Shaktheman
OG
Oh and you might wanna add Gnomebot Operating Boots, and Orb of Mistmantle to the gear aswell. I atleast find those items usefull for my spirit set.
29 Resto Druid Guide
- Thread starter vinod
- Start date
RyVil
OG
vinod said:
/agree!!!
I didn't want to mention it earlier b/c it adds to the confusion but Shak has a point: I actually have 3 gear sets:
Full Healing / Spellpower -- concentration: SP, INT
Tanking / Flag Runner -- concentration: STA w/ a minor mix of AGI, STR
Healing / Mana Regen -- concentration: SPI, INT
I'm really not sure if this is wise or not but it seems to help me with my various "duties" as a druid
Shaktheman
OG
I'm just using a 29 staff with agi and stam + 25 agi enchant. I don't know if there is any better staff out there. But the gnomeregan mace might be better for burst damage.
vinod
OG
Glphed Healing touch or..Regrowth?
Healing touch, has always been considered the inferior druid heal. At 80, it is not used as a primary or even a secondary heal. At 70 during TBC, it was not used as a primary heal. The fact is, druids are hot / tick healers, not burst/flash healers in the style of a Paladin or Priest. This style of healing has its own benefits and draw backs.
Let's review lvl 29 resto healing options.
Regrown (Rank 3) - 192 mana, 40 yard range, 2 second cast time.
Rejuvination (rank 5) - 122 mana, 40 yard range, instant cast.
Healing Touch (Rank 5) - 221 mana, 40 yard range, 2.5 second cast.
GLYPHED Healing - 152 mana (roughly), -50% healing done, 1 second cast. (-1.5 sec to cast, -25% mana, -50% healing)
Healing touch, is the slowest and most mana costly of all druid heals. It heals for roughly the same as the other casts - and is the only large burst single heal druids at lvl 29 have.
I feel that druid healing at 29, should embrace the style and concept of the class...that being hot healing is its superior form of healing, not the burst heal. As such, I glyph my 29 resto druid for rejuv, instead of healing touch. Recently, this was challenged. Eager to expore no ideas, and improve my healing I play tested a healing touch play style in a bg, and also did a static test of heals on a stationary target.
I feel from experaince and after field testing this: the even when glyphed that healing touch is still an inferior heal and even when glyphed is even worse..a mana drain.
Results on target (self buffs only, no heal enhancing buffs on target). Crits are included. 'Overheal' seen in posts, is because my target was at full health. Normally overhealing, in a live combat sitaution is bad.
Healin touch results, when glyphed for healing touch.
Healing touch results, when NOT glyphed for healing touch.
Regrowth results, rerowth also follows a series of hot heals. When paired with rejuv they overlap to provide heavy healing over a period of time.
Looking at how small, and inferior healing touch becomes verses how buffed rejuv becomes once a target is in "critical" (generally -50% health) status: I feel you are better making use of rejuv, regrowth, and then last a LARGE/Slow brust heal of healing touch. The rejuv glyph, provide 50% bonus healing per tick of the heal when a target drops below 50% health. Mean, you can hot heal a target for upwards of 300 - 400 health per tick when paired with rejuv.
Growth cast time is just 1 second more than glyphed healing touch, and heals for double. Once you have rejuv and regrowth in place - you should have the time to lay in a full length cast healing touch IF NEEDED. If your target does not survive, well....damn that's alot of damage on your target. Sometimes, you cant out heal all that dps no matter the spec or style.
Spend 1 second more, and do a growth heal - which burst heals nearly as much glyphed healing touch, and THEN heals MORE as it ticks.
I can see the reasoning behind the healing touch method. However, I believe you rob yourself of alot of +healing over time to you, and your teamates. To -me- the healing touch glyph method is inferior.
Healing Touch Healing Verse Hot Healing at 29
Healing touch, has always been considered the inferior druid heal. At 80, it is not used as a primary or even a secondary heal. At 70 during TBC, it was not used as a primary heal. The fact is, druids are hot / tick healers, not burst/flash healers in the style of a Paladin or Priest. This style of healing has its own benefits and draw backs.
