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Destruction Warlock: Mists of Pandaria Rotation Changes, Talents, and Glyphs (Patch 5.0.4)

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This article is no longer being updated. Please check our Destruction Warlock guide, which is fully compatible with Mists of Pandaria, and is being constantly updated. Thank you.

In preparation for the updates to our guides for Mists of Pandaria Patch 5.0.4, we are releasing articles such as this one, explaining what has changed for a particular class and spec, and what the new rotation is likely to be.

Keep in mind that this is still a work in progress (both from Blizzard's side and from our own) and that this article assumes you are at least somewhat familiar with the Cataclysm version of the Destruction Warlock rotation and playstyle (such as from reading our guide).

We will first list the most important changes to the Destruction Warlock Cataclysm abilities, and then we will proceed to explaining the (likely to be) optimal rotation. Keep in mind that we do not document every single change or new ability, only those that impact the rotation.

Finally, we will give you some information about the most useful talents and glyphs you should choose.

Removed Abilities and Mechanics

Many abilities from the Affliction and Demonology specialisations have been removed from the game or are no longer available to Destruction Warlocks. Here is a non-exhaustive list: spell_shadow_curseofsargeras.jpgBane of Agony, spell_shadow_auraofdarkness.jpgBane of Doom, spell_shadow_abominationexplosion.jpgCorruption, spell_shadow_curseoftounges.jpgCurse of Tongues, spell_shadow_curseofmannoroth.jpgCurse of Weakness, ability_warlock_mortalcoil.jpgDeath Coil, spell_shadow_ragingscream.jpgDemon Armor, spell_shadow_haunting.jpgDrain Soul, spell_fire_incinerate.jpgHellfire, spell_frost_stun.jpgInfernal Awakening, spell_shadow_burningspirit.jpgLife Tap, spell_shadow_seedofdestruction.jpgSeed of Corruption,

spell_shadow_shadowbolt.jpgShadow Bolt, and ability_warlock_soulswap.jpgSoul Swap.

In addition, many Destruction-specific talents, abilities, and mechanics have been removed: ability_warlock_burningembers.jpgBurning Embers, ability_warlock_empoweredimp.jpgEmpowered Imp, spell_fire_soulburn.jpgImproved Searing Pain, spell_fire_fireball02.jpgImproved Soul Fire, spell_fire_felfireward.jpgNether Ward, spell_shadow_netherprotection.jpgNether Protection, spell_fire_soulburn.jpgSearing Pain, spell_shadow_shadowandflame.jpgShadow and Flame, ability_warlock_shadowflame.jpgShadowflame, spell_shadow_shadowfury.jpgShadowfury, and spell_fire_fireball02.jpgSoul Fire.

Changed Abilities and Mechanics

There have been a number of minor changes, such as:
  • spell_fire_twilightfireward.jpgTwilight Ward replacing spell_fire_twilightfireward.jpgShadow Ward, and absorbing Shadow and Holy damage (instead of only Shadow damage);
  • spell_shadow_shadesofdarkness.jpgRitual of Souls being renamed to spell_shadow_shadesofdarkness.jpgCreate Soulwell, or inv_misc_orb_04.jpgCreate Soulstone being renamed to spell_shadow_soulgem.jpgSoulstone;
  • spell_shadow_felarmour.jpgFel Armor being a passive skill, increasing Stamina and Armor, and increasing healing generated through your own spells and effects;
  • ability_warlock_howlofterror.jpgHowl of Terror now being a Tier 2 talent and having been slightly redesigned (as we will see in the talent section);
  • spell_shadow_enslavedemon.jpgEnslave Demon increasing the time between the target's attacks by 50% and reducing the target's casting speed by 50%;
  • warlock_curse_shadow.jpgCurse of the Elements now only increasing magic damage taken by 5% and no longer inflicting a magic resistance reduction;
  • ability_mage_potentspirit.jpgSoul Harvest now being a passive ability that makes you regenerate health out of combat (previously, it had to be cast, while out of combat, to regenerate health and Soul Shards, which are now an Affliction-specific resource);
  • spell_warlock_focusshadow.jpgDark Intent now being a raid-wide buff providing +10% spell power.
In addition to these minor changes, a few core mechanics have been redesigned.
  • spell_fire_fire.jpgAftermath still gives spell_shadow_rainoffire.jpgRain of Fire a chance to stun enemies but no longer causes spell_fire_burnout.jpgIncinerate to daze the target. In addition, Aftermath now makes Rain of Fire an instant-cast spell (it no longer needs to be channeled).
  • ability_warlock_backdraft.jpgBackdraft has been much improved. It now reduces the cast time and mana cost of your next three spell_fire_burnout.jpgIncinerate or of your next ability_warlock_chaosbolt.jpgChaos Bolt by 30% (up from 10%) after casting spell_fire_fireball.jpgConflagrate. Previously, it also applied to spell_shadow_shadowbolt.jpgShadow Bolt, which you can no longer use, and it did not affect mana costs.
  • spell_fire_playingwithfire.jpgBacklash now only applies to spell_fire_burnout.jpgIncinerate, as spell_shadow_shadowbolt.jpgShadow Bolt has been restricted to Demonology Warlocks.
  • ability_warlock_baneofhavoc.jpgHavoc is the successor of ability_warlock_baneofhavoc.jpgBane of Havoc. Previously, your Bane of Havoc target was being damaged for 15% of all the damage you did on other targets. In Mists of Pandaria, your Havoc target will receive 100% of the damage you will deal on other targets with your next 3 single-target spells.
  • spell_fire_fireball.jpgConflagrate now deals Fire damage regardless of whether the target is immolated. If the target is immolated, then its movement speed is reduced by 50% for 5 seconds. Also, the spell no longer has a cooldown. Instead, it works with a system of 2 charges. Each charge takes 12 seconds to regenerate and using the ability consumes a charge.
  • ability_warlock_fireandbrimstone.jpgFire and Brimstone no longer increases the damage you deal to targets afflicted by spell_fire_immolation.jpgImmolate. It is now an active AoE ability that you can use to make your next spell_fire_immolation.jpgImmolate, spell_fire_burnout.jpgIncinerate, spell_fire_fireball.jpgConflagrate, or Curse hit all enemies within 15 yards of your target for a portion of the damage.
Finally, you have a new resource called ability_warlock_burningembers.jpgBurning Embers, which we describe in the next section.

