An overview of the Restoration Shaman and the value of Haste
Hey all,
My name is Shaos, and I play on Icecrown. I play a variety of classes, one of my more prominent classes being Shaman. I've spent quite a long time crafting unorthodox builds and theories about Shamans, and testing them in end-game heroic raids. I'd like to share my findings, and perhaps have a discussion on any points I might present in this "guide". Hope you enjoy!
Table of Contents
- Talents and Glyphs
- Enchanting, Gems, Professions
- Gear choices
- Boss Encounters
Talents and Glyphs
Spoiler:Show
The Core Talents:
Restoration Tree:
http://wotlk.openwow.com/spell=16229
http://wotlk.openwow.com/spell=16217
http://wotlk.openwow.com/spell=16198
http://wotlk.openwow.com/spell=16232
http://wotlk.openwow.com/spell=16240
http://wotlk.openwow.com/spell=16206
http://wotlk.openwow.com/spell=16221
http://wotlk.openwow.com/spell=16213
http://wotlk.openwow.com/spell=16190
http://wotlk.openwow.com/spell=51886
http://wotlk.openwow.com/spell=51555
http://wotlk.openwow.com/spell=30873
http://wotlk.openwow.com/spell=30869
http://wotlk.openwow.com/spell=51558
http://wotlk.openwow.com/spell=51566
http://wotlk.openwow.com/spell=61295
Enhancement Tree:
http://wotlk.openwow.com/spell=17489
http://wotlk.openwow.com/spell=16305
http://wotlk.openwow.com/spell=16261
http://wotlk.openwow.com/spell=29080
It's up to you and your playstyle to divvy up the remaining talent points. Here is the talent spec that I use: http://wotlk.openwow.com/talent#hZ0xxGZx0ehIe0xkrIRt
http://wotlk.openwow.com/spell=974 and http://wotlk.openwow.com/spell=51561:
Earth Shield is a controversial pickup, especially on Warmane because until recently it's mechanics were flawed. Earth Shield's healing effect used to proc BEFORE the damage is dealt when an enemy was hit, which ends in a useless over-heal when the target is attacked. Some argued the value of Earth Shield in that current state as it could potentially prevent a killing blow on the target. Regardless, the functionality of Earth Shield has been fixed, and it now correctly heals the target AFTER the damage from the attack is applied. Still, many argue the potency of this effect, considering it a very minor heal, and a waste of talent points and a GCD. I personally spend the 3 talents points in them for 1 reason: Halion 25 Heroic.
For those of you not familiar with the current state of Halion in 25 heroic, he will cast a Flame/Shadow Breath every 15/20 (?) seconds in both realms. However, this breath is IMMEDIATELY (<0.01 seconds) followed by a cleave attack on the tank target. The damage values on a BiS Bear with barkskin is: (35-40k breath, 20-25k cleave. Note that this adds up to roughly a BiS Tank's health pool). This is a VERY HIGH amount of damage, and requires at least 1 medium-high value cooldown to survive. (Tanks often rotate their cooldowns with a Ret Paladin's http://wotlk.openwow.com/spell=31821 and a Healers own targetted defensive cooldowns in order to stay alive.) The proper behavior for this mechanic is to have a "GCD" of sorts between the breath and the bosses next attack/cleave. In it's current state, its very common for a tank caught without a strong cooldown to get 1-shot. This is where Earth Shield comes in. Earth Shield's heal procs off the Flame/Shadow Breath, Therefore giving the tank some much-needed breathing room to survive the combo. This is the sole reason I advise ANY end-game Resto Shaman to spend the 3 talent points here.
Glyphs:
My personal favorites:
http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=41527 - Strong overall healing tool, more procs off heals = more heals.
http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=45772 - Simple buff, longer duration = more heals.
http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=41517 - All but a required glyph. MORE HEALS
Minor:
http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=43386 - Free extra charge = more mana.
Other notable choices:
http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=41533 - This increases the healing output of your Healing Stream Totem, and can be valuable in fights where people are close together, such as Halion.
http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=41534 - Great way to keep yourself topped off as well as a tank in fights where you are also taking damage (Read: PP, BQL, Sindra, Halion). Only take this if you have http://wotlk.openwow.com/spell=29202, and are a tank healer.
http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=41535 - More use in PvP, but can find use in 10 man tank-healing scenarios
http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=41538 - If you want to support the healing group / have dire mana issues
http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=41541 - If you have dire mana issues.
