Restoration Shaman Frequently Asked Questions in Battle for Azeroth (BfA) 8.0.1

Table of Contents

• +Introduction
  • 1. Class Overview
  • 2. Patch 8.0.1 Changes for Restoration Shaman
  • 3. Restoration Shaman Strengths
  • 4. Restoration Shaman Weaknesses
  • 5. Restoration Shaman Viability in the Current Patch
  • 6. Contents
  • 7. Changelog
• +Easy Mode
  • 1. Foreword
  • 2. The Basics for Restoration Shaman
  • 3. Talent Choice for Restoration Shaman
  • 4. Stat Choice for Restoration Shaman
  • 5. Basic Priority List for Restoration Shaman
  • 6. Healing Cooldowns for Restoration Shaman
  • 7. Azerite Traits for Restoration Shaman
    • 7.1. Best Outer Ring Azerite Traits
    • 7.2. Best Middle Ring Azerite Traits
    • 7.3. Best Inner Ring Azerite Traits
  • 8. Changelog
• +Spell Summary
  • 1. Restoration Shaman Spell Summary
  • 2. Main Resource for Restoration Shaman
  • 3. Healing Spells for Restoration Shaman
  • 4. Healing Cooldowns for Restoration Shaman
  • 5. Utility Spells for Restoration Shaman
  • 6. Other relevant mechanics for Restoration Shaman
  • 7. DPS Spells for Restoration Shaman
  • 8. Changelog
• +Builds and Talents
  • 1. Talent Choices for Restoration Shaman
  • 2. Talent Cheat Sheets for Restoration Shaman
    • 2.1. Raid / Large Group Talents
    • 2.2. Dungeon / Small Group Talents
  • 3. Level 15 Talents for Restoration Shaman
  • 4. Level 30 Talents for Restoration Shaman
  • 5. Level 45 Talents for Restoration Shaman
  • 6. Level 60 Talents for Restoration Shaman
  • 7. Level 75 Talents for Restoration Shaman
  • 8. Level 90 Talents for Restoration Shaman
  • 9. Level 100 Talents for Restoration Shaman
  • 10. PvP Talents (War Mode)
    • 10.1. Restoration Shaman War Mode Talents
      • 10.1.1. General PvP Talents
      • 10.1.2. Restoration Shaman PvP Talents
  • 11. Changelog
• +Azerite Traits and Armor
  • 1. Choosing Azerite Gear as a Restoration Shaman
  • 2. Choosing Azerite Traits as a Restoration Shaman
    • 2.1. Outer Ring Rankings for Restoration Shaman
      • 2.1.1. S Tier
      • 2.1.2. A Tier
      • 2.1.3. B Tier
      • 2.1.4. C Tier
    • 2.2. Middle Ring Rankings for Restoration Shaman
      • 2.2.1. S Tier
      • 2.2.2. A Tier
      • 2.2.3. B Tier
      • 2.2.4. C Tier
    • 2.3. Inner Ring Rankings for Restoration Shaman
      • 2.3.1. S Tier
      • 2.3.2. A Tier
      • 2.3.3. B Tier
      • 2.3.4. C Tier
  • 3. Azerite Traits Details and Rotation Changes for Restoration Shaman
    • 3.1. Azerite Traits Rotation Changes
  • 4. Find Azerite Armor By Trait/Power
  • 5. Changelog
• +Rotation, Cooldowns, and Abilities
  • 1. Rotation / Playstyle for Restoration Shamans
  • 2. Cooldown Usage for Restoration Shamans
    • 2.1. Healing Tide Totem
    • 2.2. Ascendance
    • 2.3. Cloudburst Totem
    • 2.4. Unleash Life
  • 3. Utility Usage for Restoration Shamans
    • 3.1. Ancestral Protection Totem
    • 3.2. Bloodlust / Heroism
    • 3.3. Earth Elemental
    • 3.4. Spirit Link Totem
    • 3.5. Wind Rush Totem
    • 3.6. Astral Shift
    • 3.7. Tremor Totem
    • 3.8. Capacitor Totem
    • 3.9. Earthgrab / Earthbind Totem
    • 3.10. Hex
    • 3.11. Purify Spirit
    • 3.12. Wind Shear / Purge
  • 4. Optional Read: Mastering Your Restoration Shaman
    • 4.1. Mana Management
