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Power Word: Shield
Spell holy powerwordshield
  • Power Word: Shield
  • Priest ability
  • 40 yd range
  • 34% Base mana
  • 3 sec cooldown
  • Instant
  • Draws on the soul of the friendly target to shield them, absorbing ((spell power * 0.87) + X) damage. Lasts 15 sec. While the shield holds, spellcasting will not be interrupted by damage. Once shielded, the target cannot be shielded again for 15 sec.
Properties
Class Priest
School Holy
Cooldown 3 seconds
Other information
Requirements Target must not have Weakened Soul debuff.
Improvements Spell holy powerwordshield [Improved Power Word: Shield],
Spell holy sealofvengeance [Twin Disciplines], Spell holy dispelmagic [Mental Agility],
Ability priest soulwarding [Soul Warding], Spell holy powerwordshield [Renewed Hope],
Spell holy rapture [Rapture], Spell holy borrowedtime [Borrowed Time],
Ability priest reflectiveshield [Reflective Shield], Spell holy blessingofprotection [Strength of Soul],
Spell holy symbolofhope [Body and Soul]
Related buff
Spell holy powerwordshield
  • Magic
  • Power Word: Shield
  • Absorbs X damage.
  • Duration: 15 seconds
Related debuff
Spell holy ashestoashes
  • Magic
  • Weakened Soul
  • Cannot be affected by Power Word: Shield.
  • Duration: 15 seconds

[[Category:priest abilities]][[Category:priest abilities]]

Power Word: Shield (abbr. PW:S) is a defensive priest Power Word available at level 5. It creates a protective shield around a friendly target which absorbs a set amount of damage. Power Word: Shield also gives the target the Weakened Soul debuff, preventing the target from being shielded again for 15 seconds.

While Power Word: Shield is a valuable spell for any priest, Discipline priests have the opportunity to improve it far beyond its base effect, using it to restore mana, grant haste and even reflect damage back upon the attacker. Power Word: Shield is undoubtedly one of the signature spells of the Discipline priest, protecting the target with a powerful shield that can seem unbreakable.

Notes

  • Has a spell power coefficient of 87%.
  • Absorb effects apply after damage reduction effects, including armor. If the damage of an attack is partially resisted or reduced by another effect, this will lower the amount of damage remaining to be absorbed and allow a shield to last longer.
  • The Discipline mastery Spell holy divineprotection [Shield Discipline] increases the amount absorbed by shield spells such as Power Word: Shield by 20%, with an extra 2.5% added for each point of mastery.
  • Power Word: Shield absorbs damage only. Most other effects attached to a damaging attack, such as a debuff that the attack applies or a spell interrupt will ignore the shield even if the attack deals no damage. Exceptions are Spell frost stun [Dazed] effects from being attacked from behind and spell pushback, which are both prevented.
  • Environmental damage (fall, fatigue, drowning) is not absorbed.
  • Generates about half the threat of normal healing spells.
  • The shield cannot absorb health paid to pay the cost of an ability such a Spell shadow burningspirit [Life Tap] or Spell deathknight bloodtap [Blood Tap]. Such health lost ignores the shield.
  • Warriors and druids are still able to generate rage from damage absorbed while shielded.
  • Power Word: Shield costs the same as 2 x Spell holy renew [Renew].
  • Although in the Holy school, Power Word: Shield belongs to the Discipline tree. Consequently, it can be cast while in Spell shadow shadowform [Shadowform].

Improvements

Talents and spells

Power Word Shield

In the World of Warcraft: Trading Card Game.

Discipline Mastery:

  • Spell holy divineprotection [Shield Discipline] increases the potency of all your damage absorption spells by 20%. Each point of Mastery increases the potency of absorbs by an additional 2.5%.

Discipline Tree Talents:

