Disc Spell Book for Beginners

Disc Spell Book

Basics

Greater Heal	Pretty much our go-to heal for single target healing when Penance is on cooldown - usually tanks. Two heals of this will pretty much cap out Spirit Shell (see below).
Prayer of Healing	The bread and butter of disc raid healing. This heals everyone in a party, though The party members to have to be in range of your target. Can be used to cast through line of sight if a player is standing in such a way as being LoS of neither you nor the target. Casting this will always cause a divine aegis (shield, see below) which means it can be used to absorb predictable aoe. Particularly strong with Spirit Shell (see below).
Power Word: Shield (Weakened Soul)	Power Word: Shield is akin to another Flash Heal for us, is instant cast, and absorbs damage instead of healing it back up. This is amazingly useful for people soaking big hits (Gara'jal voodoo dolls, Wind Step targets on Blade Lord, debuffed targets on Protectors. However, casting PW:Shield on a target also causes a debuff called Weakened Soul, which prevents another PW:Shield being cast on the same target for the length of Weakened Souls duration.
Penance	This is a channelled heal with three ticks to it, and is the disc “token” spell. It can be used offensively on a hostile target to proc a stack of evangelism and an atonement heal, or defensively on a friendly target to give 3 stacks of grace and heal them. Incredibly strong heal-to-mana makes this particularly useful in single-target damage phases.
Prayer of Mending	Useful to cast-while-moving in heavy raid damage situations. This goes to the person you've specified and when they next take damage heals some of that up and then bounces to a nearby target.
Flash Heal	Useful in emergency situations if other healers are incapacitated/out of range, or in situations such as tank damage on Will of the Emperor. Burns mana like heck, so only use when necessary.
Smite	Our version of Heal – cast on hostile mobs, it procs “atonement” which heals a nearby injured raid member, acting as a smart heal, and grants a stack of Evangelism.
Holy Fire	Same as Smite, also puts a DoT (damage over time) on the boss.
Binding Heal	Pretty weak (despite being strong for holy)
Heal	Pretty wet noodle – never really use it when you can cast smite or holy fire (or penance).

Cooldowns

Inner Focus	Reduces the mana cost of Flash Heal/Greater Heal/Prayer of Healing by 25% and increases crit chance by 100%. Doesn't use a global so can be put into a macro with Prayer of Healing (see Macro section). Use pretty much on cooldown.
Spirit Shell	For 15 seconds, Heal/Flash Heal/Greater Heal/Prayer of Healing no longer heal, but instead create absorption shields for the amount they would have healed, that last 15 seconds. This means you can fully blanket two parties from predictable aoe (provided that they are reasonably close to each other), or save a tank from a one shot if he has high stacks of some debuff or other (most notably the former usage). This is the cooldown that makes disc so op at the moment, and you'll be pretty much using it as often as you can – especially since it has only a 1 minute cooldown. Some examples are given below.
Shadowfiend	Summons a pet that hits a mob and gives you 3% mana back each time it hits. Shadowfiend is pretty much immune to boss aoe, lasts 12 seconds and has a 3 minute cooldown.
Hymn of Hope	Channeled spell that returns 2% mana to 3 nearby low mana targets (friendly of course) every couple of seconds for ~ 8 seconds, depending on haste. It also increases their total maximum mana by 15% for 8 seconds (ie, if you have this buff, its a good time to use Shadowfiend/Mindbender. However, we must channel to keep casting, so attempt to use it when nothing you need to move out of is coming and you are unlikely to be stunned, feared or mindcontrolled.
Pain Suppression	3 minute cooldown. Reduces the targets damage taken by 40% for 8 seconds and their threat by 5% (pretty much nothing). Tanks will usually call for this, although if they don't ever use it, you should use it on them at your discretion, or even dps/healers who are about to take a lot of damage.
Power Word: Barrier	Summons a big dome that reduces damage done to friendly targets by 25% whilst within its range, and means that spellcasting is not interrupted by damage. The barrier lasts for 10 seconds and has a 3 minute cooldown. Useful for any situtation where the raid is stacked up or a certain group of the raid is stacked up and about to take mass damage (think Zor'lok, melee on Stone Guard, everyone on Gara'jal).
Archangel	Consumes Evangelism to increase healing by 5% for each Evangelism stack (maximum of 25% extra), lasts for 18 seconds with a 30 second cooldown. Lines up nicely with Spirit Shell – use once inbetween Spirit Shells and then every time with. Doesn't even need to by a 5 stack evangelism to be useful – every little helps.
Fear Ward	As the label says – wards a friendly target against fear. After consuming one fear, the buff will disappear. Has a 3 minute cooldown and duration. Useful on any boss that fears, including Empress 2nd phase, Zor'lok mindcontrols, Sha platforms (I use mine on the tank for Sha of Fear since they are the ones who have to run around and get hit all the time, picking up orbs). Casting Fear Ward on someone who already has the buff will simply refresh the duration, leaving both Wards on cooldown, and only consuming one fear.
Fade	Temporarily removes all threat for 10 seconds – after which it all comes back again. Pretty much never used – use when adds first spawn as necessary, examples; Empress, Lei Shi, Tsulong.
Purify	Dispels harmful magic and disease from friendly targets, 8 second cooldown, costs 7800 mana – use wisely. Most used on: Elegon, Protectors of the Endless, Tsulong, occasionally Sha. The hostile version of this spell is Dispel Magic, which costs 7,800 mana, and has no cooldown (used on Spirit Kings, Wind Lord and Protectors) – see macros.
Mass Dispel	Costs a ridiculous amount of mana – use with great care (ie, force boomkins (with symbiosis) and shadow priests to do it for you wherever possible). Uses up 39,000 mana – removes all harmful spells from 10 friendly targets and all beneficial spells on 10 enemy targets within its boundaries.
Leap of Faith	Moves the target from wherever they were to directly infront of you. Used to save lives on any boss with serious fire for the dps to stand in / dc'd persons to unwittingly stand in. Can be used during Spirit Kings to move pinned targets into melee to be cleaved down if all BoPs are on CD, for example.
Psychic Scream	Causes 5 enemies within 8 yards to flee for 8 seconds (damage will interrupt). Useful on Imperial Vizier Zor'lok (put it on cd and keep it on cd 3rd platform onwards), Lei Shi (keeps those nasty Protect adds away from you) and Will of the Emperor (forces fixated adds to rechoose their fixate.
Void Shift	You and your target swap health percentages, and increases the lower percentage of the two to 25% if it was previously below that. Useful in all emergency situations – just be careful not to kill yourself by using it before an aoe! Healthstones are definitely useful straight after using this – so is shielding yourself.
Symbiosis – Cyclone	Pretty much won't ever get symbiosis, which is sad. Its not amazingly useful and it certainly doesn't improve our quality of life. Safe to say you can quite happily never use it. On the other hand, balance druids receive mass dispel, Feral druids Dispersion, Guardian druids take Fear Ward and Restoration receive Leap of Faith, so they might give it to you for a particular boss if they require the spell you grant. I have had a total of one symbiosis whilst we were learning the Sha of Fear dance so the guardian druid could have fear ward. One pull. :(

