Resto. No, not those pesky people who are always complaining about not being a tree any more, real Resto. Chain Healin’ Riptidin’ Totemin’ Resto, and it’s coming to Deathwing’s back in a big way. Well, we’ve got your guide to 4.3 Restoration Shaman talent specs, stats, builds, changes in 4.3, glyphs, gemming and reforging, and of course how to use your spells to make people not die, right here.
Updated Nov 29th, 2011 to Patch 4.3
Resto Shaman Changes in Patch 4.3
Resto Shammies have recieved a couple of buffs in Patch 4.3. Notably, the talent Ancestral Healing now increases your healing targets’ health by 10%. All healing spells refresh this, but the most reliable way to do so is Riptide, so it’s now very important to keep Riptide rolling on tanks if you’re tank healing – but you should have been doing that anyway. (It also means that as the raid healer you may want to run Riptide on tanks – discuss with your Raid Leader).
Also, if you’re an orc, your racial Blood Fury now increases your spell power – so it becomes another useful CD for you.
Restoration healing “rotation”
What do you think we are, DPSers? We don’t have a “rotation”, of course. But here’s some basics on how to keep people from keeling over:
Tank Healing
Keep Earth Shield on the tank. Use Riptide on cooldown, Healing Wave any time you don’t need to use something bigger (you CAN spam this, most likely), Greater Healing Wave if the tank’s taking serious damage, and Healing Surge only if you are sure that the extra second to cast Greater Healing Wave will kill the tank. Bear in mind that Riptide will proc an effect making both your Healing Wave spells much quicker for two casts.
Raid / Group Healing
Use Earth Shield on the tank anyway. Use Healing Wave to spot heal when the group or raid isn’t taking much damage. If the damage starts coming in heavy, use Healing Rain for mass group damage (warning, expensive) or Chain Heal any time it will heal 3 or more targets. Use Riptide on cooldown, and ask your raid leader if you should be keeping it rolling on the tank for the 10% health buff.
Totems and Buffs: Totems should be Healing Stream, Stoneskin, Flametongue, Wrath of Air. Keep Earth Living Weapon on your weapon, and keep Water Shield on yourself. If you’re with another shaman, coordinate your totems!
Cooldowns: Remember you can use Unleash Elements to buff your next spell (although it’s not that powerful), and Nature’s Swiftness to make it instant. Spiritwalker’s Grace is also vital if you need to move – you can still cast whilst moving. Spirit Link Totem is a save-the-group spell, particularly in 5-mans – it averages out health across the group, and will save a tank or other person taking heavy damage. Oh, and remember Bloodlust / Heroism – work with your raid leader in a raid to choose the best time to cast it.
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Resto Shaman Talent Spec
This is a good standard Resto talent spec for 4.3 (alternative WoWHead link)
If you want to get more precise, the Elitist Jerks guide has talent specs for a wide variety of different raiding scenarios.
Stats, reforging and gemming for Restoration
Intellect is probably the most important Resto stat. Spirit controls mana regen and you should prioritise it if you are having mana problems.
If you are close to the Haste Caps (916 is the first one, with 2005 being another significant one, giving an extra Riptide tick), it’s advantageous to reach these, although not vital. All 3 stats other than Spirit are roughly equal but have different effects – Haste will make you more powerful but burn more mana, Crit will restore some mana and also boost healing but by less than Haste, and Mastery will boost your heals on people who are more injured. .
Reforging: Very personal, but reforge to Spirit until your mana feels comfortable for the content you’re doing. If you can get to a Haste cap, reforge Mastery and Crit to Haste.
Gems: Use two Reckless Ember Topaz in the best two yellow sockets to activate Ember Shadowspirit Diamond, the best meta gem. After this, generally use a Brilliant Inferno Ruby in all sockets. unless you can gain 20 INt or more with one non-red socket. In that case, use Purified Demonseye or Artful Ember Topaz.
Note: These are “rule of thumb” suggestions. Stats for Resto Shamans are complicated – once you’re comfortable with the basic mechanics, read the stat sections in the guides below and make choices on more complex reforging then.
Resto Shaman enchants
Several professions have “superior” enchants – use them if the stats are appropriate. Felfire Inscription on shoulders from Inscription, for example. Note – these enchants are most likely to be useful. However, if you need more Spirit, for example, it’s OK to deviate from them to other top-end enchants.
| Head | Arcanum of Hyjal |
| Shoulders | Greater Inscription of Charged Lodestone |
| Back | Enchant Cloak – Greater Intellect |
| Chest | Enchant Chest – Peerless Stats or Enchant Chest – Exceptional Spirit |
| Wrist | Enchant Bracer – Mighty Intellect |
| Hands | Enchant Gloves – Greater Mastery |
| Belt | Ebonsteel Belt Buckle |
| Legs | Powerful Ghostly Spellthread |
| Feet | Enchant Boots – Haste or Enchant Boots – Mastery |
| Weapon | Enchant Weapon – Power Torrent |
| Shield | Enchant Shield – Superior Intellect |
Glyphs
Prime: Earthliving Weapon, Riptide, Earth Shield
Major: Chain Heal, Healing Stream Totem, Stoneclaw Totem are good options. Glyph of Healing Wave, which adds a self-heal, can also be useful.
Minor: Glyph of Renewed Life and two others of your choice.
Links
- Life In Group 5 – great Resto Shaman blog with loads of useful info.
- MMO Champion Resto guide – Used with the EJ guide below, presents an interesting counterpoint.
- Elitist Jerks Resto Shaman Guide – one of their best. Detailed, but also down to earth and sensible. Recommended. Updated to 4.3.
- MMO Melting Pot’s Warcraft section – The best writing on WoW, shamans and all, from around the blogosphere.
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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
you said resto druid above the spec link…
Ahem – oops. Fixed – thanks!
(Now time to go check the Holy Pallie and Holy Priest articles, not to mention the Prot Warrior and Pallie ones…)
[Edited. Insults not useful.]
I would be using this specc for healing in groups/raids.
When you need to dispell, it’s nice if you get abit more healing on the dispell you doing, not such a waste on GCD then.
http://wowtal.com/#k=m1APqBIR.ala.shaman.RycLnp
Thanks a lot for this quick and helpful guide. The talent build link however leads to a blank black page for me. Could you recheck that, please, or link to wowhead? Thanks.
@Tom – Hmm, that’s wierd. WoWTal is working OK for me. I’ll do a WoWHead copy of it too, though, and link it.
You said that 916 is the soft cap for haste, 916 yu’ll get an extra tick of your riptide and so on.. But do you know whats the next haste cap?
@Tobman – 916 is the big one for Resto. After that, 2005 is nice (assuming no DI and no Goblin racial), giving an extra Riptide tick, but not as important. My understanding is that it’s much more optional to hit that break.
the stat priority for this guide is off. stacking haste is not better than if you stack mastery. you may not see the big beginning burst heals but you will be doing way more healing and more hps than a haste resto shaman
Why do you include crit as being something to reforge into in most heroic raids i have found healing rain to be super effective when stacking mastery since most people are getting low on health for 80% of the fights in ds
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