New Resource: Burning Embers

ability_warlock_burningembers.jpgBurning Embers will play a major role in your play style, as you need them to cast ability_warlock_chaosbolt.jpgChaos Bolt or spell_shadow_scourgebuild.jpgShadowburn. Most of your damaging abilities generate Burning Embers.

By default, you have 3 Burning Embers. A Burning Ember is a container with 10 graduations. When the container is full, the Burning Ember can be used and you will be able to start filling the next Burning Ember (provided that they are not all full).

Out of combat, you will always end up with exactly 1 full Burning Ember. The other 2 Burning Embers will slowly decay if they are filled. The first Burning Ember will slowly regenerate if it is not full.

During combat, Burning Embers are generated through the use of your core abilities:

  • spell_fire_burnout.jpgIncinerate is your main Burning Ember-generating ability. It has a 2-second cast (down from 2.5 seconds in Cataclysm), and each strike fills 10% of a Burning Ember (so, 1 graduation). Critical Strikes fill 20%. Note that Incinerate no longer deals more damage on immolated targets.
  • spell_fire_felfirenova.jpgFel Flame is another strong Burning Ember-generating ability. It regenerates Burning Embers in the same way as Incinerate. Its instant-cast time and high mana cost will make it hard to spam this ability. As in Cataclysm, this spell will increase the duration of spell_fire_immolation.jpgImmolate on your target by 6 seconds (up to a maximum of 22.5 seconds).
  • spell_fire_immolation.jpgImmolate is still a 15-second DoT that deals Fire damage. The only difference with Cataclysm is that each time Immolate critically ticks, you have a small chance of regenerating 10% of a Burning Ember.
  • spell_shadow_rainoffire.jpgRain of Fire still has an 8-second duration and still deals AoE damage. On immolated targets, this ability deals 50% more damage and each hit has a 25% chance to regenerate 10% of a Burning Ember. Thanks to spell_fire_fire.jpgAftermath, Rain of Fire no longer needs to be channeled and enemies struck 3 times will be stunned for 2 seconds.
Burning Embers will mostly be consumed with the following two abilities:
  • ability_warlock_chaosbolt.jpgChaos Bolt consumes 1 Burning Ember and deals a large amount of damage. This ability will always critically strike and its damage is increased by your critical strike chance. In Cataclysm, the damage it dealt could not be resisted; this is no longer the case.
  • spell_shadow_scourgebuild.jpgShadowburn no longer grants Soul Shards, as this resource is now exclusive to Affliction Warlocks. Instead, it consumes a Burning Ember and deals a large amount of damage. It is still only usable on targets below 20% health and it now restores 15% of your mana after 5 seconds.

New Abilities

  • spell_warlock_demonsoul.jpgDark Soul: Instability is a new DPS cooldown that is specific to Destruction Warlocks and that grants +30% critical strike chance for 20 seconds on a 2-minute cooldown. Other Warlock specialisations have their own variant of the spell.
  • spell_fire_moltenblood.jpgMastery: Emberstorm is your new Mastery. It increases the damage of spell_fire_immolation.jpgImmolate, spell_fire_burnout.jpgIncinerate, spell_fire_felfirenova.jpgFel Flame, and spell_fire_fireball.jpgConflagrate. It also increases the effectiveness of your Burning Ember-consuming abilities.
  • inv_ember.jpgEmber Tap is a new Destruction-only ability that consumes a Burning Ember and instantly restores 20% of your health.
  • ability_mount_fireravengodmount.jpgFlames of Xoroth is a new Destruction-only ability that consumes a Burning Ember and instantly revives your last demon.
  • spell_shadow_demonictactics.jpgUnending Resolve provides 50% damage reduction for 12 seconds, on a 3-minute cooldown.
  • spell_warlock_demonicportal_green.jpgDemonic Gateway is your level 87 spell. It is an extremely interesting ability, the usefulness of which will soon be very obvious to you. It creates a gateway between your current location and the location that you click (the maximum distance seems to be about 100 yards). The gateway initially has 0 charges and will generate a new charge every 15 seconds, up to a maximum of 5 charges. A charge is consumed every time someone steps in the gateway (on either end). Stepping through the gateway, on either end, will transport you to the other end. It will also apply a buff to you, which prevents you from using the gateway for the next 15 seconds and reduces your threat for 15 seconds.
  • warlock_curse_weakness.jpgCurse of Enfeeblement reduces the physical damage done by your target by 20% and increases the casting time of all its spells by 50%.
  • spell_shadow_painfulafflictions.jpgPandemic is your level 90 ability. It causes the remaining duration of your DoTs to be added to the new duration when you refresh them, up to 50% of the base duration.
In addition, all your talent tiers giving you new abilities, as we describe in the talent section.

