Priests are healers, but more often than not, they are required to do some heavy DPS.
Priests are able to choose whether to heal or to be a damage dealer. But priests have lost the title of the primary healers in the World of Warcraft since the release of the Burning Crusade expansion. Restoration-specced druids have more efficient HOTs compared to priests. Holy paladins are greater single target healers compared to priests. And restoration-specced shammies are more desired multi-target healers compared to priests.
When it comes to healing, priests can be considered as students of many crafts but a mentor of none. They have quick heals, HOTs, and multi-target heals, but they're easily not as effective with these as the other jobs.
So, if they're no longer the best healers in the World of Warcraft, what should priests be doing come end game in 25 man raids? There are two purposes.
1. Priests are required to deal some heavy damage. Focusing on shadow talents is best for this, what with many direct damage spells from the dark arts.
2. Priests are stars for one vital role: mana batteries. Priests have powers that increase the mana refueling of spell casters in the same party. This is the rationale that explains why priests are grouped_placed in the same group with spell casters - often the healers - in 25 man setups.
Priests are one of the fastest classes when it comes to solo grinding to the level cap. Before level 40, priests depend heavily on wands as their main damage dealing instrument. But by level 40, most priests focus on shadow just to get shadow form, the essential deal maker for this character type. Shadow form provides tincredible increase in the shadow damage caused by priests.
Shadow priests are highly effective killers. It will take a shadow priest approximately one-fourth of the time it will take a warrior to dispose of a given monster.
Whether as healbots or as damage dummies, priests are a great class that will vindicate your decision to roll one.
