1. #1

    1-39 Smite Spec, and 40+ Shadow Spec

    I know there is a priest leveling guide right now but the Smite Spec is the best option before level 40 due to the fact it can produce more damage at lower levels, mind flay really does nothing until you get shadow form, and other such talents at the bottom of the shadow talent tree.

    Here is the Smite Spec I recommend pre level 40, blessed recovery is useless, don't pick it up you will be shielded a majority of the time and the likeliness of you being crit when your shield is down is highly unlikely and blessed recovery hardly heals for anything.

    http://www.wowarmory.com/talent-calc...00000000000000

    Here is the Shadow Spec I recommend for level 40+

    http://www.wowarmory.com/talent-calc...10323152301351

    GLYPHS

    Smite Spec = Glyph of Smite, Glyph of Inner Fire

    Shadow Spec = Glyph of Mind Flay, Glyph of Shadow Word Pain, Glyph of Dispersion

  2. #2

    Re: 1-39 Smite Spec, and 40+ Shadow Spec

    You have not said anything about which order people should spec into that smitespec. and also, no spirit tap?
    another thing about smite is it's manacost.

    also, not really on topic...
    when leveling we don't want any downtime, at all. spirit tap is essential for that, aswell as focusing on spirit gear during the low levels (before outland). the bigger damage from smite is really not that large, at level 30 it does 40 more damage than mind flay while costing twice as much and not having the slowing effect that keeps the enemy from giving you casttime knockbacks.

    please, do use a smitebuild if that's what you want but make sure to pick up spirit tap (not improved though, that one was made for raiding since we lacked that in bc days) and remember that any low level dungeons are healable with shadowspec too (sniping the mobs last healthpercent with mind blast is a good way to get mana due to spirit tap).

    edit: since you edited in the glyph parts after I started posting the mind flay slow part could be ignored.

  3. #3

    Re: 1-39 Smite Spec, and 40+ Shadow Spec

    I find Meditation to be more viable then spirit tap.

  4. #4

    Re: 1-39 Smite Spec, and 40+ Shadow Spec

    I would have to strongly disagree. Levelling priests should run to mind flay as soon as possible. It makes grinding much easier. You use smite before you get mind flay simply because there isn't anything really better.

    Mind flay has a slow component and it is cheap. Shadow talents only make it better. Smite's only real benefit is it is holy and doesn't cost talent points to get it. The only reason to use smite once you can get mindflay is if you are leveling with a healer build for some reason.

    Smite doesn't slow mobs' approach, it doesn't stop them from fleeing, and it suffers pushback if you are attacked (or you have to spend a lot of mana bubbling), making the whole process inefficient. Mind flay + Sw will kill most targets by the time they are close enough to attack. You may need to wand once or twice but that's it. With spirit tap and improved spirit tap you can do this almost forever without running out of mana. Once you get vampiric touch, you don't even have to stop and heal yourself anymore.


  5. #5

    Re: 1-39 Smite Spec, and 40+ Shadow Spec

    You got it right with the Smite spec pre-40, but wrong in going down Disc. The time it takes to reach Meditation is significantly longer than the time it takes to reach Spirit Tap, and by filling the three points then heading down Holy you reach the talents which dramatically boost Smite/Holy Fire damage much, much sooner than if you go down Disc and spend all the 13 points first.

    Therefore, you get much more benefit much sooner getting Spirit Tap than getting Meditation.

    Mind Flay does suck before Shadowform.

  6. #6

    Re: 1-39 Smite Spec, and 40+ Shadow Spec

    I fail to see how getting 50% of your regen active is better than doubling your regen, and giving you 83% regen for the duration.

    If Regen = X, Meditation gives .5x
    Spirit Tap gives 166% regen while up, and 200% for the last bit while you drop the 5-second rule.

    If Spirit Tap falls off and you're oom in the middle of a pull, you probably shouldn't be soloing elites at that level.
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  7. #7

    Re: 1-39 Smite Spec, and 40+ Shadow Spec

    Quote Originally Posted by muto
    I know there is a priest leveling guide right now but the Smite Spec is the best option before level 40 due to the fact it can produce more damage at lower levels, mind flay really does nothing until you get shadow form, and other such talents at the bottom of the shadow talent tree.
    Scroll down further on the guide. Or, even better, click the link directly after the introduction that will take you directly to the Smite portion of the guide.

    The dominant spec 1-39 is.... there is none. Whichever tree you have new attacks for will kill faster for a few levels. The dominant spec switches between Holy and Shadow 6 times at 1-39 and once at 40-49, before switching to Shadow at 50. The disclaimer on the Smite guide is because currently the guide does not advise multiple respecs. I'm considering editing the disclaimer itself to reflect that it is primarily for levels 50-80.

  8. #8
    Scarab Lord AetherMcLoud's Avatar
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    Re: 1-39 Smite Spec, and 40+ Shadow Spec

    EVERY priest, come level 13, should have 3 points in spirit tap. No matter what you intend to do or spec, those 3 points are a given.
    You know what is better than drinking a beer? Brewing your own beer. And then drinking it. And then... Drinking another beer. And then, punching somebody in the snout! That's what!