Again, talent and glyph choices I present here are opinionated, and what I prefer to use. Don't take them as a BiS list, and feel free to experiment on your own and formulate opinions on the talent choices.
Enchanting, Gems, Professions
Spoiler:Show
Stat EVs (Effort Values) at the ICC level (Ripped from EJ):
Haste: 2.5
Crit: 1.2
Spell Power: 1.0
Mp5: 1.0
Intellect: 0.8
While these numbers may not be 100% accurate, it is easy to see that Haste is the most valued stat by far for Restoration Shamans. IMO, the next most valuable stat is Spell Power, and both should be considered when acquiring and gemming/enchanting gear.
Enchants:
Spoiler:Show
Head: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=44159
Shoulder: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=44135
Chest: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=44465
Bracer: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=44470
Weapon: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=38926/http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=44467
Shield: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=44455
Gloves: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=38979
Belt: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=41611
Legs: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=41604
Feet: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=38986/http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=39006
NOTE that http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=38926 gets more effective the more healers in your Group 5 have it. If you are the only one with the enchant, chances are http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=44467 will benefit you more.
There are a couple different ways to gem your gear:
- Straight Haste: http://wotlk.openwow.com/?item=40128. Fulfill Meta gem requirements.
- Red/Yellow Matching: http://wotlk.openwow.com/?item=40128 in Yellow slots, http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=40155 in Red slots.
- Some combination of http://wotlk.openwow.com/?item=40128, http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=40155, and http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=40113.
I'm personally a big fan of Straight Haste, and will go more in-depth as to why further on.
Professions:
Steady Stats:
Jewelcrafting/Enchanting
Strong Procs:
Engineering/Tailoring.
Other strong professions:
Blacksmithing, Alchemy. Not going to think too much about this.
It's up to you. I always prefer steady output on Healers, yet I run Eng/Tailoring for other reasons (Enhancement).
Consumables:
http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=44331
http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=44332
http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=34769
http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=40211
Build Choices
Spoiler:Show
Time for the good stuff.
There are a few standard BiS sets that float around WotLK Resto Shamans:
Spoiler:Show
Head: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=51247
Neck: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=50724
Shoulders: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=51245
Back: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=54583
Chest: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=51249
Bracers: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=54582 / http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=54584
Weapon: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=46017 / http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=50734
Shield: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=50616
Totem: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=47665
Gloves: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=51248 (Set A) OR http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=50703 (Set B)
Belt: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=54587
Legs: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=51860 OR http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=51246 (Set B)
Feet: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=50699
Ring 1: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=50400
Ring 2: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=50664
Trinket 1: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=47059 / http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=50366
Trinket 2: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=54589
Set A vs Set B: It is a marginal difference of more Crit/mp5 vs more Haste/Intellect, up to personal preference.
My Personal Favorite Set: (you can find my Resto Shaman here )
Spoiler:Show
Head: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=51247
Neck: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=50724
Shoulders: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=51245
Back: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=54583
Chest: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=51249
Bracers: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=54582
Weapon: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=46017
Shield: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=50616
Totem: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=50458
Gloves: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=51248
Belt: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=54587
Legs: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=50694
Feet: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=50699
Ring 1: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=50400
Ring 2: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=50664
Trinket 1: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=54588
Trinket 2: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=54589
There are a couple odd choices in the set that are questionable at best:
Totem: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=50458:
The static Haste buff this gives is ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE . The most common argument against it is that you waste time constantly flame shocking. Lets sit down and take a look at the end-game boss fights:
Lord Marrowgar: Not much damage goes out in between bone storms, take the time to refresh your flame shock
Lady Deathwhisper: There is 1-2 seconds of downtime between waves of spirits and Frostbolt Volley. Flame shock.
Rotface: Lots of downtime between bursts of damage. Flame shock.
Festergut: This ones iffy, and requires a sharp eye to find a good time to flame shock when everyones topped off.
