Discipline Priest Leveling in WoW Forever: Smite, Penance, Holy

Discipline Priest leveling in WoW Forever finally has a damage plan: Power in Light and Twin Disciplines sit in row 1, and Penance at 21 points can hit an enemy or heal an ally. Blizzard's Priest and Warrior deep dive rebuilt the tree, and the October 8 and October 15 notes tuned Penance and Power in Light. Shadow stays our pick for the full solo climb; this page covers Discipline for leveling and Holy for dungeons. The main class guide is our Priest leveling guide.

Which Priest spec for leveling?

Spec	Leveling verdict	Why
Shadow	Best (see the Priest guide)	DoTs, Mind Flay, Shadowform
Discipline	Good until 40	Smite damage with Power in Light, Penance, strong shields and mana
Holy	Dungeons	Best group healing; slow solo damage

From level 40 Dual Specialization lets you quest as Shadow or Discipline and heal as Holy (talents and dual spec).

Priest changes that help every spec

• Fear Ward and Devouring Plague are available to every Priest at level 20; Devouring Plague's cooldown is 24 seconds since 15 October (deep dive, 15 October).
• Divine Spirit is baseline at 30, and Shadow Word: Death at 32. Since November 2 it costs you 30% of your maximum health if it doesn't kill, but nothing on a miss (November 2 notes).
• Smite, Lesser Heal and Heal low ranks were smoothed so each new rank is an upgrade (8 October).

Discipline talents

Talent	What it does in Forever	Source
Power in Light (row 1, new)	More Smite and Penance damage on targets with your Holy Fire or Shadow Word: Pain	Deep dive, 15 Oct
Twin Disciplines (row 1, new)	More damage and healing from instant spells, including Shadow Word: Death and Penance	Deep dive, 15 Oct
Wand Specialization	Same bonus, now 2 points	Deep dive
Mental Strength (row 2)	+2–10% Intellect	15 Oct
Silent Resolve	Shorter Stun, Fear and Silence; less threat on all spells	Deep dive, 15 Oct
Holy Precision	Up to 18% more hit with Holy spells	Deep dive
Improved Power Word: Shield (row 3)	Stronger shields	Deep dive, 15 Oct
Mental Agility (row 3)	3 points; cheaper instants, now also Smite and Holy Fire	Deep dive
Meditation	Much more mana from Spirit while casting	Deep dive
Soul Warding (16 points, new)	Shorter Power Word: Shield cooldown and lower cost	Deep dive
Penance (21 points, new)	2 s channel, 12 s cooldown; damages an enemy or heals an ally every second	Deep dive, 8 Oct
Renewed Hope (new)	More crit on heals and Penance on targets with Weakened Soul	Deep dive
Divine Aegis	Non-periodic crit heals leave an absorb shield for 12 s	Deep dive, 15 Oct

Inner Focus no longer adds crit to periodic effects (1 October) and is used up by a single spell (15 October). Removed: Force of Will; Unbreakable Will is merged into Silent Resolve.

Holy talents for dungeon healing

Talent	What it does in Forever	Source
Twilight Focus (was Healing Focus)	3 points; pushback protection on all spells	Deep dive
Inspiration	Triggers from all non-periodic crit heals	Deep dive
Improved Healing	Also cheaper Penance and Prayer of Mending	Deep dive
Holy Binding (replaced Binding Heal)	Flash Heal on others also heals you for 50%, no threat	Nov 2
Litany of Light	Refunds mana when you alternate healing spells	Deep dive
Spiritual Healing	Same bonus, now 3 points	Deep dive
Prayer of Mending (31 points, new)	Heal that jumps between party members up to 5 times, 10 s cooldown	Deep dive

Lightwell and Improved Prayer of Healing were removed, and Prayer of Healing now heals the target's party, not just yours. For other healers, see leveling as a healer.

A Discipline leveling plan

Blizzard publishes no build and the beta stopped at 30, so treat this as a plan:

1. Early levels: 2 points in Wand Specialization, then Power in Light and Twin Disciplines. Open with Holy Fire or Shadow Word: Pain, Smite, finish with your wand.
2. Levels 20–30: Mental Strength, Improved Power Word: Shield and Mental Agility. Shield before the pull and you rarely take damage.
3. Levels 30–40: Meditation and Soul Warding for more shields and less drinking.
4. Penance at 21 points: use it on cooldown as damage; save it as a heal when an elite fight goes wrong.

Discipline also makes a great partner: a shielding Priest with a Warrior or Rogue is a strong pair (duo leveling). For group XP, see our dungeons guide.

What isn't confirmed yet

• Penance's exact damage at higher ranks after the October 8 changes.
• How Discipline compares with Shadow past level 30; the beta stopped there.

Where RestedXP fits

A Priest spends a lot of time drinking, so short routes between quests matter. RestedXP's Forever routes cover levels 1–35 now, with 35–60 after launch. Read our RestedXP review and get 10% off through our discount code page.

Frequently asked questions

Is Discipline Priest good for leveling in WoW Forever?

Yes, through about level 40. Power in Light, Twin Disciplines and Penance give Discipline real Smite damage, Meditation helps mana, and Power Word: Shield keeps you safe. Shadow, with Shadowform and Mind Flay, is still our pick for the full solo climb.

What does Penance do in WoW Forever?

It's Discipline's 21-point talent: a 2-second channel with a 12-second cooldown that damages an enemy or heals an ally every second. On October 8 Blizzard fixed it being treated as a 3-second channel and adjusted its mana costs so it stays more efficient than Heal and Greater Heal.

Can you level as a Smite Priest in WoW Forever?

Yes, as Discipline. Power in Light increases Smite and Penance damage on targets with your Holy Fire or Shadow Word: Pain, Mental Agility makes Smite and Holy Fire cheaper, and Smite's low ranks were smoothed on October 8. It's slower than Shadow but safer.

Is Holy Priest good for leveling?

It's a dungeon spec. Holy gets Holy Binding (Flash Heal on others also heals you, since November 2) and Prayer of Mending at 31 points, but its solo damage is slow. Heal dungeons as Holy and quest as Shadow or Discipline with Dual Specialization from level 40.

What happened to Binding Heal?

Blizzard removed it on November 2. Its slot in the Holy tree now holds Holy Binding: when you Flash Heal someone else, 50% of that healing is also done to you, with no threat.