Restoration Shaman Healing Guide — Dragonflight 10.0.7
Welcome to our Restoration Shaman guide for World of Warcraft — Dragonflight 10.0.7. Here, you will learn how to heal as a Restoration Shaman in both raids and Mythic+ dungeons. We cover everything from the basics all the way to min-maxing techniques to optimize your output.
If you were looking for WotLK Classic content, please refer to our WotLK Classic Restoration Shaman guide.
Restoration Shaman Overview
Restoration Shaman is an extremely flexible specialization that shines
when healing groups of players that are clumped together. They have a variety of
unique tools to deal with otherwise deadly influxes of damage, such as
Spirit Link.
Because Chain Heal has no cooldown, Restoration Shamans are one of the
few healers that can area-of-effect heal continuously when dangerous unexpected
damage happens, a situation also perfectly suited to their Mastery effect:
Mastery: Deep Healing.
Shamans can be quite mobile with Spiritwalker's Grace,
Spirit Walk, and
Gust of Wind, and deal decent damage with
Flame Shock and other spells, but they cannot heal while dealing damage,
which is one of the major weaknesses of the specialization.
Also, in order to properly play a healing role, you will need more than just class-specific information. To better understand healing in general, we recommend that you read our healing guide.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Fine spot and stacked group healing;
Can often cast while moving with
Spiritwalker's Grace and jump around with
Gust of Wind;
Excellent survivability with
Astral Shift,
Earth Elemental, and passives such as
Brimming with Life;
Unique, powerful healing tools such as
Spirit Link Totem and
Ancestral Protection Totem;
Great non-healing tools such as
Reincarnation,
Wind Rush Totem,
Wind Shear,
Purge,
Tremor Totem, and
Capacitor Totem.
No significant tank cooldowns.
No teleport or immunity capabilities.
Cannot deal damage at the same time as it heals.
Loses healing potential in situations that force a group to spread.
Non-cooldown healing is Mana inefficient or tied to high cast times.
Dragonflight Changes for Shamans
We are maintaining a list of changes for Shamans, so you can see what changes with every patch of Dragonflight.
Patch 10.0.7 Changes for Restoration Shaman
Restoration received massive changes with Patch 10.0.7:
- Many talents have had their positions changed in the tree, generally allowing for easier connections and more paths available to take them;
Focused Insight was removed and
Ancestral Wolf Affinity was added in its place;
Call of Thunder and
Improved Lightning Bolt were removed and their damage increases were added to
Lightning Bolt and
Chain Lightning baseline;
Acid Rain's damage was nerfed by 20%, but it can now be taken alongside
Overflowing Shores;
- Multiple new talents were added to the Restoration tree:
Tidebringer,
Spiritwalker's Tidal Totem,
Current Control,
Tide Turner, and
Resonant Waters;
- Multiple talents were removed from the Restoration tree:
Ever-Rising Tide,
Nature's Focus, and
Call of Thunder;
- All healing done was increased by 8% and
Water Shield is now baseline;
Flow of the Tides gives
Chain Heal an extra bounce on top of its current effect;
Earth Shield healing has been increased by 60% and
Earthen Harmony now reduces the damage taken by its target by up to 6%;
Wellspring's healing was reduced by 30%, but
Unleash Life now converts 40% of its overhealing into a shield;
Ancestral Awakening had its healing improved by 10% when fully talented;
Improved Earthliving Weapon had its healing benefit and health threshold at which it always procs improved by 10%;
Improved Primordial Wave improves
Healing Wave by 25% instead of 15% when fully talented.
Swirling Currents now increases
Healing Stream Totem and
Cloudburst Totem healing by 20% instead of buffing single target heals;
Cloudburst Totem pops no longer cause
Ancestral Guidance healing, but the totem will now be able to store Ancestral Guidance healing, as well as healing from
Ancestral Awakening;
Go with the Flow now reduces
Spirit Walk cooldown by 10/20 seconds up from 7.5/15 seconds;
Astral Shift duration has been extended to 12 seconds baseline, and the extension has been removed from
Planes Traveler;
Astral Bulwark now increases the damage reduction by 20% instead of 15%;
Thunderous Paws cooldown has been reduced to 20 seconds down from 60;
Poison Cleansing Totem now removes all instances of Poison on a target, rather than only one stack per tick;
Earthgrab Totem now replaces
Earthbind Totem when taken.
