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Variants

Overview

Holy Paladin is the plate-wearing tank healer of WoW Forever, and Forever gives it the tools it never had in Classic. Holy Shock is now a tier 5 talent you pick up at 30, and trainers teach new ranks at 40, 48 and 56. Light's Vigil at the bottom of the tree gives you a party heal. Reverence lets 30% of your mana regeneration continue while casting, and Infusion of Light turns your crits into faster Holy Lights.

Your job is keeping one or two targets alive through big, steady damage. Holy Light is the biggest single heal you cast, Flash of Light is the cheap, quick top-up, and Holy Shock is the instant heal you save for the moment a tank drops. Every crit from Holy Light, Flash of Light, Holy Shock and Light's Vigil gives mana back through Illumination.

Play Holy if you want to heal tanks in dungeons from 13 to 60, and in the raids opening December 9, Barrow Deeps and Hyjal Summit.

Strengths

  • Big, efficient single-target heals. Holy Light with Healing Light and Blessing of Light on the tank keeps it topped through heavy boss damage.
  • Plate armor from 40, and Divine Shield. You survive the mistakes that kill cloth healers.
  • Mana on crit: Illumination refunds half the base cost of every critical heal, and Holy Power adds 5% crit to all of them.
  • An instant heal and a party heal: Holy Shock every 10 seconds, and Light's Vigil when the whole group takes damage.
  • Utility: Blessing of Protection, Lay on Hands, Divine Intervention, Cleanse and a Blessing on every player.

Weaknesses

  • Light's Vigil is your only group heal, and it's expensive. A raid full of damage outpaces you.
  • No heals over time. Every heal you cast is a direct heal you have to time.
  • Holy Light is a 2.5-second cast. Pushback and movement cost you more than an instant healer.
  • Weak solo. Level as Retribution and switch to Holy for dungeons.
  • No interrupt. Hammer of Justice is your only way to stop a cast.

What's new in Forever

New in Forever
  • Holy Shock is a tier 5 Holy talent that needs 20 points in the tree, with trained ranks at 40, 48 and 56. It heals an ally or hits an enemy, instantly, every 10 seconds.
  • Light's Vigil (tier 7): mark an ally or enemy for 30 seconds. Your next Holy Shock on them triggers no cooldown. On an ally it heals their whole party. On an enemy it deals Holy damage and refunds 75% of Light's Vigil's mana. Trainers teach new ranks at 50 and 60.
  • New Holy talents: Voice of Truth (6 seconds of immunity to Silence and Interrupts), Reverence, Infusion of Light (Holy Shock and Flash of Light crits cut your next Holy Light's cast time by 1 second), Divine Precision and Consecrated Ground.
  • Illumination now needs Reverence 3/3 and refunds 50% of the spell's base cost on 100% of your critical heals, Light's Vigil included.
  • Holy Power gives +15% crit to Holy Shock and Holy Strike and +5% to every other spell.
  • Healing Light now covers Holy Shock, Spiritual Focus protects 70% of your Holy Light, Flash of Light and Light's Vigil casts from pushback, and Purifying Power makes Cleanse and Purify 20% cheaper.
  • Lay on Hands no longer stops your mana regeneration.
  • Blessings last 1 hour, Greater Blessings too, and Blessing of Kings is baseline at 20.
  • Resistance auras cover the whole raid, not only your party.

Talents

The dungeon healing build for 20 to 30. Divine Intellect and Healing Light make every heal bigger and every pull cheaper, Reverence keeps you regenerating while you cast, and Illumination hands mana back on every crit. Holy Shock lands at 30. This build heals but kills slowly, so level as Retribution between dungeon runs (see the leveling guide) and switch when you heal groups.

Split 21/0/0 · 21 points at level 30 · Open in calculator

Talent order

  1. Levels 10–14: 5/5 Divine Intellect. +10% Intellect: a bigger mana pool and more spell crit.
  2. Levels 15–17: 3/3 Healing Light. +12% healing from Holy Light, Flash of Light and Holy Shock.
  3. Levels 18–19: 2/2 Spiritual Focus. A 70% chance to ignore pushback on Holy Light and Flash of Light. Dungeon mobs hit healers.
  4. Levels 20–22: 3/3 Reverence. 30% of your mana regeneration continues while casting.
  5. Levels 23–24: 2/2 Purifying Power. 20% cheaper Purify and Cleanse. It also unlocks tier 4.
  6. Levels 25–29: 5/5 Illumination. Every critical heal refunds half its base mana cost.
  7. Level 30: 1/1 Holy Shock. An instant heal every 10 seconds, for the moment the tank drops faster than Holy Light can land.

Flexible points

  • Dungeons with lots of Fear casters: move Purifying Power into 2/2 Unyielding Faith. Fears on you last 30% shorter, and it still unlocks tier 4.

Races

Best races

Alliance: Human. Sword Specialization gives +2% critical strike chance with all spells while you hold a one-handed sword. Every extra crit is an Illumination refund. The Human Spirit adds 5% Spirit, and Will to Survive breaks a stun every 3 minutes.

Alliance alternative: Dwarf. Mace Specialization gives +1% crit with all spells while you hold a mace. Stoneform cleanses Poisons, Diseases and Bleeds on yourself and cuts Physical damage taken by 10% for 8 seconds.

Horde: Undead. The only Horde Paladin. Will of the Forsaken breaks Fear, Charm and Sleep every 2 minutes: your answer to a boss that fears the raid. Cannibalize restores 7% of your health and mana every 2 seconds for 10 seconds from a Humanoid or Undead corpse: a free drink after trash.