Let's review lvl 29 resto healing options.
Regrown (Rank 3) - 192 mana, 40 yard range, 2 second cast time.
Rejuvination (rank 5) - 122 mana, 40 yard range, instant cast.
Healing Touch (Rank 5) - 221 mana, 40 yard range, 2.5 second cast.
GLYPHED Healing - 152 mana (roughly), -50% healing done, 1 second cast. (-1.5 sec to cast, -25% mana, -50% healing)
Healing touch, is the slowest and most mana costly of all druid heals. It heals for roughly the same as the other casts - and is the only large burst single heal druids at lvl 29 have.
I feel that druid healing at 29, should embrace the style and concept of the class...that being hot healing is its superior form of healing, not the burst heal. As such, I glyph my 29 resto druid for rejuv, instead of healing touch. Recently, this was challenged. Eager to expore no ideas, and improve my healing I play tested a healing touch play style in a bg, and also did a static test of heals on a stationary target.
I feel from experaince and after field testing this: the even when glyphed that healing touch is still an inferior heal and even when glyphed is even worse..a mana drain.
Results on target (self buffs only, no heal enhancing buffs on target). Crits are included. 'Overheal' seen in posts, is because my target was at full health. Normally overhealing, in a live combat sitaution is bad.
Healin touch results, when glyphed for healing touch.
Healing touch results, when NOT glyphed for healing touch.
Regrowth results, rerowth also follows a series of hot heals. When paired with rejuv they overlap to provide heavy healing over a period of time.
Looking at how small, and inferior healing touch becomes verses how buffed rejuv becomes once a target is in "critical" (generally -50% health) status: I feel you are better making use of rejuv, regrowth, and then last a LARGE/Slow brust heal of healing touch. The rejuv glyph, provide 50% bonus healing per tick of the heal when a target drops below 50% health. Mean, you can hot heal a target for upwards of 300 - 400 health per tick when paired with rejuv.
Growth cast time is just 1 second more than glyphed healing touch, and heals for double. Once you have rejuv and regrowth in place - you should have the time to lay in a full length cast healing touch IF NEEDED. If your target does not survive, well....damn that's alot of damage on your target. Sometimes, you cant out heal all that dps no matter the spec or style.
Spend 1 second more, and do a growth heal - which burst heals nearly as much glyphed healing touch, and THEN heals MORE as it ticks.
I can see the reasoning behind the healing touch method. However, I believe you rob yourself of alot of +healing over time to you, and your teamates. To -me- the healing touch glyph method is inferior.
Kirise
OG
That is a fascinating post, Vinod. I don't play a druid (yet), but I love figuring out numbers. Here's the arithmetic I came up with in regard to druid 29 healing, in comparison to all classes.
With no talents or gear bonuses (hps = healing per second i.e. throughput; hp%m = healing per % base mana i.e. mana efficiency, higher is better), here are all class healing spells for the 29 bracket. For the druid Regrowth spells, I split up the heal and HoT portions of Regrowth, which will help us do calculations later on:
542 avg heal, 216 hps, 14 hp%m (Druid, Healing Touch: 2.5 cast @ 38% base mana)
271 avg heal, 271 hps, 9 hp%m (Druid, Healing Touch (glyphed): 1.0 cast @ 29% base mana)
257 avg heal, 129 hps, 8 hp%m (Druid, Regrowth: 2.0 cast @ 33% base mana)
259 avg heal, 12 hps, 8 hp%m (Druid, Regrowth: 2.0 cast @ 33% base mana, HoT portion)
308 avg heal, 154 hps, 9 hp%m (Druid, Regrowth (glyphed): 2.0 cast @ 33% base mana)
(The glphed HoT is the same as the non-glyphed HoT)
244 avg heal, 20 hps, 12 hp%m (Druid, Rejuvenation: instant cast @ 21% base mana)
366 avg heal, 31 hps, 17 hp%m (Druid, Rejuvenation (glyphed): instant cast @ 21% base mana)
264 avg heal, 176 hps, 14 hp%m (Shaman, Lesser Healing Wave: 1.5 cast @ 19% mana)
