WotLK Classic Discipline Priest Stat Priority (2024)

Last updated on Jan 01, 2024 at 13:56by Abide1 comment

On this page, you will find out the optimal PvE stat priority for yourDiscipline Priest in WotLK Classic. We first present the statpriority, before delving into more complex explanations.

1. Haste Rating (until soft cap)
2. Spell Power
3. Critical Strike Rating
4. Haste Rating (past soft cap)
5. Intellect
6. Spirit
7. Mana per 5

In TBC Haste Rating was introduced, and it quickly took over as thebest stat for healers. In Wrath of the Lich King, this trend continues andDiscipline Priest is no exception. However, unlike other healers,Discipline Priests findthemselves reaching the soft Haste cap extremely easily.

As a Discipline Priest, you have a few things to take into consideration whenconsidering how much Haste Rating you need. First is your talents, which we willassume that you are specced into both Borrowed Time andEnlightenment. The second thing to consider is your raidbuffs.

In a raiding environment, you will want to have eitherSwift Retribution or Improved Moonkin Form for a 3%Haste buff. You will also want Wrath of Air Totem for a 5% Hastebuff. These 2 raid buffs along with your talents greatly reduce the amount of rawHaste Rating you need from gear.

With only your talents improving your Haste, you will need a total of 434 HasteRating to reach the soft Haste cap. In a raiding environment, where you will haveaccess to both the 3% and 5% Haste buffs, you will only need to aim for 154 HasteRating to reach the soft cap.

At Level 80:

• 32.79 Haste Rating = 1% Faster Casting Speed
• No buffs, only talents = 434 Haste Rating needed
• With 3% Haste buff = 325 Haste Rating needed
• With 5% Haste buff= 257 Haste Rating needed
• With 3% & 5% Haste buff = 154 Haste Rating needed

Spell Power is the new combined Healing Power and Spell Damage from previousexpansions, now streamlined into a singular stat in Wrath of the Lich King.Spell Power will be the main stat you focus on as a Discipline Priest, as the rawstrength of your Power Word: Shield is a key factor to making thisbuild powerful.

Spell Power will be the main stat you are looking at when comparing gearpieces, and typically you will want the gear choice that offers the highest SpellPower bonus on it.

Crit Rating is not a great stat at first glance, seeing as most of yourrotation is casting Power Word: Shield back-to-back, which cannotcrit. It does however, have quite a few uses. Glyph of Power Word: Shield isa glyph that you never replace, and the heal provided by this glyph CANcritically heal.

You also have good synergy with Crit Rating through Divine Aegis,which is one of your biggest overall healing factors. Lastly, Crit rating helpsyou apply Inspiration to the tanks, giving them a powerfulPhysical damage reduction buff. All of these factors combined make Crit Rating apowerful stat to look out for after Spell Power.

At Level 80:

• 45.91 Crit Rating = 1% Crit Chance

After reaching the soft Haste cap shown above, the value of Haste Ratingfalls off significantly. With higher gear levels, it's nearly possible to avoidadditional Haste Rating over the soft cap. While you should haveBorrowed Time up nearly 100% of the time, there are some healingintensive situations where you will not have the time to refreshBorrowed Time as the raid or tank requires quick, direct healinginstead. This is when additional Haste Rating past the soft cap comes inhandy.

Intellect is a powerful stat, increasing your base Mana pool, Spirit-based Manaregeneration, and spell crit chance. Having a higher Mana pool increases your Managained from personal and raid buffs such as: Rapture,Shadowfiend, Hymn of Hope, Replenishment, andany other percentage-based maximum Mana spells or talents.

As Discipline Priest, you also gain Mental Strength, furtherincreasing your Intellect by 15%. In addition to that, in a raiding environment,you are very likely to be buffed with Blessing of Kings, granting youeven more additional Intellect.

At Level 80:

• 1 Intellect = 15 Mana
• 166.67 Intellect = 1% Spell Crit Chance

Spirit greatly improves your passive Mana regeneration, giving you a highamount of passive Mana return. This passive Mana regeneration is broken up bywhat is commonly referred to as the "5-second rule".

After casting a spell that costs Mana, your passive Spirit-based Mana regenwill be paused for 5 seconds, after which time it will resume, giving you fullMana regeneration again. As a Priest, you have the Meditationtalent, allowing 50% of your Spirit-based Mana regeneration to continue at alltimes, even during the 5-second rule.

Lastly, your Spirit will also be increased by your Enlightenmenttalent and Blessing of Kings in a raiding environment, furtherincreasing your total Spirit.

Mana per 5 is commonly referred to as Mp5. It is a very simple,straightforward stat, restoring Mana back to you every 2 seconds based on yourMana per 5 recovery. This stat is slightly lower ranked than Spirit, but isstill completely fine to have on gear. That being said, it will be easier toobtain gear with Mp5 on it as it is typically less contested by otherclasses.