  • Spell holy powerwordshield [Improved Power Word: Shield] increases the amount of damage absorbed by 10/20%.
  • Spell holy sealofvengeance [Twin Disciplines] increases all your Shadow and Holy spell damage and healing by 2/4/6%.
  • Spell holy dispelmagic [Mental Agility] reduces the mana cost of all your instant cast spells by 4/7/10%.
  • Ability priest soulwarding [Soul Warding] reduces the cooldown of your Power Word: Shield ability by 1/2 sec.
  • Spell holy powerwordshield [Renewed Hope] increases the critical effect chance of your Spell holy flashheal [Flash Heal], Spell holy heal [Greater Heal], Spell holy greaterheal [Heal] and Spell holy penance [Penance] (Heal) on targets afflicted by the Weakened Soul effect, or blessed with your Grace effect.
  • Spell holy rapture [Rapture]: When your Power Word: Shield is completely absorbed or dispelled you are instantly energized with 2/4/6% of your total mana. This effect can only occur once every 12 seconds.
  • Spell holy borrowedtime [Borrowed Time] grants 7/14% spell haste for your next spell after casting Power Word: Shield.
  • Ability priest reflectiveshield [Reflective Shield] causes 22/45% of the damage you absorb with Power Word: Shield to reflect back at the attacker. This damage causes no threat. NB: This talent will only reflect damage that YOU absorb using PW:S. It will not reflect damage absorbed by any PW:S you have cast upon others.
  • Spell holy blessingofprotection [Strength of Soul]: When you heal a target with Flash Heal, Greater Heal or Heal, you reduce the duration of any Weakened Soul debuff on the target by 2/4 sec. While this talent does not improve Power Word: Shield itself, it can allow you to cast Power Word: Shield far more frequently, especially during periods of heavy damage.

Holy Tree Talents:

  • Spell nature healingwavegreater [Spiritual Healing] (Holy specialisation bonus) increases healing by 15%.
  • Spell holy symbolofhope [Body and Soul]: When you cast Power Word: Shield, you increase the target's movement speed by 30/60% for 4 sec.

Glyphs

  • 1px transparency
    • Glyph of Power Word: Shield
    • Major Glyph
    • Use: Permanently teaches you this glyph.

      20% of the absorb from your Power Word: Shield spell is converted into healing.
    • Classes: Priest
    • Requires Level 25
    • Sell Price: 1s

Items

Tips and tactics

  • Power Word: Shield is one of the primary heals of a Discipline priest:
    • It is one of the fastest ways of protecting a target.
    • It is one of the Discipline priest's most efficient healing options. When improved with Inv glyph majorpriest [Glyph of Power Word: Shield], it is the most efficient single-target option after Spell holy penance [Penance]. Even without the glyph, it is more efficient than Spell holy heal [Greater Heal].
      • When improved with Spell holy rapture [Rapture], Power Word: Shield casts potentially become the most mana efficient option of all, actually generating mana when the shield is fully absorbed. This is a great reason to cast PW:S regularly.
    • Its instant cast makes it impossible to interrupt, and is not affected by negative haste effects such as Spell nature slow [Slow].
    • Power Word: Shield's pushback protection provides an additional benefit when used on casters.
  • Holy priests will find their Power Word: Shield to be less efficient than Spell holy greaterheal [Heal] and Spell holy persuitofjustice [Holy Word: Serenity], but still more efficient (and faster) than Spell holy flashheal [Flash Heal]. When glyphed, it is slightly more efficient than Spell holy heal [Greater Heal].
  • A major disadvantage of the shield is that it is a limited form of damage mitigation, not a true healing spell, and so may wear off without having been of any use. With a limited duration of 15 seconds, priests must choose their timing in order to ensure mana is not wasted casting the spell to little or no advantage.
  • Mana efficiency of Power Word: Shield is typically predicated upon the shield being fully absorbed. In practice, with only a 15 second window for this to occur, in many situations the shield will fade without being completely absorbed. In these cases the spell can be considered to be far less mana efficient.
  • Casting it before combat does not cause any threat and reduces the time until the target can be shielded again.
  • Power Word: Shield upon enemy targets can be dispelled with Spell nature nullifydisease [Dispel Magic], Spell arcane massdispel [Mass Dispel] and similar spells.
  • Paladins want to be healed rather than shielded, even though they are perfectly capable of using Inv glove plate raidpaladinmythic q 01 [Divine Plea] and Ability paladin judgementblue [Judgement of Wisdom]. They receive mana from heals, but not from Power Word: Shield. Paladin tanks have tiny mana pools and rely on healing or will go oom.
  • The effectiveness of Power Word: Shield is not altered by Ability warrior savageblow [Mortal Strike] and similar healing-reducing debuffs; in these situations it can sometimes be more effective to shield a tank first, rather than spam heals right away.
  • This is useful for casters who are receiving damage, as it prevents spell interruption from damage, especially while they are channeling, and even the priest himself can benefit from this (especially in solo combat).
  • In PvP, this spell can be a huge boon to bestow on Rogues and Feral Druids. Any damage taken will unstealth a character. However, if you Power Word: Shield a Rogue, AoE damage that doesn't get through the shield is absorbed, which greatly increases the difficulty of finding a Rogue by laying down an AoE. Power Word: Shield will also absorb the damage from DoT's, allowing DoT'd Rogues to Vanish safely. Just know that if the AoE or DoT damage is greater than the shield will take, then the actual character will take damage and stealth will become undone.
  • Power Word: Shield can also be seen as a way of pushing a tank's health beyond its normal limit. It is effective to Power Word: Shield before major attacks that will destroy the shield in one blow. Using it before Patchwerk's Hateful Strike or similar devastating attacks reduces the chance that a tank will die to a possible critical hit after such an attack.
  • When glyphed with Inv glyph majorpriest [Glyph of Power Word: Shield], priests may wish to allow targets to take a small amount of damage before shielding them, in order to benefit from the additional 20% direct heal.
  • The healing provided by Glyph of Power: Shield can crit, and will proc Spell holy devineaegis [Divine Aegis] if it does. This means that, for Discipline priests, a crit from this Glyph can provide more than half the benefit of the Power Word: Shield itself. It will also proc Echo of Light.
  • The amount healed by Inv glyph majorpriest [Glyph of Power Word: Shield] is increased by any talents or effects the target has that increase healing received, such as Inv misc bandage 05 [Field Dressing] or Spell nature wispsplodegreen [Spark of Life]. While it is not directly increased by talents that increase your healing, such as Spell nature healingwavegreater [Spiritual Healing] or Spell holy sealofvengeance [Twin Disciplines], as these already increase the size of the absorb provided by Power Word: Shield, they do in fact increase the amount healed by the Glyph.
  • There was a time when Power Word: Shield would only be used in case of emergency because of its large mana cost and cooldown. It is now a mainstay of healing for priests, especially Discipline priests.
  • The Weakened Soul debuff can be shortened to 13 seconds with the 4 piece bonus from Gladiator's Investiture.