Demons

By default, you can summon one of four demons to help you fight your foes.
  • The Felhunter will be your demon of choice for raiding. It currently deals the most damage. It will automatically cast the following abilities: spell_nature_purge.jpgDevour Magic and spell_shadow_soulleech_3.jpgShadow Bite. It can also cast spell_shadow_mindrot.jpgSpell Lock if you instruct it to.
  • The Imp may have its uses for raiding, though it does not do as much damage as the Felhunter. It will automatically cast the following abilities: spell_fire_firebolt.jpgFirebolt, spell_fire_elementaldevastation.jpgSinge Magic, and spell_shadow_bloodboil.jpgBlood Pact. It can also cast ability_heroicleap.jpgFlee if you instruct it to.
  • The Succubus may have its uses for raiding, though it does not do as much damage as the Felguard. It will automatically cast the following abilities: spell_shadow_curse.jpgLash of Pain, spell_shadow_mindsteal.jpgSeduction, and spell_magic_lesserinvisibilty.jpgLesser Invisibility. It can also cast ability_warlock_whiplash.jpgWhiplash if you instruct it to.
  • The Voidwalker will be your demon of choice while leveling up. It will automatically cast the following abilities: spell_shadow_antishadow.jpgShadow Bulwark, spell_shadow_blackplague.jpgSuffering, and spell_shadow_gathershadows.jpgTorment. It can also cast ability_warrior_disarm.jpgDisarm if you instruct it to.
As in Cataclysm, you have two demons that you can use as DPS cooldowns: a Doomguard (warlock_summon_doomguard.jpgSummon Doomguard) for single-target damage or an Infernal (spell_shadow_summoninfernal.jpgSummon Infernal) for AoE damage.

Also, you have the ability_warlock_demonicempowerment.jpgCommand Demon ability, which, if put on your action bar, will change with the demon you are using. For the Voidwalker, the Felhunter, and the Succubus, this ability will cast their manual ability. For the Felguard, it will cast ability_warrior_bladestorm.jpgFelstorm. For the Imp, it will cast inv_misc_volatilefire.jpgCauterize Master, which does not seem to be otherwise available.

warlock_grimoireofcommand.jpgGrimoire of Supremacy is a Tier 5 talent that improves your demons with better abilities.

The Observer remains your demon of choice.

Your demon DPS cooldowns are replaced by more powerful versions: a Terrorguard (spell_warlock_summonterrorguard.jpgSummon Terrorguard) for single-target damage or an Abyssal (achievement_boss_lordanthricyst.jpgSummon Abyssal) for AoE damage.

Your ability_warlock_demonicempowerment.jpgCommand Demon ability will cast the manual ability of your demon, except for the Fel Imp, for which it casts inv_misc_volatilefire.jpgCauterize Master (as it does for the Imp).

Rotation

Your rotation as a Destruction Warlock is very different from what it was in Cataclysm. You will need to follow this priority list:When your target reaches 20% health, replace ability_warlock_chaosbolt.jpgChaos Bolt with spell_shadow_scourgebuild.jpgShadowburn in the rotation.

Note that using spell_shadow_scourgebuild.jpgShadowburn will considerably increase your mana regeneration. One might think that this will make it possible to cast spell_fire_felfirenova.jpgFel Flame a lot more often without running out of mana. However, the tests we did on the beta tend to show that doing so is detrimental to your DPS. So, we are left to wonder what exactly Destruction Warlocks are supposed to do with this mana.

Cooldowns

In Mists of Pandaria, you will gain a number of cooldowns (offensive and defensive), the majority of which are obtained through your choices of talents (as we explain in our talent section).

Your offensive cooldowns should be used as often as possible and combining them will usually grant you an increased effect:

You have a variety of defensive cooldowns, which you should use to help your healers or bypass encounter mechanics:

AoE Rotation

When fighting 2 or 3 enemies, stick to your single-target rotation on one of them, all the while trying to keep spell_fire_immolation.jpgImmolate up on the other targets. You should also maintain a good uptime on spell_shadow_rainoffire.jpgRain of Fire.