Is Restoration Shaman Viable in Dragonflight?
While the playstyle in Dragonflight has been enjoyable with the return of
Ancestral Guidance,
Gust of Wind, and the new talent trees, the
tuning of Restoration Shaman has been weak, limiting its participation in the
raid and Mythic+.
10.0.7 is full of buffs, alongside the occasional nerf, and is expected to
make the specialization stronger in end game content, although it is likely that
community perception will take a while to adjust, and Shamans will need
time to get proficient with their new tools, such as Spiritwalker's Tidal Totem
and
Tidebringer.
Leveling a Restoration Shaman
If you want to play a Restoration Shaman, but currently do not have one at max level, you can check out our leveling guide for tips on your journey.
Once you reach max level, it can be somewhat overwhelming to completely change the way you play by suddenly implementing a large number of addons in a short space of time, especially if they have a heavy visual impact on your UI. We recommend using some of the more basic addons recommended on our Addons page below while leveling, so that you have more time to get used to them during the easier phases of playing your class.
Basics of Restoration Shaman Gameplay
Restoration Shaman, like any healer, is all about using your abilities strategically. Rather than a fixed rotation, you will be using your flexible spell kit to adapt and overcome whatever the game throws at you.
Cooldown abilities, such as Riptide,
Unleash Life and
Healing Rain
are very efficient, and thus important to use as many times as possible over the
course of a fight, while the likes of
Healing Wave and
Chain Heal
can be thrown in at any time they are needed, as long as you still have Mana left.
If you are an absolute beginner to the spec, but would like to learn the basic fundamentals of the class, we recommend looking through the Spell Summary first, as well as the Easy Mode page linked below.
If you are already somewhat familiar with Restoration Shamans, you can head straight to the Talents and Rotation pages to jump right into more detailed information.
How to Gear Up a Restoration Shaman
Gearing can be hard to pin down, due to the huge number of variables that can affect your character's performance. You can find information on how best to gear a Restoration Shaman on our dedicated gearing page, which includes the current Best in Slot from this tier.
Once you have started to gear, you will need to make sure that you have the appropriate consumables, gems, enchants, and more. We have a dedicated page for this, as shown below, as well as the stats page, where you can find more information on the possibility of a changing stat priority and the necessary changes you may need to make for consumables.
Restoration Shaman End-Game
Starting off can look very different from end-game pursuits. Our Mythic+ Dungeon and upcoming Raiding guides can guide you to performing as well as possible, regardless of your favored focus in end-game content.
Restoration Shaman DPS
While you will be primarily focused on healing, being able to consistently deal damage when healing is not required is what separates good players from great players. Learn more on this subject in our specialized page below!
Improving as a Restoration Shaman
If you are finding your performance lackluster, but are not sure where you are going wrong, you can check out the pages below for potential tips, or answers to questions you may have.
Changelog
- 24 Mar. 2023 (enchants page): Further Onyx Annulet updates.
- 23 Mar. 2023 (gear page): Updated post multiple gem buffs for the Onyx Annulet making it worth using.
- 23 Mar. 2023 (enchants page): Updated post multiple gem buffs for the Onyx Annulet making it worth using.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (Legendaries): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (FAQ page): Updated Wellspring mentions with its 10.0.7 nerfs and general text clearing.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (gear page): Added information on the new Onyx Annulet ring.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (addons page): Added two more weak auras to support 10.0.7's new playstyle.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (enchants page): Updated with the Onyx Annulet for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Updated recommended talents for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (mythic+ page): Updated talents for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (DPS guide): Updated trinkets for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (rotation page): Updated rotation for Patch 10.0.7 and added Weak Auras link to addons guide page.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (talents page): Updated talents for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (spells page): Updated with the new spells and talents of Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (easy mode page): Updated talents and rotation for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (this page): Updated with Patch 10.0.7 thoughts on Shaman talent tree revamp.
- 10 Mar. 2023 (mythic+ page): Cloudburst Totem is now the default recommendation.
- 10 Mar. 2023 (DPS guide): Increased priority for Acid Rain usage.
