Classic Holy Priest Tips and Tricks!

Hey dudes. Silvite Soltis here. And today, I've got a new type of post for you!

Over the past few months, I've been enjoying the hell out of my main class, the priest. And while it seems that everything that can be learned in this game has already been figured out, I've also noticed that a lot of people make things harder than they need to be. So, in this post, I thought I'd share a few tips about playing a healing priest that you might not be aware of.

Let's get started, shall we?

Tip #1 - Mouseover Macros

In the world of addons and clicky keybinds, it seems that many people forget that mouseover macros exist. These types of macros, which can be written for any spell you want to cast in Classic, allow you to simply mouse over a target taking damage and press the appropriate keybind: no addon required!

The mouseover macro is as follows:

/cast [@mouseover,exists]Spell

This is good for raids, dungeons, or even PVP. Best of all, you can choose which ranks of spells are cast by simply adding it in parentheses:

/cast [@mouseover,exists]Spell(Rank x)

Note that there's no spaces between the brackets or parentheses!

So, a rank 4 Heal spell would look like this:

/cast [@mouseover,exists]Heal(Rank 4)

All in all, it takes a bit of setting up, but by making these macros for all of your main spells (Renew, Heal, Greater Heal, Flash Heal, Power Word: Shield), you can save yourself a headache of setting and remembering a bunch of weird Shift-CTRL-Left type combinations used by many healing addons. It's pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.

Tip #2 - Downranking - Which ranks for what?

So, everyone knows about Downranking at this point, but one of the hardest things for many priests seems to be figuring out exactly which ranks to use. So, to keep it simple...

• Heal (Rank 2) for low, consistent damage.
• Heal (Rank 4) to keep the tank up.
• Flash Heal (Rank 4) for bursty raid healing.
• Flash Heal (Rank 7) for those "Oh shit" moments in tank healing.
• Renew (Rank 6) for raid healing (rarely used)
• Renew (Rank 9) for tank healing (if you're specced for Imp Renew)
• Power Word: Shield (Rank 10) for tanks OR other damage prevention (because if you need to prevent it, it's probably a lot).
• Greater Heal (Rank 4) for when the tank needs a HUGE heal. Use Inner Focus first to save mana (if needed)!!!

Make some mouseover macros for each of these and bind them to your preferred keys. Easy-peasy. Also, you can play with different ranks based on your mana pool and +healing, but these ones have been the ones I've found most consistently effective throughout my gearing process.

Tip #3 - Go for Power Infusion (if your guild doesn't have a PI priest yet)

In the current era of min-maxing everything, many priests go deep holy in order to be the best healers they can possibly be. But there's another super-viable healing spec that can really benefit your raid that you should consider if you haven't already: the Power Infusion spec!

Power Infusion is an insanely powerful buff for casters and healers alike. Boosting damage and healing by 20% for 15 seconds can really give your raid the edge it needs in MC, BWL, and beyond. Your casters will love you, and you can be sure that you'll keep your raid spot so long as you are the sole proprietor of this amazing buff. Sure, your healing won't be as strong, but with enough other deep-holy priests, that shouldn't be too much of a problem.

For good measure, here's the mouseover macro that I currently use when casting Power Infusion. Feel free to copy+paste it into a macro for yourself:

/cast [@mouseover,exists]Power Infusion
/run SendChatMessage(format("Power Infusion on %s!!!",select(1,UnitName("mouseover"))),"WHISPER",nil,select(1,UnitName("mouseover")));

Enjoy being an even more valued member of your raid team!

Tip #4 - Pre-Raid BiS Is NOT Always Best!

Again in this age of min-maxing, it seems that everything is constantly "all about that BiS". And while pre-raid best in slot items are undoubtedly very powerful, people seem to forget a very important aspect of best in SLOT - it's the best item for a slot, not always the best combination of gear to have overall.

A couple of weeks ago, I happened to pick up the Robes of Prophecy, a big downgrade compared with my Robes of the Exalted from Strat Undead. My healing went down by 46 from that swap alone. The stats, however, more than made up for it. I was able to heal for longer without going out of mana, looked cooler, and am one piece closer to my 5piece bonus.

Many Pre-Raid BiS items, like Gloves of the Exalted Herald or The Hammer of Grace, are simply big pools of +healing. In my experience, however, a balance of the high stam/int/spirit set pieces and high +healing items is vastly superior overall simply due to the sustained healing that results. So mix and match pieces. Keep some of those high-stat items and swap as needed!