When fighting 4 or more enemies, you need to stop using spell_fire_felfirenova.jpgFel Flame. Instead, you will always refresh spell_fire_immolation.jpgImmolate manually after having cast ability_warlock_fireandbrimstone.jpgFire and Brimstone. This way, Immolate will be applied to all enemies within 15 yards.

ability_warlock_baneofhavoc.jpgHavoc is also an important multiple-target ability that you should try to use on cooldown on a secondary target.

Talents

Tier 1 talents give you the choice between self-healing talents.
  • spell_warlock_darkregeneration.jpgDark Regeneration is a 3-minute cooldown that restores some of your life and increases healing received for 12 seconds.
  • warlock_siphonlife.jpgSoul Leech is a passive ability that grants self-healing capabilities to your three most important offensive abilities.
  • spell_warlock_harvestoflife.jpgHarvest Life is an improvement over spell_shadow_lifedrain02.jpgDrain Life, which it replaces. It deals AoE damage and regenerates more health, between 3% and 4.5% maximum health per second, depending on the number of enemies.
Whichever you will choose will depend on the encounter. Dark Regeneration is ideal for occasionally healing yourself, especially since you will often be using spell_shadow_burningspirit.jpgLife Tap. Soul Leech is best if you need a constant source of self-healing. Harvest Life can only be used if there are enough enemies to attack.

Tier 2 talents offer crowd control abilities.

For this tier of talents, you will base your choice on personal preference or on the type of crowd control your raid will require.

Tier 3 talents offer damage reduction mechanics.

  • ability_warlock_soullink.jpgSoul Link causes the damage you and your demon take to be shared. However, your demon's health is reduced by 50%.
  • warlock_sacrificial_pact.jpgSacrificial Pact is on a 1-minute cooldown and causes your demon to sacrifice half of its current health to give you a shield for 200% of the sacrificed health. If you do not have a demon out, your health is sacrificed instead.
  • ability_deathwing_bloodcorruption_death.Dark Bargain is on a 3-minute cooldown and prevents all damage for 10 seconds. After the 10 seconds are up, the damage prevented is dealt over 20 seconds.
Dark Bargain looks the most attractive to us because it will enable you to bypass encounter mechanics that would otherwise kill most other classes. It can also be used to soften the damage you take at critical times, so that your healers can focus on other raid members. Soul Link and Sacrificial Pact will have more occasional uses, although Sacrificial Pact can be a great survival cooldown when coupled with ability_mount_fireravengodmount.jpgFlames of Xoroth.

Tier 4 talents offer crowd control and utility abilities.

  • ability_deathwing_assualtaspects.jpgBlood Fear is an improvement over Fear, which it replaces. It is instant cast and no longer has a mana cost. Instead, it costs 10% of your maximum health.
  • ability_deathwing_sealarmorbreachtga.jpgBurning Rush sacrifices health and increases your movement speed.
  • warlock_spelldrain.jpgUnbound Will removes all magic and movement-impairing effects, as well as effects that cause loss of control of your character. It costs 20% of your health.
These abilities have mostly been tailored for PvP. They might have occasional use in PvE, depending on encounter mechanics.

Tier 5 talents provide various modifications to your demons.

  • warlock_grimoireofcommand.jpgGrimoire of Supremacy replaces your minions by more powerful demons that deal 20% more damage.
  • warlock_grimoireofservice.jpgGrimoire of Service is a 2-minute cooldown that enables you to summon a second demon for 20 seconds.
  • warlock_grimoireofsacrifice.jpgGrimoire of Sacrifice sacrifices your demon to increase spell damage by 30% to 50% (depending on the specialisation) and to regenerate 2% of maximum health every 5 seconds. Resummoning a demon cancels the effect. Finally, you gain one of your demon's abilities:

  • Imp: spell_fire_elementaldevastation.jpgSinge Magic;
  • Voidwalker: spell_shadow_antishadow.jpgShadow Bulwark;
  • Felhunter: spell_shadow_mindrot.jpgSpell Lock;
  • Succubus: spell_shadow_mindsteal.jpgSeduction.
Grimoire of Supremacy and Grimoire of Sacrifice will probably be the preferred choice as they are entirely passive. Grimoire of Service will be useful when you need an additional DPS cooldown.

Tier 6 talents provide various means of increasing your DPS.

  • achievement_boss_archimonde.jpgArchimonde's Vengeance is a 1-minute cooldown that causes the enemy to suffer 50% of all damage you take for 12 seconds. When Archimonde's Vengeance is not on cooldown, enemies who attack you suffer 10% of all damage they deal to you.
  • achievement_boss_kiljaedan.jpgKil'jaeden's Cunning is a 1-minute cooldown that enables you to cast and channel while moving for 6 seconds. When Kil'Jaeden's Cunning is not on cooldown, you can cast and channel while moving, but at the expense of a 50% casting speed reduction and a 20% movement speed reduction.
  • achievement_boss_magtheridon.jpgMannoroth's Fury increases the area of your AoE spells by 500%.
All of these talents have situational use. Archimonde's Vengeance is useful when you take a large amount of damage. We have yet to see how it will interact with ability_deathwing_bloodcorruption_death.Dark Bargain. Kil'Jaeden's Cunning will be preferred in heavy-movement encounters, although Destruction Warlocks have a large arsenal of instant-cast spells, which makes this talent a lot less attractive than for other Warlock specialisations. Mannoroth's Fury will be nigh-mandatory for AoE-heavy fights, where enemies are not clumped together.

