Restoration Shaman guide

HealerShaman · WoW Forever

Beta guide, level 30. The WoW Forever beta stops at level 30, so this guide and its build cover levels 1 to 30. We update it for level 60 after launch on November 4.

Restoration is the Chain Heal healer with the best group buffs in the game. Forever adds Riptide, a strong instant heal with a heal over time that also makes Chain Heal 25% stronger on that target, Water Shield, which gives mana back when you get hit or crit, and Mindfulness, which keeps 50% of your mana regeneration going while you cast. Forever change: Shaman totems now reach your whole raid, not just your party.

Strengths

Simple, strong single and group healing
Raid-wide totems: Windfury, Mana Spring and more
Utility: Purge, Earth Shock interrupts, cleansing

Weaknesses

Mana is the main challenge
Almost no crowd control
Totem and Chain Heal positioning matters

Talent build (level 30) 0/0/21

Restoration 21 points

Tidal Focus5/5
Mindfulness3/3
Totemic Focus2/5
Ancestral Healing1/3
Healing Focus3/3
Water Shield1/1
Tidal Mastery5/5
Nature's Swiftness1/1

21 points in Restoration: Tidal Focus for cheaper heals, Mindfulness and Water Shield for mana, Totemic Focus, Healing Focus against pushback, Tidal Mastery for crits, and Nature's Swiftness at 30. Healing Way, Purification and Riptide come after launch.

Open this build in the talent calculator

Key talents

Mindfulness: New in Forever: 50% of your mana regeneration continues while you cast.
Water Shield: New in Forever: mana back when you're hit or when your spells crit.
Tidal Mastery: +5% crit on your heals.
Nature's Swiftness: Your next heal is instant: the emergency button.
Tidal Focus: 5% cheaper heals and +5% spell hit.

New in Forever: Restoration talents

MindfulnessAllows 50% of your Mana regeneration to continue while casting.
Water ShieldThe caster is surrounded by 3 globes of water. When a spell, melee, or ranged attack hits the caster or when one of the caster's spells gets a critical result, 2% of maximum mana is restored to the caster, expending one water globe. Only one globe will activate every few seconds. Lasts 10 min. Only one Elemental Shield can be active on the Shaman at any one time.
RiptideHeals a friendly target for 485 to 533, an additional 445 over 15 sec, and increases the effectiveness of your Chain Heal casts directly on that target by 25%.

Rotation

Water Shield on yourself.
Riptide on the tank once you have it.
Chain Heal when several people are hurt (Riptide the main target first).
Healing Stream Totem when your water totem slot is free.
Lesser Healing Wave for urgent heals, Healing Wave for steady damage.

Cooldowns

Nature's Swiftness: Instant big heal in an emergency.
Mana Tide Totem (after launch): Mana for your whole group.
Tremor Totem: Breaks fear, sleep and charm.

Stats

Healing power first, then Spirit (your main mana regeneration) and Intellect. Crit feeds Water Shield and Chain Heal.

Best races

Alliance

Dwarf: The only Alliance Shaman. Artisan's Precision: +1% hit, plus Stoneform.

Horde

Orc: Blood Fury: +10% Attack Power and Spell Power for 15 sec.
Skyborne (Windshaper): Wind Blessed: +2% haste on spells and attacks.
Troll: Berserking: +10% casting and attack speed for 10 sec.
Tauren: Endurance: +5% health, and War Stomp for packs.

Professions

Leatherworking for caster and agility leather while leveling, Engineering for trinkets, or Enchanting.

Leveling

Restoration is slow alone. Level as Enhancement and switch to Restoration for dungeons. Forever has mouseover healing built in: turn it on in the Combat options.