  9. #9

    Re: 1-39 Smite Spec, and 40+ Shadow Spec

    I have to agree for the pro-spirit tap side. Especially as when you are leveling you are constantly killing monsters, this means that the uptime is very high. If you pull 2 monsters, spirit tap can even help you mid combat once you acquire a defeat.

    While I wont compare shadow vs smite, I will say that smite is a very viable alternative and if you prefer casting to channeling, then it is more fun also. However shadow does pull ahead at 40 and some people would do better with more shadow practice, then leveling as smite then switching.

  10. #10

    Re: 1-39 Smite Spec, and 40+ Shadow Spec

    you guys that posted after Proletariat didn't even bother looking at the talent tree links because if you did you would of saw i edited my smite spec.

  11. #11

    Re: 1-39 Smite Spec, and 40+ Shadow Spec

    Oh, I did. It's still not quite right and there's still already a stickied guide with a much more in depth look at Smite for leveling.

  12. #12

    Re: 1-39 Smite Spec, and 40+ Shadow Spec

    i would expect that type of response from you considering your defending your guide and are obviously someone who doesn't like to be proven wrong.

  13. #13

    Re: 1-39 Smite Spec, and 40+ Shadow Spec

    Quote Originally Posted by muto
    i would expect that type of response from you considering your defending your guide and are obviously someone who doesn't like to be proven wrong.
    it's alot better now, surge of light makes the smiting fun. however, I'd never put that many points in spll warding for a leveling build. it's main use will be to not get into a sticky situation and while that can happen spell damage really isn't the biggest source of damage. therefore I believe that getting out of the pinch is more important than possibly avoiding one very seldom.
    now just add some talk about getting spirit tap first and how to kill stuff (holy fire > smite... any situations while dotting is useful... how about mind blast? such things)

  14. #14
    Deleted

    Re: 1-39 Smite Spec, and 40+ Shadow Spec

    Quote Originally Posted by AetherMcLoud
    EVERY priest, come level 13, should have 3 points in spirit tap. No matter what you intend to do or spec, those 3 points are a given.
    Even at level 12, I dare say.

  15. #15

    Re: 1-39 Smite Spec, and 40+ Shadow Spec

    Quote Originally Posted by muto
    i would expect that type of response from you considering your defending your guide and are obviously someone who doesn't like to be proven wrong.
    Again, scroll down the guide and read over the Smite guide. You are taking the IF glyph over the PW:S, or Holy Nova glyphs, which are both better at the levels you would be using them. You're also posting a substantially worse spec than the one in the guide while providing no reasoning for doing so.

    If you're intent on proving something, then explain to me how your spec is better than the one in the guide at 39.
    Your spec: http://www.wowarmory.com/talent-calc...00000000000000
    The guide: http://www.wowhead.com/?talent#bZ0exhbbVbZh

    You've dropped Blessed Recovery, maxed Spell Warding and taken Desperate Prayer. You can find that change under the filler section. You can also read the pages of replies to find out why Blessed Recovery and Spell Warding are taken in the manner they are in the default build. So again, what exactly are you proving me, or the guide wrong in? Is it wrong in that those points aren't filler? Is it wrong in that the effective survivability gain from 3 points in Spell Warding is superior when solo than 3 in Blessed Resilience?

    I could care less about being proven wrong. What you've done is simply cluttered the forum more by rehashing something that's already covered in a sticky in much more depth.

  16. #16
    The Patient tehmark's Avatar
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    Re: 1-39 Smite Spec, and 40+ Shadow Spec

    All I can say mr op is that when leveling 1-70 takes 3 days it isn't worth overthinking.

  17. #17

    Re: 1-39 Smite Spec, and 40+ Shadow Spec

    Quote Originally Posted by tehmark
    All I can say mr op is that when leveling 1-70 takes 3 days it isn't worth overthinking.
    ya you're probably right..

  18. #18

    Re: 1-39 Smite Spec, and 40+ Shadow Spec

    loving the hate hanging around here. chill folks

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  19. #19

    Re: 1-39 Smite Spec, and 40+ Shadow Spec

    Checkin in on this thread.

    Just lvled my priest 1-39 smite spec. Total cake walk, especially once you get holy fire and glyph of smite. I think it is some of the easiest leveling i've ever done. I have 5 pieces of BOA gear so im that helps, but smite spec smashes, is fast paced and is ok on the mana. Dots are just too slow imo. I hated waiting for them, and tehy are expensive to cast, rarely go for full duration. At 39 my holy fire is hitting for mid 400s and my smites are 500 each, non crit.

    On the pluss side you can heal instances very, very well and heal bgs, and once you hit 20 can pump out some damn good dps too. You are hard to kill and make a great flag runner. My spec was a little different. I did
    http://www.wowhead.com/?talent#bZfxt0bbqm

    Glyphed for smite and renew. Renew was great to heal both bgs and instances with, i found myself very rarely using flash heal. Bubble, bubble breaks hit renew, let renew tick, rebubble and renew tops them off while bubble is still up. Worked great. Going shadow once I hit 40 though, which will be tonight.

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