Tip #5 - Keep Fade Handy (so you don't need to spec for reduced threat)

I can't count the times I've seen a priest in a raid get healing aggro from a Lava Giant when a tank mysteriously dies and gets eaten alive. The ones that don't are typically specced into the reduced threat talent in the discipline tree, sacrificing things like improved Power Word: Shield or stun resistance. There's a better way, priests: keep Fade handy!

I'm sure this is common sense to many of you, but sometimes common knowledge isn't all that common. So, just a reminder that we have an awesome threat reduction tool at our disposal! Use it!

Personally, I always keep it bound to my 'Q' key, just in case! ;)

Tip #6 - Flash Heal is Your Friend

Ok, last tip for today! We all know that mana conservation is important and that Heal ranks 2 and 4 are among the most efficient heals we can use. However, as many of the fights in Classic, at least in Molten Core, end fairly quickly, you should definitely make use of Flash Heal to keep people up.

This is something that I only recently realized myself - as I was always trying to keep my mana sustained throughout fights. As my guild improved its speed in downing bosses, though, I noticed that I could typically heal better, and obviously faster, by using Flash Heal. Sure, it somewhat snipes the other healers, but it ensures that those who need heals get them in time. And it looks a lot better on parses, so...yeah.

Obviously keep an eye on your mana pool, but don't be afraid to use a few quick Flash Heals to recover from bursty damage!

Conclusion

So, there you have it: 6 tips for playing your holy priest that you might not have though about. Obviously, there's a lot more you could do if you're willing to research all the nit and gritty, but I think these are some of the more important ones that all healy priests can make use of. As always, if you have any tips for playing this magnificent class, feel free to leave a comment down below, as we can always learn from each other. I'm by no means perfect at the class, and love learning new things as I play this fun, 15 year old video game.

But yeah, that's it for today. If you liked these tips or found them useful, feel free to add yourself to my mailing list down below for more posts like this in the future. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter for updates on content, and check out my videos over on YouTube if you prefer that form of content, as I turn all of my posts into videos shortly after writing them here. Thanks for reading, have an awesome day, and as always...

Take it easy!

My Journey to 60: A WoW Classic Story

Hey dudes. Silvite Soltis here. It's been a while, huh?

Well, I've finally done it. I capped my troll priest over on Mankrik US a few weeks back, dabbled in dungeons, and finally gotten to enjoy some Molten Core and Onyxia as relevant content. But unfortunately, that's meant that I haven't really been making content like I should have. Sorry for that.

But, now that things have settled a bit, I thought it might be a good idea to get back into the swing of things. And what better way to resume my content creation than by making a quick snapshot of my Classic journey thus far?

So, sit back, relax, and enjoy as I recount my adventures in Azeroth over the past 4 months...

The Early Days

The Beginning

End of Day 1.

The first day of Classic was amazing. I had only recently started a new job over here in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and since it was 6AM when the game launched, I ended up not being able to play until I got home in the evening. But oh man! Once I got home, I logged 3 and a half hours straight. Not much if you compare to others, but it's what I could manage. I got to around level 10 in that first session and I enjoyed every minute of it. Best of all, I had little to no competition for mobs because of the early morning hours on Mankrik. It was pretty much the best launch I could imagine.

Over the next week or so, I leveled slowly - finishing off Durotar on the 2nd day of play and moving into the Barrens. Somewhere in the third day or so, I knocked out Ragefire Chasm as well, much to the dismay of my wife. See, I had forgotten just how long Classic dungeons took and estimated I'd be in there for between 30-45 minutes. After all, it wasn't particularly long or difficult, so I assumed it would be quick. An hour and a half later, however, I realized just how different the game was from my memory...

Anyway, I progressed pretty slowly, as you all know. Silvite the troll priest hit level 18 or so somewhere in the 2nd week after the game's launch and I managed to knock out Wailing Caverns shortly after that. The next few weeks, however, proved to be quite challenging...

Levels 20-35: The Grind (Weeks 2-6)

Leveling through a mix of The Barrens, Ashenvale, Thousand Needles, and even a bit of Hillsbrad, I came to realize just how annoying this level bracket could be. Quests were sparse and many of them took me all over the map. Combine this with the fact that I was trying to juggle my new job, my content creation, AND my family and you can imagine just how frustrating this portion of the leveling process was.

To be honest, this portion of the leveling is already quite blurry to me, as I basically ran all over the world frantically trying to find Silk Cloth for my tailoring while also completing whatever quests I could find in the ~40 minutes I could play each night after my kids slept. One thing that I do clearly remember, however, was my first SM Library run - completed in the early hours of a Sunday morning before my family woke up. I didn't have any idea of how long this dungeon would take - only that I really wanted to do it. So, with my priest at level 34, I found a group, made my way over to the dungeon, and got ready to clear it...

