Home › Class comparisons › Mage vs Priest
Mage or Priest: Which Should You Play in WoW Forever?
Pick the Mage if you want to deal damage, level fast and farm gold. Pick the Priest if you want to heal, or if you like the idea of a Shadow caster who can switch to healing at 60.
Mage vs Priest verdict
4 Mage 1 Priest 1 even
For most players the Mage is the better pick. It levels faster, solos more comfortably, farms more gold and has more control in PvP.
The Priest wins in dungeons, because healers are always needed and a Priest heals five-player groups very well. In raids both are wanted. If you know you want to heal, the Priest is the obvious choice.
Mage vs Priest: head-to-head comparison
| Category | Mage | Priest |
|---|---|---|
| Leveling speed | Winner Frost is the safest leveling route; quick area pulls with slows keeping you alive. | Shadow kills faster than the healing trees and barely drinks, but starts fragile. |
| Solo play | Winner Strong solo. Controls most fights it touches, then portals home. | Not a natural solo class. Cloth and mana punish careless pulls before the toolkit fills out. |
| Dungeons | One more DPS in line; Fire shines only when the party covers it. | Winner Healers get instant groups. Binding Heal and Prayer of Mending keep parties upright. |
| Raiding | Even Fire posts top raid numbers. Pure damage. | Even The raid healer every group leans on; Holy answers the heaviest damage. |
| PvP | Winner Strong in PvP. Polymorph control plus burst; Undead mages ignore most fear. | Shadow is dangerous in PvP, with Devouring Contagion spreading pressure. |
| Gold farming | Winner Area pulls, portals, free food: the complete farming package. | Shadow melts faces and barely drinks, but lacks travel and area efficiency. |
Playing Mage in this matchup
Mages level as Frost: Frostbolt slows, Frost Nova roots, and area spells kill groups of mobs later on. Conjured food and water and portals save time.
At 60 Fire is the raid spec, Frost dominates PvP control, and Arcane offers a mana-heavy burst build.
Where the Mage falls short
You can only deal damage, and cloth armor makes mistakes expensive.
Playing Priest in this matchup
Priests level as Shadow. Damage over time spells, Mind Blast and Mind Flay kill steadily, and Power Word: Shield absorbs damage. A wand finishes mobs to save mana.
At 60 you choose Holy or Discipline to heal, with Penance, Divine Aegis, Prayer of Mending and Holy Binding, or stay Shadow for damage and PvP.
Where the Priest falls short
Leveling is slower than a Mage, you drink more, and healing specs are hard to quest with.
How WoW Forever's talent changes shift this matchup
Priests changed little at launch. Binding Heal left the Holy tree but is still trainable, Holy Binding took its place, and Shadow Word: Death now costs you 30% of your health if the target survives.
Mages lost Frost Blast, but Ice Lance and Ice Barrier got stronger and Precision gives 6% hit with all spells.
Which should you pick: Mage or Priest?
- You want the faster, safer solo leveler of the two cloth casters.
- Portals and free food beat prayer books: travel time and consumable savings.
- You want PvP control, and note that Undead mages shrug off fear.
- Top raid DPS numbers appeal more than healing meters.
- You are fine drinking between pulls as long as the pulls die fast.
- The deeper race menu appeals, including Orc as a new WoW Forever option.
- You want to be the raid healer every group leans on.
- Prevention appeals: shields and mana tricks over reactive healing.
- You will level Shadow: wand early, Mind Flay after, barely drink.
- You want a dangerous PvP alter ego in Shadow.
- You accept early fragility and careful pulls as the entry fee.
- Dwarf Stoneform or Gnome Escape Artist suits your PvP plan.
Mage and Priest race options
Mage has 6 race choices and Priest has 6. Races marked new could not play the class in Classic Era. See the racials guide for what each race brings.
| Faction | Mage | Priest |
|---|---|---|
| Alliance | Human, Gnome, Skyborne High OrderNew | Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, GnomeNew |
| Horde | OrcNew, Undead, Troll | Undead, Troll |
Plan your Mage or Priest build
Plan your points before paying for a respec. Open the Mage talent calculator or the Priest talent calculator, or try a starter build for your preferred role. The class picking guide compares all nine classes if you are still undecided.
Mage vs Priest: common questions
Which cloth caster is better for dungeons?
For damage, the Mage: area spells and crowd control. For the group as a whole, the Priest, because a healer is harder to find.
Can I level as a healing Priest?
You can, but it is slow. Most Priests level as Shadow and switch to Holy or Discipline at 60.
Mage or Priest for PvP?
The Mage, for most players. Frost control and Blink keep you safe. Shadow Priests are dangerous too, but have fewer escapes.
Which one makes more gold while leveling in WoW Forever?
The Mage. It can pull several mobs at once and never pays for food or water.
Which races can play Mage and Priest in WoW Forever?
Mage: Human, Gnome and Skyborne High Order on the Alliance; Orc, Undead and Troll on the Horde. Priest: Human, Dwarf, Night Elf and Gnome on the Alliance; Undead and Troll on the Horde.
What is the best leveling spec for Mage and Priest in WoW Forever?
For leveling from 1 to 60, play Frost Mage or Shadow Priest. On our leveling tier list, Mage is S tier and Priest is A tier. Each class leveling guide has a talent path from level 10 to 60.