Stat Priorities
Stat Ranking
Item level is by far the biggest upgrade, especially early on in the tier, as it increases your intellect. After that you can balance it out more by following this priority:
Raid: Crit > Mastery > Haste (until about 15%) > Versatility
M+: Haste > Versatility >= Crit > Mastery
The Mythic+ stats are aimed at improving your DPS & survivability, which are both key in dungeons. Our mastery is very powerful in raid but not so much in Mythic+ so you’ll want to prioritise other stats.
Stat Outline
Intellect: Increases your spell power, which boosts your abilities healing and damage.
Mastery: Echo of Light - a % of your direct healing is repeated over 6 seconds. Very powerful throughput when it does not overheal. It ticks every 3 seconds, this isn’t affected by haste.
Critical Strike: Increases your chance to crit. Mastery can’t crit by itself, but since the healing is based entirely on the healing done by the spell that proc’ed it, the HoT will be stronger if the initial heal is a crit.
Versatility: Flat out increases damage and healing done, while decreasing damage taken.
Haste: Increases casting speed, reduces the global cooldown and reduces the cooldown of Prayer of Mending and Circle of Healing.
Races
If you’re Horde, it’s highly preferred to pick Goblin, thanks to Rocket Jump. This 1 min 30 cooldown utility is good because of priests’ general lack of mobility.
If you’re Alliance, Void Elves have some mobility utility thanks to Spatial Rift that you will want to consider. Throughput will be very close between all races, so those utility picks are going to be what sets the races apart.
With Dracthyr being added for priest, it is the strongest option for both Alliance and Horde. It adds improved movement, which is something that priest welcomes, and it also adds additional Crowd Control.
Enchants
On progress encounters where you’re in danger of getting one shot you would want to default to avoidance. Avoidance will make it safer to take big hits, while leech will help you get topped faster and provide a bit of extra throughput.
Cloak: Enchant Cloak - Chant of Leeching Fangs / Enchant Cloak - Chant of Winged Grace
Bracers: Enchant Bracer - Chant of Armored Leech / Enchant Bracer - Chant of Armored Avoidance
Chest: Enchant Chest - Crystalline Radiance
Boots: Enchant Boots - Defender’s March
Legs: Sunset Spellthread
Rings: Enchant Ring - Radiant Critical Strike
Ring enchants will be dependent on the content you do and on the rest of your gear. They are good for balancing out your stats.
Weapon: Enchant Weapon - Authority of Fiery Resolve
Gems
Unique Gems
Elusive Blasphemite or Insightful Blasphemite are your best bet. The extra movement speed on the Elusive Blasphemite comes in handy with a class that has limited movement.
Regular Gems
Masterful Ruby and Deadly Onyx are both good options for filler gems.
Consumables
Health Potion: Algari Healing Potion
Mana Potion:
- Instant Mana Potion: Algari Mana Potion
- Sleeping Mana Potion: Slumbering Soul Serum
Sleeping potions will give you more mana than an instant mana potion if fully channeled but they might be hard to use and fully channel in a high movement encounter. If you don’t need the extra mana, you can use Tempered Potion for either more healing or more damage. I’d also recommend Tempered Potion for Mythic+.
Flask: Flask of Tempered Aggression and Flask of Alchemical Chaos are both good options.
Food: Feasts are your best option but for your personal food you can also go with Beledar's Bounty. This personal food will give you intellect.
Weapon Oil: You’ll want to use Algari Mana Oil.
Augment Rune: Crystallized Augment Rune.