Discipline Priest Healing Spec, Builds, and Talents — The War Within (Season 1)

Last updated on Sep 09, 2024 at 18:00 by Clandon 26 comments
General Information

On this page, you will find out the best talents for each tier for your Discipline Priest in World of Warcraft — The War Within (Season 1). We also have default talent lists for various types of content, such as raiding or Mythic+. If you play with Warmode on, we have your PvP talents covered as well.

If you were looking for WotLK Classic content, please refer to our WotLK Classic Discipline Priest talents.

Recommended Build Import Codes:

Voidweaver Mindbender Raid
CAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA2mtZGD2GjZmxMbmlZmZmhBAAAAAAAAAAAzitZbYbmZwswwMjxgF2mpxELDYmBAFgZbWWAjNb
Voidweaver Shadowfiend Raid
CAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA2mtZGDz2YMzwMbmlZmZmhBAAAAAAAAAAAzitZbYbmZwswwMjxgF2mpxELDYmBACwsNLLgxmN
Oracle Raid
CAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA2mtxYmZ2GjZGmZzsMzMzMAAAAAAAAAAAAzitZbYbmZwswwMjxgF2mpxELDAzsgNKGz2AM2wC
Voidweaver Mythic Plus/Delve
CAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA2mlZGDzyYMzMmZzsNzMjZAAAAAAAAAAAAzitZjZbmZwswwMjxgF2mpZmYBYmBAFgZb2WAjNb
1.

The War Within Talent Builds for Discipline Priest

Voidweaver Mindbender Raid Voidweaver Shadowfiend Raid Oracle Raid Voidweaver Mythic+/Delve
2.

Voidweaver Mindbender Raid Build for Discipline Priest

This build is the alternative build for raiding content. Utilizing the smaller but more frequent windows of the Mindbender Icon Mindbender version of Voidwraith Icon Voidwraith that will allow you to cover timings that you would not normally be able to handle due to Shadowfiend's longer cooldown. This build goes hand in hand with the Shadowfiend Icon Shadowfiend variant, and which one you use will heavily depend on what the encounter's damage pattern looks like.

Be sure to make use of the 'Export Talents' button to import the best build directly into your game!

3.

Voidweaver Shadowfiend Raid Build for Discipline Priest

Please note that while normally this build would be a strong alternative to the Mindbender build where you pick the pet that best fits the fights timers, Mindbender with Voidwraith is currently bugged and is gaining the Shadowfiend values of Shadow Covenant Icon Shadow Covenant, Inescapable Torment Icon Inescapable Torment, Essence Devourer Icon Essence Devourer, and more. As a result, the normal dynamic of Shadowfiend being stronger but a longer cooldown versus Mindbender being weaker but up more often is broken and Mindbender is almost always better. We will update this section if this bug is fixed, but for now just always use the Mindbender variant of the raid build.

This build is an alternative recommended build for raiding content. Utilizing the large burst windows of the Shadowfiend Icon Shadowfiend version of Voidwraith Icon Voidwraith to provide the largest gain, provided you can force the cooldown to be available at the right times with Void Summoner Icon Void Summoner. This build goes hand in hand with the Mindbender Icon Mindbender variant, and which one you use will heavily depend on what the encounter's damage pattern looks like.

Be sure to make use of the 'Export Talents' button to import the build directly into your game!

4.

Oracle Raid Build for Discipline Priest

This build is a niche option for raid where you can make use of the ability to ramp in quick succession with a Premonition Icon Premonition Evangelism Icon Evangelism ramp followed closely by an Ultimate Penitence Icon Ultimate Penitence ramp. Preventive Measures Icon Preventive Measures provides a significant power increase for Ultimate Penitence Icon Ultimate Penitence, making investing in its supporting talents heavily worth it.

Fatebender Icon Fatebender versus Perfect Vision Icon Perfect Vision comes down to fight timers, with Perfect Vision being the default, but Fatebender being a strong option in situations where Evangelism Icon Evangelism needs to be delayed to 2 minutes.

Be sure to make use of the 'Export Talents' button to import the best build directly into your game!

5.

Voidweaver Mythic+/Delve Build for Discipline Priest

This build is the main build for Mythic+ content. Utilizing the smaller but more frequent windows of the Mindbender Icon Mindbender version of Voidwraith Icon Voidwraith to allow you to cover timings that you would not normally be able to handle due to Shadowfiend's longer cooldown.

Be sure to make use of the 'Export Talents' button to import the build directly into your game!

6.

Talent Breakdown

In the following section, we will break down the more situational options or choices to be made within the talent tree. Talent nodes that have value but may not be good or generic enough to be played in all situations. If a talent node is not mentioned, it is due to it either being an instant pick already or too bad to ever take. Please refer to the above-linked talent builds if you are unsure of which category a talent falls into. If you are looking for a description of all talents/spells, please take a look at our spells page linked below:

7.

Specific Talent Explanations

7.1.

Pet Cooldowns

With Void Summoner Icon Void Summoner reducing the cooldown of your pets via multiple spells, its important to be aware of what cooldowns are realistic to achieve for each variant of the pet. The following are some expected cooldowns to achieve when utilizing the various available pets in normal play:

  • Shadowfiend Icon Shadowfiend without Voidwraith Icon Voidwraith — One minute and thirty seconds
  • Shadowfiend Icon Shadowfiend with Voidwraith Icon Voidwraith — One minute
  • Mindbender Icon Mindbender with or without Voidwraith Icon Voidwraith — 40-45 seconds
7.2.

