Project Lore: World of Warcraft Videos and Guides

1-10

The first 10 levels are meant to help welcome new WoW players to the expansive world. You'll go through the basics of attacking enemies and accomplishing quests, all the while making acquaintances with other's leveling around you. You will start off in a level 1-5 area that is simple to quest in. The biggest thing to get familiar with is your mana usage, as it will become essentially your lifeline throughout your WoW experience. Learn when it's best to use staff or wand rather than a spell so that you save mana for your next encounter. If you burn out your mana too quickly you'll find yourself taking drinking breaks every few minutes to replenish you're supply. You'll initially start out with a ranged damage spell, Smite, and a healing spell, Lesser Heal.

Level 2

You'll have the opportunity to learn your first buff spell, Power Word: Fortitude, which will become vital to you and your teammates as you continue to level for it increases your Stamina which in turn increases your health. Solo questing is doable, especially in this level range, but a priest is a much more efficient healer, and grouping with one or more other players can make questing a great deal more fun and easy. Plus, they'll be happy to have a healer just as much as you're happy to have their damage capabilities.

Level 4

Here you'll get your first DoT (Damage over Time) spell, Shadow Word: Pain, which will deal damage slowly throughout the fight. This spell will make soloing much easier and also speed up enemy encounters while you're in a group. This will also become a significant PvP spell.

Level 6

This level brings you your Power Word: Shield spell that bubbles you or your friendly target, blocking incoming attacks from enemies. This is extremely useful for a priest, as it will allow you to cast without interruptions. It is known to decrease threat though, which is good for a priest but can be disruptive if cast on a tank during an instance or raid.

Level 8

Renew is a HoT (Healing over Time) spell that heals you with every second it's active. You'll also get a Fade spell which will relieve you of enemy aggro while in a group, allowing you to focus on heals.

Level 10

You'll get one of the best Priest abilities at level 10, Resurrection, which will allow you to "res" other players in your group or faction. Few classes have this ability and in raids and instances it is a vital resource. You'll also get your first Shadow spell, Mind Blast, which isn't of much use for a healing priest, but an essential spell for Shadow priests.

At level 10 you also get to put your first talent point into use. Many people believe the best spec to master while leveling is the Shadow talent tree, since it will improve your damage capabilities and allow you to solo quest. Holy priests can also solo, but it's a bit harder and more time consuming. Being a healing priest can get you into many different instances easily and quickly and also make you preferable as a questing partner. Shadow Priests shouldn't have much of a problem healing instances, though.

Finally, at level 10 you'll get one of two race specific spells. These also help to differentiate skills in a class. You will get this quest from any priest trainer and it requires you to travel to your race's capital.

Blood Elf/Undead - Touch of Weakness: The next damaging melee attack against the caster will cause Shadow damage and reduce the damage caused by the attacker for 2 min. Aelthalyste in the War Quarter of the Undercity gives this.

Troll - Hex of Weakness: Weakens the target enemy, reducing damage caused and reduces effectiveness of healing spells by 20% for 2 minutes. Ur'kyo in the Valley of Spirits in Orgrimmar gives this.

Human/Dwarf - Desperate Prayer: Instantly heals the caster. 10 minute cooldown. The trainer you'll get this from is High Priestess Laurena in the Cathedral in SW.

Night Elf - Starshards: Rains starshards down on the enemy target's head, causing Arcane damage over 15 sec. No mana cost, 30 sec cooldown. Priestess Alathea in the Temple of the Moon in Darnassus gives this.

Dranei - Symbol of Hope: Greatly increase the morale of the party members. Gives them mana every 5 secs for 15 secs. 5 min cooldown.

11-20

It is widely accepted that Blizzard has made quests more streamlined in the new Burning Crusade areas. So even if you're Undead, you might want to consider traveling to the Blood Elf starting area. Alliance can go to the Azuremyst Isle via boat from Auberdine in Darkshore. Instances that will benefit you around level 15 include Deadmines (in southwest Westfall) for Alliance and Ragefire Chasm (under Orgrimmar) for the Horde. At around 17 you can begin to instance in Wailing Caverns in the Barrens just outside the Crossroads, but that instance is tough to get to for Alliance.

When leveling, gear is important, but it isn't something to really focus on until you reach level 70, when gear can give you superior advantages over other level 70 players. Focus primarily on your base stats while leveling since those will improve your game the most. Holy priests should focus on intelligence, spirit, and stamina with an eye out for +healing. Shadow priests should focus on the same base stats with an eye out for +spell damage.

Level 12

Inner Fire is great for decreasing the amount of damage inflicted on you and can be improved through the Discipline talent tree.