Professor Putricide: Between Unstable Experiments. Flame shock.
BPC: between special abilities: Flame shock
BQL: Also iffy, usually requires constant healing.
Sindragosa: Dead time between Air Phase and Blistering. Flame shock.
Lich King: Lots of dead time between Infests. Flame shock.
Halion: Dead time between Meteor/Cutters. Flame shock. Be aware of the Breath timers on the tanks as well.
Essentially, most fights have a proper time when you can Flame Shock, and not "waste" a GCD of healing on it.
Legs: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=50694
This choice essentially comes down to 2 things. More Haste, and Hit.
If it isn't obvious from this build already, I Max Haste on my shaman, and get to about 1900 self-buffed. I am aware that a soft cap exists on your GCD, but as long as my Healing Wave and Chain Heals are longer than it, I will continue stacking Haste. Some may say this isn't effective, I say its personal preference. I love having the throughput of the max Haste setup.
The second stats in question here is the Hit. There is nothing more annoying than missing a crucial Flame Shock or Judgment of Light as a healer. Yes, you sacrifice Crit for it. Again, personal preference. Not critting is not as big of a deal in my mind as missing the Flame Shock and letting your haste stacks drop. ~100 crit vs 220 haste, should the shock miss (which is fairly common with no hit).
Trinket 1: http://wotlk.openwow.com/item=54588
Passive Haste is huge. Come's down to a comparison of ~168 Spell Power to ~184 Haste. The proc of CTS is fairly easy to control, and WILL proc off a Flame Shock, assuming its off the ICD. This means, it will most likely proc off every other Flame Shock assuming you are using your Shocks efficiently.
The virtue of Haste
Your cast time scales with Haste as follows:
http://i.imgur.com/UYQtKWp.png
1% Spell Haste = 32.78 Haste Rating
Misnomers about Haste: Many people believe that X% Haste rating means you cast X% faster. That is not the case. Your Haste percentage refers to how many additional spells you can cast every 100 spell casts. So, if you have 10% Spell Haste, you will cast 10 more spells than someone with 0% haste in the time it takes for them to cast 100 spells.
The second misnomer is that Haste % is additive. This is also incorrect. Take the Spell Haste buffs a proper raid group gets:
http://wotlk.openwow.com/spell=48396 OR http://wotlk.openwow.com/spell=53648 - 3% Haste
http://wotlk.openwow.com/spell=3738 - 5% Haste
Haste is a multiplicative effect, meaning you will see an increase in haste by 3%*5% = 8.15%
Take your self-buffed casting speed (not including your Wrath of Air Totem), divide it by 1.0815 to find your casting time in a fully raid buffed environment.
I sit at about 1900 haste with this build (Haste food + lightning speed). With proper raid buffs (Totem+Aura), My chain heals / healing waves sit at about 1.46 seconds.
Faster heals = more throughput. The more chain heals you get out, the more healing will be done. Each subsequent Chain Heal's target is healed a diminishing percentage of 40% of the first amount healed by the Chain Heal. This means that, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th heals of your Chain Heal each scale from 1 point of Spell Power less than the previous one:
1st: 100%
2nd: 60%
3rd: 36%
4th: 21.6%
Therefore, the value of the scaling of your Chain Heal from Spell Power is greatly diminished in the non-primary targets of it. I find it more reasonable to go for straight haste in these situations, as it will scale more directly with the Chain Heal, and result in a ret positive healing output the longer the fight goes.
Additionally, Stacking haste helps the use-case of Healing Wave/Lesser Healing Wave. These spells are used to assist the Holy Paladin in topping off the tank, spot healing a low raid member. Chances are, if a raid members health is very low, a competent Holy Paladin will be targeting him/her with a Holy Light. The Shaman' task in this scenario is to prevent that raid member from dying before the Holy Light is finished casting, if one is even queued up. A quick Lesser Healing Wave, Healing Wave, or Riptide is best, based on the position of the player, and its up to your discretion which spell to use. The more haste you have = the faster the cast goes off = the less of a chance the target dies between the human detection of low health and the finished cast of the heal.
Examples of this: Rotface slime spray/ooze target. Tanks on LK/Halion, BQL flame/link target / Mirror tank, PP Malleable Goo, Green Ooze target, Gas Cloud target, Sindra Unchained/Chilled, etc.
