WoW newbie looking for advice

[WimpySmurf]

I don't hate Wanding, far from it, I just find it annoying how every "attack" seems to count as a spell and triggers the global cooldown. A staff attack doesn't do that, for example, so I can hit a spell whenever I want to. But with a Wand I have to force it to stop by mashing a spell button or moving.

I'm level 18 now so I've actually healed in an instance already (Whaling Caverns). Gonna need to find a mod that will allow me to move the party frame to the right, under the minimap. 'Cause it's seriously annoying to have to move the hand all across the screen every time somebody needs my attention. I'm hoping the CTMod I'm already using allows it, just haven't had the chance to investigate on the fly in the instance.

Checkout the mod named "Clique" it allows you to assign spells to mouse button clicks so you can just "left click" the player frame and it'll cast Renew, shift-left could be Heal, right click Shield You have lots of configurability and is almost a must for healers.

-WimpySmurf

[Taelas]

I don't hate Wanding, far from it, I just find it annoying how every "attack" seems to count as a spell and triggers the global cooldown. A staff attack doesn't do that, for example, so I can hit a spell whenever I want to. But with a Wand I have to force it to stop by mashing a spell button or moving.

I'm level 18 now so I've actually healed in an instance already (Whaling Caverns). Gonna need to find a mod that will allow me to move the party frame to the right, under the minimap. 'Cause it's seriously annoying to have to move the hand all across the screen every time somebody needs my attention. I'm hoping the CTMod I'm already using allows it, just haven't had the chance to investigate on the fly in the instance.

It's easier (and faster) to use keybindings, in my opinion.

The main bar has keybindings by default, and you can scroll through different bars on it. You can place your healing spells on one of them and just scroll down to it when you're healing in a party. You shouldn't have to use any other spells, anyway.

Also, the default setting for F1-F5 targets party members (where F1 is you).

The easiest way to heal (at least, in my experience) is to click the party member first, then click the healing spell.

[Treesh]

The easiest way to heal (at least, in my experience) is to click the party member first, then click the healing spell.

It varies by person, by class and by fight as to which is actually faster/easier - target healing or mouse-hover healing.

I do agree that it's quicker to do keybinding rather than all with the mouse though. That being said, we've also had some good healers who do most of it by mouse too, but you have to set up your UI properly to really be efficient with it, which is what he's asking for help with.:)

You shouldn't have to use any other spells, anyway.

I disagree on this one. There's no reason to not help with damage if you aren't healing and don't have to worry about mana conservation. If you've got everything under control, go ahead and help out with damage and/or CC as long as you can still pay attention to how the flow of battle is going and continue to play healer when it's needed. Being able to switch between DPS/CC and healing roles in a battle is good practice for fights further down the road and it also can help speed the dungeon up if your healer isn't sitting there doing nothing.

[TriggerHappy]

Yes I already use the hotkeys for healing spells (for all frequently used spells for that matters). I click on the party member's frame, then hit the hotkey to heal them. What I was looking for is to move the entire party frame to the right side of the screen, from the default location on the left side. It doesn't seem like CTMod allows it, from my experimentation with a second run through the Whaling Caverns at level 20 (now almost 22).

As for doing more than healing, in the first party I had to pretty much work full time to keep some seriously over-confident Paladin alive. In the second party things were much more under control and disciplined, so I found myself getting bored and started adding Shadow Word: Pain as well as Wand damage to the fight.

Which leads me to a question: do I hit Fade every time its cooldown is up? Or do I save it for when I've become the target of a mob or three? Does it actually have any effect on the amount of threat/aggro I have stacked up even if I'm not under attack at the moment?

After trying out Mindflay at level 20 and finding it very underwhelming, I promptly respecced to put 5 points into Wand specialization. It made sense since I was pretty much killing mobs from 50-70% health with nothing but wand damage (while SW:P is ticking away).
That extra 25% damage makes a pretty big difference. But now I dread level 30, when I'll have to respec again for Vampiric ... uh, either Touch or Embrace, can't remember which at the moment, which means waiting another 5 levels to get the Wand spec back to full. Then 5 levels later respec again for Shadowform and wait another 5 levels to fill out Wand spec, then the same thing again at level 50! *tears out hair*

I also had 5 points into Blackout (IIRC), but it activated so rarely it hardly seemed worthwhile. Improved SW: P and the talent to make spells resist less, at least so far, seem a lot more useful.

I find myself fighting a mob in the following manner:

Put up SW: S
Holy Fire from max range
Mind Blast as it's closing in
SW: P just as it's getting into melee range
Wand it to death
Recast SW: S if it's a tough one many levels above me, a boss, or there are adds.
At any point at least 50% of the damage is being done by the Wand + SW:P

Oh and now that I have Devouring Plague I also use it on the tougher targets (3 min cooldown is painful).

Which leads me to the last question. With so much of the damage being done by the Wand, does it actually make sense to spec into Shadowform until the mid 40s, when you can have Wand Spec and it? After all, that 15% added damage only really affects that Mind-nuke, SW:P and Mindflay which I'm not using, as its DPS is inferior to the Wand with spec (or even without). What would you experienced Priests recommend?

