Healer Rotation & Cooldowns

This rotation offers a general priority list for Holy Priest abilities, along with key cooldowns at the bottom. It's based on a standard build and is here to help while we work on a smarter, build-aware system. If you are very new to the game or this class, we added info on the new assisted rotation features at the bottom of this guide. Updated for the latest patch in World of Warcraft: Midnight Pre-Patch (12.0.0).

Single Target

Prepare Holy Word Serenity and Holy Word Sanctify charges before the encounter.

• HaloView detailsUse as raid damage begins for continuous healing.
• ApotheosisView detailsReset Holy Word cooldowns; ensure charges are ready before activation.
• Prayer Of MendingView detailsKeep on cooldown for efficient healing.
• Holy Word SanctifyView detailsUse for AoE healing.
• Holy Word SerenityView detailsUse for single-target healing.
• Flash HealView detailsConsume Surge Of Light procs.
• SmiteView detailsUse during downtime to generate Surge Of Light procs.
• Divine HymnView detailsUse for raid-wide damage.

Start with Halo as damage begins, followed by Apotheosis to reset Holy Word cooldowns. Maintain Prayer Of Mending and use Holy Word Sanctify for AoE or Holy Word Serenity for single-target healing. Use Flash Heal with Surge Of Light procs and Smite during downtime.

AoE

• Prayer Of MendingView detailsKeep on cooldown, prioritizing allies needing healing.
• HaloView detailsUse frequently for healing and damage.
• Holy Word SanctifyView detailsUse on cooldown for AoE healing.
• ApotheosisView detailsReset Holy Word cooldowns and prepare for burst healing.
• Flash HealView detailsBuild Lightweaver stacks for stronger Prayer Of Healing.
• Symbol Of HopeView detailsUse when defensives are on cooldown.

For AoE, prioritize Prayer Of Mending and Halo for consistent healing. Use Holy Word Sanctify on cooldown and Apotheosis to reset Holy Words during burst phases. Build Lightweaver stacks with Flash Heal for stronger AoE healing.

Cooldowns

• Divine HymnView detailsPrimary raid cooldown; can be used out of Line of Sight.
• ApotheosisView detailsMaximize Holy Word casts during its duration.
• Guardian SpiritView detailsUse on tanks or self-cast as a cheat death.
• Desperate PrayerView detailsPrimary defensive cooldown.
• FadeView detailsUse to reduce threat or avoid damage.

Use Divine Hymn for raid-wide healing and Apotheosis to maximize Holy Word casts. Guardian Spirit is ideal for tank support or self-survival, while Desperate Prayer and Fade serve as personal defensives.

New to Class? Try Assisted Rotation

Patch 11.1.7 introduced new features that make it eaiser to pick and play new characters. These new settings can be enabled from settings » gameplay enhancements:

• Single-Button Assistant
• Assisted Highlight
• Cooldown Manager

If you are new to World of Warcraft or a certain class, enabling Assisted Highlight and Cooldown Manager can help you learn which abilities to prioritize and use.

While the Single-Button Assistant can be a much easier and more accessible way to play the game, it does come with a slight performance hit due to a small GCD penalty, as you will have to wait 25% longer in between spells and abilities.

To see which specs are best with the Single-Button Assistant feature, you can check out our DPS Rankings which uses SimC to sim every class using this feature.