Rapture

This passive gets a section all to itself, as it is crucial in understanding why disc is in such a strong place with mana right now. Rapture occurs when your PW:Shield is completely absorbed by damage (or dispelled in pvp). When this occurs, the caster recieves 200% of their spirit value as mana back. You do have to consider the mana cost of casting PW:Shield, so mana back per rapture is (2*spirit – 18300). To make PW:Shield mana neutral you need only 9150 spirit. Rapture has a 12 second cooldown, so having an addon to track the cooldown of rapture will greatly help with mana management – something like this.

Buffs

Inner Fire	Increase armor from items by 60% and spell power by 10%. You'll pretty much run with this all the time, unless your mana drops below 5-10%.
Inner Will	Reduces the mana cost of instant cast spells by 15% and increases movement speed by 10%. The movement speed increase does not stack with the boot enchant. Only useful in situations where you have no mana and want a Shield to grant rapture.
Power Word: Fortitude	Lasts 60mins, increases the stamina of all party or raid members by 10% – put up before combat, rebuff when someone is combat ressed.
Borrowed Time	15% spell haste for your next spell after casting Shield, lasts for 6 seconds. Glyphed Holy Fire (instant cast) consumes it. Casting penance does not consume Borrowed Time (neither does Renew) so you can always cast Penance(/Renew) straight after Power Word: Shield, and then use Borrowed Time for a Greater Heal, Smite or Prayer of Healing.
Grace	This buff stacks up to three times, and increases the healing done by you on the buffed target by 10% a stack (30% at 3 stacks). Penance applies three stacks of grace per cast – everything else only applies one stack per single target heal (not shield, renew, prayer of mending, atonement heals, etc
Evangelism	When you deal damage with Penance, Smite or Holy Fire, you gain a stack of Evangelism (max 5 stacks). This increases the damage done by those spells by 4% per stack, and reduces their mana cost by 6%. You consume these stacks when you use Archangel.
Divine Aegis	Critical heals (all heals from Prayer of Healing) create a shield which absorbs 30% of the amount healed, and lasts 15seconds. Divine Aegis caps at about 16% of your health (with no mastery) – will edit this once I work out the exact maths.

Passives

Focused Will	Whenever you are a victim of any damage greater than 10% of your total health, or critically hit by a non-periodic attack, you gain this buff. It reduces all damage taken by 10% and lasts for 8 seconds. Focussed Will can stack up to two, reducing damage by 20%. This is a very good passive for constant damage fights such as Garalon and focussed attacks such as Gara'jal.
Divine Focus	Reduces the pushback suffered from being attacked while casting by 70%.
Divine Fury	Gives us 100% hit for: Penance, Smite, Power Word: Solace, Cascade, Divine Star, Halo, Holy fire.
Meditation	Allows 50% of your mana regeneration from Spirit to continue while in combat.
Mysticism	Increases Intellect by 5%
Train of Thought	When you Greater Heal, you reduce the cd on Inner Focus by 5 secs; when you Smite you reduce the cd of Penance by 0.5 secs.