Glyphs

inv_glyph_majorwarlock.jpgGlyph of Burning Embers increases your number of Burning Embers to 4, enabling you to pool more Burning Embers (to use with ability_warlock_chaosbolt.jpgChaos Bolt or spell_shadow_scourgebuild.jpgShadowburn) before a period of increased damage dealt.

The following major glyphs will also be useful to Demonology Warlocks:

Your minor glyphs are mostly cosmetic, but we believe that inv_glyph_minorwarlock.jpgGlyph of Nightmares and inv_glyph_minorwarlock.jpgGlyph of Unending Breath will be very useful while leveling up through Pandaria.

This concludes our Destruction Warlock preview for Mists of Pandaria. We hope you have enjoyed reading it and that it proved useful to you. As always, we are looking forward to reading your opinions on the matter!

Edited by Damien
Updated for MoP beta build 15961.
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With the last beta build (15961), warlock_grimoireofsacrifice.jpgGrimoire of Sacrifice increases the damage of your single-target spells by 30% to 50%, depending on the spell and your Warlock specialisation and grants you one of your demon's abilities. Also, it no longer increases maximum health and it no longer has a doubled effect for the first 15 seconds.

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      There are no adds that have to be rooted in any fight here and even on trash most of mobs are casters, so it’s more efficient to CC, stun or interrupt them.
       
      TIER 5:
       
      In my opinion, the only reasonable choice for most of the fights in this tier would be RUSHING STREAMS.
       
      ANCESTRAL GUIDANCE was nerfed so heavily in WoD, that even while having a 2 min CD, as a major raid CD it converts only 20% of your direct healing to healing on up to 3 nearby injured raid members. It’s such a minor amount of healing that I wouldn’t recommend it for any fight.
       
      CONDUCTIVITY is a very situational talent, simply because it demands a big part of the raid to stay in one spot long enough to fully utilise it. The only fight in Highmaul where people are mostly stacked in one spot is The Butcher. I personally think that additional healing from RS is still better than a possibility not to cast HR on CD. But it’s up to you.
       
      TIER 7:
       
      CLOUDBURST TOTEM or HIGH TIDE
      You should choose whatever is more comfortable for your play style. I checked both of talents in all the Highmaul fights and have to say that there is no significant difference in output numbers if you understand these talents mechanic and plan your behaviour in encounters.
       
      There are a couple of encounters where one of the talents may be slightly more beneficial and I mentioned this in Encounter Specifics, but generally, just play with what you are feeling more comfortable.
       
      Remember that while there are talents that seems preferable to take with CBT or HT, they are not mandatory.
      For example, you can take Echo of the Elements with High Tide, because Unleashed Life empowers your Chain Heal too and additional Riptide without CD will help you to manage High Tide usage easier.
      Or, it's not mandatory to take Totemic Persistence with Cloudburst totem if you prefer not to drop Water totems together but one by one.
       
      MAJOR GLYPHS:
       
      GLYPH OF HEALING STREAM TOTEM - all fights in Highmaul, except for The Butcher and Mar'goc with Arcane spells have a magic damage component that may be reduced with this Glyph. Even in the Kargath fight, where the boss has only physical abilities, the adds and Pillars add a magic damage component.
       
      GLYPH OF HEALING WAVE - with the new healing style in WoD, we are using HW a lot. So why not get free self heals?
       
      GLYPH OF SPIRITWALKER’S FOCUS - reduces the cooldown of Spiritwalker's Grace by 60 seconds but reduces its duration by 7 seconds. I prefer it above Glyph of Spiritwalker's Grace.
      The reason for this is that in almost all the fights in Highmaul, we have ground abilities from which we have to move out or knockbacks after which we have to run back to our spots. Mostly they are short but frequent. I see many situations where 8 seconds casting on the move every 60 seconds can be more beneficial than being able to cast on move every 2 minutes.
       
       
      ENCOUNTER SPECIFICS (top)
       
       
      KARGATH BLADEFIST (top)
       
      This is the fight with very low raid damage in both Normal and Heroic versions.
       
      TALENTS:
       
      Tier 1: Doesn’t matter
       
      Tier 2: Doesn’t matter
       
      Tier 3:
      Call of the Elements or Totemic Persistence.
      If you are aiming for Cloudburst Totem in Tier 7, Totemic Persistence could be your choice. I prefer Totemic Persistence with CBT because it gives you the flexibility to use other Water Totems without ruining your CBT timings.
      You can use Call of Elements in this fight too but there is no specific advantage to it. CoE is very good when you have to use a utility Totem twice in a row due to fight mechanics (Tremor, Windwalk, Capacitor, etc.) or when the overall damage is so high, that even one more HST could help. There’s nothing like this on Kargath.
       
      Tier 4:
      Elemental Mastery: we don’t need additional CDs for this fight.
      Ancestral Swiftness: no real need for additional Haste or instant casts.
      Echo of the Elements: I would say that this is our talent of choice on Kargath. A chance for additional Riptides or an Unleash Life without CD definitely increases our healing output.
       
