Introduction
This guide was written by Riku.
Riku or ‘Rikuxd’ is a Restoration Druid and Shaman main player, who sometimes dabbles in some Priest gameplay on progress. He is an officer and healer in the raiding guild ‘Honolulu’.
Restoration druid is a healer with a very wide variety of tools, with access to an extensive crowd control kit, damage, utility and movement. This makes Restoration Druid an excellent choice for M+ or raids.
What to expect from Restoration Druids in M+; A versatile and multi-purpose healer that can focus on building their talents around efficient healing or damage in other shapeshift forms. They have many different utility and crowd control talents to pick for different dungeons and scenarios.
What to expect from Restoration Druids in raids; Reliable raid wide covered healing, in the form of ‘ramping’. Restoration Druids rely on knowing the damage patterns ahead of time, to prepare their HoT’s for a big raid wide healing throughput by extending and buffing said HoT’s. In addition to this, they provide a raid buff in ‘Mark of the Wild’ and utility spells such as ‘Stampeding Roar’ and ‘Typhoon’.
What has changed
Patch 11.1 Changes
Overall playstyle will not change from how Restoration Druid was played in patch 11.0.7. A lot of the new changes revolve around damage in either Cat Form or in Balance Form. Therefore there has been a direct buff of set talents that improve either spec. In return, all damage dealt by Restoration Druids were reduced. From the Druid specific buffs, Restoration Druids receive a significant buff in Rejuvenation healing increased by 5% and the same amount for Wild Growth. This puts us in a very competitive position along with the other top healers.
Many talents have changed position in the talent tree. Below are the new changes for patch 11.1 starting with the changes to the Druid specific talent tree and Druid specific changes that affect Restoration Druid.
- New Talent: Grievous Wounds – Rake, Rip, and Thrash damage increased by 10%.
- New Talent: Gale Winds – Increases Typhoon’s radius by 20% and its range by 5 yards.
- New Talent: Incessant Tempest – Reduces the cooldown of Typhoon by 5 seconds.
- New Talent: Circle of the Wild – Physical damage dealt by your abilities increased by 5% (25% for Restoration Druids).
- New Talent: Circle of the Heavens – Magical damage dealt by your spells increased by 5% (25% for Restoration Druids).
- New Talent: Lycara’s Meditation – You retain Lycara’s Teachings’ bonus from your most recent form for 5 seconds after shifting out of it.
- New Talent: Symbiotic Relationship – Form a bond with an ally. Your self-healing also heals your bonded ally for 10% of the amount healed. Your healing to your bonded ally also heals you for 8% of the amount healed.
- New Talent: Aessina’s Renewal – When a hit deals more than 12% of your maximum health, instantly heal for 10% of your health. This effect cannot occur more than once every 30 seconds.
- New Talent: Perfectly-Honed Instincts – Well-Honed Instincts can trigger up to once every 90 seconds.
- Ursoc’s Spirit has been updated – Stamina increased by 4%. Stamina in Bear Form is increased by an additional 5%.
- Improved Rejuvenation has been changed to Lingering Healing – Rejuvenation’s duration is increased by 3 seconds. Regrowth’s duration is increased by 3 seconds when cast on yourself.
- Instincts of the Claw is now a 1-point talent (was 2) and has been updated – Ferocious Bite and Maul damage increased by 8%.
- Lore of the Grove is now a 1-point talent (was 2) and has been updated – Moonfire and Sunfire damage increased by 10%.
- Fluid Form has been updated – Skull Bash can now be used in any form and shifts you into Cat Form if necessary.
- Rejuvenation healing increased by 5%.
- Wild Growth healing increased by 5%.
- Rip damage reduced by 9%.
- Shred damage increased by 10%
- Swipe damage increased by 10%.
- Ferocious Bite damage reduced by 8%.
- Cyclone duration is now 5 seconds (was 6 seconds).
- Disorienting Roar now breaks based on a small damage threshold instead of any damage.
- Rising Light, Falling Night has been removed.
- Moonkin Form has been added to the Class talent tree in Sunfire’s previous position.
- Sunfire moved to Improved Sunfire’s position. Improved Sunfire’s effect is now included in Sunfire.
- Fluid Form causes Wrath and Starfire to transform you into Moonkin Form at the end of their casts, instead of at their starts.
- Lycara’s Meditation now only retains bonuses from your shapeshift forms. The Haste bonus from humanoid form is not retained.
Changes to Restoration Druid and its talent tree:
- Improved Nature’s Cure is now learned at level 10 (was a talent).
- Mastery: Harmony effectiveness increased by 12% and its scaling rate has been adjusted.
- Mastery: Harmony – Effectiveness increased by 30%. Now reduces its bonus with each additional heal over time effect.
- Tranquility channel time reduced to base 5 seconds (was 8 seconds). Total healing unchanged.
- Nature’s Swiftness now increases the healing of Regrowth by 200% (was 100%).
- Flourish now causes an initial heal effect on affected allies, split evenly among them.
- All damage dealt reduced by 20%.
- Restoration Druids now learn Improved Nature’s Cure in the Class talent tree upon reaching level 10.