Benevolence vs Power Word Life

While Benevolence looks like it should be the obvious choice, the answer is not always so simple. When you include overhealing into the calculation for Benevolence, which Power Word: Life will rarely have to deal with, the difference in total contribution between the two talents is quite small. While some people may want to go for Benevolence as a default option, we recommend sticking to Power Word: Life, as the impact this spell can have as a life-saving tool, can be far greater than a small hps gain overall.

As always, consider the situation you find yourself in for situations where Power Word: Life may provide little value. If you are struggling with the number of keybinds required to play Discipline Priest, you also have the option of running Benevolence as an easier option.

7.3.

Luminous Barrier

The design intent behind Luminous Barrier is great. It provides an alternative cooldown to Power Word: Barrier Icon Power Word: Barrier on fights that force the raid/group to spread during damage events. The problem is that Luminous Barrier is currently fairly undertuned. As a result, we do not recommend using it in most cases. Feel free to give it a try, but often, in situations where Power Word: Barrier is low value, simply talenting out of Barrier and into a completely different talent node will provide more value.

7.4.

Enduring Luminescence vs Bright Pupil

With the adjustment to Power Word: Radiance Icon Power Word: Radiance's base cooldown and the cooldown reduction provided by Bright Pupil Icon Bright Pupil being reduced, both choices are now solid options in both types of content. While we're recommending Bright Pupil by default in raid and Enduring Luminescence Icon Enduring Luminescence by default in mythic plus, both can see play in each form of content. As always, which you want comes down to the encounter timers for incoming damage. If you can make use of the additional Power Word: Radiance casts, Bright Pupil still provides very good value. If you will not make good use out of those Radiance casts, Enduring Luminescence will provide a small boost to your existing Radiance casts.

7.5.

No Escape vs Dark Energy

While Dark Energy Icon Dark Energy is our default for both forms of content as having a high uptime movement speed buff is generically valuable, keep an eye out for opportunities where the movement speed slow attached to your Entropic Rift Icon Entropic Rift via No Escape Icon No Escape can provide significant value.

7.6.

Void Empowerment vs Darkening Horizon

In Raid content, Void Empowerment Icon Void Empowerment is the default choice primarily because of the impact Darkening Horizon Icon Darkening Horizon has on the timing of the Collapsing Void Icon Collapsing Void and your Atonement Icon Atonement uptime at the trail end of your ramp window. By running Darkening Horizon, you will often push the Collapsing Void out of a significant number of Atonements without introducing a large number of non-ideal rotational changes. In Mythic Plus this is less of an issue, causing the higher uptime of the rift from Darkening Horizon more enticing.

8.

PvP Talents (War Mode)

In The War Within, there remains the option to go into "War Mode." Enabling War Mode provides the following benefits:

  • PvP talents enabled in the outdoor world.
  • 10% increase in World Quest rewards at maximum level.
  • 10% more experience gained while leveling.
  • Earn Conquest Points, which can reward gear every week.

With the benefits of enabling War Mode for PvE content minimal in this expansion, it is not recommended to enable the feature. War Mode remains an attractive option for leveling purposes due to the increased experience gain.

8.1.

Discipline Priest War Mode Talents

In this section, we will rank the PvP talents best for leveling and doing solo / small group PvE content. Below is a ranking of Discipline Priest-specific PvP talents. For more information on what is valuable in a competitive PvP setting instead of an open-world focus, please take a look at our PvP guide.

8.1.1.

Discipline Priest PvP Talents

  1. Inner Light and Shadow Icon Inner Light and Shadow is a toggleable ability that grants you either 10% increased spell damage and Atonement Icon Atonement healing or 15% less Mana cost on healing spells. Leaving this on the damage increase portion while leveling will result in a solid DPS and survivability gain.
  2. Catharsis Icon Catharsis provides a solid amount of damage when doing solo content as disc. If you're doing group content where you are not the one taking heavy damage, swap this for Trinity Icon Trinity
  3. Dark Archangel Icon Dark Archangel increases your damage and the damage of all allies with your Atonement Icon Atonement by 15% for 8 seconds. This is great for small group world content where giving your group a DPS buff will be more impactful than taking a small boost to your own damage via any of the above three talents.
9.

Changelog

  • 11 Sep. 2024: Reordered talent recommendation and added note about bender bug.
  • 10 Sep. 2024: Added section clarifying expected pet CDs.
  • 09 Sep. 2024: Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
  • 26 Aug. 2024: Fixed raid string import issue.
  • 22 Aug. 2024: Fixed m+ talent tree linking to the old patch talents.
  • 21 Aug. 2024: Updated for The War Within Release.
  • 23 Jul. 2024: Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
  • 07 May 2024: Reviewed for 10.2.7.
  • 22 Apr. 2024: Updated for Season 4.
  • 27 Mar. 2024: Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6
  • 15 Jan. 2024: Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 07 Nov. 2023: Removed outdated reference.
  • 07 Nov. 2023: Updated for Patch 10.2.
  • 04 Sep. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
  • 10 Aug. 2023: Updated post hotfix to Rhapsody and VE.
  • 19 Jul. 2023: Fixed formatting issue.
  • 12 Jul. 2023: Updated to new page format.
  • 10 Jul. 2023: Updated for patch 10.1.5.
  • 06 May 2023: Updated to include Season 2 Dungeon Specific Talent Choices.
  • 01 May 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
  • 24 Jan. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 22 Jan. 2023: Updated talent recommendation for patch 10.0.5.
  • 11 Dec. 2022: Fixed Talent Calculator M+ Link.
  • 28 Nov. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 25 Oct. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
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