      Tier 5:
      Rushing Streams. No reason for Conductivity - the raid is never stacked.
       
      Tier 6:
      Unleashed Fury: your choice if you are aiming for single target healing in this fight. Not valuable if you chose High Tide in Tier 7.
      Primal Elementalist: An acceptable choice. There is nothing to heal for most of the fight, so you could use elementals for DPS!
      Elemental Blast: I can’t see any reason for having mana issues in this fight, so I wouldn’t take this talent.
       
      Tier 7:
      Cloudburst Totem: This is my preferred Talent for this fight. Damage on the Raid is low, so it feels better to single target heal while CBT will redistribute our healing to the raid.
      High Tide: The only reason to take this talent on Kargath, in my opinion, is when you are assigned to go upstairs. It’s problematic enough to time CBT there, people are running all over the place, so it might be easier to Riptide the group and Chain Heal them.
       
      MAJOR GLYPHS:
       
      GLYPH OF HEALING STREAM TOTEM
      GLYPH OF HEALING WAVE
      GLYPH OF SPIRITWALKER’S FOCUS (you can take something else instead but I don’t see anything really useful)
       
       
      THE BUTCHER (top)
       
      This is the fight with very high raid damage in both Normal and Heroic versions, especially for soaking groups.
      My guild uses a very specific tactic for this boss:
      We have two healers for 2 soaking groups (5+5 people) - myself (Restoration Shaman) and Disc Priest. Our Restoration Druid stays on the raid full time while our Holy Paladin prioritizes the Tanks. Sub-30%, our Healers come into the soaking groups to help minimise the damage, 2 healers in each group.
       
      TALENTS:
       
      Tier 1: I take Nature’s Guardian for accidental (or not accidental Sub-30%) Cleave damage.
       
      Tier 2: Doesn’t matter
       
      Tier 3:
      Call of Elements or Totemic Persistence.
      If you are aiming for Cloudburst Totem in Tier 7, Totemic Persistence could be your choice.
      I prefer High Tide for The Butcher. According to my assignment, I will have at least 5 heavily injured people during the entire fight. It’s clearly worth the constant use of Chain Heal.
      So Call of Elements is my choice here. The overall damage is very high, so even one more HST could help.
       
      Tier 4:
      Elemental Mastery: I wouldn’t take it. The other two talents are much more useful.
      Ancestral Swiftness: If you like to cast faster and to have an ‘oh, shit’ instant cast once every 90 seconds, this is a good choice.
      Echo of the Elements: A chance for additional Riptides or an Unleash Life without CD definitely increases our healing output. Remember that Unleashed Life empowers Chain Heal too so you can benefit from EotE when taking the High Tide talent.
       
      Tier 5:
      Rushing Streams or Conductivity.
      I prefer Rushing Streams but if you are good in handling Conductivity full time on melee - why not?
      You can find the WeakAura for tracking HR with Conductivity talent in our WA thread.
       
      Tier 6:
      Elemental Blast: I would say that this is our talent of choice for the Butcher. The fight is very intense and we’ll need every possible bit of mana.
       
      Tier 7:
      Cloudburst Totem: you can choose this it if you prefer single target healing. If you are using spells wisely, CBT will nicely redistribute your healing to all the injured people.
      High Tide: This is a very good talent for this fight. You will always have a lot of injured people and the power of High Tide will be fully utilized.
       
      MAJOR GLYPHS:
       
      GLYPH OF HEALING WAVE
      GLYPH OF SPIRITWALKER’S FOCUS (for knockbacks)
      Other possibilities:
      GLYPH OF FLAME SHOCK (a bit more of passive self healing)
      GLYPH OF RIPTIDE - if you don’t have a Resto Druid in the raid, it can be a possibility. If you can’t manage your High Tide CH targets without blanketing the raid, it’s a possibility too. But frankly, the amount of Riptides you'll have with the EotE talent should be enough to fully utilize High Tide.
       
       
      TECTUS (top)
       
      This is a fight with very intense movement for the entire raid, including healers.
      The tactic that my guild uses for this boss involves the whole raid spreading out in a big circle around the boss, no stacking.
      We have the assignments for raid healing CDs during Tectonic Upheaval for every Healer too.
       
      TALENTS:
       
      Tier 1: Nature’s Guardian for accidental ‘standing in crap’ damage or Astral Shift for Tectonic Upheavals.
       
      Tier 2: Doesn’t matter
       
      Tier 3: Call of Elements or Totemic Persistence.
      If you are aiming for Cloudburst Totem in Tier 7, Totemic Persistence could be your choice.
      Many people prefer CBT for this fight because of constant movement and obstacles that cause loss of LoS for direct target heals.
      Call of Elements can be a good choice too. One more HST in the moments when you have to run from Crystalline Barrage or around Earthen Pillar could definitely help.
       
      Tier 4:
      Elemental Mastery: You can take it if feeling like one more CD is needed but it will burn your mana really fast.
      Ancestral Swiftness: If you like to cast faster and to have an ‘oh, shit’ instant cast once every 90 seconds, this is a good choice.
      Echo of the Elements: A chance for additional Riptides or an Unleash Life without CD definitely increases our healing output. Remember that Unleashed Life empowers Chain Heal too so you can benefit from EotE when taking the High Tide talent.
       
