How To: Restoration Druid - A Simple Guide

[Deleted]

Original guide made by me can be found from: eu.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/1266917788

"How To: Restoration Druid - A Simple Guide" is a small task by my hands which I though of doing to give some beginner's guidance of how the system works. It doesn't go into deep specific of mathematical patterns or deeply spiritual insight, but plainly gives you simple tips and information of what and how the spell we currently have should be used, as well as what stats you should look after in your gear. The one thing this guide lacks atm is a deeper look into the talents (Talent Overhaul), which I didn't have time to finish up right now, but which I'll try and get done as soon as my limited time permits it.

Hope you enjoy reading this, and even more I hope it'll somewhat helps at least someone out there. I myself enjoyed writing it.

How To: Restoration Druid - A Simple Guide

• 1. Itemization
  
  1.1 Intellect
  1.2 Haste
  1.3 Critical Strike Rating
  1.4 Spirit
  1.5 Mastery
  1.6 Reforging

• 2. Specs
  
  2.1 Hybrid / Tank Healer
  2.2 Raid Healer

• 3. Spells
  
  3.1 Lifebloom
  3.2 Regrowth
  3.3 Rejuvenation
  3.4 Nourish
  3.5 Healing Touch
  3.6 Wild Growth
  3.7 Swiftmend
  3.7.1 Efflorescence

• 1. Itemization

1.1 - Intellect

Due to the changes made into Spellpower and it's removal from all of the items discounting weapons, Intellect has become our most important stat since not only does it now give us mana, and still being the greatest regeneration stat there is, it also gives us spellpower. This is what you mainly what to be gemming for.

1 point in intellect gives you:

- 1.169 spellpower

- 0.18 crit

- 17.53 Mana (20.16 with 3/3 Furor)

1.2 - Haste

With the change Blizzard made into HoTs and DoTs, haste now effectively reduces the time between periodic ticks without reducing the duration of the Healing over Time spell as it did in WotLK. With the change also made to our tank healing capabilities, haste becomes the top stat you want to be looking for (After Intellect, which we got from all of our items anyway). In reforging, haste should always be your main concern to reforge for, as well as what to look to enchant your gear with.

Here are some nice patterns to how Haste effects the Healing over Time -effect of some of our spells.

Thanks to Tjani of Ensidia for the pattern.

Rejuvenation

12.5% 5 ticks

37.5% 6 ticks

62.5% 7 ticks

87.5% 8 ticks

Wild Growth

21.43% 9 ticks

35.72% 10 ticks

50% 11 ticks

64.3% 12 ticks

Lifebloom

25% 13 ticks

35% 14 ticks

45% 15 ticks

55% 16 ticks

Regrowth

16.67% 4 ticks

50% 5 ticks

87.5% 6 ticks

1.3 - Critical Strike Rating

While getting the top shot with gearing after haste, you shouldn't forget the worst that in WotLK, which now is quite nice in Cataclysm for Restoration Druids: Crit. Blizzard didn't only change HoTs and DoTs to scale with haste, but to allow their periodic ticks to grant critical strikes as well. While not so efficient as haste, crit is something nice to Reforge for if your piece of gear already is spirit based with haste in it.

1.4 - Spirit

While they announced that mana would be a real issue in Cataclysm, me running nearly all heroic achievements in 5-mans so far (most of them with quite poor gear on first days) as well as Argaloth 10-man (which, truly said, needs some buffs), the mana isn't THAT much of an annoyance right now. I cannot comment the real raiding enviroment atm due to me not having time to raid properly. Thank you Finnish Defense Forces. It takes a while for you, and EVERYONE (no exceptions in this, for me the biggest reason for not being able to do some achievement was that I didn't know yet how to plan my healing on it. When I got that right, I could manage my resources all right) will notice at one point that their mana just won't last. Don't worry, you will get used to it. When you find yourself comfortable with it, you can start to Reforge Spirit away into either Haste or Critical Strike Rating, as well as finding some "Caster items" != Stamina + Intellect + Haste + Crit // (Mastery)

1.5 - Mastery

"Increases the potency of your healing spells by 10% on targets already affected by one of your heal over time spells. Each point of Mastery increases heal potency by an additional 1.25%."

Only I can say at the moment is that the current Restoration mastery, Symbiosis, is a very poor design, which only favors FULL time tank healers, and even then haste and critical strike rating do tend to take the top spot of the stat you want to be looking for.

How mastery works?

1) You cast Regrowth on someone who has a Rejuv = bonus healing.

