Restoration Druid

How the spec changed

Blizzard's deep dive reshapes the tree. Nature's Focus moves to the first row, Gift of Nature to the third, and Swiftmend becomes the 16-point talent at 25. Wild Growth is the 31-point capstone: a front-loaded heal over time on every member of the target's party, with a 6 second cooldown and a high mana cost. Moonglow no longer cheapens heals, and Naturalist now adds 5% to all damage. Wowhead's healer overview notes that Lifebloom, Nourish, Efflorescence and Tree of Life are absent. Icy Veins' FAQ singles out Tree Form and Lifebloom.

Talents

Icy Veins offers two builds in words. A "World Content" build takes Improved Wrath, then Nature's Focus, then Insect Swarm, before filling Restoration. A "Dungeon Healing" build skips Improved Wrath to reach Gift of the Earthmother at 20 and Swiftmend at 30. Its embedded calculators didn't match that text when read, so this page follows the text.

The guides split on two picks:

• Reflection or Gift of the Earthmother at 20. Wowhead prefers Reflection because dungeon healers keep Rejuvenation on few targets. Icy Veins calls Gift of the Earthmother a big gain in responsiveness.
• Gift of Nature or Improved Rejuvenation at 30. Wowhead takes 5/5 Gift of Nature for the bonus to every heal, and suggests 3/3 Improved Rejuvenation with 2/5 Gift of Nature if you lean on Rejuvenation. ForeverDB splits them 3 and 3.

With the Legacy perk's extra points, Wowhead reaches Swiftmend at 20, and Improved Tranquility plus Improved Rejuvenation at 30. Wowhead also notes that Nature's Grace and Wild Growth can't both fit in 51 points.

Healing priorities

There is no simulator for this spec, so the guides are the only reference:

1. Put Thorns on the tank before the pull; it now scales with your spell power.
2. Keep Rejuvenation on the tank, and on anyone else taking steady damage.
3. Use Regrowth when the tank takes a big hit, then Healing Touch, downranked to fit the damage. Wowhead's level 20 guide passes on player reports that rank 2 Healing Touch with plenty of healing power was enough up to Blackfathom Deeps.
4. In an emergency, Swiftmend a target with your heal over time on it. If no eligible heal over time is active, applying one before Swiftmend takes another action and a global cooldown; it is not an immediate one-button rescue. If that's not enough, use Nature's Swiftness into a max-rank Healing Touch.
5. When the whole party is in trouble, channel Tranquility. ForeverDB gives it a 5 minute cooldown, and Wowhead says Improved Tranquility brings that to 2 minutes with no threat.
6. Spend Omen of Clarity procs on a max-rank Regrowth or Healing Touch. Wowhead suggests auto-attacking in melee to proc it more often.
7. Cure poisons and curses on the tank first.
8. When mana is comfortable, stop casting to regenerate, or help with Moonfire and Wrath.

Your heals draw threat. ForeverDB suggests letting the tank hit a pull before your first big heal, or taking Subtlety, which cuts the threat of Nature spells by 30%.

Levelling

ForeverDB and Icy Veins both treat Restoration as slow alone. ForeverDB's builds page suggests levelling as Feral or Balance and respeccing to heal if speed matters. Its caster-healer build (Improved Wrath plus Nature's Focus) is the workable alternative. Wowhead's level 20 and level 30 guides suggest building around damage talents that also help healing. Its "Deep Balance" build can still heal dungeons, with Insect Swarm and Entangling Roots doing the damage and crowd control.

Gear and consumables

• Crafted: Leatherworking makes Wisdom's Leather Armor (15), Pants and Hood (20), then Wisdom's Leather Leggings (25) and the Mender's Leather Belt (30) (ForeverDB levelling guide). Wowhead adds Tailoring's Pristine pieces and the Enchanting idol Mystic Mushroom (5% Spirit).
• Dungeons at 30: Wowhead lists the Embalmed Shroud, Scorn's Icy Choker and Bloodmage Mantle from Scarlet Monastery, the Death Speaker Robes from Razorfen Kraul and the Healer's Staff from Excavation Site: Wetlands.
• Camping: Wowhead recommends the Alchemy Mana Well, Fishing's Fish Bowl, the Herbalism Incense Candle, the Skinning Camp Chair and the Tailoring Faction Banner. Avoid Enchanting's Enchanted Lute, whose buff clashes with Mark of the Wild.
• Consumables: water above all, mana potions, and Minor or Lesser Arcane Elixir for a little extra healing (Icy Veins). WoWSims' gear planner defaults to Soaring Pamplona and Major Mana Potion, with Tailoring and Enchanting.
• Race: Wowhead rates the Alliance options strongest for healing: High Order Skyborne for Read Leyline's mana, and Night Elf for Elune's Light (10% crit) now that heals over time crit.

Where the guides disagree or are unsure

• Party-only group heals: Wild Growth heals only the target's party (Blizzard, Wowhead). Icy Veins flags Tranquility's party-only reach as something Blizzard may revisit, and ForeverDB's client data on the latest build still describes it that way.
• Improved Mark of the Wild: Blizzard says it's now baseline. ForeverDB found nothing in the client showing Mark of the Wild got stronger.
• Endgame: Improved Regrowth, Wild Growth and Innervate sit at 35 to 40, above the beta cap. Their value in raids, and the Nature's Grace or Wild Growth choice, are untested.
• Icy Veins' gear section was still marked as waiting on more data at the level 30 cap.