Holy Priest PvP Guide — The War Within (11.2.5)
This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to play Holy Priest in a PvP environment. The guide will cover everything from talent choices, PvP talents, gameplay and rotation, and useful racial bonuses. It is most applicable to Arena content, but most talents and racial bonuses will work in Rated Battlegrounds and skirmishes.
If you were looking for MoP Classic content, please refer to our MoP Classic Priest PvP guide.
Holy Priests in the Current Meta
Holy Priests are the most underrated healer. Usually a specialization that struggles, Holy Priests excel at healing against spread pressure and single-target teams. Many teams will struggle with how much utility and immunities you have.
Holy Priest Strengths and Weaknesses
Strong spread healing
Multiple powerful healing cooldowns
Can setup crowd control on their own with
Holy Word: Chastise and
Psychic Scream
Struggle against teams with two melee on it
Have to cast most spells to get value from cooldowns
Very limited mobility
Notable 11.1 Changes to Holy Priest
Surge of Light now reduces the mana cost of Flash Heal by 50% (was 100%).
Apotheosis now reduces the mana cost of Holy Words by 50% while active (was 100%).
Changelog
- 05 Oct. 2025 (races): Reviewed for Patch 11.2.5.
- 05 Oct. 2025 (macros): Reviewed for Patch 11.2.5.
- 05 Oct. 2025 (playstyle): Reviewed for Patch 11.2.5.
- 05 Oct. 2025 (comps): Reviewed for Patch 11.2.5.
- 05 Oct. 2025 (blitz): Reviewed for Patch 11.2.5.
- 05 Oct. 2025 (gear): Updated recommended gear.
- 05 Oct. 2025 (talents): Reviewed for Patch 11.2.5.
- 05 Oct. 2025 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 11.2.5.
- 05 Oct. 2025 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 11.2.5.
- 27 Aug. 2025 (talents): Updated recommended talents.
- 13 Aug. 2025 (gear): Updated recommended gear.
- Updated Gear for Reshii Wraps
- 04 Aug. 2025 (races): Reviewed for Patch 11.2.
- 04 Aug. 2025 (macros): Reviewed for Patch 11.2.
- 04 Aug. 2025 (playstyle): Reviewed for Patch 11.2.
- 04 Aug. 2025 (comps): Updated for Patch 11.2.
- Updated best 2v2 team compositions.
- Updated best 3v3 team compositions.
- 04 Aug. 2025 (blitz): Updated for Patch 11.2.
- Updated recommended talents.
- 04 Aug. 2025 (gear): Updated for Patch 11.2.
- Updated recommended gear.
- Updated tier sets section.
- 04 Aug. 2025 (talents): Updated for Patch 11.2.
- Updated recommended talents.
- 04 Aug. 2025 (this page): Updated for Patch 11.2.
- Updated notable changes.
- 04 Aug. 2025 (this page): Updated for Patch 11.2.
- Updated notable changes.
- 15 Jun. 2025 (races): Reviewed for Patch 11.1.7.
- 15 Jun. 2025 (macros): Reviewed for Patch 11.1.7.
- 15 Jun. 2025 (playstyle): Reviewed for Patch 11.1.7.
- 15 Jun. 2025 (comps): Reviewed for Patch 11.1.7.
- 15 Jun. 2025 (blitz): Updated recommended talents.
- 15 Jun. 2025 (gear): Reviewed for Patch 11.1.7.
- 15 Jun. 2025 (talents): Reviewed for Patch 11.1.7.
- 15 Jun. 2025 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 11.1.7.
- 15 Jun. 2025 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 11.1.7.
- 21 Apr. 2025 (races): Reviewed for patch 11.1.5.
- 21 Apr. 2025 (macros): Reviewed for patch 11.1.5.
- 21 Apr. 2025 (playstyle): Reviewed for patch 11.1.5.
- 21 Apr. 2025 (comps): Reviewed for patch 11.1.5.
- 21 Apr. 2025 (blitz): Reviewed for patch 11.1.5.
- 21 Apr. 2025 (gear): Reviewed for patch 11.1.5.
- 21 Apr. 2025 (talents): Reviewed for patch 11.1.5.
- 21 Apr. 2025 (this page): Reviewed for patch 11.1.5.
- 21 Apr. 2025 (this page): Reviewed for patch 11.1.5.
- 03 Apr. 2025 (gear): Updated recommended gear.
- 24 Mar. 2025 (talents): Updated recommended talents.
- 03 Mar. 2025 (gear): Updated recommended gear for Season 2 of The War Within.
- 03 Mar. 2025 (talents): Updated recommended talents.
- 24 Feb. 2025 (races): Reviewed for Patch 11.1.