That dungeon wasn't particularly challenging - as any of you out there who have run it at this point probably know. But it was epic. And from the final boss, Arcanist Doan, I received two items: the Robes of Doan and, just like my first priest, the Hypnotic Blade. This was definitely one of the finer highlights of my leveling journey...

Levels 36-40: The Longest Mile (October 2019)

Enjoying SM

Somewhere in the early 30s, I dabbled a bit in Stranglethorn Vale, everyone's favorite questing zone. Being on a PVE server, I can truly say that I enjoyed every minute of my time there. However, around the middle of the 30s bracket, my quests there were drying up and I needed to find a new area to quest in. And so, I headed to another level 30 zone - Desolace.

Worst. Idea. Ever.

Back before Classic was out, I dedicated one of my Memories of Vanilla stories to this barren wasteland of a zone, saying how enjoyable I found it back in the day. But my god, this place SUCKS so bad for Horde. The flight path is all the way in the south, the quests are spread out all over the place, and you don't even have a mount to make this even the slightest bit better. I tried really hard to enjoy my time here, but it...just sucked.

But wait, there's more!

Because I was starting to feel more pressure to game less while at home, I played less for about 2 full weeks in this range. It wasn't until my school went on fall break in mid-October that I was finally able to speed up a bit. At that point, I was around level 37 or so and I wanted more than anything to hit level 40 and get my shiny Emerald Raptor mount.

Razorfen Downs

And so, this last stretch began. The first day of the break, I managed to hit 39 by running some of the various wings of Scarlet Monastery and questing in STV. Pretty good, but not enough. The next day, I knocked out Razorfen Downs, hung around killing pirates outside of Booty Bay, and finally dinged that magical number - 40! This meant that I could finally run down to Sen'jin Village and...



...not get my mount because I was 20 gold short. GG...

The Mount

I was a bit bummed out that I couldn't get my mount as soon as I hit level 40, but since there wasn't much else I could do about it, I just continued questing and selling literally everything I acquired - other than cloth, that is. It was a long and arduous level, but shortly after reaching level 41, I knew I'd have enough. I traveled to Orgrimmar, put some greens and a blue item that I'd looted off some random mob in STV into the auction house, and logged out for the day.

Got My Mount!

The next morning, I was surprised to see that ALL of my auctions had sold overnight, and so I made the final journey on foot that any Classic character has to make - the run to the riding trainer. As you can see on my YouTube channel, I recorded the occasion as I bought the skill, then my Emerald Raptor mount. I was PUMPED! And even now, this is still one of the best feelings I've experienced in Classic.

...But that's old news now, isn't it?

Fabulous Feralas - The 40s

The rest of my fall break was devoted to getting as far into the 40s as I could. I set an ambitious goal of reaching level 45 by Friday, but by Wednesday I'd only hit 41. Needless to say, I didn't achieve this goal with my pace of play. I did, however, get to fully enjoy what is now one of my favorite zones in Classic: Feralas. As a Horde player this time around, I got to experience just how awesome this zone is for leveling. Loads of the quests are near Camp Mojache, there are tons of ogres with cloth and beasts to skin, and the entire zone is a vibrant green - my favorite color. Every time I left this zone to quest somewhere else, I found myself longing to come back. I really enjoyed it...

But anyway, other than Feralas, I dabbled a bit in the Hinterlands and Tanaris - a zone I really enjoyed back in the day. The desert scenery was nice and the quests were plenty, but soon enough my week off was finished and I had to say goodbye to my long WoW sessions at a mere level 44 - only slightly over the real 'halfway' point of the leveling process.

The Blurry Levels - 45-50

The Infamous Stairs in Zul'Farrak

I made it to level 45 or so by the middle of October, about a week after Dire Maul's release. I managed to run Zul'Farrak around this time, knocking out all of the quests that I'd been working on in Tanaris, and then made my way over to the Hinterlands for an extended stay. This beautiful forest was serene and great for my level range, but to be honest, I don't really remember much about what I did here. I killed a bunch of trolls and wolves and owlkin, I think, but yeah. It just...sorta happened.

Eventually I hit level 50 and I began planning for the endgame. I wondered just how early I could start running BRD to get gear and quests knocked out; what gear could I afford in the auction house; and where the heck I could quest next. After a while, I decided to go to what is now another of my favorite zones in Classic: Un'Goro Crater.

Un'Goro

Un'Goro: A Great Place to Quest!

I didn't realize this the first time I leveled in vanilla, but this zone is absolutely PACKED with quests. Though there are no humanoids to kill, and thus no cloth for my tailoring, the sheer number of quests I was able to collect and work on simultaneously made this an absolute must stop zone for my leveling adventure.

