What Forever changes for Priests
How big is the Forever rework for Priests, and where? Five blocks: new spells → talent highlights → removals → tuning notes → new races. Talent names and rows come from our client data snapshot and match the planner one-to-one.
Scale of changes (vs the Classic Era baseline)
New spells
| Spell | Level | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Penance | talent spell | A Discipline talent spell on a 12 sec cooldown (ranks 1-4). |
| Prayer of Mending | talent spell | A Holy talent spell on a 10 sec cooldown (ranks 1-3). |
| Binding Heal | talent spell | A Holy talent spell (ranks 1-6). |
| Shadow Word: Death | talent spell | New Shadow direct damage on a 15 sec cooldown (ranks 1-4). |
Talent highlights
- Power InfusionDisciplineRow 7
Power Infusion stays on row 7 but now requires Penance.
- Prayer of MendingHolyRow 7
The new Holy row-7 capstone (1 point).
- Soul WardingDisciplineRow 4
Discipline tier-4 one-point milestone.
- Binding HealHolyRow 4
Holy tier-4 one-point milestone.
- Vampiric EmbraceShadowRow 4
Shadow tier-4 milestone moved earlier (usable at 25).
Removals
- LightwellThe Holy talent is dropped.
- Divine SpiritThe talent version is dropped.
- Elune's Grace (higher ranks)Only rank 1 remains.
Tuning notes
- Silence no longer requires Improved Psychic Scream, smoothing the Shadow entry.
- Discipline grows 15→18 talents and Shadow 16→18 — both trees deepen.
New race combos
Beta-phase tuning (official posts)
- Renew can crit; Power Word: Shield can always overwrite an existing shield on targets without Weakened Soul.
- Gnome Contingency Plan can crit and Confounding Flash gained a cast visual; night elf Starshards correctly gains pushback resistance from Twilight Focus; undead Dark Sacrifice no longer breaks damage-sensitive crowd control.
- Fear Ward and Devouring Plague for all priests at 20; Divine Spirit baseline at 30; Shadow Word: Death baseline at 32 (15s cooldown, 10% max-health recoil if it fails to kill).
- All nine racial priest kits re-evaluated: gnome Confounding Flash (10)/Contingency Plan (20); dwarf Chastise (20); human Divine Grace (10); night elf Starshards (big damage, 30s CD) and Elune's Grace (-50% hit); undead Dark Sacrifice (20).
- Renew stacks from multiple priests on one target; Prayer of Healing now heals the target's whole party and their pets.
- Shadowform rework: all non-healing spells castable, Shadow spells cost 50% less mana, Shadow crit damage +100%.
- New 16-point tier and gold talents: Soul Warding (Disc 16), Binding Heal (Holy 16), Penance (Holy 21), Prayer of Mending (Holy 31).
Next steps
Further reading: levelling talent chains for all nine classes · the launch levelling tier list
Basis: wow-forever.gg community-site build diff (1.60.1.70058 vs Era 1.15.9.70003, by spell id), untested in play; "removed" may reflect beta data stripping rather than design. One-line notes are our editorial summary — launch always governs.
Blizzard-confirmed: trees keep their 11/21/31-point milestone talents and add a one-point tier-4 milestone (e.g. Holy Strike at level 6, baseline Consecration at 20 for paladins).