Discipline Priest Healing Spell Summary (Legion 7.3.5)

This guide has been reviewed and approved by Mend, admin and editor at Focused Will (Discord and Blog for healing Priests). You can also follow Mend on Twitter.

1. Introduction

If you are new to Discipline, this is a great place to start to get an understanding of how the spec works. On this page we will discuss what abilities you have, what they are used for within the specialisation, how they interact with each other and also with important cooldowns. If you already have experience with Discipline and are comfortable with it in Legion, it is recommended you skip this section and move on to the rest of the guide.

2. Main Resource

Mana is your only resource as a Discipline Priest. All of your healing abilities cost Mana, so managing it so that you do not run out over the course of each encounter is crucial to being able to heal competitively.

3. Basic Abilities

These are your core skills that are available regardless of talents, and form the core gameplay of the specialization.

3.1. Atonement

Atonement Icon Atonement is integral to the Discipline specialisation. This is a debuff that certain spells (listed below) place on the target, lasting 15 seconds. During this time, a percentage (affected by your Mastery) of all damage you deal heals the target.

Shadow Word: Pain Icon Shadow Word: Pain deals Shadow damage over time to the target. This is used in order to heal through Atonement Icon Atonement.

Penance Icon Penance is a channeled ability that deals Holy damage to the target, or that heals an ally. It is used to heal through Atonement Icon Atonement.

Smite Icon Smite deals Holy damage to the target, and also absorbs some of the damage that the target will do. It is used primarily as a filler in your rotation, to deal damage that heals through Atonement Icon Atonement.

3.2. Healing Spells

Power Word: Shield Icon Power Word: Shield places a damage absorption shield on the target, which lasts up to 15 seconds. It applies Atonement Icon Atonement to the target.

Plea Icon Plea is an instant-cast spell that heals the target. It applies Atonement Icon Atonement to the target.

Shadow Mend Icon Shadow Mend heals the target, but also debuffs them to take damage over time until they have taken 50% of the amount for which Shadow Mend healed (including any damage that they take from other sources than this debuff). Shadow Mend applies Atonement Icon Atonement to the target.

Power Word: Radiance Icon Power Word: Radiance heals the target and their 4 nearest allies, and applies Atonement Icon Atonement to the targets.

3.3. Utility

Fade Icon Fade removes your threat on all targets for 10 seconds, on a 30-second cooldown. This is extremely useful if you take aggro of newly-spawned mobs.

Leap of Faith Icon Leap of Faith pulls the targeted ally to your location. It can be useful for helping your tanks kite, or simply for saving careless allies from avoidable damage.

4. Cooldowns

Rapture Icon Rapture is an ability with a 2-minute cooldown that removes the cooldown of Power Word: Shield Icon Power Word: Shield for 8 seconds. It is used primarily to allow you to spam Power Word: Shield, and through that to spread Atonement Icon Atonement.

Pain Suppression Icon Pain Suppression reduces the damage the target takes by 40% for 8 seconds, with a 4-minute cooldown. It is generally used on tanks before a damage spike, but you can also use it on other raid members you know will take high damage.

Power Word: Barrier Icon Power Word: Barrier places a barrier at the targeted location for 10 seconds, which reduces all damage taken by allies located inside it by 25%. It has a 3-minute cooldown, and you should primarily use it to mitigate intense AoE damage.

Shadowfiend Icon Shadowfiend is a DPS cooldown (summoning a shadowy fiend that attacks your target for 12 seconds), with a 3-minute cooldown. The damage that the Shadowfiend deals results in Atonement Icon Atonement healing, and this is its primary purpose.