you shield will only block the damage you would take after dispersion reduces the damage, so feel free to use them both.

You can also use potions while dispersed.

Level 66:
Primary use, to regen mana! The damage it does is also good and is increased with your spellpower. Regenerates 50% of your total mana.

Note:1 If you summon it targeting a monster but arnt in combat it will not attack that monster it will sit by outside doing nothing. Make sure you are in combat when you cast.

Level 75:
At last a aoe. It may look crap but so does mindflay. It does the same amount of damage per second as mindflay but lasts two seconds longer. It also doesn't damage the mob you are targeting only the ones around it. One of the few aoes that follows mobs if they move, unlike Rain of fire blizzard etc.

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Talents

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This is focused around as few respecs as possible.

However: If you are made of money and want to make earlier leveling easier spend 5 points in spirit tap and spend the rest in holy until 36 and then respec back to shadow, This lets you use holy fire and Mindblast, with smite between, which is much better than Wand/Mindflay between mind blasts only using holy fire to pull.

Advantages: High dps, improves healing too.
Disadvantages: Expensive in mana and gold.

Level 1-60

In this order:
3/3 Spirit tap
2/5 Darkness
2/2 Improved Shadow word: Pain
5/5 Darkness
1/1 Mindflay
4/5 Mindblast
3/3 Shadow weaving
5/5 Mindblast
1/2 Shadow reach
1/1 Vampiric embrace
2/2 Improved Vampiric embrace
2/2 Shadow reach.
1/3 Shadow Affinity
2/2 Mind melt
3/3 Improved Devouring Plague
1/1 Shadow form
4/5 Shadow power
2/2 Improved shadow form
5/5 Shadow power
2/3 Misery
1/1 Vampiric touch
3/3 Misery
3/3 Pain and suffering
5/5 Twisted faith
1/1 Dispersion

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4/5 Twin disciplines
2/2 Veiled shadows
5/5 Twin disciplines
3/3 Improved Inner fire
2/2 Improved fortitude
1/1 Inner focus
3/3 Meditation
2/3 Focused mind
3/3 Shadow Affinity

The nice thing about this is that it is also a raiding spec so you don't have to respec once.

Final build: http://www.wowhead.com/?talent#bVcbuZZhxfVRfzrfqfzAo

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Gear

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Levelling gear

Before level 60 you want to go for lots of spirit, spellpower, and a good wand.
After level 60, Spell power always comes first

Reason being with your 155% MF damage and it being a channeling spell, spell damage is great for it. Haste and crit not as important.

Raid gear

I know this is a solo guide but lets say you hit 80... then what. Well I'll give you a little help for your first steps towards raiding.

Shadow spec:
Hit rating. This is essential for raiding you need with Shadow afinity and misery you will need 288.55 hit rating

if you are a draenei or regularly will have a draenei in your group you will need 262. Misery and the druid faerie fire debuff do NOT stack.

Hit rating is worth more than spellpower but that doesnt mean ou should always choose hit rating first.

I sugest getting an addon called Geardps and putting these values in to it.

1 spellpower = 1 PP
1 intellect = 0.21 PP
1 spirit = 0.21 PP
1 spellcrit = 0.71 PP
1 spellhaste = 0.65 PP
1 spellhit = 1.31 PP

1pp = 1 dps at level 80(subject to scaling)

Whatever item as the highest pp you should go for. Remember then you become hit capped hit becomes worth 0pp.

Always get hit on items, do not gem for it, because items give you much more hit for your money, gem for spell power.

Once you get to about 2000 spell power unbuffed you should get the 3% crit damage meta gem over the intellect metagem.

Healing.

First. NO SPELL HIT. Do not get any gear with spell hit. Respec to holy or discipline. I sugest checking forums for a guild talent build. This is not my area of expertise

Mp/5 items are god I beleive, Mana is a big problem.

Personally when I heal the stats I like are Haste spellpower and MP/5, I don't like randomness with healing so I don't go for crit or get the talents for it. But many many people disagree with me so go check the forums. If someone creates a priest healing guide i will link it.