Shadow or Holy for leveling a priest in WoW Forever?

The guide levels as Shadow, then Discipline: it kills faster alone and Shadowform arrives at level 40. A Holy build exists in the talent calculator for priests who mostly level in dungeon groups.

Why is the wand so important for a priest?

The wand costs no mana. Once your spells have done their work, the wand finishes the monster while your mana comes back, so you rest less between fights.

Which racial spells does my priest get?

It depends on your race. Your guide places the racial spell quests at levels 10 and 20 and buys the later ranks of your own racial spells, never those of other races.

Can a priest heal dungeons while leveling?

Yes. The Shadow build still has its healing spells, as long as you leave Shadowform to cast them. Dungeons are one-and-done in Forever, so their quests are worth doing once.

Which spells can a leveling priest skip?

The guide skips spells that do little alone, such as Resurrection, Prayer of Healing, Mind Control or Mana Burn, and keeps the gold for the essential ranks and your mount.

Priest Alliance leveling guide 1-60

Example route: human priest (Alliance). Create your character to get your own route.

Leveling route

Estimated time from level 1 to 60: ~111 hours played, following the example route.

Levels	Main zone	Zones	Dungeons	Estimated hours played
1-18	Elwynn Forest	—	The Hall of Thanes (13-18), Wailing Caverns (15-25), The Deadmines (15-25)	~8.5 h
18-23	Stormwind City	Ashenvale, Redridge Mountains	Blackfathom Deeps (20-30), The Stockade (22-30)	~8.1 h
23-34	Wetlands	Redridge Mountains, Dun Morogh, Tirisfal Glades	Gnomeregan (24-33), Razorfen Kraul (25-35), Scarlet Monastery (26-45), Excavation Site: Wetlands (26-31), City of Dalaran (28-33)	~18.9 h
34-43	Stranglethorn Vale	Badlands, Swamp of Sorrows	Razorfen Downs (35-45), Uldaman (36-48), Maraudon (40-52)	~19.9 h
43-49	Searing Gorge	Badlands, The Hinterlands, Burning Steppes, Swamp of Sorrows, Blasted Lands	Zul'Farrak (44-54), The Temple of Atal'Hakkar (45-55)	~16.4 h
49-54	Tanaris	Un'Goro Crater, Silithus, Darnassus, Teldrassil	Blackrock Depths (52-60)	~17.5 h
54-60	Silithus	Un'Goro Crater, Winterspring, Feralas, Teldrassil, Eastern Plaguelands, Western Plaguelands, Darnassus	Blackrock Spire (55-60), Dire Maul (56-60), Stratholme (58-60), Scholomance (58-60)	~22 h

Alliance leveling route Zones by level See the full step-by-step example guide

Leveling talents

Guide buildShadow then Discipline

The guide's build: Shadow damage (31 points up to Shadowform at level 40), then Discipline for mana and the shield.

Discipline: 20 points · Holy: 0 points · Shadow: 31 points

First talent points

Level 10: Spirit Tap 1/5
Level 11: Spirit Tap 2/5
Level 12: Spirit Tap 3/5
Level 13: Spirit Tap 4/5
Level 14: Spirit Tap 5/5

Open this build in the talent calculator

See the Priest talent calculator

Recommended professions

Recommended for Priest:

First Aid — Free bandages: fewer breaks and less food to buy.
Cooking — Food that restores health and mana between fights.
Fishing — Fish for cooking and some extra gold during downtime.

The priest is a cloth caster who can heal and deal Shadow damage. In WoW Forever, from level 1 to 60, it levels alone as a Shadow priest and stays welcome in any dungeon group. However generates a full priest route for your race: quests, trainers, racial spells, talents and gear, step by step.

Strengths and weaknesses

Power Word: Shield and quick heals keep you alive through most fights.
Damage over time and the wand let you kill without taking hits.
Shadowform, at level 40, increases Shadow damage and reduces physical damage taken.
Cloth armor and a small mana pool make the first levels slow.
Mana is your real limit: plan your pulls around it.

Talents and weapons

The guide uses the build Shadow then Discipline: 31 points in Shadow up to Shadowform at level 40 (Spirit Tap, Mind Flay, Improved Mind Blast, Shadow Weaving), then 20 points in Discipline (Wand Specialization, Meditation, Improved Power Word: Shield). The talent calculator also shows a Holy build for priests who level in dungeon groups; it is slower alone.

The wand is your main weapon: use it as soon as mana runs low. Vendors sell no wand before level 15. Carry a staff or a mace for its stats. Look for intellect, spirit, stamina and spell damage.

Mana and the usual fight

Cast Power Word: Shield before the fight, then Shadow Word: Pain and Mind Blast. Finish with Mind Flay, a Shadow talent from level 20, or with the wand. The shield cannot be cast again on the same target right away, so do not wait until you are in trouble. Before level 40, the guide only buys the essential ranks and skips spells like Holy Fire, Heal or Mind Control, to save gold for your mount.

Common mistakes

Casting Smite at every level instead of using damage over time and the wand.
Pulling a second monster before your mana has come back.
Staying in Shadowform when you need to heal: healing spells are blocked in that form.
Skipping the racial spell quests at levels 10 and 20.

What your priest guide contains

Your guide adds the robe quest at level 4, the racial spell quests, a trainer visit every two levels from level 4, one talent point per level from 10, a gear plan for the weapon and the wand, macros and PvP advice. Create your priest or try the priest talent calculator.

The reference Alliance priest is a human. Dwarves and night elves can also play a priest, and gnomes can too in WoW Forever. Each race learns its own racial spells through class quests at levels 10 and 20.

Humans start in Northshire Valley. The level 4 robe quest asks you to heal a guard in Elwynn Forest, then give him Power Word: Fortitude.
Humans learn Divine Grace at level 10 and Feedback at level 20, in Stormwind.
Dwarves learn Desperate Prayer and Chastise; night elves learn Starshards and Elune's Grace.
Gnomes learn Contingency Plan at level 20, in Ironforge; this new Forever quest is still to be confirmed in game.
In Forever, Fear Ward and Devouring Plague are bought from the trainer by every race.

The route then follows Westfall and Redridge Mountains. Read the shared Alliance route.

Frequently asked questions

Shadow or Holy for leveling a priest in WoW Forever?: The guide levels as Shadow, then Discipline: it kills faster alone and Shadowform arrives at level 40. A Holy build exists in the talent calculator for priests who mostly level in dungeon groups.
Why is the wand so important for a priest?: The wand costs no mana. Once your spells have done their work, the wand finishes the monster while your mana comes back, so you rest less between fights.
Which racial spells does my priest get?: It depends on your race. Your guide places the racial spell quests at levels 10 and 20 and buys the later ranks of your own racial spells, never those of other races.
Can a priest heal dungeons while leveling?: Yes. The Shadow build still has its healing spells, as long as you leave Shadowform to cast them. Dungeons are one-and-done in Forever, so their quests are worth doing once.
Which spells can a leveling priest skip?: The guide skips spells that do little alone, such as Resurrection, Prayer of Healing, Mind Control or Mana Burn, and keeps the gold for the essential ranks and your mount.