Restoration Shaman WotLK Guide
Restoration Shaman healing guide for WotLK 3.3.5a: spell priority, cooldowns, the 0/16/55 build, glyphs, stats and BiS gear for ICC and Ruby Sanctum.
The Restoration Shaman is a raid healer, and Chain Heal is why. It bounces between targets, it is the best tool for raid damage, and it is the button you press most. Around it, you have Healing Wave for a big single-target heal, Lesser Healing Wave for a quick one, Riptide for a heal while you move, and Earth Shield on the tank.
This guide covers the healing priority, the cooldowns and totems, the talents and glyphs we run, the stats to reach and the mistakes that cost the most. It is written for Icecrown Citadel 25 and Ruby Sanctum on 3.3.5a. The short overview is in the class guide.
1.How the Restoration Shaman plays
Chain Heal is your main tool for area damage. The first target is healed for the full amount, and the next targets are healed for less each time, so you pick a first target that has other damaged players around. Healing Wave is a slow, big heal for a single target, Lesser Healing Wave is your fast reaction heal that keeps someone from dying before the other healers land their spells, and Riptide gives you a heal over time when you are moving.
Keep Water Shield on yourself all the time for mana, and Earth Shield on the tank. There are two ways to build the spec: a tank-healing build with more Earth Shield and single-target power, and a raid-healing build that puts more into Chain Heal and area coverage. The guides we read use a mix.
2.Healing priorities
- Earth Shield and Water Shield Earth Shield on the tank and Water Shield on yourself, all the time.
- Chain Heal Chain Heal for area damage. Choose a first target with other damaged players close by.
- Riptide Riptide on low targets, and while you are moving.
- Lesser Healing Wave Lesser Healing Wave for a fast heal on a low player.
- Healing Wave Healing Wave for a large single-target heal.
Do not stop casting during movement phases. Use Riptide and instant heals, and keep your casting going. And pre-cast your heals before a tank breath or another known damage moment, so the target is at full health when it lands.
3.Cooldowns and raid utility
Restoration has a small set of cooldowns, and they are worth planning.
Gives mana to the group. Use it before the heavy damage phases, and coordinate it with your healing team.
A large haste increase for the group. Coordinate it with your raid leader.
A passive healing totem for the group. Keep it down.
Removes fear, charm and sleep effects. Use it on the fights that ask for it.
Redirects a harmful spell to itself. Useful on some caster fights.
An instant heal for a huge single-target need. Optional, and some Restoration Shamans skip it.
4.Talents and glyphs
Our recommended Restoration builds are the 0/13/58 raid-healing build and the 0/16/55 tank-healing build in the calculator, built around Riptide, Tidal Waves, Earth Shield, Improved Earth Shield, Ancestral Awakening and Mana Tide Totem. The guides we read put three points into Earth Shield specifically for Halion's breath and cleave damage.
The major glyphs are Earth Shield, Lesser Healing Wave and Chain Heal. Riptide is a good alternative.
Heals a friendly target for 639 to 691 and another 665 over 15 sec. Your next Chain Heal cast on that primary target within 15 sec will consume the healing over time effect and increase the amount of the Chain Heal by 25%.
When you cast Chain Heal or Riptide, you have a 100% chance to lower the cast time of your Healing Wave spell by 30% and increase the critical effect chance of your Lesser Healing Wave spell by 25%, until two such spells have been cast. In addition, your Healing Wave gains an additional 20% of your bonus healing effects and your Lesser Healing Wave gains an additional 10% of your bonus healing effects.
Protects the target with an earthen shield, reducing casting or channeling time lost when damaged by 30% and causing attacks to heal the shielded target for 150. This effect can only occur once every few seconds. 6 charges. Lasts 10 min. Earth Shield can only be placed on one target at a time and only one Elemental Shield can be active on a target at a time.
Increases the amount of charges for your Earth Shield by 2, and increases the healing done by your Earth Shield by 10%.
When you critically heal with your Healing Wave, Lesser Healing Wave or Riptide you summon an Ancestral spirit to aid you, instantly healing the lowest percentage health friendly party or raid target within 40 yards for 30% of the amount healed.
Summons a Mana Tide Totem with 10% of the caster's health at the feet of the caster for 12 sec that restores 6% of total mana every 3 seconds to group members within 30 yards.
Increases the amount healed by your Earth Shield by 20%.
Your Lesser Healing Wave heals for 20% more if the target is also affected by Earth Shield.
Your Chain Heal heals 1 additional target.
5.Stats, gems and gear
At Icecrown gear levels, the guides we read weigh the stats like this: haste first, then critical strike, then spell power and mana regeneration, and intellect after that. The faster casts are the largest gain, and one guide we read runs around 1,900 haste rating with its own buffs.
The best items are in the BiS list below.
- Intellect
- Haste
- Spell Power
- MP5
None
Do not itemize for hit as Resto.
None
None
Enhancement gets the most from it — Blood Fury scales both attack power and spell power, and Axe Specialization gives +5 expertise if you run axes (common for Enh). Elemental and Restoration prefer Troll for Berserking haste.
Gift of the Naaru for Restoration, and Heroic Presence hands the raid +1% hit — useful from an Elemental or Enhancement shaman.
Trauma *
Bulwark of Smouldering Steel
Totem of the Surging Sea
Glowing Twilight Scale
Charred Twilight Scale
Sanctified Frost Witch's Headpiece
Sanctified Frost Witch's Tunic
6.Common mistakes
• Not keeping Water Shield up on yourself.
• Not pre-casting heals before a tank breath or another mechanic.
• Stopping your casting during movement phases.
• Casting Chain Heal on a first target with nobody damaged next to it.
• Using Mana Tide Totem at a moment where the healers do not need it.
7.On the bosses
Restoration Shamans are strong on fights with a lot of area damage. A few notes:
Use Chain Heal on the raid while Bone Storm is up, and Riptide on players who have to move.
Chain Heal the groups, and spot-heal the tank taking the burst.
Keep the tank at full health before the breath, and plan your Mana Tide Totem.
Earth Shield on the tank matters for the breath and cleave damage. See the Ruby Sanctum guide.
Chain Heal for the raid damage, and keep the tanks up. See the Lich King healing guide.
8.Questions people ask
Yes. It is one of the best healers for area damage, with Chain Heal as its core.
Haste, then critical strike, then spell power and mana regeneration.
A mix works, and the two variants in the calculator are for the two styles.
It is optional. Some Restoration Shamans skip it.