While in this lush prehistoric jungle, I made friends with a druid who I ran into repeatedly, got killed by a bunch of silithid while rubbing some lotion on a crystal, and tried to solo Blazerunner at level 54 only to get absolutely demolished. All in all, it was good times and I'm actually really looking forward to doing it again with an alt at some point.

So, the lesson of my leveling journey thus far is this: do Feralas and Un'Goro no matter what.

The First BRD Run

Knocking Out Some BRD Arena

When I hit level 53, I knew I would be pretty much good to go for most of, if not all of, Blackrock Depths. And since there's a ton of loot in there for priests, I started searching for groups. The first time I ran this dungeon was in early November. The goal was simple: get the Shadowforge Key for everyone in the group. Our tank, a warrior, was level 60, so things went really well to be honest. We made our way through the arena where the Ban'thok Sash dropped (I passed so the mage could get it because I'm a nice guy), then progressed up towards the statue where one puts the hammer to get the key. Some party members had already gotten the hammer from Fineous Darkvire in a previous run, but since a couple of us hadn't, we continued toward him.


When we got to Lord Incendius, we hopped down, thinking it would somehow be a shortcut, instead of just making our way through the golem room we needed to go through. And so, after he died, we had to pull every single mob of the golem room in order to run back to the statue. Still, it was experience, so I didn't complain.

I didn't get my Senior Designer's Pantaloons that run, but I did get them in the 3rd run I did later that week (I did early BRD like 4 days in a row, mind you). For that first run, I was fully satisfied with just getting my key. I logged off that night with a smile on my face, then had trouble sleeping because I couldn't stop thinking about WoW...

The Final Stretch - 55-60

Ahh, what's often considered to be the longest mile. In mid-November, I only had 5 levels to go to hit that sweet, sweet level 60, and I did everything I could to get ready. As soon as I hit level 55, I picked up my MC attunement quest and got my Princess quest chain started, snatching up some nice shoulders in the process. I bought gear from the auction  house with raw +healing that I ended up not even equipping because I'd eventually get better items before going full holy. And I did quest after quest after quest.

Of course, this was aided by the fact that my wife was abroad for work for about 10 days, so there was little to no pressure NOT to do dungeons during this time. I smashed out dungeon quests, most of the Ony attunement, and the last few levels during this time. But the most badass memory I have was on the Thursday, November 21st.

I had set up a group for BRD to knock out the MC attunement and to NOT kill the Princess at the end. Tanks were scarce, so I ended up just taking 4 other level 60s and healing it myself of course as a level 57 shadow priest. We steamrolled most of the dungeon with ease, but halfway through the Lyceum at the end, the dreaded timer came up: SERVER SHUTDOWN IN 15:00.

All of a sudden, it became a race against the clock. We smashed our way through those dwarf packs, accidentally losing a torch and messing up that whole bit at the end where you have to light those braziers. Somehow, we finished it though, and sped into the last hallway. The big lava giant guy was easy enough, but with only 8 minutes remaining when we entered the final chamber, we didn't know if we could make it.

The "tank" pulled pack after pack - knowing full well that we needed to clear the entire room before engaging the boss. Whenever the dps started killing the final mob, I was already near the next pack and spamming my Morning Glory Dew icon. With 1:15 left on the clock, the final mob fell and I shot my wand at the Emperor of the Dark Iron Dwarves.

Down he went. I somehow reminded everyone not to kill the Princess, hoping that somehow we'd make it. And luckily, we did. Loot popped up - caster robes. I needed them while running frantically over to the princess of Ironforge with less than  30 seconds left before the servers shut off. I clicked through the dialogue, thanking God that there was no 'wait for me to say a million  things before you can accept the next part' shenanigans like some quests have. And then, just as I hopped off the throne and said thanks to my group, I got disconnected.

Yeah...that was probably the most epic moment I've had in Classic so far. Not gonna lie...

Just Made It...

Level 60 - What Now?

Ding!

I reached level 60 on November 23rd, exactly 15 years after the game initially launched. And for good measure, I made sure to cap in EXACTLY the same place with EXACTLY the same type of mob that had given me that final yellow swirly around my character 13 years ago - the caster guys in the Noxious Glade of the EPL. And, of course, I recorded that event and uploaded it to YouTube right away as well.

My First Molten Core Raid. 11/24/2019

Though I was excited to finally reach level cap, I also realized that the game was only just beginning for me here. I'd managed to get attuned to Molten Core and I'd recently swapped guilds to a newly formed guild that had better raid times for my unique geographical and family situation, but I still needed to get gear that wasn't terrible, finish my Onyxia attunement, and actually start raiding.