      Tier 5:
      Rushing Streams is the only choice here really.
       
      Tier 6:
      Unleashed Fury or Elemental Blast.
      If you are able to cast a lot and burn your mana quickly or if you took Glyph of Riptide for this fight, then take Elemental Blast.
      If you prefer single target spells and CBT, take Unleashed Fury - 50% increased heal is really good - you can cast less and pay more attention to your movement.
       
      Tier 7:
      Cloudburst Totem: you can choose this it if you prefer single target healing. CBT will also nicely redistribute your healing to all injured people when you’re moving around!
      High Tide: good talent for people who are good in positioning or with Glyph of Riptide. You will have a lot of injured people in this fight and the power of High Tide will be fully utilized.
       
      MAJOR GLYPHS:
       
      GLYPH OF HEALING STREAM TOTEM
      GLYPH OF HEALING WAVE
      GLYPH OF SPIRITWALKER’S FOCUS (so much movement)
      Other possibilities:
      GLYPH OF FLAME SHOCK (a bit more of passive self healing)
      GLYPH OF RIPTIDE - if you don’t have a resto druid in raid, it’s a possibility. If you are not very good in finding safe spots and move a lot, it’s a possibility too.
       
       
      BRACKENSPORE (top)
       
      By the tactic my guild uses for this boss, we have assignment for every healer. On Heroic progression you will need two healers assigned to heal mushrooms (one healer in Normal).
      I have to say that a resto shaman with Cloudburst totem assigned to Mushrooms can do miracles ^^. I was able to pull 11% of total healing from CBT on this fight.
       
      TALENTS:
       
      Tier 1: Nature’s Guardian for accidental ‘caught in crap’ damage or Astral Shift for Infesting Spores.
       
      Tier 2: doesn’t matter
       
      Tier 3: Call of Elements or Totemic Persistence.
      If you are aiming for Cloudburst Totem in Tier 7, Totemic Persistence could be your choice.
      Call of Elements can be a choice too. One more HST on Infesting Spores - why not?
       
      Tier 4:
      Elemental Mastery: no need really and it burns your mana too quick.
      Ancestral Swiftness: if you like to cast faster and to have ‘oh, shit’ instant cast once in 90 sec. - it’s your choice.
      Echo of the Elements: I like it on this fight. More UL for mushrooms!
       
      Tier 5:
      Rushing Streams talent would be the best choice here really. Conductivity is very arguable, imo. While there are periods when all the raid is stacked on mushroom, I’m not sure that this time is long enough for using this talent.
       
      Tier 6:
      Unleashed Fury or Elemental Blast.
      I would take Unleashed Fury, especially if assigned to mushrooms. 50% increased single heal is really valuable here. If you are healing the raid, Elemental Blast could be your choice too, but frankly, you can refill the mana from blue mushroom.
       
      Tier 7:
      Cloudburst totem: best choice for healing mushrooms. CBT will nicely redistribute your healing on mushroom to the raid.
      High Tide: good talent if you are healing the raid.
       
      MAJOR GLYPHS:
       
      GLYPH OF HEALING STREAM TOTEM
      GLYPH OF HEALING WAVE
      Other possibilities:
      GLYPH OF FLAME SHOCK (a bit more of passive self healing)
      GLYPH OF RIPTIDE - if you don’t have a resto druid in raid, it’s a possibility, but remember that it’s weak and burns your mana fast.
       
       
      TWIN OGRON (top)
       
      This is the fight with intensive movement for all the raid, including healers.
      By the tactic my guild uses for this boss, the ranged dps and healers are mostly stacked together and move together, except of moving of fire and Pulverize.
      It would be nice if your hunters will cast Aspect of the Fox, so you could cast when moving from the fire.
       
      TALENTS:
       
      Tier 1: I would advice Nature’s Guardian here, especially if you are not very good in moving out of fire.
       
      Tier 2: doesn’t matter
       
      Tier 3: Call of Elements or Totemic Persistence.
      If you are aiming for Cloudburst Totem in Tier 7, Totemic Persistence could be your choice.
      Many people prefer CBT for this fight because of movement it demands.
      Call of Elements can be a good choice too. One more HST for fire times or Pulverize could definitely help.
       
      Tier 4:
      Ancestral Swiftness: don’t think that more Haste could be very useful in this fight.
      Echo of the Elements: A chance for additional Riptide or Unleash Life without CD definitely increase our healing output. Remember that Unleashed Life empowers Chain Heal too, so you can benefit from EotE when taking High Tide talent.
       
      Tier 5:
      Rushing Streams talent is the only choice here really. I don't think that there is enough time of stacking in one spot to benefit from Conductivity.
       
      Tier 6:
      Unleashed Fury or Elemental Blast.
      I would advice on Elemental Blast, this fight is way mana intensive and has more raid-wide than single damage.
       
