Note that these items are friendly to healing priests and, as such, will not have any hit rating. Smite and Shadow priests definitely need hit rating, so it’s better to check the previous list for the pews!

1. Chest. Mord’rethar Robes. Devourer of Souls, Forge of Souls. Spirit for Holy — crit rating for Discipline! And it’s not like Discipline shies away from Spirit or Holy loathes crit rating either. Need I say more? This robe is just “wow” without having to blow emblems or go to a raid.
2. Waist. Braid of Salt and Fire. Ick, Pit of Saron. Haste saves lives, and spirit gives mana to save lives. This is a solid belt. There are boots in Pit of Saron too that make the trip more worthwhile: Prelate’s Shoes.
3. Off-hand Frill. The Shriveled Heart. The Captain’s Chest, Halls of Reflection. I listed this yesterday, and I’m listing it again. You’re going to need an off-hand when you get your hilt weapon, and this is simply the best one around without stepping into a raid.
4. Gloves. Suspiciously Soft Gloves. Marwyn, Halls of Reflection. I also listed these yesterday for smite spec, and for the same reason; crit rating and spirit. While Holy priests often don’t rely on crit as much (but, if you read my Lvl 80 Holy Priest Guide, you know I’m a fan of Surge of Light), I still think these are a solid set of gloves and are worthy of your top 5 items to grab for your healing set. These will alternate between Holy and Discipline fairly well.
5. Trinket. Ephemeral Snowflake. Marwyn, Halls of Reflection. Whether you’re a Holy or Discipline priest, this trinket has some uses for you. I’ll explain how it works in my post tomorrow and how you can maximize it’s output; for now, go run Halls of Reflection and try to grab yourself one!

Halls of Reflection is the winner again, but there’s something in all three instances to explore. By the time you get all the smite and healing items, you should have your very own Battered Hilt.

Note that these items are friendly to smite priests and, as such, will come along with hit. Not that grand for healers! Check back tomorrow for the same list, healing priest style. (Shadow priests will also benefit from these items, but due to the nature of itemization between smite and Shadow, they might not be as ideal.)

In no particular order (I’m doing a circle around the WoW Armory doll)…

1. Chest. Ancient Polar Bear Hide. Ick, Pit of Saron. I’m a big fan of the spirit and haste on this (although you’ll want to make sure you have an ample crit rating before getting too much haste; see the Lvl 80 Smite Priest Raiding Guide for more on itemization.) What I like the most though is the fact that druids seem to take offense to the item’s name; lots of laughs. Alternatively, the Mord’rethar Robes will give you the precious spirit you need for mana regen if you’re already hit capped.
2. Bracers. Bracers of Worn Molars. Falric, Halls of Reflection. Crit and hit rating; totally designed for the smite priest save the lack of spirit! When you’re trying to pick which slots are going spiritless (since smite priests really need spirit on at least half their gear, if not two thirds), bracers should definitely be on the list. It’s hard to pass these up.
3. Off-hand Frill. The Shriveled Heart. The Captain’s Chest, Halls of Reflection. Off-hands are hard to come by, and this one comes packed with haste and crit rating. Of course, you’ll have to deal with one of the ugliest, level-30 graphics in WotLK.
4. Wand. Soulsplinter. Falric, Halls of Reflection. Get your hit and crit in one item with this wand. Wands don’t rain from the sky like some other slots, so it’s always a plus to find a nice one.
5. Gloves. Suspiciously Soft Gloves. Marwyn, Halls of Reflection. Crit rating, spirit, and a hilarious name? These are the best smite priest dungeon gloves around. Of course, with the lack of hit rating, it might not work if you’re still putting your first set together.

Looks like a lot of Halls of Reflection! Make sure to grab a good tank.

Stick around for other THE BEST entries in January from Johannah the Smite Priest.

I do these painful, exciting things outside of WoW too; such as participating in rigorously demanding writing events like National Blog Posting Month. Johannah the Smite Priest was part of the event in November, and my now-retired fiction blog had partaken in it in the past in the well, to the point where I thought I was secure to move on from that torturous endeavor. Then they sent me an email.

January’s theme is THE BEST.

And don’t WoW players like to know THE BEST of everything? The best spec, the best piece of gear, the best thing to scream when you run into a clump of whelps to intentionally wipe your raid. Well, Johannah the Smite Priest is here to deliver! For the month of January, I’ll be exploring the best of every aspect of the priest raiding world. There’ll be some PvP spice in there too, for sure.

Before I embark on this dangerous journey that will tear out yet another sliver of my insanity, I am curious: what would you like to see the best of? Answer the poll or, better yet, leave a comment with a suggestion! THE BEST will begin on New Years!