My First Onyxia Raid, 12/1/2019

Well, luckily I managed to do all of those things within one week of capping. And though I'd like to be able to say I can raid regularly and get geared to the tits, I'm not sure what my future in the game looks like. Still, it was a hell of a journey and I'm hoping to continue raiding MC and Ony for months to come, but stories like that will have to wait for another day...

Final Thoughts

I hope you enjoyed my long, adventurous tale of my priest's journey to level 60. There are, obviously, many more things that happened along the way, at 60, and things still to come, but I feel that I've included most of the most important and enjoyable memories here. I would like to thank everyone who has been supportive in my journey to 60, including my wife who dealt with all of my gaming, and my YouTube subscribers who have been left without regular content for a few months now while I've been playing a 15 year old video game that we all love. If YOU liked this story, remember to check back later for more stories and content, as there's definitely more coming in the weeks ahead. Also, consider checking out my YouTube channel and follow me on Facebook and/or Twitter.

That's all I've got for today. Thanks again for reading. And as always...

Take it easy!

Silvite Today (12/14/2019)

Dungeon Sets 101 - Episode 1: Devout!

Hey all! Silvite Soltis here and today I'm proud to announce a little mini-series I'm starting.

As we all know, many of us playing Classic are those who played it back in the day. However, times have changed a lot - marriages, families, and work commitments might keep us from enjoying the game as fully as we'd like to. We may not have time to raid hardcore or grind out those battlegrounds for the best gear possible.

But there is one end-game path we CAN take to look badass - collecting the dungeon sets!

So, for those of us who may only be able to do a dungeon or two every week after reaching 60, these guides will help us to look swagtastic. And for others who simply want to collect the gear, it'll help to do it as fast as possible...

Let's get started with my favorite class, the priest...


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Vestments of the Devout

You may already be aware, but in case you aren't there are 8 items in each dungeon set - helm, shoulders, chest, bracers, gloves, belt, legs, and boots. Three of these items - the bracers, gloves, and belt - are Bind-on-Equip, meaning they can often be found in the auction house. The other five, however, are drops from specific dungeon bosses.


As a priest, you will typically want to aim for the Devout set, a blue and lavender set of robes that somewhat resembles pajamas in my opinion. These items are spread throughout 3 instances, though realistically they are in five different dungeons - Stratholme (Live and Undead), Scholomance, and Blackrock Spire (Upper and Lower). Fortunately, you only really NEED to run three, as two dungeons (LBRS and Live Stratholme) contain only the BoE pieces. Still, you can run these dungeons if desired.

Stratholme

Maleki the Pallid drops the boots.

So, to get started hit up Stratholme (Undead) to try and collect the Devout Sandals and Skirt. The feet drop from the boss Maleki the Pallid, typically the third boss encountered in the dungeon, and are a fairly common drop. He's a fairly straightforward tank&spank, like most dungeon bosses in Classic. Just make sure to take out enough trash to not accidentally pull additional mobs.

Baron Rivendare drops the legs.

Progress through the dungeon to Baron Rivendare, the final boss of the undead portion. This boss is the one which drops all of the dungeon set legs, so you've got a one in nine chance of getting your skirt upon victory. When fighting him, remember to stand as far away as possible to avoid his pulsing AoE, and keep Fade ready for when the skeletons spawn.








If you decide to run the live portion of the dungeon, you have a chance to find the Devout Bracers from Crimson Priests, as well as the Devout Gloves from the boss Archivist Galford toward the end of the dungeon. Be careful when healing during this boss, however, as he hits hard. Do note, though, that both Devout items from Live Stratholme are Bind-on-Equip, so it definitely isn't necessary to run it to get them, as you can just buy them from the auction house or get them from a lucky friend or guildmate.

Crimson Priests drop the bracers.

Archivist Galford drops the gloves.

Upper Blackrock Spire

There are three pieces of the Devout set to acquire in UBRS - the Devout Robe, Belt, and Mantle. The first two are fairly straightforward. The shoulders, however, require a bit more planning.

Blackhand Summoners drop the belt.

First, set up a group with the Rookery event in mind. Many groups will want to skip this room because it's generally a pain in the ass. The shoulders drop from the 2nd boss of this dungeon, Solakar Flamewreath, and are one of several possible drops. Before you get there, however, you have a chance to pick up the Devout Belt from Blackhand Summoners in the first room of the dungeon. It's a low chance, but it's the BoE piece you're most likely to encounter since it drops from mobs you need to clear.

Solakar Flamewreath drops the shoulders.