Level 14

Cure Disease is good for when you or friendly targets are inflicted by a disease, but this is situational.

Psychic Scream is a great spell for PvP, but hardly ever used in instance runs as it will most likely aggro other mobs.

Level 16

Heal is essentially an improvement on your Lesser Heal spell. This will be your main healing spell for the next few levels and is still valuable at higher levels as a minimum mana usage option.

Level 18

Dispel Magic removes harmful spells from a friend or beneficial spells from an enemy. This will become a very important PvP and often used in PvE since magic is one of the main categories of spells used in the game.

Level 20

Fear Ward is a good PvP buff, and is useful for those situations in groups where the enemy fears, so the tank doesn't drop aggro.

Flash Heal is a faster version of the Heal spell, this spell is criticized as being inefficient in mana usage and it doesn't get a very good percentage of your +heals. Only use this when quick heals are called for.

Holy Fire is a long spell to cast, so this is great for pulling while soloing.

Mind Soothe soothes the target, reducing the range at which it will attack you by 10 yards.

Shackle Undead is a good crowd control spell in instances with undead NPCs.

At level 20 you'll also get your second racial spell.

Blood Elf-Consume Magic: Dispels one beneficial Magic effect from the caster and gives them mana. 2 min cooldown.

Troll- Shadowguard: The caster is surrounded by shadows. When a melee or ranged attacker hits the caster, the attacker will be struck for Shadow damage. Attackers can only be damaged once every few seconds. 3 charges. Lasts 10 minutes.

Undead- Devouring Plague: Afflicts the target with a disease that causes Shadow damage over 24 seconds. Damage caused by the Devouring Plague heals the caster.

Draenei/Dwarf- Chastise: Chastise the target, causing Holy damage and Incapacitates them for up to 2 sec. Any damage caused will awaken the target. Only works against Humanoids. This spell causes very low threat.

Human- Feedback: The priest becomes surrounded with anti-magic energy. Any successful spell cast against the priest will burn attacker's Mana, causing 1 Shadow damage for each point of Mana burned. Lasts 15 sec.

Night Elf- Elune's Grace: Reduce chance to be hit by melee and ranged attacks by 20% for 15 seconds.

21-57

Level 22

Mind Vision is a fun spell to cast on friends or to see around corners, this is not often used in battles.

Level 24

Mana Burn is extremely useful in PvP to take out an enemy spellcaster's power.

Level 30

Mind Control - Controls a humanoid mind up to level, but increases the time between attacks by 25%. Lasts up to 1 minute. A situational spell, it can be beneficial in instances as a CC spell as well as useful in PvP combat.

Prayer of Healing - A powerful prayer heals party members within 30 yards. This is inefficient in terms of mana usage in most situations, but if all of your group members are dying around you this could be a good emergency spell to employ.

Shadow Protection is a great buff to keep on, but it uses a decent amount of mana so use with caution. In PvP it greatly improves battles with warlocks and shadow priests.

Level 32

Abolish Disease is an improvement over Cure Disease, this is again a very situational spell.

Level 34

Levitate, like Mind Vision, is more of an entertaining spell than one used in battle. Can be used to quickly get across a large lake or to safely jump of a cliff as well as impress friends.

Level 40

Greater Heal is the most mana efficient healing spell a priest has, it takes a while to cast but is also the most powerful healing spell in the game. Good for burst healing in instances/raids.

58-70

Level 58

Head to the Dark Portal and start leveling in Hellfire Peninsula! The Outlands offer a great questing speed and you'll practically plow through the 12 levels necessary to finally reach level 70.

Level 62

Shadow Word: Death is somewhat of a risky spell to cast. It is best used by shadow priests and is rarely employed by healers.

Level 64

Binding Heal is good if you and a friend are both low on health, this is also a pretty inefficient mana usage spell.

Level 66

Shadowfiend is one of the best priest spells available, besides the 5 minute cooldown time this will deal damage to enemies while greatly improving your mana regeneration. Good for questing as a way to quickly build back up your mana pool and for PvP as a last resort when you're mana is gone to continue to heal/deal damage.

Level 68

Prayer of Mending will fly all over the battlefield and heals friendly targets on its own, allowing you to focus on other healing spells. Use this as often as possible especially with large groups as its low mana cost makes it very efficient. This healing spell also causes threat to the raid member healed so it's a useful spell to keep on the tank in instances or raids.

Level 70

Mass Dispel is great for raids and instances with bosses that quickly levee negative spells on many of your party members. As the description says, it is more powerful than any other dispelling effect, and it can even dispel paladin bubbles and ice blocks.