408 avg heal, 163 hps, 13 hp%m (Shaman, Healing Wave: 2.5 cast @ 32% mana)
134 avg heal, 89 hps, 17 hp%m (Paladin, Flash of Light: 1.5 cast @ 8% mana)
426 avg heal, 170 hps, 13 hp%m (Paladin, Holy Light: 2.5 cast @ 34% mana)
286 avg heal, 191 hps, 14 hp%m (Priest, Flash Heal: 1.5 cast @ 20% mana)
286 avg heal, 191 hps, 16 hp%m (Priest, Flash Heal (glyphed): 1.5 cast @ 18% mana)
604 avg heal, 242 hps, 17 hp%m (Priest, Heal: 2.5 cast @ 36% mana)
245 avg heal, 16 hps, 13 hp%m (Priest, Renew: instant cast @ 19% mana)
245 avg heal, 20 hps, 13 hp%m (Priest, Renew (glyphed): instant cast @ 19% mana)
Let's make some sense out of these numbers. At first glance, the unglyphed HT has easily the best healing throughput of all the druid healing spells, and indeed of all class spells in the bracket except for the priest's Heal. Then, HT goes up even more with the glyph. But mana efficiency with regards to throughput drops by 36%. To heal exclusively with a glyphed HT would in effect cut off a third of a druid's total mana.
Next, notice that the hps for the normal HoTs of Regrowth and Rejuvenation together total 32 hps. If a druid glyphs Regrowth, then the total hps on top of the HoTs together maxes out at (20 + 154) = 174 hps. if a druid glyphs Rejuvenation, then the total hps maxes out at (31 + 129) = 160 hps. However, if a druid doesn't glyph either one, then the total hps maxes out at (20 + 129) = 149 hps. So as long as a druid glpyhs Regrowth or Rejuvenation, they'll be able to keep up with any other healer in the bracket.
Now the comparison. Let's say a druid glyphs for Regrowth, casts it, then Rejuvenation, then Regrowth again. That's the heal portion of a normal regrowth, plus rejuvenation, plus the heal and HoT of the second glyphed regrowth. 257 + 244 + 308 + 259 = 1068 healing, at 87% base mana. A glyphed HT, then Regeneration, then Regrowth yield 1031 healing at 83% base mana. So as far as total healing and mana consumption, these two series of heals are the same. But as far as cast time, the glyphed HT series is a bit quicker. Moreover, the glyphed HT means the druid can put the healing burst anywhere in the spell series, while the glyphed Regrowth cannot come at the beginning of the spell series.
For spell power bonuses (and I found this really interesting), HT gets 161% of spell power, which means glyphed HTs get half of that: 81%. Regrowth gets 54% + 19% for the HoT. This means glyphed HTs, even though they lose half their spell power bonus, still scale better than Regrowth when it comes to spell power. Note that it would take roughly +95 sp for a glyphed Regrowth to match the hps of an unglyphed, +0 sp Healing Touch. That's how much of a difference between Regrowth and HT we're talking about when it comes to hps.
As far as I can tell from the numbers, I see two basic healing strategies. First is the one Vinod discusses: the true power of druid healing is in the HoTs. Cast those first, then if you need some serious healing, land the HT which gives you pretty much the same healing-per-mana as the other spells. The second strategy is to glyph the HT so that it basically works like a fast Regrowth without the added HoT. The hps goes up to the same degree that mana consumption goes up.
In PvP, druid HoT healers will have better mana efficiency, and therefore more room to gear spell power. They won't have the burst healing that other classes do. Druid HT healers will have better hps and the best burst healing in the bracket, but will want to gear a lot more +INT.
A quick chart to provoke more thought....
Glyph, gear stat emphasis, optimal healing style
--------------------------------------
HT, +INT, plays like a paladin: bursty healing, lots of mobility.
HT, +sp, "glass cannon" druid healer.
Regr, +INT, off-healer, spams heals on the whole group from a distance.
Regr, +sp, plays like a priest: concentrate healing on two main targets.
Reju, +INT, off-healer, spams heals on the whole group from a distance.
