Discipline is the shield and tank healer in Forever. Penance heals or damages instantly and then every second, Divine Aegis leaves a shield after every critical heal, and Soul Warding removes the cooldown from Power Word: Shield. It is strong on the tank and weaker on spread raid damage. Since this update it rates A instead of B for PvE healing and even S in PvP. For leveling it is the safest healer, but no healer levels fast.
Talents and builds
The links open the talent calculator with the finished build, including why the points go where they go.
- Leveling: Discipline leveling (points 28/18/5). Meditation cuts downtime, Improved Inner Fire saves mana and helps on multi-mob pulls, and Penance is the key talent for damage and single-target healing. The calculator shows the point-by-point order below the tree.
- Raid: Discipline raid (points 31/20/0). Healing-focused: deep Discipline for Power Infusion plus all essential Holy talents.
- Dungeons: Discipline dungeons (points 33/18/0). Close to the leveling build, but drops utility such as Spirit Tap and Improved Inner Fire, since you get hit less and kill less yourself.
- PvP: Discipline PvP (points 29/17/5). Focuses on survivability: talents that are weak in PvE become essential, such as Silent Resolve, Martyrdom and Blessed Recovery.
Where it ranks
| Category | Tier | Range |
|---|---|---|
| PvE healers | A | B–S |
| PvP (battleground/open world) | S | A–S |
| Leveling | D | D–C |
- PvE healers: Rises from B to A, because lists since launch mostly rate Discipline A, one even S. Strong on the tank with Penance and Divine Aegis, plus Power Infusion. The simulation and several lists stay at B.
- PvP (battleground/open world): Rises to S: five of six lists put Discipline at the top. Power Infusion and Penance for damage and support, Improved Mana Burn against healers.
- Leveling: C and D: Power Word: Shield keeps you alive, but the damage barely does while questing. Shadow levels faster.
The tiers combine several tier lists and level-60 simulations. Raid logs only exist from 9 December, so treat this as a snapshot. Every spec side by side: rankings.
Healing the tank
- Power Word: Shield on the tank.
- Penance as soon as damage comes in: a 2-second channel that heals instantly and then every second, on a 12-second cooldown.
- Keep Renew up.
- Heal as your main heal while Penance is down, Greater Heal for big hits.
- Flash Heal only in emergencies.
Soul Warding removes Power Word: Shield's cooldown and cuts its cost by 15%. What limits you is Weakened Soul, and that is where Renewed Hope comes in. At 5/5, Heal, Greater Heal, Flash Heal and Penance on a target with Weakened Soul get 10% extra crit chance, and each of those heals shortens Weakened Soul by 5 seconds. Shield first, then heal the shielded tank, and your next shield is ready sooner.
Divine Aegis leaves a shield worth 15% of every direct critical heal for 12 seconds, and Inspiration gives the target 25% more armor for 15 seconds. Renew triggers neither, since it heals over time.
In Forever you can cast Prayer of Healing on any player and it heals their party. Warriors and druids still generate rage under your shield.
Cooldowns
- Inner Focus (3 minutes): your next spell is free and gets 25% extra crit chance if it is a direct heal. Use it on Greater Heal or Prayer of Healing rather than saving it for emergencies.
- Power Infusion (3 minutes): 20% more spell damage and healing for 15 seconds. You usually give it to a caster DPS and only keep it for yourself when things are on fire.
- Fear Ward on the tank when the boss fears.
Stats
Healing power first. In Forever, healing power items also give about a third of that as spell power. After that, a mix of Intellect, Spirit and mana per 5 seconds; guides don't agree on the exact order. Crit is worth more to Discipline than to Holy, because Divine Aegis, Renewed Hope and Inspiration all run on it. 14 crit rating is 1%. You don't need hit. With 3/3 Meditation, half your regeneration keeps running while you cast.
Common mistakes
- Flash Heal as a filler instead of Heal or Penance, which drains your mana.
- Dispelling every small debuff that Renew would outheal for less.
- Finishing heals on full-health targets instead of cancelling them.
- Psychic Scream in dungeons, which sends mobs into the next pack.
Leveling
Discipline is the safest healer to level: lots of survivability, early regeneration and your wand as the main damage source. Take Wand Specialization first. Until 30 you play Shield, Shadow Word: Pain and wand; DoTs now tag mobs for you in Forever. With Penance at 30 the spec really takes off. From level 40, Shadow kills a lot faster, and many priests respec for Shadowform then.
In groups
You mostly heal the tank, hand Power Infusion to a caster and bring Power Word: Fortitude, Divine Spirit and Shadow Protection for the whole raid, plus Dispel Magic, Abolish Disease and Fear Ward. For fights with heavy group damage, switch to Holy with dual talent specialization.
Further reading
- Priest class guide: races, new abilities and every build of the class
- The other specs: Holy Priest, Shadow Priest
- Raid comp planner: put your raid together and see which buffs are still missing
- Priest talent calculator: plan your own build and share it as a link