Feel free to question/criticize my choices, I welcome a healthy discussion and opposing opinions, and would love to learn something I might not be aware of!
Boss Encounters
Spoiler:Show
Part of being a great healer is knowing when, who, and how to heal during each boss fight. Here are general guidelines for healing key fights effectively (all explanations assume a Heroic encounter):
Lord Marrowgar
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Keep people topped off between bone storms. There won't be much damage other than spikes and people standing in flames too long that their disc bubble breaks. Be sure to Flame Shock before a bone storm, as you won't have time during the storm to do it.
During Bone Storm, Constantly chain heal low targets, prioritize melee that are low, as melee tend to be grouped up and will be taking similar damage (they're close to the boss). If absolutely needed, spot heal a target with a Healing Wave, but chances are a chain on the target will be much more effective. Use your judgment, as using a single target spell means less splash heals, which are much needed. Lord Marrowgar is a Shaman's fight to shine, as Snap AOE Heals are much needed during bone storm. Be sure to use GTS right before a bone storm. Never stop casting unless you absolutely need to move (Read: You're in fire). If the boss is right next to you, but you're not in fire, DON'T STOP CASTING. Target yourself with chain heal if you need to, and ask for a HoP if necessary (Bone Storm is physical damage).
Lady Deathwhisper
Spoiler:Show
First phase is relatively straightforward. Pay attention to targets nearby mind-controlled bursters (Shamans, Hunters, Mages, Druids). Identify who they're targetting and spam Healing Wave / Lesser Healing Wave. More often than not, it will prevent a death.
Second phase: Pick an edge of the room, and go crazy. Keep an eye out for spirits. If they target you, utilize Riptide and Lesser Healing Wave staggers to avoid them while continuing to heal. Spam Chain Heals and GTS before frostbolt volleys on cooldown. Same tactic for mind-controlled people applies in phase 2. To heal this fight the most effectively, you need high raid awareness.
Rotface and Festergut
Spoiler:Show
Focus Mutated debuff targets, and keep them topped off. Dispel them if they're getting sprayed / in a puddle. GTS right before the explosion. Relatively simple fight to heal.
On Festergut, go crazy and top the charts, beat that disc priest. Don't get hit by malleable.
Professor Putricide
Spoiler:Show
During Green Oozes is when you want to cycle your cooldowns. Read: Engineering Gloves, GTS, Haste Potions, etc. Be sure to stack with the green, and keep an eye out for malleables headed towards the corner. Chain Heal spam is your friend here. If the green ooze picks a target thats taking a lot of dmg, Lesser / Healing Wave him a couple times to prevent him from dying to the ticking damage. Same goes true for the Gas Cloud target. High throughput and Snap AOE Heals are what keeps people alive during oozes, its the Shaman's time to shine. Be sure to Flame Shock during downtime (no oozes up).
Blood Prince Council
Spoiler:Show
Straightforward fight, queue up GTS before Empowered Shock Waves. Flame Shock during downtime. top off moving people with lesser healing waves if needed. Spam waves on Keleseth Tank during empowered if needed.
Blood Queen Lana'thel
Spoiler:Show
Never stop casting Chain Heal unless a mechanic is forcing you to move. Tremor Totem during air phase. Consider switching to the EoT Totem. watch your healers mana and totem if need be (you should not go oom spamming chain heals). GTS at the start, you'll have it up by the first air phase. Shaman's can easily top heals this fight in the proverbial healing dick-measuring contest.
Valithria Dreamwalker
Spoiler:Show
Shaman's can easily go in portals. Keep Earth Shield + Riptide on yourself inside to prevent a death from high stacks. Don't go past 20 stacks unless you have a death wish / dedicated healer with you.
Sindragosa
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This is the Shaman's fight at the moment due to lack of Unchained Magic. While i'm not a fan of exploiting (stacking a group with Rshamans), do take advantage of the fact that you can heal nonstop this fight. Top people off during ground phase and make sure you run out of blistering + keep Flame Shock up.