Talents

Tier 1 – Level 15

This is the crowd-control tier for priests.

Void Tendrils	Psyfiend	Dominate Mind
Works as a snare, rooting up to 5 mobs within 8 yards for 20seconds. Snares can be insanely dangerous in pve situations with lots of adds, as a snare causes the mob to ignore threat and instead hit whoever is close to it – oftentimes someone in cloth who will then die.	Useful on some encounters such as Will of the Emperor and Lei Shi. Instant cast, 10 second duration, 45 second cooldown. The Psyfiend will stand in place, fearing nearby enemies every 2 seconds. The mob remains feared for 30secs unless damaged. Pretty much works as a second Psychic Scream.	Pretty much useless for PvE encounters, although it is fun. Bosses are immune.

Tier 2 – Level 30

This tier is all about movement speed.

Body and Soul	Angelic Feather	Phantasm
Whenever you cast PW:Shield or Leap of Faith, you increase the targets movement speed by 60% for 4 seconds. Advantages: easily granted to specific target. Strong for disc as its one of our token spells Disadvantages: Cannot be given to the same target twice (with PW:Shield) until Weakened Soul has run its duration. Costs mana.	Places a feather at the target location, which will increase the movement of the next ally to walk through it by 60% for 4 seconds. Has a maximum of 3 charges, and once less than through a new charge is gained every 10 seconds. Advantages: Costs no mana Can be placed in advance Same target can be boosted 3 times in a row. Disadvantages: Cannot be given to a specific target.	When you fade, you remove all movement impairing effects from yourself, you become untargettable by ranged attacks, and your movement speed is unhindered for 3 seconds. Not really found a use for this one in PvE.

Tier 3 – Level 45

This is our mana tier. I have ignored the damaging version of thee talents, as this is not a consideration when choosing talents as discipline for PvE encounters.

From Darkness, Comes Light	Mindbender	Power Word: Solace
You have a 15% chance when you Smite/Heal/Flash Heal/Binding Heal/Greater Heal to cause your next Flash Heal to be instant cast and cost no mana. You can store up to two of these instant cast Flash Heals. Whilst it obviously has great single target throughput, comparing this talent with the others in the tier means it is a weak mana management talent.	This replaces your Shadowfiend with the much superior mindbender that gives less mana back per hit but has only a 1 minute cooldown, meaning over the course of a boss fight, using mindbender on cooldown grants a lot more mana back than using shadowfiend on cooldown.	This is a spell with a 1.46 sec cast, which grants 0.7% mana back per cast. Whilst it is nice because it can be spam cast, it is nowhere near as strong as mindbender is.

Tier 4 – Level 60

And here comes the survivability!

Desperate Prayer	Spectral Guise	Angelic Bulwark
Costs no mana, heals for 30% of your hp instantly, 2 min cooldown. Although you need a global to cast this, the spell itself is off the global cooldown – similar to health stone.	Puts you in a form of stealth for 6 seconds, leaving a dummy you behind whilst you are free to move about (though still in combat). If the dummy gets hit twice you are removed from the stealth early.	Passive When a damaging attack brings you below 30% of your hp, you gain a shield equal to 20% of your health, which lasts 20 seconds. This shield has a 90 second cooldown.

Over 6 minutes Desperate Prayer is 90% of your hp, Angelic Bulwark is 80%.

Whilst bulwark is slightly less healing potential than Desperate Prayer, it has higher utility as it can proc while stunned, and while casting. Bulwark is also an sbsorb – the best kind of heal. However, this is fight dependent, and Desperate Prayer can be used in conjunction with Void Shift if you have no healthstones to make sure you don't commit suicide.

Tier 5 – Level 75

This is more of a throughput tier than anything else.

Twist of Fate	Power Infusion	Divine Insight
After damaging or healing a target below 20% health, you deal 15% increased damage and healing for 10 seconds. There are better options.	2minute cooldown, gives you 20% increased casting speed and reduces the mana cost of all spells by 20% for 20 seconds. Absolutely beautiful when lined up with Spirit Shell.	When you cast Penance, there is a 40% chance that your next PW:Shield will both ignore and not cause the Weakened Soul debuff – pretty useless since casting it on a target with PW:Shield already active simply removes the PW:Shiled they already had – nor does it give a new speed boost if you have Body and Soul spec'd.

Tier 6 – Level 90

Cascade	Divine Star	Halo
Cascade is very useful for spread out groups, as it heals more the further it travels. It costs the most to cast of the spells in this tier.	Divine star is good on stacked up fights as it heals everybody in a line. Its a long line. You will break cc if you are not careful, as it also deals damage.	The least useful talent of this tier is halo because in a stack-up situation you must be far away from the group you wish to heal. Halo however has the most theoretical output.