- 10 Mar. 2023 (rotation page): Added spell combo infographic.
- 10 Mar. 2023 (talents page): Further updates before patch 10.0.7.
- 25 Jan. 2023 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Added Raszageth tips.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (gear page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (enchants page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (mythic+ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (DPS guide): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (rotation page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (talents page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (spells page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (this page): Updated with 10.0.5 buffs.
- 21 Dec. 2022 (FAQ page): Further updates to Chain Heal and High Tide usage.
- 21 Dec. 2022 (gear page): Revamped trinket recommendations and raid best in slot suggestions.
- 13 Dec. 2022 (gear page): Added Embellishment recommendations and Primal Ritual Shell.
- 13 Dec. 2022 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Changed talent build to include Gust of Wind and Wind Shear when appropriate.
- 13 Dec. 2022 (mythic+ page): Changed talent build to include Acid Rain.
- 13 Dec. 2022 (DPS guide): Added Primal Ritual Shell.
- 13 Dec. 2022 (talents page): Adjusted talents further for both Mythic+ and Raid.
- 13 Dec. 2022 (easy mode page): Added Primal Ritual Shell.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (simulations page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (gear page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (addons page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (enchants page): Updated for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (stats page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Page added.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (mythic+ page): Updated for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (DPS guide): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (rotation page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (talents page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (spells page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (this page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 30 Nov. 2022 (enchants page): Added leg enchants from Tailoring Spellthreads.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (Legendaries): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (FAQ page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (how to improve page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (simulations page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (gear page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (addons page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (enchants page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (stats page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (mythic+ page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (DPS guide): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (rotation page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (talents page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (spells page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (easy mode page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (this page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (Legendaries): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (Torghast): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (Covenants and Soulbinds): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (FAQ page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (how to improve page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (simulations page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (gear page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (addons page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (enchants page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (stats page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (Castle Nathria page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (Sanctum of Domination page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (Sepulcher of the First Ones page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (mythic+ page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (rotation page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (talents page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (spells page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (easy mode page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (this page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 02 Aug. 2022 (DPS guide): Revamped trinkets for S4.
- 31 May 2022 (DPS guide): Page reviewed for Patch 9.2.5.
- 23 Mar. 2022 (DPS guide): Revamped stat priority for DPSing in current meta.
- 07 Mar. 2022 (DPS guide): Added more DPS trinkets.
- 02 Mar. 2022 (Patch 9.2 Analysis): Added info on Vesper Legendary nerf hotfix.
- 22 Feb. 2022 (DPS guide): Added more Legendary and trinket info for DPS purposes.
- 21 Feb. 2022 (Patch 9.2 Analysis): Page reviewed and approved for Patch 9.2.
- 21 Feb. 2022 (DPS guide): Page reviewed and approved for Patch 9.2.
- 25 Jan. 2022 (Patch 9.2 Analysis): Updated with the latest PTR changes.
- 15 Jan. 2022 (Patch 9.2 Analysis): Page added with initial thoughts and information.
- 01 Nov. 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Updated the page for Patch 9.1.5 release.
- 27 Aug. 2021 (DPS guide): Reworked the trinket list.
- 13 Jul. 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Updated for Mythic Raiding and Covenant Legendary release week.
- 29 Jun. 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Updated the page for Patch 9.1 release.
- 29 Jun. 2021 (DPS guide): Added Covenant-specific Legendaries considerations.
- 13 Jun. 2021 (DPS guide): Revamped the Legendary priority.
- 12 May 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Added new legendary and PvP talent information.
- 28 Apr. 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Page created with initial testing information.
- 09 Mar. 2021 (DPS guide): Changed the DPS rotation slightly to account for the 9.0.5 Lava Bust nerf and Chain Lightning buff.
- 22 Dec. 2020 (DPS guide): Added a mention to Shadowlands DPS trinkets with examples.
- 05 Dec. 2020 (DPS guide): Added weak auras to help with the DPS rotation.
- 24 Nov. 2020 (DPS guide): Page updated for Shadowlands launch.
- 12 Oct. 2020 (Ny'alotha page): Page updated for the Shadowlands pre-patch.
- 12 Oct. 2020 (DPS guide): Updated for Shadowlands pre-patch.
