Discipline Priest WotLK Guide

Discipline is the healer that prevents damage instead of only healing it. You put Power Word: Shield on people before the hit lands, and Divine Aegis turns your critical heals into more absorbs. On the right fights, and in the right hands, it is one of the two best healing specs in the game, right next to the Holy Paladin.

This guide covers the healing priority, the cooldowns and how they fit together, the talents and glyphs we run, the stats to reach and the mistakes that cost the most. It is written for Icecrown Citadel 25 and Ruby Sanctum on 3.3.5a. The short overview is in the class guide.

The core habit is shielding before the damage. You spam Power Word: Shield all the time, so it is the top of the priority list, and a shield you cast in advance does more than a heal you cast after. Penance is your strongest heal, Prayer of Mending runs quietly in the background, and Flash Heal, Renew and Binding Heal fill the gaps.

Two talents shape the way you play. Borrowed Time gives you a haste bonus after each shield, and it is not used up by channeled spells such as Penance and Divine Hymn, so you cast those right after a shield. Rapture returns mana when a shield you cast is used up, so where you place your shields is also how you manage mana.

1. Power Word: Shield Power Word: Shield on the targets that are about to take damage. You cast it all the time.
2. Penance Penance on cooldown, on the target that needs it most.
3. Prayer of Mending Keep Prayer of Mending rolling, preferably on the tank.
4. Flash Heal Flash Heal for targets that need a quick heal. The guides we read prefer it over Prayer of Healing in 25-player raids.
5. Renew Renew to keep a small heal over time on the tank.
6. Binding Heal Binding Heal when you and another target both need healing.
7. Prayer of Healing Prayer of Healing for a group. In 10-player raids it moves higher in the list.

Do not use the healing or absorb meters as a scoreboard. The point of the spec is to prevent deaths, and you can do that with a lot of overhealing and shields that never absorb. Keep Inspiration up on the tanks, and plan when you will place your shields for Rapture.

Discipline has more tools than any other healer. These are the ones that matter.

Power Infusion2 min

Gives a target a haste and mana cost bonus. The guides we read prefer Holy Paladins first (unless they are already haste capped), then Restoration Shamans.

Pain Suppression3 min

Reduces the damage a target takes by a large part for a short time. Talk to your tank before the fight, so two defensives do not overlap.

Rapture

Your main mana regeneration tool. It returns mana when a shield is used up, with an internal cooldown, so you place shields where the damage will hit.

Shadowfiend5 min

Gives you mana back from its attacks. Use it around sixty percent mana so you can use it twice in a long encounter.

Hymn of Hope6 min

Gives mana to the group. Use it together with Shadowfiend, if the raid allows.

Inner Focus3 min

Makes your next spell free and critical. Use it with Divine Hymn or a burst heal.

Our recommended Discipline build is the 53/18/0 in the calculator, built around Penance, Borrowed Time, Divine Aegis, Rapture, Grace and Pain Suppression. The guides we read also list Twin Disciplines, Soul Warding, Renewed Hope and Inspiration as must-haves.

The major glyphs are Power Word: Shield, Penance and Flash Heal.

Penance

Launches a volley of holy light at the target, causing 240 Holy damage to an enemy, or 670 - 756 healing to an ally instantly and every 5 sec for 2 sec.

Borrowed Time

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.

Divine Aegis

Critical heals create a protective shield on the target, absorbing 30% of the amount healed. Lasts 12 sec.

Rapture

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.

Grace

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.

Pain Suppression

Instantly 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.

Glyph of Power Word: Shield

Your Power Word: Shield also heals the target for 20% of the absorption amount.

Glyph of Penance

Reduces the cooldown of Penance by 2 sec.

Glyph of Flash Heal

Reduces the mana cost of your Flash Heal by 10%.

The priority is haste until you reach the cap, then spell power, then critical strike, then more haste, then intellect, and mana regeneration and spirit last. Without buffs, the haste cap is about 434 rating, which gives you a one-second shield cast. That is where the spec feels smooth.

Do not chase the haste cap at the cost of practical healing. Reach it if you can, and after that spell power is worth more. The best items are in the BiS list below.

1. Intellect
2. Haste
3. Spell Power
4. Critical Strike

Discipline Priests are strong on fights with steady damage that can be absorbed. A few notes:

Lich King

In the last phase, Harvest Soul triggers your Rapture and returns a lot of mana. Coordinate Shadowfiend and Hymn of Hope across the phases. See the Lich King healing guide.

Sindragosa

Prayer of Healing limits the Mystic Buffet stacks to one, and you pre-shield the vulnerable groups.

Blood Prince Council

Shield the groups before the Shock Vortex, and plan your Pain Suppression with the tank.

Halion

Pre-shield before the breaths, and use your movement well in the Twilight Realm. See the Ruby Sanctum guide.