- 24 Feb. 2025 (macros): Reviewed for Patch 11.1.
- 24 Feb. 2025 (playstyle): Updated for Patch 11.1.
- Restructured healing rotations.
- Updated healing rotations.
- 24 Feb. 2025 (comps): Reviewed for Patch 11.1.
- 24 Feb. 2025 (blitz): Updated for Patch 11.1.
- Updated recommended talents.
- Updated recommended PvP talents.
- 24 Feb. 2025 (gear): Reviewed for Patch 11.1.
- 24 Feb. 2025 (talents): Updated for Patch 11.1.
- Updated recommended talents.
- Updated recommended PvP talents.
- 24 Feb. 2025 (this page): Updated for Patch 11.1.0.
- 24 Feb. 2025 (this page): Updated for Patch 11.1.0.
- 15 Dec. 2024 (races): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.7.
- 15 Dec. 2024 (macros): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.7.
- 15 Dec. 2024 (playstyle): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.7.
- 15 Dec. 2024 (comps): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.7.
- 15 Dec. 2024 (blitz): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.7.
- 15 Dec. 2024 (gear): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.7.
- 15 Dec. 2024 (talents): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.7.
- 15 Dec. 2024 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.7.
- 15 Dec. 2024 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.7.
- 23 Nov. 2024 (playstyle): Updated all healing rotations.
- Updated healing techniques section.
- Updated burst healing rotation.
- Updated sustained healing rotation.
- 23 Nov. 2024 (comps): Updated best team compositions.
- Updated best 2v2 team compositions.
- Updated best 3v3 team compositions.
- 23 Nov. 2024 (blitz): Updated recommended talents.
- 23 Nov. 2024 (gear): Updated recommended gear.
- Updated recommended enchants.
- 23 Nov. 2024 (talents): Updated recommended talents.
- Updated talent descriptions.
- 23 Nov. 2024 (this page): Updated strengths.
- 23 Nov. 2024 (this page): Updated strengths.
- 21 Oct. 2024 (races): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.5.
- 21 Oct. 2024 (macros): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.5.
- 21 Oct. 2024 (playstyle): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.5.
- 21 Oct. 2024 (comps): Reviewed for Patch 11.0.5.
- 21 Oct. 2024 (blitz): Updated for Patch 11.0.5.
- Updated Recommended Talents.
- 21 Oct. 2024 (gear): Updated for Patch 11.0.5.
- Updated Recommended Gear.
- 21 Oct. 2024 (talents): Updated for Patch 11.0.5.
- Updated Recommended Talents.
- 21 Oct. 2024 (this page): Updated for Patch 11.0.5.
- 21 Oct. 2024 (this page): Updated for Patch 11.0.5.
- 16 Sep. 2024 (gear): Updated Recommended Gear.
- Updated Recommended Enchants.
- 15 Sep. 2024 (blitz): Updated Recommended Talents.
- 12 Sep. 2024 (talents): Updated Recommended Talents.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (races): Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (macros): Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (playstyle): Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (comps): Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (blitz): Updated for The War Within Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (gear): Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (talents): Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (this page): Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
- 09 Sep. 2024 (this page): Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
- 29 Aug. 2024 (blitz): Page added.
- 21 Aug. 2024 (races): Reviewed for The War Within.
- 21 Aug. 2024 (macros): Reviewed for The War Within.
- 21 Aug. 2024 (playstyle): Updated for The War Within.
- 21 Aug. 2024 (comps): Reviewed for The War Within.
- 21 Aug. 2024 (gear): Updated for The War Within.
- 21 Aug. 2024 (talents): Updated for The War Within.
- 21 Aug. 2024 (this page): Reviewed for The War Within.
- 21 Aug. 2024 (this page): Reviewed for The War Within.
- 26 Jul. 2024 (talents): Updated Recommended Talents.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (races): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (macros): Reviewed for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (playstyle): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (comps): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (gear): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (talents): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (this page): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 23 Jul. 2024 (this page): Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 04 Jul. 2024 (gear): Updated Recommended Gear.
- 04 Jul. 2024 (talents): Updated Recommended Talents.
- 07 May 2024 (races): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 07 May 2024 (macros): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 07 May 2024 (playstyle): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 07 May 2024 (comps): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 07 May 2024 (gear): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 07 May 2024 (talents): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 07 May 2024 (this page): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 07 May 2024 (this page): Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (races): Reviewed for Season 4.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (macros): Reviewed for Season 4.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (playstyle): Reviewed for Season 4.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (comps): Reviewed for Season 4.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (gear): Updated Recommended Gear for Patch 10.2.6.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (talents): Reviewed for Season 4.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (this page): Reviewed for Season 4.
