Holy Priest Rework: A Step Forward, but something is still missing /u/foyle82 World of Warcraft

We’re finally getting a Holy Priest rework! A lot of the changes are quite exciting (see https://www.wowhead.com/news/patch-11-1-undermine-d-development-notes-class-changes-holy-priest-and-resto-355134), but I feel like there are still many issues that need to be addressed. If a rework is happening now, this is the perfect opportunity to bring them up.

Here are my top 5 concerns/proposals. Let me know what you think about both the rework and my suggestions!

Lack of externals It’s great that, after ages of being a dead button (at least in M+), Prayer of Healing is finally being revisited. And… speaking of dead buttons, let’s talk about Power Word: Shield. Currently (on my 636 priest), it has a 6-second cooldown and provides a 340k absorb, which is roughly 5.5% of my HP. Please rework it. Increase its cooldown to 30, 40, or even 60 seconds. Make it a powerful absorb, turn it into a damage reduction ability (like Fae Guardians in Shadowlands), or create something unique. Maybe it could burn with Holy Power or explode once depleted, like Shield of Vengeance. You could even make the absorb/DR component fade or diminish quickly over time, requiring perfect timing to use effectively. But please, don’t leave it as it is — it’s a disgrace.

Mana efficiency Compared to other healers, Holy Priest isn’t very mana-efficient in M+, to the point where we are constantly sitting and drinking. Throes of Pain is out of reach (and not really rotation/spec friendly anyway) for Holy Priests, while Shadowfiend restores roughly 2% mana per minute. Now some spell got changed and they saw their mana cost go up and without a proper feedback loop to gain mana back I’m worried. We could use something like casting Holy Nova at max stacks could restore X% mana, or Holy Fire could spawn a small orb that restores mana when picked up.

Healing while moving Up to TWW, our only option for healing while moving was using Holy Words and/or Apotheosis (which gives one charge back per Holy Word, essentially one additional instant cast). The situation was so dire that even spending 3 talent points on Circle of Healing + Healing Chorus was considered, despite it only providing a mere 220k healing (roughly 3% HP). Now, with the new talents, Apotheosis is stronger, but the removal of Circle of Healing has left us even more lacking when it comes to healing on the move outside of Apotheosis. I’m not asking for Spiritwalker’s Grace, but something like “after casting a Holy Word, your next Heal, Flash Heal, Prayer of Healing, Holy Fire, or Smite can be cast while moving” could be a game-changer (e.g. serenity -> heal -> serenity -> heal on the move). Given that Holy Words have a 1-minute cooldown (granted it can be reduced by casting certain spells), I feel this approach could significantly improve our gameplay without being overpowered.

Passive damage We lack passive damage options outside of Halo or Holy Nova. While our theoretical DPS is in line with other healers, the issue arises when things go south — then we have no way to deal damage while focusing on keeping our party alive. Since our Mastery is practically useless in M+, this rework could prove as an opportunity to add some passive damage to our heals (e.g., via Renew, Prayer of Mending, or direct heals causing minor splash damage).

Interrupt Resto Shaman: 12s. Holy Paladin: 15s. Mistweaver Monk: 15s. Resto Druid: 15s. Evoker: 20s. Need I say more? Of the ~40 specs in the game, only Holy and Disc Priests lack an interrupt. Please, end this agony. I’m not even asking for it to be added on top of our current kit. Make us choose between Holy Word: Chastise stunning or interrupting. Not having an interrupt is such a major penalty that, when I’m on an alt, I often find myself declining holy priests if our group does not have strong interrupts.

We’re finally getting a Holy Priest rework! A lot of the changes are quite exciting (see https://www.wowhead.com/news/patch-11-1-undermine-d-development-notes-class-changes-holy-priest-and-resto-355134), but I feel like there are still many issues that need to be addressed. If a rework is happening now, this is the perfect opportunity to bring them up.

Here are my top 5 concerns/proposals. Let me know what you think about both the rework and my suggestions!

Lack of externals It’s great that, after ages of being a dead button (at least in M+), Prayer of Healing is finally being revisited. And… speaking of dead buttons, let’s talk about Power Word: Shield. Currently (on my 636 priest), it has a 6-second cooldown and provides a 340k absorb, which is roughly 5.5% of my HP. Please rework it. Increase its cooldown to 30, 40, or even 60 seconds. Make it a powerful absorb, turn it into a damage reduction ability (like Fae Guardians in Shadowlands), or create something unique. Maybe it could burn with Holy Power or explode once depleted, like Shield of Vengeance. You could even make the absorb/DR component fade or diminish quickly over time, requiring perfect timing to use effectively. But please, don’t leave it as it is — it’s a disgrace.

Mana efficiency Compared to other healers, Holy Priest isn’t very mana-efficient in M+, to the point where we are constantly sitting and drinking. Throes of Pain is out of reach (and not really rotation/spec friendly anyway) for Holy Priests, while Shadowfiend restores roughly 2% mana per minute. Now some spell got changed and they saw their mana cost go up and without a proper feedback loop to gain mana back I’m worried. We could use something like casting Holy Nova at max stacks could restore X% mana, or Holy Fire could spawn a small orb that restores mana when picked up.

Healing while moving Up to TWW, our only option for healing while moving was using Holy Words and/or Apotheosis (which gives one charge back per Holy Word, essentially one additional instant cast). The situation was so dire that even spending 3 talent points on Circle of Healing + Healing Chorus was considered, despite it only providing a mere 220k healing (roughly 3% HP). Now, with the new talents, Apotheosis is stronger, but the removal of Circle of Healing has left us even more lacking when it comes to healing on the move outside of Apotheosis. I’m not asking for Spiritwalker’s Grace, but something like “after casting a Holy Word, your next Heal, Flash Heal, Prayer of Healing, Holy Fire, or Smite can be cast while moving” could be a game-changer (e.g. serenity -> heal -> serenity -> heal on the move). Given that Holy Words have a 1-minute cooldown (granted it can be reduced by casting certain spells), I feel this approach could significantly improve our gameplay without being overpowered.

Passive damage We lack passive damage options outside of Halo or Holy Nova. While our theoretical DPS is in line with other healers, the issue arises when things go south — then we have no way to deal damage while focusing on keeping our party alive. Since our Mastery is practically useless in M+, this rework could prove as an opportunity to add some passive damage to our heals (e.g., via Renew, Prayer of Mending, or direct heals causing minor splash damage).

Interrupt Resto Shaman: 12s. Holy Paladin: 15s. Mistweaver Monk: 15s. Resto Druid: 15s. Evoker: 20s. Need I say more? Of the ~40 specs in the game, only Holy and Disc Priests lack an interrupt. Please, end this agony. I’m not even asking for it to be added on top of our current kit. Make us choose between Holy Word: Chastise stunning or interrupting. Not having an interrupt is such a major penalty that, when I’m on an alt, I often find myself declining holy priests if our group does not have strong interrupts.