Restoration Shaman PvE guide: Riptide, Chain Heal and Mana Tide for level 60

Overview

Level 60 · Restoration Shaman · Healer in dungeons and raids.

Restoration is the group healer. Chain Heal still carries raid healing, and Forever adds Riptide, an instant heal with a heal over time that also makes Chain Heal stronger when cast directly on that target. Water Shield returns mana when you are hit or when your heals crit, and Mindfulness keeps mana regeneration going while casting. Mana Tide Totem and restorative totems support your group, and Nature’s Swiftness is your emergency heal. Almost the whole build sits in Restoration, with a few Enhancement points for crit and Intellect.

Your job in the group

You heal your own group first and the raid second. Chain Heal is strongest when players stand together, so a raid often places Shamans with the melee group, where Riptide and Chain Heal reach the most people. Keep Mana Spring and your group’s totems up, keep Water Shield running, and hold Nature’s Swiftness for the tank or a player about to die. Mana Tide Totem is a group mana cooldown: plan it with your raid’s other healers for the late part of the fight.

Why play it

• Efficient group healing. Chain Heal plus Riptide’s bonus covers several players with one cast.
• Mana for the group. Mana Tide Totem restores mana to everyone nearby, not just you.
• An instant emergency heal. Nature’s Swiftness turns Healing Wave into a save.
• Totems that help the whole fight. Restorative Totems strengthen Mana Spring and Healing Stream for your group.

Weak points

• Group-limited totems: Mana Tide and many totems only help players within range.
• Cast times: Chain Heal and Healing Wave both need you to stand still; only Riptide is instant.
• Totem upkeep: moving fights force you to replace totems, which costs mana and global cooldowns.
• Single-target spikes: Chain Heal is weaker when one tank takes most of the damage.

Level 60 talent build

Elemental 0 / Enhancement 8 / Restoration 43, all 51 points. The talent tree above shows the finished build.

Restoration (43)

• Improved Healing Wave 5/5 — a faster Healing Wave for tanks.
• Tidal Mastery 5/5 — crit for heals, which also feeds Water Shield and Ancestral Healing.
• Mindfulness 3/3 — mana regeneration while casting, a Forever talent that changes Shaman mana.
• Tidal Focus 5/5 — cheaper healing spells.
• Ancestral Healing 3/3 — crit heals raise the target’s armor.
• Water Shield 1/1 — mana back when you are hit or when a heal crits.
• Totemic Focus 5/5 — cheaper totems, which matters because you refresh them all fight.
• Restorative Totems 5/5 — stronger Mana Spring and Healing Stream Totems.
• Mana Tide Totem 1/1 — mana for your whole group on a cooldown.
• Healing Way 3/3 — a large increase to Healing Wave; required for Riptide.
• Nature’s Swiftness 1/1 — an instant Healing Wave for emergencies.
• Purification 5/5 — more healing from every spell.
• Riptide 1/1 — an instant heal and heal over time that empowers the next Chain Heal on that player.

Enhancement (8)

• Thundering Strikes 3/5 — crit for heals from the Enhancement tree.
• Ancestral Knowledge 5/5 — more Intellect for a larger mana pool.

Rotation and priority

1. Before the pull, place Mana Spring and the raid’s chosen air and earth totems with Call of the Elements.
2. Put Riptide on the most damaged player in a group, then cast Chain Heal on that player so the first jump gets Riptide’s bonus.
3. Use Healing Wave or Lesser Healing Wave on the tank when a single player takes the damage.
4. Keep Water Shield up at all times.
5. Drop Mana Tide Totem when your group is low on mana, not at the start of the fight.
6. Keep Nature’s Swiftness for a tank about to die: instant Healing Wave.

Resources

Mana is managed through Water Shield, Mindfulness, Mana Tide and totem upkeep. Totemic Recall returns part of a totem’s mana when you move. Nature’s Swiftness is your only emergency button, and Mana Tide is a group cooldown, so tell your raid when you use it.

Stat priority

1. Healing power first.
2. Mana per 5 seconds and Intellect, since Chain Heal is expensive.
3. Spell crit for Water Shield returns and Ancestral Healing.
4. Spirit, which Mindfulness makes more useful in combat than in Classic.
5. Stamina only as needed.

Gear and set bonuses

The Restoration Tier 1 set in the Forever data is The Spiritcaller; item names are still withheld. Bonuses: 2 pieces +10 Spirit, 3 pieces 10 yards more radius on beneficial Fire and Water totems, 4 pieces up to 26 healing and 9 damage, 5 pieces 1 sec off Riptide’s cooldown. The three-piece lets Mana Spring and Healing Stream reach a spread raid, and the five-piece means more Riptide-empowered Chain Heals per fight. Before raids, the dungeon set The Five Thunders has mana regeneration and a healing proc.

Consumables and professions

• Mana: Major Mana Potions, runes and Mageblood Potion or the Forever equivalents.
• Weapon: Brilliant Mana Oil for healing power and mana regeneration.
• Relics: Totem relics fill the relic slot; look for one that improves Healing Wave or Chain Heal.
• Raid utility: in Forever, Fire, Frost and Nature Resistance Totems reach the whole raid, not just your party.
• Professions: Alchemy and Herbalism for your own potions, or Leatherworking and Skinning for mail crafts.

Sources

Rotation, stat and matchup advice adapts these Classic 1.12 guides to the WoW Forever talent trees; talents, set bonuses and new abilities come from this site’s WoW Forever data.

• Icy Veins: Classic Restoration Shaman Healer Guide
• Icy Veins: Classic Restoration Shaman Healer Stat Priority
• Icy Veins: Classic Restoration Shaman Healer Enchants and Consumables