Recently, I was the sole healer in a heroic instance rep grind. The boss does a nasty AoE attack that takes the party down by half. I had to choose whether to use my more pricey group heals, or try to conserve mana while getting the most bang for my buck. Speed was important, but Flash Heal is also pricey, and should only be used in the most dire of situations... luckily, I had Spell Haste on my side.
Some will argue that using Ring of Flowing Life is not as great as Ring of Harmonic Beauty, since I lose out on Spirit and some additional healing. However, the spell haste and additional mana regeneration has saved many raids when it came down to the wire. I can quickly pull off a Heal or Greater Heal if need be in half the time of most priests in my raid.. and if a raid member or tank is toeing death, I can quickly bring them back from the brink.
Furthermore, in PvP situations, I can quickly take down an opponent by spamming Smite and still have the ability to stay alive with personal heals. Because of Spell Haste, my Smite (and other offensive spells) are very fast. I can cast it in almost half the time of most priests. If I combine it with PW:Shield and SW:Pain, I am deadly and difficult to take down.
Tuesday
Sunday
Healing Trinket (Lower City Rep)
From time to time, I will be discussing a particular item of interest for priests. This is my first up for discussion: Lower City Prayerbook. This requires a Revered reputation with Lower City in Shattrath.
This is an attainable trinket if you are having difficulty getting epic healing trinket drops from instances.
The way to get the rep is to farm it. The quest More Feathers is a repeatable quest that can be turned in with 30 Arakkoa Feathers dropped from the Skettis located at the various "Veils" in Terokkar Forest. At each turn in, you get a bag full of goodies like scrolls, healing pots, and some nifty greens and blues (most of which are Disenchant fodder).
The Skettis also drop Light Feathers for your Levitate, as well as netherweave cloth (handy if your a tailor or just good to sell in stacks).
This is an attainable trinket if you are having difficulty getting epic healing trinket drops from instances.
The way to get the rep is to farm it. The quest More Feathers is a repeatable quest that can be turned in with 30 Arakkoa Feathers dropped from the Skettis located at the various "Veils" in Terokkar Forest. At each turn in, you get a bag full of goodies like scrolls, healing pots, and some nifty greens and blues (most of which are Disenchant fodder).
The Skettis also drop Light Feathers for your Levitate, as well as netherweave cloth (handy if your a tailor or just good to sell in stacks).
Raid Healing Tip: Using Fade
Pulling aggro while healing is a common mistake and is the result of overhealing the tank. If you find yourself pulling aggro, have a paladin bubble you and then cast Fade to reduce threat while the tank regains aggro. I have also used Fade to reduce my chances of pulling aggro if I cast a G. Heal after someone else healed the tank (this is a common mistake especially while lagging).
If you find yourself getting the attention of a trash mob, use Psychic Scream and then cast Fade. This will give you time to run away or let someone else gain aggro. In many situations, this will also pull the mob (and some bosses) to the area where you "Screamed and Faded", allowing the rest of your group to pass a mob that they can't quite take down.
Another great use for Fade is to get past those tricky mobs. I have bypassed a raid boss (The Prophet in AQ) by using Fade then drinking a Lesser Invisibility Potion. I was able to run past him (I think I even touched one of his legs) without aggroing him. The rogue who was with me was able to stealth past with ease. *NOTE: I did this as a fully geared level 70 priest, and have not tried this at a lower level.
If you find yourself getting the attention of a trash mob, use Psychic Scream and then cast Fade. This will give you time to run away or let someone else gain aggro. In many situations, this will also pull the mob (and some bosses) to the area where you "Screamed and Faded", allowing the rest of your group to pass a mob that they can't quite take down.
Another great use for Fade is to get past those tricky mobs. I have bypassed a raid boss (The Prophet in AQ) by using Fade then drinking a Lesser Invisibility Potion. I was able to run past him (I think I even touched one of his legs) without aggroing him. The rogue who was with me was able to stealth past with ease. *NOTE: I did this as a fully geared level 70 priest, and have not tried this at a lower level.
Holy or Shadow?
I have played my priest as both holy and shadow spec. It gets pricey trying to constantly tweak your talents to suit your needs. To be brutally honest, though shadow is the preferred way to go for PvP and leveling, I find Holy with a good amount of Discipline is both easy to level and great to group with from beginning to end.
As a Horde priest, you have many opportunities to start doing instances from an early level. You get better loot and can finish more quests. Sure, shadow priests can still heal pretty well in early instances, but they lack the healing capability to carry a difficult instance group. I have also solo-leveled easily by using a mix of attacks, instant casts, and a smattering of high-powered heals. I have also taken down opponents in PvP 2 lvls higher than me while out soloing in hotspot PvP areas like Tanaris and Stranglethorn Vale.
The downfall of being a Holy Priest (and trying to solo) is you tend to burn a bit more mana while trying to level. I found myself having to regen more frequently, and needing to use big damage spells like Holy Fire and Mind Blast to pull mobs. I also ended up having to kite mobs while casting instant spells like Shadow Word: Pain and Renew in order to conserve mana while trying to survive.
So here's the verdict: if you tend to group with others (even if it's one person), go Holy. You can pull back, conserve mana, and support your party. If you like to solo and find yourself in a lot of PvP situations, Shadow may be the way to go. You can still do instances, but you won't be able to heal to your full potential.
As a Horde priest, you have many opportunities to start doing instances from an early level. You get better loot and can finish more quests. Sure, shadow priests can still heal pretty well in early instances, but they lack the healing capability to carry a difficult instance group. I have also solo-leveled easily by using a mix of attacks, instant casts, and a smattering of high-powered heals. I have also taken down opponents in PvP 2 lvls higher than me while out soloing in hotspot PvP areas like Tanaris and Stranglethorn Vale.
The downfall of being a Holy Priest (and trying to solo) is you tend to burn a bit more mana while trying to level. I found myself having to regen more frequently, and needing to use big damage spells like Holy Fire and Mind Blast to pull mobs. I also ended up having to kite mobs while casting instant spells like Shadow Word: Pain and Renew in order to conserve mana while trying to survive.
So here's the verdict: if you tend to group with others (even if it's one person), go Holy. You can pull back, conserve mana, and support your party. If you like to solo and find yourself in a lot of PvP situations, Shadow may be the way to go. You can still do instances, but you won't be able to heal to your full potential.
Introduction
This blog was created as a way to share knowledge and experience as a World of Warcraft priest. Though Lkpriest is a Blood Elf Priest, I also have a level 70 Night Elf priest, so I will write about experiences and tips on both sides.
It gets a little difficult to level and play a priest, but priests are an important part of any group/raid situation. A good priest, like a good tank, can make or break a raid. But I'm not writing here to only discuss raiding.. I'll talk about equipment, leveling, professions, factions, macros, as well as other tips and observations from World of Warcraft.
It gets a little difficult to level and play a priest, but priests are an important part of any group/raid situation. A good priest, like a good tank, can make or break a raid. But I'm not writing here to only discuss raiding.. I'll talk about equipment, leveling, professions, factions, macros, as well as other tips and observations from World of Warcraft.
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