World of Warcraft: Forever · class guide
Discipline Priest: PvP
How Discipline Priest fights other players in the open world: where it ranks on the PvP tier lists, and why.
Forecast. Rated from the client data and our research, before anyone has played it at this level on this build. Where the data stops, the write-up says what it assumed. Rated as of , build 1.60.1.70450.
Battlegrounds are not rated yet; builds, matchups and battleground roles are being written for this spec. Honor, ranks, gear and the battlegrounds themselves are on PvP in World of Warcraft: Forever.
Verdict
- At 60
- Ranked 18 of 28 on Open-World PvP
A shield with no cooldown and no pushback, plus
Greater Heal and 
Fade, outlasts most attackers but cannot kill one. - While leveling
- Ranked 21 of 28 on Open-World PvP Leveling
Shield at 6,
Renew at 8, 
Heal at 16 and 
Flash Heal at 20 keep it alive, but it kills slowly and Scream is its only control. - Battlegrounds
- Not rated yet.
Profile
The rubric the lists score on, 1 to 5 on each line, with the weight each line carries. The class’s other specs are shown at 60 for comparison.
| Criterion | Weight | At 60 | While leveling | Holy | Shadow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burst and kill pressure | 25 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Survival and escapes | 20 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Control | 15 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Fighting outnumbered | 15 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Choosing the fight | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Sustain between fights | 10 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Group fights | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| Weighted score | 3.00 | 2.50 | 2.55 | 3.70 |
Strengths and weaknesses
At 60
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
Shield with no cooldown through  Soul Warding | Weak damage |
| No spell pushback under Shield |  Psychic Scream is the only control |
| Greater Heal and Fade | No stealth or speed |
 Meditation,  Inner Focus and  Power Infusion | Weakened Soul for 15 s |
 Fear Ward and  Dispel Magic | No immunity |
Why it ranks where it does on Open-World PvP
Discipline's damage is 
Smite, 
Holy Fire, 
Penance and the wand, which needs 0.5 s standing still, with Power Infusion (3 minutes) for a window. Its only hard control is Psychic Scream, an 8 s fear on a 30 s cooldown that hits five targets at 56. 
Silence and 
Mind Flay are Shadow talents, so they are out of reach unless the second tree is Shadow. Damage and control are both thin.
Improved Power Word: Shield with Soul Warding removes the Shield cooldown, and Shield stops spell pushback, so Shield, Greater Heal and Fade rotate. Scream and that rotation can hold two attackers, but it cannot kill one. It has no stealth or speed, so it shields first and then uses the wand or Smite. Meditation, Inner Focus and Power Infusion out-sustain most melee, and Dispel Magic, Fortitude and 
Prayer of Mending help a group.
It is not B because it has one control tool, no way to start a fight at range or from stealth, and too little damage to finish a player. 3.00 is 0.25 short of B.
While leveling
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Shield at 6 | Slow kills |
| Heal at 16 and Flash Heal at 20 | Psychic Scream is the only control |
| Fade at 8 | Wand opener |
| Soul Warding removes the Shield cooldown | Shield on 4 s cooldown before Soul Warding |
| Dispel Magic and Fear Ward | Weak against two |
Why it ranks where it does on Open-World PvP Leveling
Discipline kills with Smite, 
Mind Blast and the wand, and Penance does not arrive before 30. Psychic Scream at 14 is its only control. Silence and Mind Flay are Shadow only, and Discipline has no ranged slow or root.
Power Word: Shield at 6, Fade and Renew at 8, Heal at 16 and Flash Heal at 20 give it survival, and Soul Warding at about 21 to 25 removes the Shield cooldown, which before that is 4 s. Against two attackers it has Scream and a shield rotation. It opens with the wand. Meditation arrives at the tier-2 gate, it bandages, and Dispel Magic at 18, Fear Ward at 20 and Fortitude help a group.
It is not C because it kills too slowly to end a fight, has one control tool, and opens with nothing better than the wand. 2.50 is 0.25 short of C.
Leveling timeline
The level each of Discipline’s PvP tools arrives. A talent shows at the earliest level a point can reach it; the Talented Legacy perk brings talents 5 levels sooner.
- Level 6 Power Word: Shield
- Level 10
Desperate Prayer - Level 14 Psychic Scream
- Level 18 Dispel Magic
- Level 20 Fear Ward, Inner Focus (talent)
- Level 24
Mana Burn - Level 30
Mind Control, Penance (talent) - Level 40 Power Infusion (talent)
Races
The Priest’s races as Races PvP ranks them, best first.
Alliance
Human: 
Will to Survive is the only full stun break in the game, and 
Ruthless and Perception add steady crit and stealth detection.
Dwarf: 
Stoneform is the strongest defensive racial of any race, and the widest class choice helps, but burst and mobility are the weakest.
Night Elf: 
Shadowmeld, extra stealth and speed give the joint best mobility of any race, and 
Elune's Light is a crit burst, but it breaks nothing.
Gnome: 
Escape Artist breaks roots and slows and its burst racial adds +10% damage, but Gnome lacks defense, mobility and class choice.
Horde
Undead: 
Will of the Forsaken breaks fear and charm and 
Touch of the Grave drains in combat, but it has the weakest burst and no mobility.
Troll: 
Berserking is a burst for seven classes, but Troll has no control break or mobility and 
Rapid Regeneration works out of combat.
What we don’t know yet
At 60
Rated on assumptions:
- The level-60 build, including Greater Heal at 40 and Soul Warding, is projected from client data and the tree. Nothing past the beta cap of 30 has been played.
- Whether a second Shadow tree is spent alongside Discipline is a build assumption.
- Diminishing returns on Forever stuns, incapacitates and fears are not documented.
What would move it: Play at 60 showing Penance and Power Infusion can finish a player, or a second tree that brings Silence within reach.
While leveling
Rated on assumptions:
- Soul Warding at about 21 to 25 and Meditation's timing are projected from the own tree. Levels 31 to 60 are projected; nobody has played past the beta cap of 30.
- Penance at 30 is a 20-point talent route and arrives no earlier than 30.
What would move it: Play past 30 showing Penance and Soul Warding arriving as projected, or a faster kill from the wand talents.