2) You cast Nourish on someone who has a Lifebloom = bonus healing.

3) You Swiftmend a Rejuv = bonus healing.

4) You cast a Rejuv on someone who does not have a Regrowth, LB or WG on them = no bonus healing.

5) You cast Rejuv on someone who has a Rejuv = no bonus healing. (You merely refreshed Rejuv.)

6) You cast a Wild Growth = bonus healing on those with preexisting hots.

1.6 - Reforging

"Reforging offers a player to convert 40% of one secondary stat on an item into 40% of another secondary stat."

Priority: Haste < Crit < Mastery < Spirit

• 2. Specs

2.1 - Hybrid / Tank Healer

wowhead.com/talent#0hrZcZMfzIdcruozo

A basic build which'll get you going on both 5-heroics as a really valuable healer as well as a raid all-around worker.

Prime Glyphs

- Glyph of Lifebloom Increases the critical effect chance of your Lifebloom by 10%.

- Glyph of Switfmend Your Swiftmend ability no longer consumes a Rejuvenation or Regrowth effect from the target.

- Glyph of Rejuvenation Increases the healing done by your Rejuvenation by 10%.

Major Glyphs

- Glyph of Healing Touch When you cast Healing Touch, the cooldown on your Nature's Swiftness is reduced by 10 sec.

- Glyph of Innervate When Innervate is cast on a friendly target other than the caster, the caster will gain 50% of Innervate's effect.

- Glyph of Rebirth Players resurrected by Rebirth are returned to life with 100% health.


2.2 - Raid Healer

wowhead.com/talent#0hrZcZRczIdcMuouoVcb

I really hate for posting this since I simply don't feel a need for this build. But anyhow, here it is. There should not be a thing called "Raid Healer" or "Tank Healer" anymore these days.

Prime Glyphs

- Glyph of Lifebloom Increases the critical effect chance of your Lifebloom by 10%.

- Glyph of Switfmend - Your Swiftmend ability no longer consumes a Rejuvenation or Regrowth effect from the target.

- Glyph of Rejuvenation - Increases the healing done by your Rejuvenation by 10%.

Major Glyphs

- Glyph of Wild Growth - Wild Growth can affect 1 additional target.

- Glyph of Innervate - When Innervate is cast on a friendly target other than the caster, the caster will gain 50% of Innervate's effect.

- Glyph of Rebirth - Players resurrected by Rebirth are returned to life with 100% health.

• 3. Spells

3.1 - Lifebloom

With the changes made to Lifebloom, it can now only affect one target at a time, with an exception to be able to be cast on unlimited targets while under the effect of your Tree of Life -cooldown. This is your primary tank healing HoT which to keep up. With it's really good healing output: mana efficiency, it'll make sure your tank always has that small healing as a blanket before your direct heals.

Tip: - Under the effect of Tree of Life, Lifebloom is really viable tool in raid healing, especially since due to 2/2 Malfurion's Gift Lifebloom has 4% chance every time it heals to proc Clearcasting, giving you those free, unlimited resource of instant Regrowths to spam on highly wounded targets.

3.2 Regrowth

From WotLK 27 second HoT to Cataclysm 6 second HoT, Regrowth has now become the basic group healing tool with it's good direct heal and short cast time. However, it is also very mana costy, 35% of your base mana, so this is something you cannot be spamming all night long, even though it gets the job done.

Tip: Best to use under the effect of Clearcasting for quick free heals.

3.3 Rejuvenation

From WotLK super machine heal of Druid's to little tank healing blanket which to be run on the background. It has a nice healing output, still, but how often you'll use it has got restricted due to high mana cost. Nice heal to bring up people back to life slowly.

3.4 Nourish

Our basic tank healing spell with very low mana cost, making it basically endless spam button. With 2/2 reforged "Empowered Touch" talent, which gives Nourish and Healing Touch 100% chance to refresh the duration of Lifebloom on your target, you'll love using this spell. It has slightly lower healing output that it should, in my opinion, due to all HoTs not been anymore being blanketed on a tank (Nourish "Heals for an additional 20% if you have a Rejuvenation, Regrowth, Lifebloom, or Wild Growth effect active on the target."), but it'll keep him alive and bring him / her slowly back to full health mana efficiently.

3.5 Healing Touch

HT is the slow, hard hitting heal for us. At the moment it can crit up to 35k with good gear, so it's a great tool to prepare a +10k Living Seed on your tank before the pull, as well as to bring him back to full health. Remember that you cannot spam Healing Touch too often since you will find yourself in great difficulty with your mana after that.

