Ranged class · B tier
Priest build guide
Very safe thanks to Power Word: Shield, with Shadow Word: Pain that jumps on death. Damage ramps slower than Warlock, which does the DoT game better.
Tier
B
Ease
#7 of 9
Damage ceiling
#6 of 9
Range
Ranged
Best race
Human / Dwarf / Undead
“Light and Shadow. Shields and heals keep you alive while pain spreads through the horde.” The game's own pitch
Best Priest build
Recommended
Shadow pain spread
- Shadowform capstone
- SW:P apparitions
- shadow weaving
- haste
Pain jumps from corpse to corpse and procs free Mind Blasts. Strong, safe and low-effort.
Avoid: Expecting fast early clears. Priests are a slow burn.
Priest talents: capstones and milestones
A capstone rebuilds Priest around one idea, and you run one at a time. Milestones are the big mid-tree talents on the way there. Text below is the game's own. For every talent with its numbers, see all Priest talents.
Capstones
Penance
A free Penance about every 3 sec: three bolts of holy light at the nearest enemies.
Chastise
Smite hits 1 more enemy, and its crits set off a free Holy Nova.
Shadowform
Shadowform for the whole run; an enemy that dies with Shadow Word: Pain on it bursts for 4% of its max health within 6 yd, and the pain jumps to the next enemy.
Milestones worth chasing
- Divine Aegis: start with Power Word: Shield; a breaking shield bursts for 10% of what it absorbed within 10 yd.
- Rapture: a broken Power Word: Shield is raised again at once (at most every 15 sec).
- Shadowy Apparitions: start with Shadow Word: Pain, and its ticks have a 4% chance to loose a free Mind Blast (up to twice a second).
- Shadow Weaving: Shadow spells also strike for 0.5% of the target's max health.
Spells you will see
- Smite
- Holy Fire
- Shadow Word: Pain
- Mind Blast
- Holy Nova
- Power Word: Shield
- Penance
All Priest talents & planner (game 0.114.1)
All 39 talents in the three Priest trees, in the game's own words. A row opens after 5 more points in that tree, and you can spend up to 51 points in total with one capstone active. Numbers are for the first rank; click any talent below to plan a 51-point build and share the link.
Discipline 0 pts · 13 talents
Available at once
-
Unbreakable Will
Reduces all damage taken by 0.8%.
-
Wand Specialization
Smite deals 4% more damage.
5 points in Discipline
-
Improved Power Word: Shield
Power Word: Shield absorbs 20% more.
-
Martyrdom
Increases your maximum health by 1.5%.
10 points in Discipline
-
Divine Aegis
You start every run with Power Word: Shield, and a shield on you that breaks bursts in holy light: 10% of what it absorbed strikes every enemy within 10 yd.
-
Mental Agility
Your cooldowns recover 1.5% faster.
15 points in Discipline
-
Meditation
Regenerate 0.4 more health per second.
-
Mental Strength
Increases all damage by 2%.
20 points in Discipline
-
Rapture
A broken Power Word: Shield is raised again at once, at most once every 15 sec.
Requires Divine Aegis
-
Force of Will
Increases your critical strike chance by 0.8%.
25 points in Discipline
-
Silent Resolve
Increases your luck by 8%.
-
Improved Inner Fire
Power Word: Shield's cooldown is 10% shorter.
30 points in Discipline
-
Penance
You strike out on your own: a free Penance about every 3 sec, three bolts of holy light at the nearest enemies.
Requires Rapture
Holy 0 pts · 13 talents
Available at once
-
Holy Specialization
Increases your critical strike chance by 0.8%.
-
Improved Renew
Renew heals 10% more.
5 points in Holy
-
Divine Fury
Smite and Holy Fire cooldowns are 3% shorter.
-
Holy Reach
Holy Nova reaches 10% farther.
10 points in Holy
-
Radiance
A Holy Nova bursts from you on its own every 24 sec.
-
Inspiration
Your Holy critical strikes heal you for 0.2% of your maximum health, at most once a second.
15 points in Holy
-
Searing Light
Smite and Holy Fire deal 5% more damage.
-
Spiritual Guidance
Increases all damage by 1.5%.