Reju, +sp, quintessential druid HoT healer: maintain constant healing on three or four targets.
After looking up spells by level for druids, it looks like druid HT healers have the best advantages in the 39 and 69 brackets, while druid HoT healers do best in the 29, 59, and 69 brackets. ...WOW, a well-geared druid must wreak havoc in the 69 bracket.
Major caveat -- this is ALL play by numbers I did here. I have no real experience with druid healing, only shaman and priest healing. I defer to players with real experience to put this in perspective.
Thanks for the chance to play with WoW numbers!
Bwappo
With no talents or gear bonuses (hps = healing per second i.e. throughput; hp%m = healing per % base mana i.e. mana efficiency, higher is better), here are all class healing spells for the 29 bracket. For the druid Regrowth spells, I split up the heal and HoT portions of Regrowth, which will help us do calculations later on:
542 avg heal, 216 hps, 14 hp%m (Druid, Healing Touch: 2.5 cast @ 38% base mana)
271 avg heal, 271 hps, 9 hp%m (Druid, Healing Touch (glyphed): 1.0 cast @ 29% base mana)
257 avg heal, 129 hps, 8 hp%m (Druid, Regrowth: 2.0 cast @ 33% base mana)
259 avg heal, 12 hps, 8 hp%m (Druid, Regrowth: 2.0 cast @ 33% base mana, HoT portion)
308 avg heal, 154 hps, 9 hp%m (Druid, Regrowth (glyphed): 2.0 cast @ 33% base mana)
(The glphed HoT is the same as the non-glyphed HoT)
244 avg heal, 20 hps, 12 hp%m (Druid, Rejuvenation: instant cast @ 21% base mana)
366 avg heal, 31 hps, 17 hp%m (Druid, Rejuvenation (glyphed): instant cast @ 21% base mana)
264 avg heal, 176 hps, 14 hp%m (Shaman, Lesser Healing Wave: 1.5 cast @ 19% mana)
408 avg heal, 163 hps, 13 hp%m (Shaman, Healing Wave: 2.5 cast @ 32% mana)
134 avg heal, 89 hps, 17 hp%m (Paladin, Flash of Light: 1.5 cast @ 8% mana)
426 avg heal, 170 hps, 13 hp%m (Paladin, Holy Light: 2.5 cast @ 34% mana)
286 avg heal, 191 hps, 14 hp%m (Priest, Flash Heal: 1.5 cast @ 20% mana)
286 avg heal, 191 hps, 16 hp%m (Priest, Flash Heal (glyphed): 1.5 cast @ 18% mana)
604 avg heal, 242 hps, 17 hp%m (Priest, Heal: 2.5 cast @ 36% mana)
245 avg heal, 16 hps, 13 hp%m (Priest, Renew: instant cast @ 19% mana)
245 avg heal, 20 hps, 13 hp%m (Priest, Renew (glyphed): instant cast @ 19% mana)
Let's make some sense out of these numbers. At first glance, the unglyphed HT has easily the best healing throughput of all the druid healing spells, and indeed of all class spells in the bracket except for the priest's Heal. Then, HT goes up even more with the glyph. But mana efficiency with regards to throughput drops by 36%. To heal exclusively with a glyphed HT would in effect cut off a third of a druid's total mana.
Next, notice that the hps for the normal HoTs of Regrowth and Rejuvenation together total 32 hps. If a druid glyphs Regrowth, then the total hps on top of the HoTs together maxes out at (20 + 154) = 174 hps. if a druid glyphs Rejuvenation, then the total hps maxes out at (31 + 129) = 160 hps. However, if a druid doesn't glyph either one, then the total hps maxes out at (20 + 129) = 149 hps. So as long as a druid glpyhs Regrowth or Rejuvenation, they'll be able to keep up with any other healer in the bracket.
Now the comparison. Let's say a druid glyphs for Regrowth, casts it, then Rejuvenation, then Regrowth again. That's the heal portion of a normal regrowth, plus rejuvenation, plus the heal and HoT of the second glyphed regrowth. 257 + 244 + 308 + 259 = 1068 healing, at 87% base mana. A glyphed HT, then Regeneration, then Regrowth yield 1031 healing at 83% base mana. So as far as total healing and mana consumption, these two series of heals are the same. But as far as cast time, the glyphed HT series is a bit quicker. Moreover, the glyphed HT means the druid can put the healing burst anywhere in the spell series, while the glyphed Regrowth cannot come at the beginning of the spell series.
