Hmmm..
From the numbers so far, Blizzad are saying that priests are doing 2500 DPS easily.
ALL classes are crying over the official forums. There are bugs in stuff, some spells and abilities aren't working properlly.
Read the Warlock forums on the WOTLK Beta, you will be shocked as they are telling the devs that they don't even understand the class that they created
Bottom line is, priests are a hybrid, and Blizzard gave these numbers:
If you are a Hybrid DPS, you will do around 90 percent of the damage that a true DPS does (they used a paladin will do about 90 percent of the damage of a rogue for example) BUT, you have more utility, Finally you also have the luxury of being able to heal yourself, bubble, tank if you so wish blah blah blah. (note, that is how hey see it so don't post back saying you don't agree... because it won't really help either of us
)
They want:
Hybrid DPS to do about 90 percent damage
Tank DPS to be around 70 - 80 percent of regular DPS
Healers to do about 60 percent damage of a damage spec (for example, a holy priest will be about 60 perrcent of the damage of a shadow priest).
Numbers are not final yet, and as someone who reads all the updates each time, plays PTR, has played WOTLK beta, and reads the forums each day for all classes, I can safely assure you that according to the people on the forums:
Paladins, Death Knights, Druids and warriors all are worst tanks in the game (so all 4 are the worst... which is obviously not possible).
AL classes are the worst healers
All classes do the worst damage
All the other classes are better than my class.
Blizzard is fixing stuff, for example read a few months ago the complaints of warriors (prot) who said they sucked (and they did) suddenly blizzard updates them, and the warriors can't stop hugging the beta testers... I am worried they will start sending Ghostcrawler love letters :/
*edit*
Forgot to mention, on my own priests, non buffed, in WoW Beta, My own DPS is probably around double. SWP is ticking for far more, MF is hitting for 1500 crits (at least) and MB is hitting for 5 - 7K depending on dots / shadow weaving / gear I am wearing.