Restoration Shamans are versatile healers, mastering water and totems to deliver strong single-target and AoE healing. Their utility and crowd control make them flexible in raids and Mythic+.
Overview of the Restoration Shaman Healer
Restoration Shamans are powerful healers who leverage the elemental forces of water and earth to restore health and protect allies. Specializing in both single-target and AoE healing, they rely on totems and spells to deliver consistent, high-throughput healing. With a strong focus on mana management and cooldown planning, Resto Shamans excel in dynamic content, offering utility and crowd control alongside their healing capabilities. Their adaptability makes them a valuable asset in raids, Mythic+, and PvP settings.
Talents and Builds
Talents and builds for Restoration Shamans focus on enhancing versatility and maximizing healing output. Key talents improve single-target and AoE healing, while builds are optimized for specific content types.
Best Talent Tiers for Restoration Shaman
The best talent tiers for Restoration Shaman enhance versatility and maximize healing output. Key talents in the first tier include Loom of the Skyweaver and Ancestral Vision, which improve single-target and AoE healing. Later tiers offer Unleash Life and Cloudburst Totem, boosting burst healing and mana efficiency. These talents are optimized for both raid and Mythic+ content, ensuring adaptability in various healing scenarios.
Optimal Talent Builds for Different Content Types
Restoration Shaman talent builds adapt to content type. For raids, prioritize consistent healing with Healing Tide Totem and Cloudburst Totem. In Mythic+, focus on burst healing with Unleash Life and Earthen Wall Totem for crowd control. These builds maximize healing output and utility, ensuring optimal performance in both single-target and AoE scenarios across different content types.
Rotation and Priorities
Restoration Shaman rotation focuses on balancing single-target and AoE healing. Prioritize Healing Wave for consistent healing and Chain Heal for multi-target scenarios. Use Healing Tide Totem and Ascendance during high damage phases to maximize output.
Single-Target and AoE Healing Rotations
For single-target healing, prioritize Healing Wave and Healing Surge due to their strong, consistent output. In AoE situations, focus on Chain Heal to heal multiple targets efficiently. Use Healing Tide Totem during high damage phases for sustained healing. Spirit Link Totem helps distribute damage, reducing strain on the tank. Adapt your rotation by weaving in Riptide and Earth Shield to maintain buffs and enhance healing output.
Opener and Cooldown Management
Begin with Riptide and Earth Shield to prep the tank. Use Healing Tide Totem during the first high-damage phase. Coordinate Ascendance and Link Totem for maximum burst healing. Weave in Mana Tide Totem to replenish mana during lulls. Plan cooldowns around predicted damage spikes, ensuring Healing Tide aligns with heavy incoming damage for optimal efficiency and reduced overhealing.
Stats and Gear
Restoration Shamans prioritize Intellect for mana and spell power. Haste increases casting speed, while Versatility boosts healing and damage. Optimize gear for mana efficiency and throughput.
Stat Priority for Restoration Shaman
Intellect is the primary stat, boosting mana and spell power. Haste increases casting speed, enhancing throughput. Versatility improves healing and damage efficiency, while Mastery strengthens Earth Shield and healing over time. Balance these stats to optimize mana management, casting speed, and overall healing effectiveness for consistent performance in raids and Mythic+ dungeons.
Best-in-Slot Gear and Enchants
Acquiring the best-in-slot gear for Restoration Shaman is crucial for maximizing healing output. Prioritize tier set pieces for their powerful bonuses, and seek high-ilvl trinkets offering intellect or versatility. Enchant your gear with Mastery or Haste for enhanced healing efficiency. Use the Earthen Weapon enchant on your weapon, and consider Ring of Haste or Versatility for accessories to further bolster your performance in raids and Mythic+ dungeons.
Covenant and Soulbinds
Restoration Shamans excel with the Kyrian covenant in raids for its consistent healing output, while Night Fae shines in Mythic+ for mobility and burst healing.
Best Covenant Choices for Restoration Shaman
The best covenant for Restoration Shamans is Kyrian, offering strong raid healing with Divine Toll and consistent output. Night Fae is ideal for Mythic+ due to its mobility and burst healing potential. Venthyr provides a balance of healing and damage, making it versatile for various content types, especially when paired with specific legendary effects.
Optimal Soulbind and Conduit Setup
For Restoration Shamans, the best Soulbinds depend on covenant choice. Pair Kyrian with Forgelite Prime Mikanikos for enhanced healing and mobility. Night Fae excels with Niya for burst healing in Mythic+. Venthyr pairs well with Theotar for consistent output. Potency Conduits like Wave of Renewal and Refreshing Waters are essential, while Endurance Conduits like Tide of the Elements enhance mana efficiency. Finesse Conduits like Flow of the Elements reduce cooldowns for optimal gameplay.
Totems and Support Spells
Restoration Shamans wield powerful totems like Healing Tide Totem and Spirit Link Totem to enhance group healing and survivability, while spells like Earth Shield provide targeted protection and Capacitor Totem offer utility in raids and Mythic+.