- 21 Jan. 2020 (DPS guide): Added DPS guide for Restoration Shaman.
- 14 Jan. 2020 (Uldir page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.3 and no changes are necessary.
- 14 Jan. 2020 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.3 and no changes are necessary.
- 14 Jan. 2020 (Crucible of Storms page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.3 and no changes are necessary.
- 14 Jan. 2020 (The Eternal Palace page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.3 and no changes are necessary.
- 14 Aug. 2019 (The Eternal Palace page): Added the final mythic boss tips.
- 20 Jul. 2019 (The Eternal Palace page): Added mythic boss tips for the first four bosses after killing them.
- 07 Jul. 2019 (The Eternal Palace page): Page added.
- 25 Jun. 2019 (Uldir page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.2 and no changes are necessary.
- 25 Jun. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.2 and no changes are necessary.
- 25 Jun. 2019 (Crucible of Storms page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.2 and no changes are necessary.
- 11 May 2019 (Crucible of Storms page): Removed mention to PTR testing as the guide is now 100% complete for live servers.
- 06 May 2019 (Crucible of Storms page): Added Mythic Uu'nat recommendations post kill videos.
- 27 Apr. 2019 (Crucible of Storms page): Added Mythic Cabal recommendations after killing it on live.
- 20 Apr. 2019 (Crucible of Storms page): Added a recommendation to use Tremor Totem if a cast of Terrifying Echo will go through.
- 15 Apr. 2019 (Uldir page): This page has been reviewed and no changes are necessary for the release of the Crucible of Storms raid.
- 15 Apr. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): This page has been reviewed and no changes are necessary for the release of the Crucible of Storms raid.
- 15 Apr. 2019 (Crucible of Storms page): Guide added.
- 09 Apr. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Added mention to Tremor Totem temporarily dispelling the Mind Control totem at Rastakhan.
- 16 Mar. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Changed the recommended talents for Jaina Mythic and added an explanation to the text.
- 14 Mar. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Removed mention of the Spouting Spirits and Ascendance combo, as it no longer works in Patch 8.1.5.
- 02 Mar. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Added new Jaina Mythic tips.
- 07 Feb. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Corrected some typos and updated tips for Stormwall Blockade and Jaina Mythic encounters.
- 05 Feb. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Tweaked some recommendations and added extra input based on live experience.
- 21 Jan. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Added boss by boss guide for Restoration Shaman in Battle of Dazar'alor.
- 10 Dec. 2018 (Uldir page): This page has been reviewed for Patch 8.1 and no changes are necessary.
- 10 Oct. 2018 (Uldir page): Minor typo and talent fixes and added extra tips for Mythic G'huun.
- 08 Oct. 2018 (Uldir page): Updated talent and boss information based on our full Mythic progression experience.
- 12 Sep. 2018 (Uldir page): Added Tremor Totem boss information and other tips.
- 02 Sep. 2018 (Uldir page): Added talent cheatsheet.
- 11 Aug. 2018 (Uldir page): Updated some talent recommendations.
- 07 Aug. 2018 (Uldir page): Updated MOTHER, Zul and Mythrax recommendations.
- 05 Aug. 2018 (Uldir page): Added preliminary Uldir guide for Restoration Shamans.
- 28 Jul. 2018 (Uldir page): Removed Legion content in preparation for BfA.
More Shaman Guides
Guides from Other Classes
This guide has been written by Seksi, member of Arctic Avengers and healing aficionado. You can find him answering questions and discussing Restoration Shaman gameplay on the Ancestral Guidance and Earthshrine Discords.
- PvP Play with the Blues on the 10.1 PTR: March 31st
- Aberrus Raid Testing Schedule: March 30 - April 28
- Dragonflight Patch 10.0.7 Hotfixes, March 28th
- Upcoming 10.1 PTR Changes to Class Tier Sets: March 28th
- Dragonflight 10.1, Season 2 New and Removed Mythic+ Affixes
- Dragonflight Patch 10.1 PTR Development Notes, March 28th: Old Mythic+ Affixes Removed, New Ones Added
- Riders of Azeroth Spotted in Zaralek Cavern in Patch 10.1
- A Preview of the Druid Crucible Raid Tier Set in Patch 10.1