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Energizer™ Smite Spec: A guide to faster priest leveling!
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Post by
367159
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Post by
PalominoMule
I know plenty of folks have already praised this spec, and rightfully so, but I just have to join in.
I'd always been a holy priest, and had no idea what to do with my secondary spec. I knew I really ought to get a disco spec for tank healing or shadow spec for raid dps, but neither play style quite appealed to me. After reading this guide though, I decided to give a variant of this a shot - I'd always been well-known for smiting readily in runs when I had the time and mana to spare.
So, I've been using
this build
for a while now, and I've been having a blast ever since. The uses are numerous:
1. Healing heroics for which my favorite tank and I are vastly overgeared. Lets me do fun and stupid things like pulling mobs and doing holy nova AoE for giggles, or be sensible and sit back to do basic holy fire + smite dps.
2. Solo work for questing or dailies is suddenly - after years of being endlessly painful - easy and fun. I never have to stop and drink, unless I get silly and decide to AoE (which I nevertheless survive, so what's the problem?).
3. Soloing older dungeons. I'm no tank, but a hardier shield and rapid dps lets me pull off things that would be damn difficult in my healing spec.
4. Actually, I also use that spec for Champions in ToC10/25. I spend the bulk of the fight casting some sort of dispel, and the lower mana cost, larger mana pool and shorter Mass Dispel cast time make this useful - as does the somewhat beefier shield for getting myself and others out of trouble.
Obviously this spec isn't *perfect* for all of the tasks above, but the trick is it *works* in all those situations while only taking up one spec and being a veritable blast. About the only thing I wish I could do in that spec that I can't is have Body & Soul, which is tied with my Smite Spec for "best toy ever".
Post by
Thander
Very nice guide. I'm leveling a second priest and chose the Holy Smiter route having gone Shadow with the first one. (priest is one of my favorite classes, and I actually like leveling.)
Post by
noriegga
This will be my third 70 priest, second 80 and I have to say this seems to be the fastest. I also managed to get the gurubashi trinket by smiting my foes today
Post by
459957
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Post by
306228
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Post by
243884
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Post by
Arkaen
Forsooth! I hath been enlightened! The err of my ways are now clear!
^ True story. :)
Post by
Chinky
Not this thing again . . . . . . .
Post by
Vaeku
Just updated the guide for 3.3, with the "Dungeon Finder" section added.
Started a new hunter on another realm. Still getting amazed at how many low level priests pick Shadow.
It's probably because they don't visit these forums! Everyone always seems to think that since shadow is consider THE spec for DPS, that's what they should use for leveling (since, after all, the DPS paladin spec is good for leveling, and same with druid).
In a few weeks or so I'm going to start a priest and use this spec, to see if I like healing. Hopefully I will as it'll make leveling through the LFD tool a breeze. Only hard part should be the first 15-20 levels.
Post by
bwirum
(since, after all, the DPS paladin spec is good for leveling, and same with druid).
Well, that's true, but leaving out information :) Pally prot spec is amazing for leveling, same fun is to be had with druid bear swipe spec :)
Well, at least it was, haven't levelled either in a good while.
Now, doing this here on my newborn lvl 24 undead priestess at the moment, working very well and loving the spec. Not sure if I'm ready to respec to disc next level, will have to see how things turn out manawise first.
Post by
Vaeku
Well, that's true, but leaving out information :) Pally prot spec is amazing for leveling, same fun is to be had with druid bear swipe spec :)
Right, prot pally is good for AoE leveling, but not until level 30 I think. I was talking more overall leveling, and more "traditional leveling" (i.e. not AoE grinding). Didn't know there was a druid bear swipe spec for leveling though.
Post by
bwirum
Well, truth be told, I guess it wasn't as much a "spec" as a "shift into bear and swipe away with as many damage talents as possible" ;-)
And I figured what you meant really, I was just being picky.
Post by
Rouen
Just chiming in to give this guide my thumbs up! I'm leveling a priest and this "spec" works very nicely. Soon as I dinged 20, it most definitely made leveling much less tedious and frustrating.
Thanks Chiv!
Post by
282517
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Post by
395672
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Post by
Rouen
*Update*
I've gotten my priest to 40 with this spec so far. If you quest to level, and kill all the mobs to and from your quest objectives, you'll spend roughly an hour at each level above 15. This changes once you hit the high 50's and into Outlands.
As long as I'm going after single mobs at a time, I do not run out of mana. You can handle multiple mobs fairly easily, but you may need to drink after 3+ at once since you expend so much mana and the lack of regen inbetween kills.... but that's if you suck at pulling.
The spec continues to impress. I cleared out the cave east of the Rebel Camp while grouped with a Ret paladin that's a level higher then I was (I think I was 34-35). After we cleaned it out, he said to me...
"Remind me never to duel you."
He proceeds to link his recount. I slaughtered him in damage done and DPS. Keep in mind that this was a random player, not a guildie or friend.
In another case, I impressed a friend of mine who chronically complains of how difficult a priest is to level, in terms of time and the nerve racking tedious nature of it. He followed me around to see how I level with Chiv's spec. His jaw hit the floor.
Let the word spread!
Post by
ShadowSerpent
I've constantly been respeccing my priest (disco>shadow>disco>holy>shadow>repeat all) but no "pure" spec seemed to do it for me. Then I read somewhere about this build, so I had to look it up. Right now, I'm using it and couldn't be happier! Finally, the regen of shadow combined with the dps of holy and the survivability of disco! It gets a bit crappy fighting against higher level mobs, but then again I'm used to leveling rogue back when they were op and pally =p
I was about to submit a build that goes further then level 50, building upon yours. Good thing I read through here first, as it turns out PalominoMule had the
same idea
as me ><' (actually, his is a tad better, I had 3/3 silent resolve instead of 3/3 imp. flash)
I
'm only at 47 right now, but I can't wait to try it!
Post by
Vaeku
So my priest is I think 26, so I've gotten to the point where you respec for those few points in disc then go back to holy... And man, those few points in Disc really helped with mana. Before I could lose half my mana on a larger pull in instances, and now it's maybe just a fourth or less.
Based on that, why do you suggest putting those first points in holy, then respeccing to disc, then putting points back into holy. Wouldn't it be easier (and a little cheaper) ot just start of in the disc tree after Spirit Tap?
Post by
243884
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