Formula

Formula for calculating Power Word: Shield's total absorption amount at level 85, as of Patch 4.1:

(((0.87 * SP) + 8136) * SD * SH * IMP * TD)

Example: a level 85 Discipline priest with 7196 Spell Power, 12 points of Mastery and with both Spell holy powerwordshield [Improved Power Word: Shield] and Spell holy sealofvengeance [Twin Disciplines] fully talented.

(((0.87 * 7196) + 8136) * 1.3 * 1 * 1.2 * 1.06) = 23806

It should be noted here that PW:S absorb effects apply after damage reduction effects. This means that while the amount absorbed here is 23806 the character will most likely take far more than 23806 damage before the shield is completely absorbed.

Patch changes

  • Cataclysm Patch 4.1.0 (2011-04-26): Duration has been reduced to 15 seconds, down from 30.
  • Cataclysm Hotfix (2011-02-16): Power Word: Shield now costs roughly 34% of base mana, up from 25%. This is not reflected in the tooltip, but is reflected in the amount of mana used when the spell is cast. The tooltip update will require a client-side patch.
  • Cataclysm Patch 4.0.6 (2011-02-08): The mana cost of Power Word: Shield has been increased by approximately 31%, but its effect has been increased by 208%.
  • Template:Patched
  • Wrath-Logo-Small Patch 3.3.0 (2009-12-08): This spell can now be cast on non-raid/party friendly targets.
  • Bc icon Patch 2.4.0 (2008-03-25): Using low ranks of this spell will now be penalized the same way healing spells are penalized.
  • Bc icon Patch 2.3.0 (2007-11-13): Now gains additional benefit from spell damage and healing bonuses. Base absorb values of ranks 10, 11 and 12 have been reduced.
  • Bc icon Patch 2.1.0 (2007-05-22): The Weakened Soul effect will no longer sometimes be re-applied while zoning with this buff on.
  • Bc icon Patch 2.0.10 (2007-03-06): The damage absorption of "Power Word: Shield" added by the caster's bonus healing has been increased to 20%.
  • WoW Icon update Patch 1.10.0 (2006-03-28): This spell will now get a small bonus from items and effects which increase your healing.
  • WoW Icon update Patch 1.7.0 (2005-09-13): Fixed a bug where Ability warlock soullink [Soul Link] and Power Word: Shield, when used together, would heal the Warlock instead of splitting or absorbing damage.
  • WoW Icon update Patch 1.6.0 (2005-07-12): Damage absorption now absorbs damage from mana burn effects like Lava Shield.
  • WoW Icon update Patch 1.3.0 (2005-03-07): Now castable on all raid targets.
  • WoW Icon update Patch 1.2.0 (2004-12-18): Now usable on party members only.

External links


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