[Swiss Mercenary]

Wand DPS begins to drop off compared to spells at higher levels.

[Taelas]

Fade is a temporary aggro drop, not a permanent one. You use it only when you've pulled hate.

[Icebird]

A unitframe add-on like ag_unitframes or PitBull (both available from wowace.com I believe) might fit what you need in terms of moving the party frame. They replace the default Blizzard unit frames with new unit frames that many people find more informative. Very customizable, and you can easily move them wherever you want.

I believe Mind Flay gets a bit more kick once you get to Rank 2 and up. At your level, Spirit Tap is a better point investment than Blackout. You may not need the extra regen at the moment, but you'll appreciate it when you start casting more and wanding less.

The Shadow tree is one talent tree where all every talent you get increases your damage in some way. When you get Shadowform at 40 (and I would get it as soon as you can), you feel invincible.:)

As far as healing goes, everyone has their own preferred style of doing it. I use the mouse to select targets, and a lot of hot keys to cast spells. I used to use a "Clique" like mod, before the number of spells I wanted to cast expanded beyond the number of mouse-button/modifier combinations I could easily remember. Grid is very good for raid healing, but thats not an issue you need to worry about for a while.

Chris

[TriggerHappy]

Wand DPS really is starting to drop off, and I'm only level 32 with the Priest. Even with a blue wand and 5/5 in wands spec, I find it too slow to kill thing with it when I start at 70-80% mob health on even level targets. And Mind Flay does such pitiful damage at this point (rank 2).:(

I find myself relying more and more on using Mind blast twice, so I'm thinking of respeccing again to get points into improved Mind blast, so I can go Shield ... Mind blast, SW: P, Mind Flay, Mind blast, Wand to death from what is now ~40% mob health.

At which point does Mind flay actually begin to do serious damage? It doesn't seem like it ever does, judging from the damage listed in the future ranks.

I tried out Vampiric Embrace as well, and there was basically no point to it till Shadowform, I came to realize (and perhaps not even then). I almost never heal myself during combat (unless I get 2-5 targets on me). Shielding myself before combat and if really necessary again during combat, has resulted in my barely ever using my healing spells. So with hardly ever needing to actually heal myself, I found Vampiric Embrace to interfere with spell rotation, taking up valuable time, but hardly providing any benefit.
I'm sure this will change, but at this level, I just want more spell damage rather than utility.

[TriggerHappy]

Something strange happened. I respecced to pure shadow, and upon reaching level 33 added some equipment that gives me +20 spell damage/healing. Somehow, my Mind Flay rank 2 is doing a lot more damage than it did previously. I can actually use it effectively in combat. Could just +20 spell damage have such a great effect?

[Mavfin]

Something strange happened. I respecced to pure shadow, and upon reaching level 33 added some equipment that gives me +20 spell damage/healing. Somehow, my Mind Flay rank 2 is doing a lot more damage than it did previously. I can actually use it effectively in combat. Could just +20 spell damage have such a great effect?

as a shadow or holy DPS priest, spelldam is your friend:D


My 50ish priest runs about +200, still mostly green gear, and it makes a lot of difference

[TriggerHappy]

Aha ...

*goes to rummage through mules for +spell damage gear*

[Taelas]

Also look for green "of Shadow" gear. It essentially acts the same as spelldamage for a Shadow priest.

And yes, spelldamage gear makes an enormous difference.:)It's the primary way you gear up as a ranged DPS class after hitting the level cap. (Hunters being the exception -- they have no use for it.)

[Monkey]

Something strange happened. I respecced to pure shadow, and upon reaching level 33 added some equipment that gives me +20 spell damage/healing. Somehow, my Mind Flay rank 2 is doing a lot more damage than it did previously. I can actually use it effectively in combat. Could just +20 spell damage have such a great effect?

If your new build has additional points in Shadow Focus or Shadow Weaving, that +20 spell damage will also go further.

[TriggerHappy]

Ugh, it's tough to decide what benefits me more, +31 more spell damage (which will make it +51 total by level 35) or +28 Spirit and +23 Intellect. The downtime with the spell gear is already noticeable, and will be even more so by next level when I get the aforementioned +51 spell damage and even weaker stats, as I exchange +stats gear for +spell damage grear.

It seems that I kill somewhat faster with the additional +spell damage (+20 is there regardless of anything else), but the downtime is kinda getting annoying. Guess I've been spoiled by Spirit Tap.:)
Probably couldn't play a Mage after this ...

[Taelas]

Well, mages having their own water makes a pretty big difference.

[Bob the Beholder]

Ugh, it's tough to decide what benefits me more, +31 more spell damage (which will make it +51 total by level 35) or +28 Spirit and +23 Intellect. The downtime with the spell gear is already noticeable, and will be even more so by next level when I get the aforementioned +51 spell damage and even weaker stats, as I exchange +stats gear for +spell damage grear.