20 points in Holy
-
Purifying Flame
Smite and Holy Fire critical strikes set their target alight for 30% of the hit over 6 sec.
Requires Radiance
-
Spiritual Healing
Your heals and shields are 12% stronger.
25 points in Holy
-
Blessed Recovery
Increases your maximum health by 2%.
-
Holy Concentration
Holy spells deal 2% more damage.
30 points in Holy
-
Chastise
Smite strikes 1 more enemy, and every Smite cast that critically strikes sets off a free Holy Nova.
Requires Purifying Flame
Shadow 0 pts · 13 talents
Available at once
-
Spirit Tap
Every kill heals you for 0.5 health.
-
Blackout
Your Shadow spells have a 2% chance to stun what they hit for 1.5 sec.
5 points in Shadow
-
Improved Shadow Word: Pain
Shadow Word: Pain lasts 15% longer.
-
Shadow Focus
Increases your critical strike chance by 1%.
10 points in Shadow
-
Shadow Weaving
Your Shadow spells also strike what they hit for 0.5% of its maximum health.
-
Improved Mind Blast
Mind Blast's cooldown is 6% shorter.
15 points in Shadow
-
Darkness
Shadow spells deal 2% more damage.
-
Improved Psychic Scream
Psychic Scream's cooldown is 12% shorter.
20 points in Shadow
-
Shadowy Apparitions
You start every run with Shadow Word: Pain instead of Smite, and its ticks have a 4% chance to loose a shadowy apparition: a free Mind Blast, at most twice a second.
Requires Shadow Weaving
-
Shadow Reach
Mind Flay reaches 10% farther.
25 points in Shadow
-
Shadow Power
Your damage-over-time effects deal 6% more damage.
-
Improved Vampiric Embrace
0.5% of all the damage you deal heals you.
30 points in Shadow
-
Shadowform
You take on Shadowform for the whole run, and when an enemy dies with Shadow Word: Pain on it, it bursts for 4% of its maximum health on everything within 6 yd and the pain jumps to the enemy nearest it.
Requires Shadowy Apparitions
Best rings, trinkets, amulets & gear for Priest
Shadowform Priest wants Seal of the Damned (+10% DoT tick speed) and Choker of the Fire Lord for chain-reaction Shadow Word: Pain pops; Discipline/Penance Priest prioritizes Quick Strike Ring, Hand of Justice and Horn of the Warchief for stronger Power Word: Shields. See the full items, trinkets & Codex guide for every ring, trinket and amulet in game 0.120.4.
In-run · Codex jewelry
Best rings, trinkets & amulets
- Rings: Quick Strike Ring, Seal of the Damned
- Trinkets: Hand of Justice, Horn of the Warchief
- Amulets: Malice Stone Pendant, Choker of the Fire Lord
Between runs · Armory (Cloth)
Priest armor sets & weapons
- Armor sets (Common → Legendary): Acolyte's → Devout → Prophecy → Transcendence → Faith
- Main hand: Acolyte's Staff → Staff of the Devout → Staff of Prophecy → Benediction → Anathema
Best race for Priest
Default starting races: Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, Undead and Troll. (In v0.120.0+, any other race can be unlocked for 100 achievement points on the Rewards tab.) Our pick: Undead (death immunity), Dwarf (Stoneform) or Human.
Cross-Race Unlock Tip: On the title screen's Rewards → Races tab (new in v0.120.0), any race can be unlocked for all classes for 100 achievement points. Bought races stay permanently unlocked through resets, enabling cross-race synergy builds.
Recommended
Human
- Perception: +15% damage for 10 sec, every 30 sec
- Diplomacy: +20% gold
- The Human Spirit: +10% experience
Recommended
Dwarf
- Stoneform: a shield worth 30% of max health, every 45 sec
- Gun Specialization: +6% damage
- Treasure Finding: +30% pickup range
Alliance
Night Elf
- Shadowmeld: 3 sec of immunity near death (75 sec cooldown)
- Quickness: +8% move speed
- Nature Resistance: +5% damage reduction
Recommended
Undead
- Will of the Forsaken: 4 sec of immunity near death (60 sec cooldown)
- Cannibalize: every kill heals 1 health
- Shadow Resistance: +4% damage reduction
Horde
Troll
- Berserking: cooldowns 30% faster for 10 sec, every 35 sec
- Throwing Specialization: +3% crit
- Regeneration: +1.5 health per second
Zone path with Priest
Zones unlock per class: each win with Priest opens the next zone for your Priests only. Here is the road from the tutorial to the endgame, and who waits at the end of each run.
