Discipline Priest Healing Spell Summary — Battle for Azeroth (BfA) 8.1

1. Introduction

If you are new to Discipline, this is a great place to start to get an understanding of how the spec works. On this page we will discuss what abilities you have, what they are used for within the specialisation, how they interact with each other and also with important cooldowns. If you already have experience with Discipline and are comfortable with it in Legion, it is recommended you skip this section and move on to the rest of the guide.

2. Main Resource of Discipline Priests

Mana is your only resource as a Discipline Priest. All of your healing abilities cost Mana, so managing it so that you do not run out over the course of each encounter is crucial to being able to heal competitively.

3. Basic Abilities for Discipline Priests

These are your core skills that are available regardless of talents, and form the core gameplay of the specialization.

3.1. Atonement

Atonement is integral to the Discipline specialisation. This is a buff that certain spells (listed below) place on the target, lasting 15 seconds. During this time, a percentage (affected by your Mastery) of all damage you deal heals the target.

Shadow Word: Pain deals Shadow damage over time to the target. This is used in order to heal through Atonement.

Penance is a channeled ability that deals Holy damage to the target, or that heals an ally. It is used to heal through Atonement.

Smite deals Holy damage to the target, and also absorbs some of the damage that the target will do. It is used primarily as a filler in your rotation, to deal damage that heals through Atonement.

3.2. Healing Spells

Power Word: Shield places a damage absorption shield on the target, which lasts up to 15 seconds. It applies Atonement to the target.

Shadow Mend heals the target, but also debuffs them to take damage over time until they have taken 50% of the amount for which Shadow Mend healed (including any damage that they take from other sources than this debuff). Shadow Mend applies Atonement to the target.

Power Word: Radiance heals the target and their 4 nearest allies, and applies Atonement to the targets at 60% duration.

3.3. Utility for Discipline Priests

Fade removes your threat on all targets for 10 seconds, on a 30-second cooldown. This is extremely useful if you take aggro of newly-spawned mobs.

Leap of Faith pulls the targeted ally to your location. It can be useful for helping your tanks kite, or simply for saving careless allies from avoidable damage.

Desperate Prayer increases maximum health by 25% for 10 sec, and instantly heals you for that amount.

4. Cooldowns for Discipline Priests

Rapture is an ability with a 1.5-minute cooldown that increases the absorbs of your Power Word: Shield by 200% for 10 seconds. It is used primarily to allow you to spam Power Word: Shield, and through that to spread Atonement. Be aware that after Rapture expires any new Power Word: Shield casts will replace the previous buff on the target.

Pain Suppression reduces the damage the target takes by 40% for 8 seconds, with a 3-minute cooldown. It is generally used on tanks before a damage spike, but you can also use it on other raid members you know will take high damage.

Power Word: Barrier places a barrier at the targeted location for 10 seconds, which reduces all damage taken by allies located inside it by 25%. It has a 3-minute cooldown, and you should primarily use it to mitigate intense AoE damage.

Shadowfiend is a DPS cooldown (summoning a shadowy fiend that attacks your target for 15 seconds), with a 3-minute cooldown. The damage that the Shadowfiend deals results in Atonement healing, and this is its primary purpose.

5. Changelog