- 22 Apr. 2024 (this page): Reviewed for Season 4.
- 22 Mar. 2024 (talents): Updated Talents for Patch 10.2.6.
- 20 Feb. 2024 (this page): Updated for Patch 11.1 changes.
- 20 Feb. 2024 (this page): Updated for Patch 11.1 changes.
- 15 Jan. 2024 (races): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
- 15 Jan. 2024 (macros): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
- 15 Jan. 2024 (playstyle): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
- 15 Jan. 2024 (comps): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
- 15 Jan. 2024 (gear): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
- 15 Jan. 2024 (talents): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
- 15 Jan. 2024 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
- 15 Jan. 2024 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (races): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (macros): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (playstyle): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (comps): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (gear): Updated for Patch 10.2.
- Updated Recommended Gear.
- Added Tier Set section.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (talents): Updated for Patch 10.2.
- Updated Recommended Talents.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.2.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.2.
- 04 Sep. 2023 (races): Updated for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (macros): Updated for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (playstyle): Updated for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (comps): Updated for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (gear): Updated for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (talents): Updated for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7 Nothing changes.
- 04 Sep. 2023 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7 Nothing changes.
- 07 Aug. 2023 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5 Class Tuning, nothing changed.
- 07 Aug. 2023 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5 Class Tuning, nothing changed.
- 24 Jul. 2023 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5 Tuning, nothing changed.
- 24 Jul. 2023 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5 Tuning, nothing changed.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (races): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5
- 10 Jul. 2023 (macros): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5
- 10 Jul. 2023 (playstyle): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5
- 10 Jul. 2023 (comps): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5
- 10 Jul. 2023 (gear): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5
- 10 Jul. 2023 (talents): Updated for Patch 10.1.5
- 10 Jul. 2023 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5
- 10 Jul. 2023 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5
- 09 May 2023 (races): Updated for Dragonflight Patch 10.1.
- 09 May 2023 (macros): Updated for Dragonflight Patch 10.1.
- 09 May 2023 (playstyle): Updated for Dragonflight Patch 10.1.
- 09 May 2023 (comps): Updated for Dragonflight Patch 10.1.
- 09 May 2023 (gear): Updated for Dragonflight Patch 10.1.
- 09 May 2023 (talents): Updated for Dragonflight Patch 10.1.
- 21 Mar. 2023 (races): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 21 Mar. 2023 (macros): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 21 Mar. 2023 (playstyle): Updated for Patch 10.0.7.
- 21 Mar. 2023 (comps): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 21 Mar. 2023 (gear): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 21 Mar. 2023 (talents): Updated for Patch 10.0.7.
- 21 Mar. 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.0.7.
- 21 Mar. 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.0.7.
- 30 Jan. 2023 (races): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 30 Jan. 2023 (macros): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 30 Jan. 2023 (playstyle): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 30 Jan. 2023 (comps): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 30 Jan. 2023 (gear): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 30 Jan. 2023 (talents): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 30 Jan. 2023 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 30 Jan. 2023 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 12 Dec. 2022 (comps): Updated for Dragonflight S1.
- 12 Dec. 2022 (gear): Updated for Dragonflight S1.
- 12 Dec. 2022 (this page): Updated for Shadowlands S1.
- 12 Dec. 2022 (this page): Updated for Shadowlands S1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (races): Updated for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (macros): Updated for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (playstyle): Updated for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (talents): Updated for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 01 Aug. 2022 (races): Reviewed for Shadowlands Season 4.
- 01 Aug. 2022 (macros): Reviewed for Shadowlands Season 4.
- 01 Aug. 2022 (playstyle): Reviewed for Shadowlands Season 4.
- 01 Aug. 2022 (comps): Reviewed for Shadowlands Season 4.
- 01 Aug. 2022 (gear): Updated for Shadowlands Season 4.
- 01 Aug. 2022 (talents): Reviewed for Shadowlands Season 4.
- 01 Aug. 2022 (this page): Reviewed for Shadowlands Season 4.
- 01 Aug. 2022 (this page): Reviewed for Shadowlands Season 4.
- 31 May 2022 (races): Reviewed for Patch 9.2.5.
- 31 May 2022 (macros): Reviewed for Patch 9.2.5.
- 31 May 2022 (playstyle): Reviewed for Patch 9.2.5.
- 31 May 2022 (comps): Reviewed for Patch 9.2.5.
- 31 May 2022 (gear): Reviewed for Patch 9.2.5.
- 31 May 2022 (talents): Reviewed for Patch 9.2.5.
- 31 May 2022 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 9.2.5.
- 31 May 2022 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 9.2.5.
- 04 Apr. 2022 (playstyle): Updated Defensives section.
