Cataclysm Classic Discipline Priest Rotation and Cooldowns

If you have not already, we recommend reading the Spells Summary page first. Knowing how each spell and ability works in detail will greatly increase your understanding of the topics discussed on this page. Discipline Priest healing is unique when compared to all other healers, focusing on preventing damage with multiple absorb spells rather than simply healing injured allies after they take damage.

Healing up single targets quickly is something Discipline does efficiently, especially if you can prevent a large amount of the targets damage taken with your absorption spells.

1. Archangel — Use on cooldown if you have 5 stacks of Evangelism.
2. Penance — Use on cooldown.
3. Power Word: Shield — Use whenever the target does not have the Weakened Soul debuff.
4. Prayer of Mending — Use on cooldown.
5. Binding Heal — Use in emergencies whenever you and the target are both low health.
6. Flash Heal — Use whenever your target is very low health and needs a quick heal.
7. Greater Heal — Whenever your target is taking high, sustained damage.
8. Holy Fire — Use for Atonement heals whenever healing requirements are not intense.
9. Smite — Use for Atonement heals when the target is debuffed by Holy Fire when healing requirements are not intense.
10. Renew — If you have free time to keep this up on targets that are taking consistent damage.
11. Heal — Use whenever incoming damage is very low and you want to reserve Mana.

While Discipline does no excel at raid healing, it is something you will frequently need to do to help top up your injured allies.

1. Power Word: Shield — Pre-cast this on as many group members as possible when you know raid-wide damage is coming soon.
2. Prayer of Mending — Use on cooldown.
3. Prayer of Healing — Cast this as frequently as is needed to heal up the group.
4. Prayer of Healing — You can also cast this repeatedly on groups to stack Divine Aegis before raid damage goes out.

Discipline Priest has long been known as a healer that brings multiple, powerful cooldowns, and this continues in Cataclysm as you have even more spells at your disposal. Knowing when and how to use these cooldowns will greatly improve your effectiveness as a healer and make you a great asset to any raid group.

• Desperate Prayer — 2-minute cooldown. Use this whenever you are very low health and at risk of dying.
• Inner Focus — 45-second cooldown. Use on cooldown.
• Power Infusion — 2-minute cooldown. You will usually want to use this on a spell caster DPS when they use their cooldowns, but you can also use this on a healer during high raid damage to help top the group up.
• Pain Suppression — 3-minute cooldown. Use this on tanks before a high damage burst phase.
• Shadowfiend — 5-minute cooldown. Use whenever you need Mana.
• Power Word: Barrier — 3-minute cooldown. Time this with raid-wide AoE mechanics to reduce the groups damage taken; make sure the group is stacked before placing this.
• Divine Hymn — 8-minute cooldown. Use whenever your regular healing rotation is unable to keep up with the raid damage taken.
• Hymn of Hope — 6-minute cooldown. Use during healing downtime on fights when you, or other group members, need Mana back.