Key Totems for Healing and Support
Healing Tide Totem provides potent AoE healing, ideal for high-damage events, while Spirit Link Totem redistributes health among the group. Earth Shield offers proactive protection, and Capacitor Totem aids in interrupting enemy spells, enhancing utility in both raids and Mythic+ dungeons. These totems, along with spells like Earth Shield, form the backbone of a Restoration Shaman’s support toolkit, ensuring versatility and effectiveness in various combat scenarios.
Utility and Crowd Control Abilities
Restoration Shamans possess powerful utility tools like Hex for crowd control and Bind Elemental to imprison enemies. Thunderstorm provides a knockback and mana refund, while Earthgrab Totem slows and roots foes. These abilities enhance survivability and group protection, making Restoration Shamans invaluable in both PvE and PvP scenarios by offering unique control and support options beyond traditional healing.
Professions and Consumables
Alchemy and Herbalism are ideal professions, providing flasks and potions to boost healing output. Enchanting enhances gear, while food buffs and mana potions sustain performance in raids.
Best Professions for Restoration Shaman
Alchemy and Herbalism are ideal for Restoration Shamans, as they provide flasks, potions, and herbs to boost healing output. Alchemy allows crafting of powerful consumables, while Herbalism ensures a steady supply of materials. Enchanting is also beneficial, enabling gear enhancements to improve healing effectiveness. These professions collectively enhance mana sustainability and overall healing performance in raids and dungeons.
Essential Consumables and Buffs
Restoration Shamans rely on flasks like Flask of the Solemn Night for mana and healing boosts. Potions such as Healing Potion and Mana Potion provide immediate support during intense fights. Buffs like Power Word: Fortitude and Drums of Renewal enhance raid-wide resilience. Using food buffs such as Feast of the Solem Night further increases healing output. These consumables and buffs are crucial for optimizing performance in both raids and Mythic+ dungeons.
Races and Glyphs
Optimal races for Restoration Shaman include Tauren for stamina and Dwarf for Stoneform. Glyphs like Glyph of Water Shield and Glyph of Healing Stream Totem enhance healing output and utility.
Optimal Races for Restoration Shaman
Tauren and Dwarf are top choices for Restoration Shaman due to their racial traits. Tauren’s Endurance increases stamina, enhancing survivability, while Dwarf’s Stoneform provides a defensive cooldown. Other viable options include Pandaren for Inner Peace, Lightforged Draenei for Light’s Anvil, and Highmountain Tauren for Mountaineer, all offering unique benefits that complement healing and utility.
Useful Glyphs for Healing
Key glyphs for Restoration Shaman include Glyph of Water Shield, enhancing mana regeneration, and Glyph of Healing Wave, reducing its cast time. Glyph of Riptide improves its effectiveness, while Glyph of Chain Heal increases its jump range. Minor glyphs like Glyph of Ghost Wolf and Glyph of Shamanistic Rage provide utility, enhancing movement and mana management. These glyphs optimize healing output and survivability in raids and Mythic+ dungeons.
Addons and Macros
Essential addons like Grid and Gladius enhance healing management and PvP tracking. Macros streamline spell casting, improving efficiency in raids and Mythic+ dungeons for Restoration Shamans.
Essential Addons for Restoration Shaman
Key addons include Grid for advanced raid frames, Gladius for arena tracking, and Deadly Boss Mods for cooldown management. WeakAuras provides customizable alerts, while ElvUI enhances UI functionality. HealBot and VuhDo offer click-to-heal interfaces, streamlining gameplay. These tools improve awareness, efficiency, and decision-making, ensuring optimal performance in both raids and Mythic+ dungeons for Restoration Shamans.
Powerful Macros to Enhance Gameplay
Macros streamline gameplay by combining abilities; A one-button healing macro with Healbot or VuhDo targets and heals group members instantly. Mouseover macros for Chain Heal and Healing Wave enhance efficiency. Focus macros allow quick Earth Shield application on tanks; Additionally, combining healing with damage spells like Lightning Bolt or Flametongue maximizes downtime utility. These macros improve reaction time and overall healing performance in dynamic encounters.
Mythic+ and Raid Strategies
Restoration Shamans excel in Mythic+ and raids with their adaptability and totemic support. Plan big cooldowns like Healing Tide Totem for high-damage phases and use mobility to stay effective.
Healing Strategies for Mythic+ Dungeons
Restoration Shamans thrive in Mythic+ dungeons by balancing proactive and reactive healing. Use Healing Tide Totem during heavy damage phases and Earth Shield on high-value targets. Maintain Riptide on injured allies and utilize Ascendance for burst AoE healing. Manage cooldowns effectively, prioritize Hex for crowd control, and employ Capacitor Totem to reduce melee damage. Adapt your totem placement and spell usage to match the dungeon’s pacing and boss mechanics.
Raid Healing Tips and Cooldown Planning
Restoration Shamans excel in raids by coordinating cooldowns like Healing Tide Totem and Ascendance during high-damage phases. Use Spirit Link Totem to stabilize tank damage and Earth Shield on main tanks. Maintain Riptide on injured players and plan Healing Surge for emergency spot healing. Coordinate with your team to align cooldowns for maximum impact and ensure uninterrupted mana regeneration during prolonged fights.