- 01 Mar. 2022 (races): Reviewed for Patch 9.2.
- 01 Mar. 2022 (macros): Reviewed for Patch 9.2.
- 01 Mar. 2022 (playstyle): Updated for Patch 9.2.
- Updated Healing Rotations.
- 01 Mar. 2022 (comps): Reviewed for Patch 9.2.
- 01 Mar. 2022 (gear): Updated for Patch 9.2.
- Updated Recommended Gear.
- Added Tier-Set section.
- Removed Shards of Domination section.
- 01 Mar. 2022 (talents): Updated for Patch 9.2.
- Updated Best PvP Talents.
- 01 Mar. 2022 (this page): Updated for Patch 9.2.
- Added Notable Changes section.
- 01 Mar. 2022 (this page): Updated for Patch 9.2.
- Added Notable Changes section.
- 26 Nov. 2021 (races): Reviewed for Patch 9.1.5.
- 26 Nov. 2021 (macros): Reviewed for Patch 9.1.5.
- 26 Nov. 2021 (playstyle): Updated for Patch 9.1.5.
- 26 Nov. 2021 (comps): Updated best 3v3 compositions.
- 26 Nov. 2021 (gear): Reviewed for Patch 9.1.5.
- 26 Nov. 2021 (talents): Updated PvP Talent Choices.
- 26 Nov. 2021 (this page): Page reviewed for Patch 9.1.5.
- 26 Nov. 2021 (this page): Page reviewed for Patch 9.1.5.
- 02 Jul. 2021 (races): Reviewed for Patch 9.1.
- 02 Jul. 2021 (macros): Reviewed for Patch 9.1.
- 02 Jul. 2021 (playstyle): Updated Defensives section.
- 02 Jul. 2021 (comps): Reviewed for Patch 9.1.
- 02 Jul. 2021 (gear): Updated Recommended Gear.
- Added Shards of Domination section.
- 02 Jul. 2021 (talents): Updated PvP Talent Choices.
- 02 Jul. 2021 (this page): Updated for Patch 9.1.
- 02 Jul. 2021 (this page): Updated for Patch 9.1.
- 08 Mar. 2021 (races): Reviewed for Patch 9.0.5.
- 08 Mar. 2021 (macros): Reviewed for Patch 9.0.5.
- 08 Mar. 2021 (playstyle): Reviewed for Patch 9.0.5.
- 08 Mar. 2021 (comps): Reviewed for Patch 9.0.5.
- 08 Mar. 2021 (gear): Reviewed for Patch 9.0.5.
- 08 Mar. 2021 (talents): Updated PvP Talent Choices.
- 08 Mar. 2021 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 9.0.5.
- 08 Mar. 2021 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 9.0.5.
- 09 Dec. 2020 (gear): Updated Stat Priority.
- 06 Dec. 2020 (gear): Added BiS gear list for Shadowlands.
- 05 Dec. 2020 (playstyle): Updated Rotations to include Covenant Ability.
- 05 Dec. 2020 (talents): Updated Talent Table.
- Updated Tier 1 Regular Talent.
- 30 Nov. 2020 (playstyle): Removed outdated Traits and Essences.
- 30 Nov. 2020 (gear): Removed outdated Traits and Essences.
- Removed outdated gear.
- Added gems section.
- 30 Nov. 2020 (talents): Removed outdated Traits and Essences.
- 30 Nov. 2020 (this page): Added Covenant page, removed Azerite mentions, and updated gear section.
- 30 Nov. 2020 (this page): Added Covenant page, removed Azerite mentions, and updated gear section.
- 04 Nov. 2020 (talents): Updated PvP Talents.
- 15 Oct. 2020 (races): Updated for Shadowlands pre-patch (9.0.1)
- 15 Oct. 2020 (macros): Updated for Shadowlands pre-patch (9.0.1)
- 15 Oct. 2020 (playstyle): Updated for Shadowlands pre-patch (9.0.1)
- 15 Oct. 2020 (comps): Updated for Shadowlands pre-patch (9.0.1)
- 15 Oct. 2020 (gear): Updated for Shadowlands pre-patch (9.0.1)
- 15 Oct. 2020 (talents): Updated for Shadowlands pre-patch (9.0.1)
- 15 Oct. 2020 (this page): Updated for Shadowlands pre-patch (9.0.1)
- 15 Oct. 2020 (this page): Updated for Shadowlands pre-patch (9.0.1)
Other PvP Guides
This guide has been written by Mysticall, a seasoned multi-Rank 1 PvP player. You can watch Mysticall create educational and entertaining content that showcases advanced PvP strategies on on Twitch, and YouTube.
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