Anyway, onward to the shoulders. Work your way up towards the Rookery for the biggest challenge in completing the set, in my opinion. To briefly summarize, the event requires your group to pop the eggs and kill a bunch of the whelps in the Rookery before starting. Then, one person clicks the crystal at the back of the room, triggering waves of elite dragonkin to start spawning. After what'll seem like ages, Solakar Flamewreath will spawn. Defeat him and hope you get the shoulders.

General Drakkisath drops the chest.

Clear the rest of the dungeon to the final boss, General Drakkisath. This fight is pretty straightforward for priests - heal and hope the hunter(s) know how to kite. Again, keep Fade handy just in case you get targeted by the boss during the Conflagrations. Similar to Baron Rivendare, he drops all nine dungeon set chests, so pray to RNGeesus that yours is the one that drops during your runs.

Scholomance

The third and final dungeon you'll have to run in your adventures to collect the Vestments of the Devout, Scholomance is no walk in the park. Long, filled with bosses, and offering little in terms of useful items for priests, you might wonder if it's worth the effort. Well, if you want your helm, it is.

Darkmaster Gandling drops the helm.

The only piece you'll find here is the Devout Crown, which drops from the final boss of the dungeon, Darkmaster Gandling, along with all of the other dungeon set helms. The good news is that there are several good items for tanks and dps classes here, as well as one of the only alchemy labs in the game (needed to craft flasks for the try-hards), so you'll be able to find groups fairly easily as a priest.

When fighting Gandling, keep in mind that he randomly teleports party members into different rooms to fight small groups of mobs by themselves. As a priest, you can use Shackle Undead on one enemy if this happens to you so that you can burn down the other enemies present. No matter what though, get back to your party ASAP.

One more time, pray to RNGeesus that you get your helm when he falls...

Final Thoughts

So, basically that's the guide. Run Undead Stratholme, UBRS, and Scholomance, then pick up the Gloves and Bracers from the auction house when someone puts them up for cheap. Again, you COULD run Live Stratholme for a shot at the two BoEs there, but it's not really necessary. Either way, best of luck with getting your badass priesty set.

If you liked this guide or found it useful, let me know by following my blog here and leaving a comment down below. Also, check out my YouTube channel where I upload video versions of all of these guides and more on a (mostly) weekly basis! Follow me on Facebook and Twitter for updates, and consider supporting me on Patreon if you'd like to get some additional perks as well.

Thanks for reading. And as always, take it easy! :)

List of set pieces, levels, and locations (courtesy of https://wow.gamepedia.com/Vestments_of_the_Devout)

A Simplified Healing Priest Gearing Guide - Get Raid-Ready in Phase 1-2 of WoW Classic!

Hey dudes. Silvite Soltis here. And today, I've got a bit of a fun guide for anyone playing, and capping, a priest in WoW Classic.

Looking around the internet and the hundreds of resources out there, I've found tons of "Pre-raid Best In Slot" Lists, which are great resources for those people who want to really push their characters to the max before stepping into Molten Core and Onyxia's Lair in classic. However, I've also noticed two major problems with these lists...

1 - They are almost all exclusively based on patch 1.12 gear, and thus include gear that will not be available at launch. I'm looking at you, Dire Maul loot...

2 - They don't take into account how easy or difficult the items are to obtain and ESPECIALLY in reference to each other. Some of the items are rare world drops (Cassandra's Grace, for example) and thus may not be viable options to pursue. Others drop in entirely different dungeons and thus don't allow for multiple chances to get drops within a single run.

So, in preparation for WoW Classic and my eventual capping of my own priest (hopefully still in Phase 1 of the content release), I thought it would be a good idea to sift through all of the data out there, comparing different items and how easy or difficult they are to obtain, and compile a "Good Enough" guide for all of my fellow priests who want to raid, but may not have enough time or desire to constantly farm dungeons over and over in preparation for it.

Without further ado, here we go.

------------------------------------------------

Step 0 - What You Can Do Before 60...

While leveling, try to snag bits of the Runecloth set, as they have decent intellect and spirit and will help significantly in the dungeons when you get to them. The items can start being collected as early as level 46, so it's definitely a worthwhile investment. 

If you're a tailor, this should be fairly easy assuming you actually worked on tailoring. You should also begin crafting Mooncloth (which has a four day cooldown) as soon as possible on the side to eventually craft Mooncloth gear upgrades for any missing slots once you reach step 5, or Truefaith Vestments if you really want the pre-raid BiS chest.

Step 1 - Do These Quests (before 60, if possible)

Make sure to complete the quests "In Dreams" in the Eastern Plaguelands and "It's Dangerous to Go Alone" in Un'Goro Crater. Both quests give powerful items (Fordring's Seal and Spirit of Aquementus, respectively) that will make the rest of the items that much easier to obtain.

