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I want to make a priest for healing. In PvP and PvE, which Horde race is better?

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  • You still have to start leveling it? Take a Goblin, only because you'll have a fun starting zone. Other than that, this isn't really a question
    – Ivo Flipse
    Jan 23, 2011 at 10:25
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    @Ivo - it's a perfectly fine question and one that more players should consider, rather than just rolling a BE because it's the only "normal" looking Horde race.
    – Jagd
    Jan 23, 2011 at 16:46
  • There are so many things to consider when picking a race, that letting it depend on your class is an ignorant one. This question lacks any context to base a judgement on. Thankfully, @Shaun gives an excellent breakdown!
    – Ivo Flipse
    Jan 23, 2011 at 16:52
  • Is there any other information you require of an acceptable answer to this question?
    – Shaun
    Jan 28, 2011 at 3:25

4 Answers 4

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Short answer

It depends. Here's a quick sheet based on my experience if you'd rather not think too much about the options:

  • If your goal is to PvP, it's pretty even between Goblin, Tauren, or Undead. Personally, I'd probably go Goblin.
  • If you want to be an enchanter, roll a Blood Elf.
  • If you want to be an alchemist, roll a Goblin.
  • If you want to be an herbalist, roll a Tauren.
  • If you don't want to be any of these professions, roll a Goblin.

Long Answer

Race differences are pretty negligible. Any race can be an effective priest. What it usually comes down to are the professions you want to roll and whether you are going to be a raider or a PvP player and how much fun you'll have playing the starting area or simply walking around looking like a member of that race.

That being said, you have 5 options as Horde. Here are their noteworthy abilities. I don't bother mentioning things like resistances or extra time underwater as they really aren't all that helpful overall. I already indicated my opinion above, but depending on your personal preference (maybe you really hate being feared and favor an Undead for their ability to break fear effects overall), the lists below may guide you in another direction.

Blood Elf

  • Bonus to enchanting. Since tailoring/enchanting is a good profession combo for a priest, the bonus will help slightly in leveling your skill.
  • Free silence/PvE Interrupt/mana restore.

Goblin

  • Bonus to alchemy. Herbalism/alchemy is another good profession combo for a priest.
  • Free "disengage" (blast away from enemies).
  • The rest of their racials are worth mentioning when combined: cheaper vendor items, access to your bank from anywhere, and faster cast times.

Tauren

  • Bonus to herbalism. Herbalism/alchemy is another good profession combo for a priest.
  • Additional health.
  • Free AoE stun.

Troll

  • Temporary casting speed increase.
  • Shorter snare effects.
  • Slight health regeneration.

Undead

  • Free quick heal after combat.
  • Free "Charm/Fear/Sleep" effect interrupt.
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    This is a really good list, but you severely underestimate the value of 'faster cast times' that Goblins have. At the endgame, 1% Haste is basically like having an entire piece of gear as a leg up on others.
    – LessPop_MoreFizz
    Jan 23, 2011 at 16:56
  • Oh, and the Blood Elf racial, Arcane Torrent, also restores mana, which makes them a fairly strong option for healers specifically, in both PvE and PvP.
    – LessPop_MoreFizz
    Jan 23, 2011 at 16:57
  • Thanks for the comments, added the bit about mana restore on Arcane Torrent. As for the haste bonus, I agree that it's a pretty significant bonus, but I also think that it's not a make-or-break talent. You can top the DPS/heal meters without it, but it certainly doesn't hurt. Usually, my decision tree for rolling a character post-Cataclysm involves trying to find a reason NOT to roll a Goblin. :)
    – Shaun
    Jan 23, 2011 at 17:12
  • "Temporary casting time increase" is confusing, it sounds opposite to the way beserking works. It should be "Temporary casting speed increase"
    – ghoppe
    Feb 3, 2011 at 15:41
  • @ghoppe: Good call. Edited.
    – Shaun
    Feb 3, 2011 at 17:46
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PVE

  • Trolls and Goblins make the best PVE Priests.
  • Trolls have Berserking which increases attack speed and more importantly casting speed by 20% (as of 4.2) for 10 seconds making Trolls better at healing and attacking (especially useful in raids and dungeons) than Goblins and critical moments i.e. boss goes into rage.
  • Goblins have a passive ability (Time is money) that increases casting speed by 1% constantly making them better over an entire dungeon/raid or when questing in a group.

PVP

  • Taurens make the best PVP priests.
  • Taurens have War stomp which stuns enemies in a radius of 8 yards for 2 seconds which can be a life saver in battlegrounds, They also have Endurance which increases their base health by 5% which (coupled with a priests superior healing) makes Tauren priests the hardest priest to kill and as an added bonus Nature spells are less likely to hit Tauren because of their resistance which is useful as a defence against Druids and Shamans.
  • Undead priests are somewhat useful as they cannot be Charmed, Feared or put to Sleep however PVP trinkets can neutralise these effects anyway, however they do have a shadow resistance which is useful against pesky warlocks.

Overall

  • Overall for both PVE and PVP I'd say a Troll would make the best priest regardless of spec because their Berserking helps deal intense healing and damage, Voodoo shuffle reduces movement impairing effects by 15% which is great for PVP and Regeneration regenerates a Troll's health by 10% of the normal rate in combat! as well as increasing the base rate by 10% when not in combat.
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At one time, early on in the game the priests did have racial spells. For instance, only Dwarfs had fear ward, only Forsaken had Devouring Plague. When these spells were removed (I believe around 3.0) or given to priests of all races, only the basic racial skills came into focus.

In summary: PVP: Goblins for Rocket Jump, Undead for WotF

PVE: Goblins for haste, Trolls for Berserking

But I feel that only high level PvP will bring the racial differences into any sort of significant primacy.

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    I'm not entirely certain this assertion is true. While I don't claim to know the exact differences and long-term implications, this site (wowpedia.org/Races) seems to indicate the races have very subtle differences and still have racial abilities. Not that I really think those are important, but still they don't seem to be exactly equal.
    – Mag Roader
    Jan 23, 2011 at 15:41
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    Yes, Races do have minor differences, but when the gear dropping in cata has bonuses to attributes in the +200s I don't think the odd 1 or 2 here or there will make a noticeable difference.
    – ChrisAnnODell ♦
    Jan 23, 2011 at 16:07
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    Mag is right - the racials are still there and they are still considered an important part of the gameplay. But by no means should they be ignored when creating a character.
    – Jagd
    Jan 23, 2011 at 16:45
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    Unless you're incredibly concerned about min/maxing your character, the decision really just comes down to "What racials seem cool to me?"
    – Brant
    Jan 23, 2011 at 18:04
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    It's WoW, it's not a role playing game. Minmaxing is all we have!
    – o0'.
    Feb 15, 2011 at 14:06
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Trolls are great because of the Berserking ability, but Blood Elf is the best race really because of Arcane Torrent which is a silence and mana restore. Good Luck

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