Tip: If your tank is in great danger, try and boost your haste with Regrowth, which with 3/3 Nature's Grace gives you a 15% haste buff to your casting speed for 15 seconds.

3.6 Wild Growth

While this ability could use some tuning mana wise atm (Make it consume Omen of Clarity proc..) it's "decent" healing wise, remembering that our HoTs can crit. In raiding, I strongly suggest glyphing for this to make it hit 1 additional target. Not something you want to be constantly spamming, but when there's enough people who've taken damage.

3.7 Swiftmend

With the change made to Swiftmend and it not having different healing effect by choosing between Rejuvenation and Regrowth, it's all the same which HoT you consume for this spell. With it's really low mana cost, 10% of your base mana, it'll be a life saver to many close to you as well as a great tank healing tool for those fast recoveries you need with burst healing.

3.7.1 Efflorescense

"When you heal with your Swiftmend spell you also sprout a bed of healing flora underneath the target, healing all nearby friendly targets within 8 yards for 30% of the amount healed by your Swiftmend over 7 sec. Healing effectiveness diminishes for each player beyond 6 within the area.

That is what this 3 point talent deep in your Restoration build does if you decide spec into it. And you should. It's a great group healing tool, although you need to learn how to /dance with it. There are few ways how to place it.

1) Cast a Rejuvenation / Regrowth on must wounded melee, and land it in there.

2) Cast a Rejuvenation / Regrowth on YOURSELF and land it where ever you want by moving in there. YOU control the spell. The spell doesn't control you (That doesn't sound right..)

Make your casters be aware of this effect so they know to stand in it.

3.8 Tranquility

"Heals 5 nearby lowest health party or raid targets within 40 yards with Tranquility every 2 sec for 8 sec. Tranquility heals for 1743 plus an additional 154 every 2 sec over 8 sec. Stacks up to 3 times. The Druid must channel to maintain the spell."

With the change from WotLK, Tranquility is now raid-wide heal, which give it a great potential to bring up people back from the bottom of their health to full in no time. Especially this spell's greatness comes in 5-man heroics, where it'll bring every easily from 10% HP back to 100% during it's channel + HoT period.

Most of people disclaim that "BUT IT'S ON 8 MIN CD OMGZ!" Yes, it is. This is something you have to live with. In raids, you'll be using it once per a boss fight. Hopefully, at least. Not using this cooldown is not a good thing to do. Make a good use of your abilities and learn to align into them, you'll be rewarded. I promise.

3.9 Remove Corruption

With the change to all healers, every healer now only has ONE cleansing spell, which has all together poison / curse / disease (dependant of your class), as well as Blizzard made it possible for all healers to spec into a talent which gives all healers an ability to cleanse MAGIC. This removes the problem which some ran into WotLK quite many times that they had to have a specific class due to it being able to remove an specific debuff which the other class did not have. Those times are over.

3.10 Innervate

"Causes the target to regenerate mana equal to 20% of the casting Druid's maximum mana pool over 10 sec." With [item="40908" /] you get an additional effect: "When Innervate is cast on a friendly target other than the caster, the caster will gain 50% of Innervate's effect."

When getting deeper into your beloved spec, you'll find it clearly suitable to throw that extra Innervate to another healer and let him / her enjoy of the mana which it gives.

3.11 Tree of Life

"Shapeshift into the tree of life, increasing healing done by 15% and increasing your armor by 120%. In addition, some of your spells are temporarly enhanced while shapeshifted. Lasts 30 sec. 5 minute cooldown. Enhanced spells: Lifebloom, Wild Growth, Regrowth, Entangling Roots, Thorns, Wrath"

Lifebloom - Can be cast on unlimited targets

Regrowth - Instant cast

Wild Growth - Affects two additional targets

Entagling Roots - Instant cast

Wrath - 30% more damage dealt

I'll not get into specifics, but lets just say that Tree of Life is our brand (old) new cooldown which you'll want to use on those hard-on phases which need a lot of healing done, whether it'll be tank healing or group healing or both together!

I could rant a whole night of in which situations I've used Tree of Life and how freaking awesome it is at the moment, but I won't; I let YOU experiment it yourself.

That's right.

I learned healing out from nothing. There was no one to teach me how to do this. Not in TBC, not in WotLK, and not in Cata. The best way you learn to heal is simply through practice. Do it, over and over, and you'll eventually find yourself perfectly aligned into the new way of healing.