    • 4.2. Dealing Damage
    • 4.3. Mastery: Deep Healing
    • 4.4. Movement Management
      • 4.4.1. Quiet Movement
      • 4.4.2. Spiritwalker's Grace
  • 5. Changelog
• +Mythic+ Tips
  • 1. Restoration Shaman in Mythic+
    • 1.1. Restoration Shaman Mythic+ Rotation
    • 1.2. Restoration Shaman Utility
  • 2. Mythic+ Talents for Restoration Shamans
  • 3. Mythic+ Affixes
    • 3.1. Tier One Affixes
    • 3.2. Tier Two Affixes
    • 3.3. Tier Three Affixes
    • 3.4. Seasonal Affix
  • 4. Changelog
• +Common and Worst Mistakes
  • 1. Mismanaging Mana
  • 2. Having High Downtime
  • 3. Not Using All Your Abilities
  • 4. Not Analyzing Your Mistakes as a Restoration Shaman
  • 5. Changelog
• ×Frequently Asked Questions
  • 1. Battle for Azeroth Restoration Frequently Asked Questions
    • 1.1. What Changed for Restoration Shaman in BfA?
    • 1.2. What Stats Are Good for Restoration Shaman in BfA?
    • 1.3. Are Restoration Shamans Good For Mythic+?
    • 1.4. Are Restoration Shamans Good For Raids?
    • 1.5. How Does Earth Shield Interact with Chain Heal?
    • 1.6. Does Chain Heal Require High Tide to be Used?
  • 2. Changelog
• +Boss by Boss Strategies
  • 1. Introduction for Restoration Shaman Boss Advice in Uldir
    • 1.1. Talent Cheatsheet for Restoration Shaman in Uldir
  • 2. Taloc
  • 3. M.O.T.H.E.R.
  • 4. Fetid Devourer
  • 5. Zek'voz, Herald of N'Zoth
  • 6. Vectis
  • 7. Zul, Reborn
  • 8. Mythrax the Unraveler
  • 9. G'huun
  • 10. Changelog
• +Stat Priority
  • 1. The Basics of Stats for Restoration Shaman
    • 1.1. Stat Gain Per Rating
  • 2. Restoration Shaman: Getting a Better Understanding
    • 2.1. Statistics Explanations
  • 3. Changelog
• +Gems, Enchants, and Consumables
  • 1. Gems for Restoration Shamans
  • 2. Enchants for Restoration Shamans
  • 3. Consumables for Restoration Shamans
  • 4. Changelog
• +Macros and Addons
  • 1. Restoration Macros
    • 1.1. Wind Shear
    • 1.2. Purge
    • 1.3. Wind Rush Totem
    • 1.4. Simple Mouseover Macros
    • 1.5. Dynamic Mouseover Macros
    • 1.6. Healing Rain on Cursor
  • 2. Addons for Restoration Shaman
    • 2.1. ElvUI
    • 2.2. Weak Auras
    • 2.3. Boss Mods
      • 2.3.1. BigWigs Bossmods
      • 2.3.2. Deadly Boss Mods
    • 2.4. Name Plates
      • 2.4.1. KUI Nameplates
      • 2.4.2. TidyPlates
    • 2.5. Damage Meters
      • 2.5.1. Skada
      • 2.5.2. Details
    • 2.6. Extra AddOns
      • 2.6.1. Mik's Scrolling Battle Text
      • 2.6.2. Death Note
      • 2.6.3. Doom CooldownPulse
      • 2.6.4. Angry Assignments
    • 2.7. Alternative Raid Frames
    • 2.8. Raid / External Cooldown Tracking
• +Gear and Best in Slot
  • 1. Pre-Raid Gearing Strategy
    • 1.1. Mythic Dungeons
    • 1.2. Heroic Dungeons
    • 1.3. World Quests
    • 1.4. Professions
    • 1.5. Reputation
  • 2. Trinkets for Restoration Shamans
    • 2.1. S Tier
    • 2.2. A Tier
    • 2.3. B Tier
    • 2.4. C Tier
  • 3. Best in Slot List for Restoration Shamans in Uldir
  • 4. Changelog
• +Simulations
  • 1. Disclaimer Page
  • 2. Restoration Shaman Racial Comparisons
    • 2.1. Alliance Races
    • 2.2. Horde Races
  • 3. Combat Logging / Analysis Resources
    • 3.1. Warcraft Logs
    • 3.2. WoW Analyzer
    • 3.3. Afiya's Restoration Shaman Analyzer