"The Battle of Darrowshire" also offers a good neck for starting dungeons, but may be too difficult to complete (requiring a raid, if I'm not mistaken). Plus, its reward will hopefully be replaced by a much better neck soon after capping, but if you happen to get it while leveling, you'll be better prepared at 60.

Also, you should consider doing the Blasted Lands quest chain ending in "Heroes of Old" to get a decent green MP5 trinket, Shard of Afrasa. Ideally, it will be replaced soon enough, but it's good to have in case you have bad luck with drops.

Finally, you should consider completing the quest chains ending in "Order Must Be Restored" (Alliance) or "The Scarlet Oracle, Demetria" (Horde) as well, in order to obtain the powerful wand, Stormrager. While getting this ranged weapon might be particularly difficult around the beginning of WoW Classic, it's probably worth it considering the general lack of good wands pre-raid. All in all, it's a worthy goal to pursue in my opinion.

Step 2 - Blackrock Depths (As Soon As You Can)

Run BRD as soon as groups will take you. You should be pretty much fine to full clear it by level 55 - especially if you have another group member that can off-heal or if you run dungeons with an organized group. There are several AMAZING items in BRD that you'll need to obtain if you want to pull your weight in raids, but many of them come from bosses later in the dungeon. In particular, Hands of the Exalted Herald (dropped by Princess Moira Bronzebeard) and The Hammer of Grace (in the chest after the Trial of Seven event) are must-haves for any priest (and most healers, to be honest). The earlier you can grab these items, the better off you'll be.

If you are Horde, remember to grab the quest "The Rise of the Machines" from the Badlands before running it too, as you'll be able to get an awesome cloak, the Raincaster Drape, which won't be replaced for a long time. Alliance priests (or those wanting Fire Resist) can potentially pick up the Cape of the Fire Salamander from Ambassador Flamelash, which isn't perfect, but it's something along the way. Both Alliance and Horde priests can also grab Burst of Knowledge (Ambassador Flamelash) and Second Wind (Golem Lord Arglemach) in BRD as well, so really it's just a lot you can get while still leveling up.

To sum it up and keep it all in one place, here's a quick list of the items you should be aiming for in BRD:

Shoulders:
Kentic Amice from High Interrogator Gerstahn (increase damage AND healing, so expect competition).

Back: 
Raincaster Drape (Horde Only) from completing the quest "Rise of the Machines" which involves killing Golem Lord Arglemach.
Cape of the Fire Salamander (Alliance or Horde) from Ambassador Flamelash.
Spritecaster Cape from Houndmaster Grebmar

Hands:
Hands of the Exalted Herald from Princess Moira Bronzebeard. THIS IS A MUST-HAVE!!!

Legs:
Haunting Specter Leggings from the Trial of Seven (7 Dwarves Event).
Senior Designer's Pantaloons from Fineous Darkvire.

Feet:
Omnicast Boots from Golem Lord Arglemach.

Trinkets:
Burst of Knowledge from Ambassador Flamelash.
Second Wind from Golem Lord Arglemach. THIS IS A MUST-HAVE!!!

Weapon and Offhand:
The Hammer of Grace from the Trial of Seven (7 Dwarves Event). THIS IS A MUST-HAVE!!!
Thaurissan's Royal Scepter from Emperor Thaurissan.
OR
Guiding Stave of Wisdom from Emperor Thaurissan.


Ok, by now you SHOULD be at level 60. If you haven't done so already, consider doing the steps above. But in addition to those two things, you now have more work to do...

Step 3 - Stratholme

Run Undead Stratholme...a lot. In order to make this list as efficient as possible, I looked through all of the different loot in dungeons, but after doing so, I've found that there is an absolute crap-ton of suitable gear for holy priests in this dungeon. Before heading over there, make sure to pick up the quest "Houses of the Holy" from Light's Hope Chapel in order to get the Crown of the Penitent - a decent green helm with MP5.

Including the decent green helm, there are more than 10 great items you can potentially get here, making it by far the most lucrative dungeon you can run as a priest:

Head:
Crown of the Penitent from the quest mentioned above - "Houses of the Holy."
Crimson Felt Hat from Magistrate Barthilas (Absolutely wonderful helm for casters as well, so expect competition. However, this item will not be released until phase 2!).

Neck:
Animated Chain Necklace from Ramstein the Gorger. This item will not be released until phase 2!

Shoulders:
Soulstealer Mantle from Ramstein the Gorger.

Back:
Royal Tribunal Cloak from Magistrate Barthilas (if you somehow don't have better at this point).

Chest:
Robes of the Exalted from Baron Rivendare. THIS IS A MUST-HAVE!!!

