Mists of Pandaria Classic Restoration Druid Rotation and Cooldowns

Last updated on Jun 17, 2025 at 12:00 by Mytholxgy

On this page, you will learn how to optimize the rotation of your Restoration Druid Healer, depending on the type of damage your group is receiving while doing PvE content in Mists of Pandaria Classic. We also have advanced sections about cooldowns, procs, etc. in order to minmax your healing output and your mana efficiency.

1.

Restoration Druid Rotation

If you have not already, we recommend going through the Spell Summary guide first. Knowing how each spell and ability works in detail will greatly increase your understanding of the rotation suggestions below.

1.1.

Healing Rotation

When healing on Restoration Druid, your goal will be to keep your party and raid members healthy through your various heal-over-time effects. Your priority will look like this:

  1. Maintain 3 stacks of Lifebloom Icon Lifebloom at all times. You should keep this ability on a tank or player who will be consistently taking damage for an extended period of time.
  2. Consume Omen of Clarity Icon Omen of Clarity procs as much as possible with Regrowth Icon Regrowth.
  3. Keep Wild Mushroom Icon Wild Mushroom active at all times to not only collect healing, but to also keep Efflorescence Icon Efflorescence active.
  4. Cast Wild Mushroom: Bloom Icon Wild Mushroom: Bloom during heavy damage windows.
  5. Use Wild Growth Icon Wild Growth as much as possible. This is your best way of dealing with AoE damage.
  6. Cast Rejuvenation Icon Rejuvenation on as many players as possible when healing is needed, overdoing this can be extremely taxing on your mana which will require means you only want to cast it when damage is occurring or about to occur, spamming it will leave you OOM quickly.
  7. Cast Swiftmend Icon Swiftmend as necessary to deal heavy single-target healing.

Healing Touch Icon Healing Touch will almost never be used due to the long cast time. Similarly, Nourish Icon Nourish does not provide enough healing to justify casting it, even when attmepting to refresh Lifebloom Icon Lifebloom. When you do need to refresh stacks, you are better off recasting Lifebloom. Finally, Genesis Icon Genesis should only be used when mana permits and during extremely spiky damage intakes. Given that it will cause your Rejuvenation Icon Rejuvenations to fall off quicker, you can waste a lot of mana if you don't use this strategically.

2.

Cooldowns

Use your cooldowns Nature's Swiftness Icon Nature's Swiftness, Tranquility Icon Tranquility, and Incarnation Icon Incarnation (details on Tree rotation further below) as needed to respond to incoming bursts of damage or Mana sustain requirements.

When using Incarnation Icon Incarnation, your rotation will change slightly.

  1. Use Wild Growth Icon Wild Growth on cooldown, as it will hit 2 extra targets for a total of 8 during Incarnation Icon Incarnation;
  2. Cast Lifebloom Icon Lifebloom on as many different damaged players as possible to maximize Omen of Clarity Icon Omen of Clarity procs, but remember to refresh your main triple stack whenever close to expiring;
  3. Use Regrowth Icon Regrowth (instant during Tree of Life Icon Tree of Life) on damaged allies whenever Omen of Clarity Icon Omen of Clarity procs, preferably also refreshing a Lifebloom Icon Lifebloom in the process.

While you can use Rejuvenation Icon Rejuvenation during Tree of Life, it only benefits from the healing increase provided to every spell during Tree, and is extremely mana inefficient compared to spamming Lifebloom Icon Lifeblooms.

Remember to use your utility abilities as well:

  • Rebirth Icon Rebirth to combat ress anyone who dies;
  • Innervate Icon Innervate to recover Mana once you are at 80% or less;
  • Swap to Cat Form Icon Cat Form and Stampeding Roar Icon Stampeding Roar to increase movement speed during heavy movement mechanics;
  • Swap to Cat Form Icon Cat Form and Skull Bash Icon Skull Bash to help interrupt critical casts if no one else can do it.
3.

Symbiosis

Symbiosis Icon Symbiosis can be placed on an ally, granting you both a unique bonus. The player who receives this buff will be granted a Druid specific ability while you will be granted an ability from their class. Below we will breakdown what each class gets.

Class Ability Granted to Target Ability Granted to Druid
Death Knight Blood: Might of Ursoc Icon Might of Ursoc m‐ Frost/Unholy: Wild Mushroom: Plague Icon Wild Mushroom: Plague Icebound Fortitude Icon Icebound Fortitude
Hunter Dash Icon Dash Deterrence Icon Deterrence
Mage Healing Touch Icon Healing Touch Ice Block Icon Ice Block
Monk Brewmaster: Survival Instincts Icon Survival Instincts m‐ Mistweaver: Entangling Roots Icon Entangling Roots m‐ Windwalker: Bear Hug Icon Bear Hug Fortifying Brew Icon Fortifying Brew
Paladin Holy: Rebirth Icon Rebirth m‐ Protection: Barkskin Icon Barkskin m‐ Retribution: Wrath Icon Wrath Cleanse Icon Cleanse
Priest Discipline/Holy: Cyclone Icon Cyclone m‐ Shadow: Tranquility Icon Tranquility Leap of Faith Icon Leap of Faith
Rogue Growl Icon Growl Evasion Icon Evasion
Shaman Elemental/Enhancement: Solar Beam Icon Solar Beam m&dash Restoration: Prowl Icon Prowl Spiritwalker's Grace Icon Spiritwalker's Grace
Warlock Rejuvenation Icon Rejuvenation Demonic Circle: Teleport Icon Demonic Circle: Teleport
Warrior Arms/Fury: Stampeding Shout Icon Stampeding Shout m‐ Protection: Savage Defense Icon Savage Defense Intimidating Roar Icon Intimidating Roar

When choosing the best target to give Symbiosis Icon Symbiosis to, it will largely come down to the situation you are in and what form of utility is needed. Generally you will use the buff based on what the target receives as those abilities tend to be much more useful than what the druid receive. Spiritwalker's Grace Icon Spiritwalker's Grace is a nice personal choice as it will allow you to cast Tranquility Icon Tranquility while moving, but providing your tank with an extra defensive cooldown tends to be the higher value and overall best choice.