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TBC Classic Holy Priest Guide

Last updated on Jan 12, 2026 at 12:03 by Abide 12 comments

Welcome to our Holy Priest guide for TBC Classic, tailored for PvE content. Here, you will learn how all you need to know to play Holy Priest proficiently. Click the links below to navigate the guide or read this page for a short introduction.

Pages in this Guide
1 Introduction 2 Spell Summary 3 Builds and Talents 4 Rotation, Cooldowns, and Abilities 5 Stat Priority 6 Enchants and Consumables 7 Gear and Best in Slot 8 Pre-Raid Gear
TABLE OF CONTENTS OF THIS PAGE

Priests are invokers of both the light and dark spirits. They remain stout in their faith above all others, putting the needs of the people and the greater good above all else.

Holy remains the strongest PvE-oriented healing spec, focusing on increasing the effectiveness of your healing spells. With the addition of Circle of Healing IconCircle of Healing, Holy Priests evolve from great single-target healers into one of the strongest AoE healers in the game.

1.

Strengths and Weaknesses

V Strengths
  • +Has a very diverse healing kit.
  • +Can dispel Magic debuffs.
  • +Amazing AoE-healing capability.
X Weaknesses
  • -Has low base health pool, often wearing pieces with no Stamina.
  • -Limited utility compared to other healers.
  • -Brings almost nothing to the raid aside from healing.
2.

Healing Priest Viability

Healing Priests in TBC have, by far, the most diverse healing kit; this makes them very fun to play, as you have several spells to choose from depending on the situation. Typically you will play as Discipline early on, bringing some unique buffs and defensive cooldowns to the raid, while Holy takes over as the main healing spec once raid-wide AoE damage becomes commonplace in later raids. Most raids will run at least 1 Priest, and with the Bloodlust IconBloodlust changes, many will likely opt in for 2.

3.

Best Races for Healing Priest in TBC

Alliance Horde

For the Alliance, Priests can be every race except for Gnome. For Horde, they can be Blood Elves, Trolls or Undead.

3.1.

Human

Human is the ideal choice for PvE focused healers on the Alliance, as it grants additional 10% Spirit.

  • The Human Spirit IconThe Human Spirit increases your Spirit by 10%.
  • Diplomacy IconDiplomacy increases your reputation earned by 10%.
  • Perception IconPerception is a 3-minute cooldown that greatly increases your Stealth detection for 20 seconds when used.
3.2.

Dwarf

Dwarf is ideal for players focused only on PvP content, as Stoneform IconStoneform is great while fighting against Rogues.

  • Stoneform IconStoneform While active, grants immunity to Bleed, Poison, and Disease effects and increases armor by 10%. Lasts 8 seconds.
  • Frost Resistance IconFrost Resistance Increases Frost Resistance by 10.
3.3.

Troll

Troll is the ideal race for PvE focused healers, and even has strong PvP potential with Hex of Weakness IconHex of Weakness.

  • Berserking IconBerserking Increases your casting speed by 10% to 30%. At full health the speed increase is 10% with a greater effect up to 30% if you are badly hurt when you activate Berserking; Lasts 10 seconds.
  • Hex of Weakness IconHex of Weakness Weakens the target enemy, reducing damage caused by 35 and reduces the effectiveness of any healing by 20%; Lasts 2 minutes.
3.4.

Undead

Undead is a strong choice for players focused on PvP content exclusively, allowing you to escape fears via Will of the Forsaken IconWill of the Forsaken.

  • Devouring Plague IconDevouring Plague 3-minute cooldown, deals high Shadow damage-over-time and heals the caster for part of the damage dealt.
  • Will of the Forsaken IconWill of the Forsaken is a 2-minute cooldown that makes your immune to all Fear, Sleep, and Charm effects for 5 seconds. This will also break you out of any current effects.
  • Cannibalize IconCannibalize is a 2-minute cooldown that lets you channel to consume a nearby corpse, regenerating 7% of your total health every 2 seconds for 10 seconds for a total of 35% health.
  • Shadow Resistance IconShadow Resistance increases your shadow resistance by 10.
4.

Best Professions for Holy Priests

Tailoring is a good early profession in TBC Classic, as it offers you very strong gear from a guaranteed source. Primal Mooncloth Robe Icon Primal Mooncloth Robe, Primal Mooncloth Shoulders Icon Primal Mooncloth Shoulders, and Primal Mooncloth Belt Icon Primal Mooncloth Belt are all very strong pieces early on for their very high Bonus Healing and sockets. You will however want to replace this gear as soon as possible with Tier 4, as the lack of Stamina is detrimental when Priest already has the lowest base health in the game.

Enchanting is a good profession choice, offering you Enchant Ring - Healing Power IconEnchant Ring - Healing Power x2 for a total of 40 Bonus Healing.

Alchemy is another option for Holy Priests, offering you a Alchemist's Stone Icon Alchemist's Stone. While Priest has many strong Mana-returning trinkets such as Darkmoon Card: Blue Dragon Icon Darkmoon Card: Blue Dragon, the Alchemist's stone can be used on long fights where Mana is a concern or on trash as a "swap to" trinket before using a Mana potion.

Leatherworking can be a good option if there are no other players with drums in your group during raids.

If you would like to learn more about how your profession of choice can be used to supplement your goldmaking, along with a variety of other means to bolster your income, see our full goldmaking guide linked below:

TBC Classic Goldmaking Guide
5.

Changelog

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