Wrists:
Devout Bracers which are an BOE blue that may drop from the humanoid mobs in the dungeon, but can also be bought from the AH if desired.

Waist:
Thuzadin Sash from Nerub'enkan (You'll have to compete with caster DPS for this too! However, this item will not be released until phase 2!)

Legs:
Devout Skirt from Baron Rivendare (Magister's and Dreadmist legs drop as well).

Feet:
Devout Sandals from Maleki the Pallid.

Finger:
Seal of Rivendare from Baron Rivendare.

As you can see, there's a ton of loot to be had in Strat UD, so it's a REALLY good idea to get in as soon as possible. I should also mention that there are also several good items in Live Strat, though doing a full run of both sections will be VERY time-consuming. If you have the time and desire though, you could consider doing that as well.

Step 4 - Repeat Steps 2 and 3

Do BRD and Strat UD as much as possible until you've gotten Hands of the Exalted Herald, The Hammer of Grace, Robes of the Exalted, and Animated Chain Necklace. Really, these items are the ones with the most raw +healing and will thus be the greatest assets as a level 60 priest. Combined with Fordring's Seal from the quest "In Dreams," these items will give you a good amount of +healing.

Once you've gotten those items (and any other lucky drops along the way), you can start filling gaps... I highly advise holding off on filling gaps before getting those items, however, as there are so many good items you could obtain in those two dungeons alone!

Step 5 - Fill in the Blanks: Auction House, Scholomance, and Mooncloth

Fill in the blanks. If you've gotten the best items, you have two other fairly easy options for loot :

• Visit the AH for greens and/or Cassandra's Grace (Pre-raid BiS helm, but likely SUPER expensive). Some of the best items for priests are green quality +healing items, including Dragon Finger of Healing (Pre-raid BiS Wand) or Glowstar Rod of Healing (a close 2nd), +healing belts, or +healing offhands. Don't break the bank, though!

• If you're feeling cheap or there are no decent items in the Auction House, run Scholomance. There's a decent amount of good items you can get from running Scholo, including:
• Devout Crown (Head) from Darkmaster Gandling, which you might as well try for if you're running it anyway for set completion. Magister's and Dreadmist headpieces drop as well.
• Burial Shawl (Shoulder) from the various mini-bosses throughout Scholomance (you've got 6 chances for it to drop per run and it's got +20 spell damage and healing, but you have to compete with caster dps for it. This item will not be released until phase 2!)
• Penelope's Rose (Offhand) from the quest to kill Kirtonos the Herald. Pick up the quest from the ghosts outside to get this offhand with decent stats (though no +healing).
• Bonecreeper Stylus (Wand) from Darkmaster Gandling. A good wand, but again has +11 spell damage and healing, so you'll be competing with mages and warlocks.
• If you're a tailor, you can start crafting some Mooncloth pieces for any missing item slots. It'll probably have taken you a while to get through the other steps, so you should have enough saved up for at least a couple of pieces (unless you got super-lucky with drops in Strat and BRD). They've only got core stats, but hopefully you'll have enough +healing from other items to compensate. However, this will set you back if you are considering crafting the Truefaith Vestments, so keep that in mind...

What NOT to do to gear up...

Don't spam UBRS or LBRS for gear. There are a few really good items in there, but considering how few they are compared to other dungeons, it probably isn't worth the grind. That being said, if you happen to run these dungeons for other reasons (fun, quests, attunements, etc.), keep an eye out for the Dragonrider Boots (Feet) from Rend Blackhand, and Briarwood Reed (Trinket) from the rare spawn Jed Runewatcher in UBRS, and Skyshroud Leggings (Legs) from Highlord Omokk in LBRS. These are some of the best items at 60, but they're about the only ones of value in the dungeon. You can also possibly pick up a Devout Belt (Waist) in LBRS from trash, but you might be able to buy it cheap on the AH depending on the seller and save yourself a trip to the spire.

Final Thoughts

Congratulations on getting your priest to 60 and good luck with the gearing process. Obviously, there are tons of other items you could get - and even more once Dire Maul is released. But for any of you out there that wish to get the most bank for your buck in dungeon spamming early on in classic, this list should fit the bill just fine. Keep calm and run more Strat and BRD!

If I missed anything or if you thought this guide was useful, let me know by leaving a comment! I'd love to know if there's anything more I can add here, so make sure to tell me if there are better guides available for priest gearing at Classic launch. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter and check out my videos over on YouTube too!

But that's it for now. Good luck, again! And as always, take it easy!



A big thanks to Tigs's Vanilla Heal Priest BiS List and to vanillawowdb.com, without which this list wouldn't exist!