Priest learned

2026-09-18: The Beta Opens and Shadow Rules Out Vampiric Touch

This is the catch-up issue, written after reading the whole archive back to BlizzCon, so it covers where the class stands rather than one day of news. The short version: Discipline has pulled clear of Holy as the healing pick, shadow answered its two biggest questions and did not like either answer, and mana is still the problem nobody has solved. Beta characters stop at level 20, so none of the level 40 spells that decide any of this have been played.

🌑 Shadow: A Trainer Run to Level 60 Buries Vampiric Touch

• Vampiric Touch is not in the game. One tester read the priest trainer list all the way to 60 and it is neither baseline nor a talent, and the four “Unknown” entries everyone had hopes for turned out to be Shadow Word: Death ranks. The Wowhead entry at spell 402668 is a Season of Discovery leftover. Confirmed
• The same trainer run turned up no area damage spell at any level, so tab-dotting is shadow’s answer to packs. Mind FlayMind FlayShadow Magic · Max rank 1 · Changed from Classic45 Mana | 20 yd range | ChanneledAssault the target's mind with Shadow energy, causing 104 Shadow damage over 3 sec and slowing their movement speed by 50%.Requires 10 points in Shadow MagicAll ranks read from demo footage. reaching 36 yards with talents is the change people rate highest in the other direction, and the rest of the kit is worth reading before you commit. Confirmed
• DoTs do not snapshot. A gnome tester watched Eureka!‘s 10% damage buff apply only to the ticks landing while the buff was up, and lose it the instant the last charge was spent, so the third charge wants to be Mind Blast or Shadow Word: Death. Confirmed

🛡️ Discipline: Shields Lose Their Cooldown and Mana Bites Back

• Soul WardingSoul WardingDiscipline · Max rank 1 · New in ForeverReduces the cooldown on your Power Word: Shield spell by 4 sec and reduces its mana cost by 15%.Requires 15 points in Discipline · Requires points in Improved Power Word: ShieldAll ranks read from demo footage. removes the Power Word: Shield cooldown and there is no Rapture anywhere in the tree, so the shield loop has nothing paying for it. One healer who ran a demo dungeon says shield spam still empties the bar. Consensus
• PenancePenanceDiscipline · Max rank 1 · New in Forever100 Mana | Enemy: 36 yd range / Friendly: 40 yd range | Channeled | 12 sec cooldownLaunches a volley of holy light at the target, causing 96 Holy damage to an enemy, or 233 healing to an ally. Instantly and every 1 sec for 2 sec.Requires 20 points in DisciplineAll ranks read from demo footage. and Prayer of MendingPrayer of MendingHoly · Max rank 1 · New in Forever210 Mana | 40 yd range | Instant | 10 sec cooldownPlaces a spell on the target that heals them for 247 the next time they take damage or receive non-periodic healing. When the heal occurs, Prayer of Mending jumps to a party or raid member within 20 yards. Jumps up to 5 times and lasts 30 sec after each jump. This spell can only be placed on one target at a time per caster.Requires 30 points in Holy · Requires points in Spirit of RedemptionAll ranks read from demo footage. cannot be reached in the same build, which is the single choice that decides most healing lists. The 33/18 that keeps Power Infusion and the 29/22 that trades it for Litany of Light are the two going around. One person
• Holy PrecisionHoly PrecisionDiscipline · Max rank 3 · New in ForeverIncreases your chance to hit with Holy spells by 6%.Requires 5 points in DisciplineMax rank not read from footage; showing rank 1 text. buys 18% spell hit for three points, more than anyone expects to need on a boss, which is why the Smite builds live in the Discipline tree. Consensus

✨ Holy: Prayer of Healing Crosses Group Lines at 40 Yards

• Prayer of Healing can be cast on any player and heals that player’s group, so nobody swaps raid groups for it. The tooltip caught on stream shows a 40 yard group radius at 1/2 Holy ReachHoly ReachHoly · Max rank 2 · Same as ClassicIncreases the range of your Smite and Holy Fire spells and the radius of your Prayer of Healing and Holy Nova spells by 20%.Requires 15 points in HolyAll ranks read from demo footage. and 48 at 2/2, against 30 in Classic. Confirmed
• Prayer of MendingPrayer of MendingHoly · Max rank 1 · New in Forever210 Mana | 40 yd range | Instant | 10 sec cooldownPlaces a spell on the target that heals them for 247 the next time they take damage or receive non-periodic healing. When the heal occurs, Prayer of Mending jumps to a party or raid member within 20 yards. Jumps up to 5 times and lasts 30 sec after each jump. This spell can only be placed on one target at a time per caster.Requires 30 points in Holy · Requires points in Spirit of RedemptionAll ranks read from demo footage. is the 31 point capstone and it is the Season of Discovery version, with Spirit of RedemptionSpirit of RedemptionHoly · Max rank 1 · Changed from ClassicUpon death, the priest becomes the Spirit of Redemption for 15 sec. The Spirit of Redemption cannot move, attack, be attacked or targeted by any spells or effects. While in this form the priest can cast any healing spell free of cost. When the effect ends, the priest dies.Requires 20 points in HolyAll ranks read from demo footage. sitting on the path to it. Lightwell and Circle of Healing are both out, and Binding Heal is a level 25 talent that beats Flash Heal at rank 1. Consensus
• Spiritual GuidanceSpiritual GuidanceHoly · Max rank 5 · Changed from ClassicIncreases your spell healing by up to 5% of your total Spirit and your spell damage by up to 1% of your total Spirit.Requires 20 points in HolyMax rank not read from footage; showing rank 1 text. lost its damage half: 1% of Spirit as spell damage per point, 5% at 5/5, against 25% in vanilla. The healing conversion stayed at 25%, and the spirit-stacking smite build died with the change. Consensus

📜 Blizzard and Other: Blizzard Opens the Beta and Takes Bugs on GitHub

• The beta went live after the September 17 Q&A with a level 20 cap that will be raised to 30, and Blizzard said 30 to 60 content will not be playable until launch. Beta ends October 22 and launch is November 4, thirteen days apart. A developer interview covers the cap around the 9:30 mark. Blizzard said
• Blizzard’s itemization panel said bonus healing now includes one third as much bonus damage, and an interview explained the high spell damage on caster weapons: base spell damage was nerfed and moved onto the weapon so casters feel gear upgrades the way melee do. Blizzard said
• The Classic team opened a public GitHub repository for Forever bug reports and asked that feedback go to the official forums instead. Blizzard said