For spell power bonuses (and I found this really interesting), HT gets 161% of spell power, which means glyphed HTs get half of that: 81%. Regrowth gets 54% + 19% for the HoT. This means glyphed HTs, even though they lose half their spell power bonus, still scale better than Regrowth when it comes to spell power. Note that it would take roughly +95 sp for a glyphed Regrowth to match the hps of an unglyphed, +0 sp Healing Touch. That's how much of a difference between Regrowth and HT we're talking about when it comes to hps.
As far as I can tell from the numbers, I see two basic healing strategies. First is the one Vinod discusses: the true power of druid healing is in the HoTs. Cast those first, then if you need some serious healing, land the HT which gives you pretty much the same healing-per-mana as the other spells. The second strategy is to glyph the HT so that it basically works like a fast Regrowth without the added HoT. The hps goes up to the same degree that mana consumption goes up.
In PvP, druid HoT healers will have better mana efficiency, and therefore more room to gear spell power. They won't have the burst healing that other classes do. Druid HT healers will have better hps and the best burst healing in the bracket, but will want to gear a lot more +INT.
A quick chart to provoke more thought....
Glyph, gear stat emphasis, optimal healing style
--------------------------------------
HT, +INT, plays like a paladin: bursty healing, lots of mobility.
HT, +sp, "glass cannon" druid healer.
Regr, +INT, off-healer, spams heals on the whole group from a distance.
Regr, +sp, plays like a priest: concentrate healing on two main targets.
Reju, +INT, off-healer, spams heals on the whole group from a distance.
Reju, +sp, quintessential druid HoT healer: maintain constant healing on three or four targets.
After looking up spells by level for druids, it looks like druid HT healers have the best advantages in the 39 and 69 brackets, while druid HoT healers do best in the 29, 59, and 69 brackets. ...WOW, a well-geared druid must wreak havoc in the 69 bracket.
Major caveat -- this is ALL play by numbers I did here. I have no real experience with druid healing, only shaman and priest healing. I defer to players with real experience to put this in perspective.
Thanks for the chance to play with WoW numbers!
Bwappo
vinod
OG
Ah, seperately another advantage of hot healing over HT healing, is what I call dormant healing.
Once/if/when a target is at full health, a HoT heal will lie dormant. I am a fan of dormant healing in flag carrying sitautions, or in times of stress when it is obvious I will die before my team..and then my team will start to take damage.
I commonly will be killed by a rival team, and in my dying moments I toss a heal onto the flag carrier or near by teammates. That heal will remain on the flag carrier/teammates after I die, and will heal him once damage is taken. If the carrier takes no damage, the heal does nothing: otherwise it passively lurks for its duration, ready to heal the target.
A healing touch heal...will only provide a burst - and do nothing for your heal target once you are dead, or beyond that burst heal.
Once/if/when a target is at full health, a HoT heal will lie dormant. I am a fan of dormant healing in flag carrying sitautions, or in times of stress when it is obvious I will die before my team..and then my team will start to take damage.
I commonly will be killed by a rival team, and in my dying moments I toss a heal onto the flag carrier or near by teammates. That heal will remain on the flag carrier/teammates after I die, and will heal him once damage is taken. If the carrier takes no damage, the heal does nothing: otherwise it passively lurks for its duration, ready to heal the target.
A healing touch heal...will only provide a burst - and do nothing for your heal target once you are dead, or beyond that burst heal.
Druiddroid
OG
vinod said:
what they SHOULD be depends on the game. burst is always valuable.
hot healers are certainly the best in general, though.