- 1 Elwynn Forest Final boss: Edwin VanCleef
- 2 Duskwood Final boss: Morbent Fel
- 3 Warsong Gulch Final boss: Lord Kazzak
- 4 Un'Goro Crater Final boss: King Mosh
- 5 Arathi Basin Final boss: Lord Aliden Perenolde
- 6 Feralas Final boss: King Gordok
- 7 Gurubashi Arena Final boss: Hakkar the Soulflayer
- 8 Scarlet Monastery Final boss: High Inquisitor Whitemane
- 9 Alterac Valley Final boss: Azuregos
- 10 Blackrock Mountain Final boss: Nefarian
- 11 Gates of Ahn'Qiraj Final boss: C'Thun
- 12 Naxxramas Final boss: Kel'Thuzad
Priest vs other classes
| Class | Tier | Range | Ease | Ceiling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warrior | A | Melee | 5/5 | 4/5 |
| Paladin | A | Melee | 5/5 | 3/5 |
| Hunter | S | Ranged | 4/5 | 5/5 |
| Warlock | S | Ranged | 4/5 | 5/5 |
| Druid | B | Hybrid | 4/5 | 3/5 |
| Shaman | A | Hybrid | 3/5 | 4/5 |
| Priest | B | Ranged | 3/5 | 4/5 |
| Mage | S | Ranged | 2/5 | 5/5 |
| Rogue | B | Melee | 2/5 | 4/5 |
Sorted by ease. Rankings are our opinion for game 0.120.4; see the full tier list for the reasoning.
Priest FAQ
Is Priest good in Azeroth Survivors?
Priest is B tier in our tier list: #7 of 9 for ease and #6 of 9 for damage ceiling. Very safe thanks to Power Word: Shield, with Shadow Word: Pain that jumps on death. Damage ramps slower than Warlock, which does the DoT game better.
What is the best Priest build?
Shadow pain spread: Shadowform capstone, SW:P apparitions, shadow weaving, haste. Pain jumps from corpse to corpse and procs free Mind Blasts. Strong, safe and low-effort.
What are the Priest capstone talents?
- Penance. A free Penance about every 3 sec: three bolts of holy light at the nearest enemies.
- Chastise. Smite hits 1 more enemy, and its crits set off a free Holy Nova.
- Shadowform. Shadowform for the whole run; an enemy that dies with Shadow Word: Pain on it bursts for 4% of its max health within 6 yd, and the pain jumps to the next enemy.
You can only run one capstone at a time; respecs are free between runs.
How many talents does Priest have?
39 talents in three trees: Discipline (13), Holy (13), Shadow (13). Each row of a tree opens after 5 more points in it: the first milestones at 10 points, the next at 20 and the capstones at 30. See every Priest talent.
What is the best race for Priest?
Undead (death immunity), Dwarf (Stoneform) or Human. Default starting races: Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, Undead and Troll. (In v0.120.0+, any other race can be unlocked for 100 achievement points on the Rewards tab.) Starting in version 0.120.0, you can also unlock any race for 100 achievement points on the Rewards → Races tab. If cross-race unlocked, Gnome (+20% Luck, -8% cooldowns) is a premier scaling choice for proc and cooldown builds, while Orc (+35% Blood Fury damage) provides unmatched burst damage.
How do you unlock Priest talents?
Play Priest runs. Every run pays talent experience to the class you played, based on time survived, kills, bosses, a win and how hard the zone was. If Priest is behind your best class it earns bonus experience, so it catches up faster. Zones also unlock per class: beating Elwynn Forest with Priest opens Duskwood for Priest only.
More: Azeroth Survivors guide · builds for every class · items, trinkets & amulets · how to play · all zones and bosses