Tomb Targets: Assuming you are following the 3 stacks of 2 method, riptide + earth shield one side, and chain heal the other for maximum hots. Use GTS if necessary, but be wary of how close the boss is to 2nd phase before using it.
2nd Phase: Your healing output will be insane. Don't immediately pop GTS, save it for the 3rd or so bomb. Chances are you will only have time to use it once depending on your raids dps, so save it for when its needed more. keep Earth Shield on the tank, especially if the Hpal has Unchained Magic, and spam chain heals on low people. Focus those with Chilled stacks, and yell at those casting with Unchained Magic. Flame Shock right before transition, and use it wisely if you can during Blistering Cold. Don't feel overwhelmed, as healing Sindragosa may seem like an impossible battle sometimes. Focus on getting your Chain Heals out, and picking your targets effectively.
The Lich King
Spoiler:Show
Your role P1 is a combination of helping top off tanks, and clearing infest. Periodic Lesser Healing Waves on the tanks will aid the Holy Paladin, and some well-timed Chain Heals on the ranged/melee group can help with infest. Coordinate with your Disc Priest on which groups he/she won't bubble if you like, but not necessary.
Transition: Pop GTS and heal through Pain and Suffering. Spot Heal the Raging tank, and Shambling Tank if necessary. Keep an eye out for Necrotic dispels. This is a great phase to regain mana, so make sure your Water Shield is up 24/7. Mana Tide for the healing group if needed.
P2: You're still helping to clear infest / spot heal the tanks, especially when a healer is picked. Keep a lookout for if and when a healer is picked, and heal accordingly to their job. E.X. Disc picked? Pop GTS and spam chain heals on the raid for the next infest. Hpal picked? Refresh Earth Shield on the tank and queue up those Lesser/ Healing Waves. Shaman's are a versatile healing class, and are a good safety measure against healers being picked during 2nd phase. Be sure to refresh Flame Shock between Valks.
P2 transition: Same as P1. Now's a good time to drop Mana Tide if you haven't yet. Keep Water Shield up and Flame Shock wisely.
P3: Spot Heal spirit bursts / tank damage. Flame Shock right before Frostmourne phase.
Frostmourne Phase: Pop GTS as you go in, and stagger step Chain Heals with moving. Riptide low targets on CD, and use any haste procs you have. Haste shamans really shine here, as you are able to get off really quick Chain Heals and keep moving with the group. Use your judgment on when to move and when to get a Chain heal off. Use Flame Shock on a spirit that gets too close for comfort. Otherwise, keep healing/moving.
Halion
Spoiler:Show
During Phase 1, just keep Earth Shield up on the main tank, and spot heal the embers tank if necessary. Be aware of weird flames, and queue up fast heals on people not moving out fast enough. Try to conserve mana for Shadow realm if possible. Flame Shock while moving for meteor. Place your totems directly under the boss in both realms, for the buff to be active on both sides.
Phase 2: Pop GTS as soon as your in, and chain heal the raid up. Make sure Earth Shield is up on the tank 100% of the time. Help the Holy Paladin keep the tank alive if necessary, especially if he/she has consumption. Be sure to spot heal the Consumption targets, as it does a LOT of damage.
Phase 3 Inside: You're job is to help the Holy Paladin keep the tank alive, while keeping the raid alive as well. This requires a combination of Chain Heals, and Healing Waves on the tank. Focus the tank during the breaths, to make sure he/she doesn't die, a LOT of damage will be doing out on it. otherwise, Chain Heal spam the raid to keep them alive. If you have a 3rd raid healer inside with you, focus the tank more and the raid less, but don't neglect either. Lesser Healing Wave spam the consumption target when he/she is dispelled, as it will do a lot of damage. If the Holy Paladin gets Consumption, Focus the tank while they're moving. Make sure Earth Shield is always up on the tank. Know your casting times, and queue up spells while he's casting Breath to instantly heal the tank. Flame Shock between breaths, while moving for cutters.
Phase 3 Outside: Same as phase 1, similar tactics to above. Help the Holy Paladin keep the tank alive. Raid heal if necessary. Spot heal people standing in flames, and the embers tank if necessary. Flame Shock while running for meteor.
I hope this post was helpful, and best of luck as a Resto Shaman!
Shaos