It seems that I kill somewhat faster with the additional +spell damage (+20 is there regardless of anything else), but the downtime is kinda getting annoying. Guess I've been spoiled by Spirit Tap.:)
Probably couldn't play a Mage after this ...

Think about it like this--the more spell damage you have, the more mana efficient your spells are. The increased spell damage does not increase the mana cost, so the more you've got, the more your mana is worth. You'll have less mana than somebody rolling in full int gear but you'll be doing more with it, and the increased damage will kill mobs faster, requiring fewer casts, saving you mana.

... it just sorta takes a bit more than +20 to make a big difference. Hit up the AH for two or three more pieces if you can, and you'll be blowing stuff to hell. In the 42-49 level area, there's a tailored shadow set you can use, called Shadoweave.

[Monkey]

It seems that I kill somewhat faster with the additional +spell damage (+20 is there regardless of anything else), but the downtime is kinda getting annoying. Guess I've been spoiled by Spirit Tap.:)

I'm guessing that you have Blackout instead of Spirit Tap. I'd encourage you to put Spirit Tap back in your build. It has much better returns for a leveling build and won't adversely affect your killing speed. Here's are my 36 Priest's current talents: Link-O!

This is probably something that you've already figured out, but a typical grind cycle for lightweight mobs might be:
Mind Blast>Mind Flay>Shadow Word:Pain>Wand

For heavier mobs or when I'm feeling saucy:
Mind Blast>Mind Flay>Shadow Word:Pain>Psychic Scream>Mind Flay>Wand

Keep Inner Fire up at all times and either toss a renew on yourself between mobs, or use a bandage every third pull or so. I think you'll find your downtime substantially reduced.

[Kevin]

I'm guessing that you have Blackout instead of Spirit Tap. I'd encourage you to put Spirit Tap back in your build. It has much better returns for a leveling build and won't adversely affect your killing speed. Here's are my 36 Priest's current talents: Link-O!

This is probably something that you've already figured out, but a typical grind cycle for lightweight mobs might be:
Mind Blast>Mind Flay>Shadow Word:Pain>Wand

For heavier mobs or when I'm feeling saucy:
Mind Blast>Mind Flay>Shadow Word:Pain>Psychic Scream>Mind Flay>Wand

Keep Inner Fire up at all times and either toss a renew on yourself between mobs, or use a bandage every third pull or so. I think you'll find your downtime substantially reduced.

Spirit Tap is the single best talent for a soloing priest. I don't care if you are holy or shadow. As you say that talent is the best talent to have when you are soloing at any level regardless of why you are soloing. OK at least for me it is because I loath downtime. It's why I still don't have a high level mage.

[Klaus]

This is probably something that you've already figured out, but a typical grind cycle for lightweight mobs might be:
Mind Blast>Mind Flay>Shadow Word:Pain>Wand

It's been forever since I was in the mid-30's on the priest, but I find that reversing the two in the middle works a bit better:

Mind Blast->SWP->Flay->wand

You either backpedal or turn around and run away while casting pain and waiting for the GCD afterwards. This lets you get more ticks of the dot in before the mob dies, and they therefore die a bit faster. Start from max range with the blast. If the mob is a bit tougher, you can add another blast after the flay (as soon as the CD is up).

I do a lot of farming these days with VT->SWP->VE->Flay->wand. The VE keeps the health level up without having to worry about it very often. If you go full shadow, you can get VT at lvl 50, and then the +spell damage really starts to make efficiency pick up. The more damage you do, the more mana you get back, making every spell you cast cheaper (for example, the top rank of flay costs me 210 mana, and with my gear does about 1600 damage - this refunds 80 of the 210 mana, so I get 1600 damage for 130 mana - hard to beat).

[Lissa]

I'm guessing that you have Blackout instead of Spirit Tap. I'd encourage you to put Spirit Tap back in your build. It has much better returns for a leveling build and won't adversely affect your killing speed. Here's are my 36 Priest's current talents: Link-O!

This is probably something that you've already figured out, but a typical grind cycle for lightweight mobs might be:
Mind Blast>Mind Flay>Shadow Word:Pain>Wand

For heavier mobs or when I'm feeling saucy:
Mind Blast>Mind Flay>Shadow Word:Pain>Psychic Scream>Mind Flay>Wand

Keep Inner Fire up at all times and either toss a renew on yourself between mobs, or use a bandage every third pull or so. I think you'll find your downtime substantially reduced.

SW:P first, always, always, always, always. The only time that this is over ruled by is when you get Vampiric Touch at level 50. DoTs always go up first for a Shadow Priest.

Here's how you pull as a Shadow Priest as a sub 50 shadow Priest:
Cast SW:P while backing up, cast Vampiric Embrace while backing up, cast Power Word: Shield while still backing, when global cooldown finishes, cast Mindblast, cast Mind Flay, then cast Mindblast and Mind Flay and use wand while reapplying Shadow Word: Pain and Power Word: Shield as needed.