All playable races

  • Human: Sword Specialization, The Human Spirit, Will to Survive, Perception.
  • Dwarf: Mace Specialization, Stoneform, Big Game Hunter, Find Treasure.
  • Undead (Horde, new in Forever): Will of the Forsaken, Cannibalize, Touch of the Grave, Underwater Breathing.

Rotation

Before the pull

  • Concentration Aura when the pack has casters or you expect to be hit, Devotion Aura otherwise.
  • Blessing of Kings on the tank, Blessing of Wisdom on yourself and the other casters. They last an hour.
  • Stand where you can reach the tank with Holy Shock (20 yards), out of Consecration and cleave. Holy Light and Flash of Light reach 40.

Healing priority

  1. Holy Light on the tank when they are missing more than a Holy Light heals. Start the cast before the damage lands, and step to cancel it if the tank is still full when it's almost done.
  2. Flash of Light for small damage and anyone who isn't the tank. It's a 1.5-second cast and much cheaper.
  3. Holy Shock when the tank drops fast or you have to move. It's instant, every 10 seconds.
  4. Purify Poisons and Diseases off the tank first, then the rest.

Emergencies

  • Lay on Hands heals the tank for your full health and drains your mana. It no longer stops your regeneration, so you start refilling at once.
  • Blessing of Protection on a DPS a mob is chasing. Physical attacks can't reach them for 8 seconds, and rank 3 at 38 makes it 10.
  • Divine Protection on yourself if a pack turns on you. You can still heal during it.

Mana

Drink after every pull that took more than a third of your mana. Reverence keeps some regeneration running while you cast, but the real refill is drinking between packs.

Stat priority

Dungeon healing

  1. Spell Power
  2. Intellect
  3. Spirit
  4. Stamina

Spell Power adds to every heal, and at 30 even small amounts are a big share of Holy Light. Intellect is your mana pool and your crit. Spirit refills you between pulls, and Reverence turns some of it into mana while you cast.

Gear

What to wear

You wear mail until 40 and plate from 40. For a healer, stats beat armor type: a cloth or leather piece with Spell Power, Intellect and Spirit beats a mail piece without them. The tank takes the hits.

Weapons

A one-handed weapon with Spell Power and a shield or off-hand with Intellect. As a Human, pick a sword for Sword Specialization's 2% crit; as a Dwarf, a mace for Mace Specialization's 1%.

Professions

Herbalism and Alchemy is the Holy pair. Alchemy makes Flask of Distilled Wisdom, Mageblood Elixir and Major Mana Potions, the consumables that decide how long you heal a boss. Herbalism supplies it.

Enchanting and Tailoring is the alternative: Tailoring makes cloth healing gear, and Enchanting puts healing enchants on it.

For gold while leveling, take Herbalism and Mining, then switch one of them at 60.

Group play and dungeons

Your job is keeping the tank alive, then the party, then yourself.

  • Stay in range and out of melee. Holy Light and Flash of Light reach 40 yards. Holy Shock and Light's Vigil reach 20.
  • Cleanse early. Cleanse removes a Poison, a Disease and a Magic effect at once, and Purifying Power makes it 20% cheaper.
  • Blessings. Kings for everyone is the default. Blessing of Light on the tank increases every Holy Light you cast on them by up to 400.
  • Blessing of Protection a DPS who pulled aggro. They can't attack during it, and physical attacks can't touch them.
  • Blessing of Sacrifice (Blessing of Sacrifice) on the tank moves some of every hit onto you for 30 seconds.
  • Hammer of Justice is your interrupt. Stun the add that's healing or fearing.
  • Divine Intervention (Divine Intervention) saves one party member when a wipe is certain. Put it on a player who can resurrect the rest.

Tips

Light's Vigil before Holy Shock

Holy Shock on a Light's Vigil target triggers no cooldown. Cast Light's Vigil, then Holy Shock the marked ally for the party heal, and you still have Holy Shock ready for the tank.

Divine Favor on the right spell

Divine Favor on Flash of Light wastes most of it. Put it on Holy Light for the biggest heal, or on Holy Shock for an Infusion of Light.

Cancel Holy Light instead of overhealing. Start early, and step to stop the cast if the tank is full when it's almost done. A wasted Holy Light costs 660 mana at max rank.

Divine Shield doesn't stop your healing. It halves the damage you deal, not the healing. Bubble and keep casting.

Blessings last an hour. Rebuff after deaths, not on every pull.

Train Holy Shock ranks at 40, 48 and 56. The talent teaches rank 1, and trainers sell the rest.

Macros

Holy Shock on your mouseover, or your target. Heal without switching targets.

Mouseover Holy Shock
#showtooltip Holy Shock
/cast [@mouseover,help,nodead][help] Holy Shock

Holy Light on your mouseover. Keep the boss targeted and heal from the raid frames.

Mouseover Holy Light
#showtooltip Holy Light
/cast [@mouseover,help,nodead][help] Holy Light

Flash of Light that stops your current cast first. When a Holy Light won't land in time, this replaces it with a 1.5-second heal.

Stop and Flash
#showtooltip Flash of Light
/stopcasting
/cast [@mouseover,help,nodead][help] Flash of Light

Light's Vigil on your mouseover, for the party that's about to take damage.

Mouseover Light's Vigil
#showtooltip Light's Vigil
/cast [@mouseover,help,nodead][help] Light's Vigil

Cleanse on your mouseover.

Mouseover Cleanse
#showtooltip Cleanse
/cast [@mouseover,help,nodead][help] Cleanse

Changelog

  • Guide published with Level 30 Dungeon Healer, Level 60 Raid and Level 60 Champion builds.
  • Corrected Holy Shock and Light's Vigil range (20 yards) and stat naming (Spell Power); linked raids.

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