General Information

On this page, we list all of the frequently asked questions for a Restoration Shaman in World of Warcraft Battle for Azeroth 8.0.1.

The other pages of our Restoration Shaman guide can be accessed from the table of contents on the right.

About Our Author

This guide has been written by Seksi, member of two top 60 guilds, Group Therapy (shaman) and Wiping as Intended (priest). While you can routinely find him participating in discussions across all healer discords, he is particularly active on Ancestral Guidance, Earthshrine and Focused Will.

1. Battle for Azeroth Restoration Frequently Asked Questions

This section will go over several of the most frequently asked questions regarding Restoration Shamans in Battle for Azeroth.

1.1. What Changed for Restoration Shaman in BfA?

A summary of all changes can be found in our intro page.

1.2. What Stats Are Good for Restoration Shaman in BfA?

Due to the stat squish, Intellect is now our most powerful stat by a large margin and should be stacked as much as possible. In 99% of the cases this means that you should use the highest item level gear you have available. Items with Leech / Avoidance are worth ~10 item levels extra, 15 if they are rings. Finally, rings do not have Intellect and thus you can afford to lose 5 to 10 item levels on them in order to use the best secondary stats possible. Keep in mind that trinkets and Azerite gear usually have special effects alongside their baseline stats which are critical for determining their worth.

1.3. Are Restoration Shamans Good For Mythic+?

While we are not very far behind other specializations in BfA and can reliably complete 10 to 15 keystones every week, Restoration Shaman is not currently a meta healer for pushing / speed running keystones. Keep in mind that better knowledge of the dungeons / specialization / gear can more than make up for the difference between Restoration Shaman and the meta healers.

1.4. Are Restoration Shamans Good For Raids?

Restoration Shamans have traditionally been a must have in raids due to their powerful, unique tools ( Spirit Link Totem, Ancestral Protection Totem and Ancestral Vigor, especially) and strong cooldown-oriented healing. While our big cooldown healing is weaker in BfA, there are plenty of good alternative playstyles in our new talent tree — from flexible High Tide-powered Chain Heal "spam" during heavy damage periods to powerful Downpour / Wellspring rotations replacing most would-be Chain Heal casts.

1.5. How Does Earth Shield Interact with Chain Heal?

Earth Shield does not increase the whole Chain Heal by 10%, when cast on a target with it. Only the first hit is increased, and this applies to all other interactions with Earth Shield; only its target gets the healing increase and only while Earth Shield is active.

1.6. Does Chain Heal Require High Tide to be Used?

High Tide makes Chain Heal heal for about 47% more, with most of the extra healing coming from the last, extra bounce. While this is a very powerful buff, Chain Heal remains a strong spell on its own that can, and should , be used when you need extra Tidal Waves and the group is hurt. It is also a great spell to cast while you have Innervate on yourself!

2. Changelog

• 28 Aug. 2018: Added two new FAQ entries.
• 04 Aug. 2018: Added page.

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