Screamforme
OG
This is something i have always wondered about druid healers in this bracket: people always say that the weakness is they go oom. That said, as a disc priest, I find I am running more often with my Civinad Robes - Item - World of Warcraft. They offer a lot of spirit, a decent amount of stam, and they can be BC enchanted, which means either 6 stats (my preference) or 6 mana per 5. Even if it isnt a "wear this all the time" item--it might be viable as an alternative when low on mana and out of combat.
vinod
OG
Any caster goes oom in bgs. Low lvl mana regen bites.
Those robes are note owrthy. I have wowhead with +20 spirit. I swap it in and out as mana regen is required DURING combat. Robes cant be taken on and off during combat....weapons can. +35 spirit when you need it is sweet. Just remember to put on your +spellpower weapon when you want to caster / start healing again.
Those robes are note owrthy. I have wowhead with +20 spirit. I swap it in and out as mana regen is required DURING combat. Robes cant be taken on and off during combat....weapons can. +35 spirit when you need it is sweet. Just remember to put on your +spellpower weapon when you want to caster / start healing again.
vinod
OG
Elude said:
Bear druids are AMAZING flag runners. Even as a resto, I keep some feral / stam gear on me for when I flag run. I usually can hit around 2,400 health with a simple mark and fort in bear form. Now that leg armor kits are gone, that's ALOT of health! As resto, you really should have SOME feral gear, just for flag running.
I have seen screenshots of bear druids (with full buffs) hitting upwards of 7k health!
As for cat druids, they seem to be declining in popularity, as rogues generally are regarded as superior damage than feral cats.
Chmmr
OG
Hi Vinod,
I have a 28 undead twink priest, and have had a very hard time finding anyone that can do the +16 spellpower to GLOVES. I see in your armory that you obtained it. The chant I believe I'm looking for is the one learned from [ITEM]20730[/ITEM]... which seems to be somewhat rare these days, as it is an AQ drop.
Am I on the right track for what chant to hunt down? No chanters so far on my servers have it. Is there another? Thanks!
I have a 28 undead twink priest, and have had a very hard time finding anyone that can do the +16 spellpower to GLOVES. I see in your armory that you obtained it. The chant I believe I'm looking for is the one learned from [ITEM]20730[/ITEM]... which seems to be somewhat rare these days, as it is an AQ drop.
Am I on the right track for what chant to hunt down? No chanters so far on my servers have it. Is there another? Thanks!
Dye
OG
Vinod, when you get a chance can you possibly look at my chardev link I built below please? I just did a mixture of mana, stam, SP, and regen for balance and was wondering if you had any critiques on anything? I will also have a regen and a FC set, but for main healing most of the time the chardev link is what i was thinking might work. Any tips appreciated!
chardev.org v6 ~ a World of Warcraft character planner
Thanks!
chardev.org v6 ~ a World of Warcraft character planner
Thanks!
Chmmr
OG
vinod said:I am shocked no one has that enchant - as many players now run aq40 for the achievements. All I can suggest is asking around in trade.
Until you get the +sp enchant to gloves, try using +10 haste on your priest.
Good luck
Thanks for confirming. Even without the 20 SP I would get from the proper gloves with that chant, I'm having a lot of fun with the priest in 29's. I spec'd disc mostly and even just a holy fire and mind blast can cut most players down significantly... sometimes 2-shot non-twinks. I'm sure even as resto you can cut people down easily enough with all that spellpower.
Kirise
OG
While doing some arithmetic for an alliance 29 druid, I realized a couple of stam pieces were missing from the guide that you might like:
[ITEM]Raptor Hunter Tunic[/ITEM] (Alliance only, BC enchantable)
[ITEM]River Pride Choker[/ITEM]
[ITEM]Cerulean Talisman[/ITEM] of the Eagle 4/5 or 5/4
Nothing revelatory here, but in case you want them in the guide for completeness, there you go. The tunic is one of my favorites for shamans.
Bwappo
[ITEM]Raptor Hunter Tunic[/ITEM] (Alliance only, BC enchantable)
[ITEM]River Pride Choker[/ITEM]
[ITEM]Cerulean Talisman[/ITEM] of the Eagle 4/5 or 5/4
Nothing revelatory here, but in case you want them in the guide for completeness, there you go. The tunic is one of my favorites for shamans.
Bwappo