      Tier 7:
      Cloudburst totem: chose it if you move a lot. CBT will nicely redistribute your healing to all the injured people in the time when you are moving around.
      High Tide: good talent for people who are good in positioning themselves. You will have a lot of injured people in this fight and the power of High Tide will be fully utilized.
       
      MAJOR GLYPHS:
       
      GLYPH OF HEALING STREAM TOTEM
      GLYPH OF HEALING WAVE
      GLYPH OF SPIRITWALKER’S FOCUS (so much movement)
      Other possibilities:
      GLYPH OF FLAME SHOCK (a bit more of passive self healing)
      GLYPH OF RIPTIDE - if you don’t have a resto druid in raid, it’s a possibility. If you are not very good in finding safe spots and move a lot, it’s a possibility too, but remember that it burns your mana!
       
       
      KO’RAGH (top)
       
      This is the fight with a high damage from both the boss mechanics and not paying attention.
      One of the fights where you should use shaman utilities.
      Remember that there are two main healing strategies for this encounter regarding dealing with Expel Magic: Frost: you can heal through it or move away if you don’t have enough HPS throughput.
       
      TALENTS:
       
      Tier 1:
      Nature’s Guardian, if you are not very good in moving out of things.
      Astral Shift if you are able not to forget to use it on Expel Magic: Frost or Expel Magic: Fire.
       
      Tier 2: Windwalk totem! Use it to help the raid to get away from Frost Orbs.
       
      Tier 3: Call of Elements or Totemic Persistence.
      If you are aiming for Cloudburst Totem in Tier 7, Totemic Persistence could be your choice.
      Call of Elements can be a good choice too to reset the cooldown of Windwalk totem. Especially if you don’t have druids for Stampeding Roar.
       
      Tier 4:
      Ancestral Swiftness: not sure that more Haste will really shine in this fight, but it worth a shot if you like it.
      Echo of the Elements: A chance for additional Riptide or Unleash Life without CD definitely increase our healing output. Remember that Unleashed Life empowers Chain Heal too, so you can benefit from EotE when taking High Tide talent.
       
      Tier 5:
      Rushing Streams talent is the only choice here really. Not enough time stacking in one spot to benefit from Conductivity.
       
      Tier 6:
      Unleashed Fury or Elemental Blast.
      I would advice on Elemental Blast, this fight is way mana intensive and has more raid-wide than single person damage.
       
      Tier 7:
      Cloudburst totem: chose it if you like it.
      High Tide: just the same.
      Both talents are valuable for this fight.
       
      MAJOR GLYPHS:
       
      GLYPH OF HEALING STREAM TOTEM
      GLYPH OF HEALING WAVE
      GLYPH OF PURIFY SPIRIT (Purify Spirit has 2 charges now. Useful for Expel magic: Fire dispels)
      Other possibilities:
      GLYPH OF SPIRITWALKER’S FOCUS
      GLYPH OF FLAME SHOCK (a bit more of passive self healing)
      GLYPH OF RIPTIDE - if you don’t have a resto druid in raid, it’s a possibility, but remember that it burns your mana and cuts healing output of Riptide!
       
       
      IMPERATOR MAR’GOK (top)
       
      This is a very long fight with a high damage from both the boss mechanics and not paying attention. There are many boss abilities that will do a raid-wide damage if people handle them in wrong way.
       
      TALENTS:
       
      Tier 1: I would recommend Astral Shift here. Use it on Force Novas or when you are Fixated.
      You can take Nature’s Guardian too, but there’s enough raid damage, so I think it’s better to mitigate.
       
      Tier 2: You can use Windwalk Totem on Slow debuff, but I think that it’s better to just dispel it.
       
      Tier 3:
      Call of Elements or Totemic Persistence.
      If you are aiming for Cloudburst Totem in Tier 7, Totemic Persistence could be your choice.
      Call of Elements can be good for another HST too. It is a long fight, so you’ll be able to use it at least 3-4 times.
       
      Tier 4:
      Ancestral Swiftness or Echo of the Elements: both talents are valuable for this fight. Chose what you are more comfortable with.
       
      Tier 5:
      Rushing Streams talent would be the best choice here. Not enough time stacking in one spot to benefit from Conductivity.
       
      Tier 6:
      Elemental Blast.
      The encounter is more than 10 min. long. You will definitely run out of mana without this talent.
       
      Tier 7:
      Cloudburst totem or High Tide: both talents are valuable for this fight. Chose what you are more comfortable with.
       
      MAJOR GLYPHS:
       
      GLYPH OF HEALING WAVE
      GLYPH OF SPIRITWALKER’S FOCUS
      Other possibilities:
      GLYPH OF FLAME SHOCK (a bit more of passive self healing)
      GLYPH OF RIPTIDE - if you don’t have a resto druid in raid, it’s a possibility, but remember that it burns your mana and cuts you healing output of Riptide!
      (top)
    • By tarokor
      Recently looked at starting to tank with my pally again and was looking through your site regarding tanking. On the Paladin protection page one of the Major glyphs you recommend is shield of the righteous however unless i am going blind it is no longer available as a glyph. Was it renamed or removed and if renamed what is it now called.
      Cheers guys
      ps:- apologies if i am blind, have searched the majors 3 times thou and cannot find it lol
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