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Priest or Warrior: Which Should You Play in WoW Forever?
Pick the Priest if you want an easier time leveling, more gold and a guaranteed raid spot as a healer. Pick the Warrior if you want to tank or play a strong melee class once geared.
Priest vs Warrior verdict
4 Priest 0 Warrior 2 even
Take the Priest for most goals. It levels faster as Shadow, solos better, farms more gold and is always wanted in raids as a healer.
Take the Warrior if you want to tank. Groups always need tanks, and Warriors are the main raid tank at 60. Dungeons and PvP are even between the two.
Priest vs Warrior: head-to-head comparison
| Category | Priest | Warrior |
|---|---|---|
| Leveling speed | Winner Shadow kills faster than the healing trees and barely drinks; wand early, Mind Flay after. | Rough at first: Rage-starved, no self-healing, gear-dependent. |
| Solo play | Winner Shadow drains health back while dealing damage; fragile, but self-sufficient. | Kill it before it kills you, with no recovery when the pull goes wrong. |
| Dungeons | Even The healer every group leans on; instant invites the moment you queue. | Even The toughest tank; instant invites the moment you queue. |
| Raiding | Winner The raid healer every group leans on, with Holy's big heals for the scariest moments. | Main-tank material; irreplaceable, but only one or two per raid. |
| PvP | Even The Shadow side is dangerous in PvP; Dwarves can remove Bleeds, Poisons and Diseases with Stoneform. | Even Deep Arms with Mortal Strike is the classic duelist; Orcs resist stuns. |
| Gold farming | Winner Shadow barely drinks and Devouring Contagion spreads the plague on kills; steady grinding. | Slow alone with repair bills; needs a healer to farm efficiently. |
Playing Priest in this matchup
Priests level as Shadow with damage over time spells and Power Word: Shield, and switch to healing at 60.
Holy and Discipline heal with Penance, Divine Aegis, Prayer of Mending and Holy Binding, and Shadow is strong in PvP.
Where the Priest falls short
Cloth armor and few escapes make you fragile against melee.
Playing Warrior in this matchup
Warriors level slowly: Rage comes from fighting, you eat after most pulls and your damage depends on your weapon. Victory Rush helps.
At 60 Protection is the main raid tank with 80% Defensive Stance threat and Shield Wall, Fury dual-wields with Bloodthirst and Reckless Swings, and Arms uses Mortal Strike.
Where the Warrior falls short
You rely on healers and gear more than any class.
How WoW Forever's talent changes shift this matchup
Warriors changed on 2 November: Defensive Stance threat rose to 80%, Slam's cooldown fell to 15 seconds, Revenge scales with Attack Power and Reckless Swings replaced Raging Blows.
Priests changed little: Binding Heal left the Holy tree but is still trainable, and Holy Binding took its slot.
Which should you pick: Priest or Warrior?
- You want the smoother solo leveler: Shadow kills fast and barely drinks.
- You want instant dungeon and raid invites for the entire life of the character.
- You want to play Shadow in PvP.
- You like the new WoW Forever options: Gnome is new, and Dwarf Stoneform helps against physical pressure.
- You want Devouring Contagion chain reactions and Penance as new toys in familiar trees.
- You are the friend: every Warrior on the server wants a pocket healer, and you could be theirs.
- You want to tank; Protection is the toughest tank.
- Mortal Strike dueling is your endgame; deep Arms is still the classic duelist.
- You are leveling with a Priest friend, because the duo erases every Warrior weakness.
- You want the biggest gear payoff; Fury with hit rating is monstrous.
- Orc stun resistance or Human stun removal fits your PvP plans.
- You enjoy building and spending rage in melee.
Priest and Warrior race options
Priest has 6 race choices and Warrior has 10. Races marked new could not play the class in Classic Era. See the racials guide for what each race brings.
| Faction | Priest | Warrior |
|---|---|---|
| Alliance | Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, GnomeNew | Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, Gnome, Skyborne High OrderNew |
| Horde | Undead, Troll | Orc, Undead, Tauren, Troll, Skyborne WindshaperNew |
Plan your Priest or Warrior build
Plan your points before paying for a respec. Open the Priest talent calculator or the Warrior talent calculator, or try a starter build for your preferred role. The class picking guide compares all nine classes if you are still undecided.
Priest vs Warrior: common questions
Should my friend and I level as Warrior and Priest together?
Yes. A Warrior tank and a Priest healer is one of the strongest duos for dungeons, and the Priest keeps the Warrior alive while leveling.
Which one is less painful to level solo?
The Priest. Shadow kills steadily and Power Word: Shield prevents damage. Warriors eat after most fights.
Which gets groups faster at the level cap?
Both get groups quickly as a tank or healer. Damage-spec Warriors and Shadow Priests wait longer.
Is Shadow Priest actually good, or just a leveling spec?
It is good for both. Shadow levels well and is dangerous in PvP, and it has a place in raids too.
Which races can play Priest and Warrior in WoW Forever?
Priest: Human, Dwarf, Night Elf and Gnome on the Alliance; Undead and Troll on the Horde. Warrior: Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, Gnome and Skyborne High Order on the Alliance; Orc, Undead, Tauren, Troll and Skyborne Windshaper on the Horde.
What is the best leveling spec for Priest and Warrior in WoW Forever?
For leveling from 1 to 60, play Shadow Priest or Arms Warrior. On our leveling tier list, Priest is A tier and Warrior is B tier. Each class leveling guide has a talent path from level 10 to 60.