Kirise
OG
4.2 introduced a new, strong choice for resto shamans in the 70-74 bracket. Now that critical heals grant a 100% increase instead of the traditional 50% increase in healing, crit rating makes for a tempting option for some resto shamans. With the combination of BC-capped accounts, the return of PvP Guardian armor off-pieces, and the only live XP-off bracket to feature arenas and rated battlegrounds, the 70-74 bracket boasts the largest XP-off population in the game. Restoration shamans, like all healers, stand exceptionally strong in this bracket, in part by reaching the end of their talent tree for the all-important Riptide instant-cast healing spell.
In the 70-74 bracket, restoration shamans have a tremendous variety of choices to suit their wildly varying playstyles, thanks to two factors. First, plenty of PvP and PvE gear creates a multitude of gearing options, further augmented by gem sockets capable of WotLK gems. The bracket is almost entirely devoid of BoA gear, thanks to better options. Second, players encounter significant advantages and tradeoffs in choosing any of the five levels available in the bracket.
I. Gear
II. Talents
III. Glyphs
IV. Professions
V. Races
VI. Consumables
VII. Armories
VIII. Tips
IX. Which Level Should I Play?
I. Gear
I organize gear by primary and alternate choices. Primary choices offer the greatest overall stats boosts, while alternate choices may help a healer shaman optimize for a specific stat. The same goes for enchantments and other augmentations, while trinkets follow their own organization. In this way, you can mix and match which combination of bonuses works best for your particular healing style. While this guide avoids predetermining gear decisions for players, it does make one assumption: all healer shamans carry shields. No two-hand weapon in the game is worth giving up the armor bonus of a shield for a healer shaman.
With so many close choices for gear in this bracket, it may help to think of itemizing gear in terms of "socket units" when choosing between two close pieces, determining set bonuses, and so forth. Each socket provides the opportunity to add 30 stam, 20 int, 20 hit, 20 resilience, 25 spell penetration, etc. (For a complete list of epic WotLK gem combinations, check WoWwiki's Northrend Gems by Stats Page.) Thinking in terms of a piece of gear having "3.5 sockets' worth" of stats, while another piece has more or less, may help determine which gear combination will serve you best according to the stats you value.
For example, you might like the Brutal Gladiator's Ringmail Leggings, and have your eye on the Chain Links of the Tumultuous Storm as well. The Leggings have 0.5 sockets of stamina, 1.5 sockets of spirit, and 1.5 sockets of resilience over the Chain Links, so to speak. Meanwhile, the Chain Links have 0.5 sockets of int, 1.5 sockets of haste, and 3 actual sockets over the Leggings. In these terms, the Leggings have a 3.5 socket advantage, and the Chain links have a 5 socket advantage. Now, you might have already chosen another Brutal Gladiator piece, bringing almost two more sockets' worth of resilience to the Leggings for the 2-piece set bonus, for a total of 5.5 sockets vs. 5 sockets. Finally, you made decide you don't care about spirit, so the Leggings lose 1.5 sockets of value to you, for a final tally of 4 sockets vs. 5 sockets. So, you go with the Chain Links. Thinking in terms of "sockets" can help reduce the complexity of gear choices for the 70-74 bracket, while reminding you how customizable your gear really is.
When choosing your stats, the high damage of the bracket makes resilience generally more valuable than stamina. Be sure to get hit capped (see section IX for details in your chosen level), and get a minimum of 73 spell penetration to overcome resistances so that opponents don't often resist your purges. Whether you prefer int, haste, crit, or spirit depends entirely on your playstyle and whether you spend your time in arenas or battlegrounds. Int increases your throughput, haste makes you less vulnerable to interrupts and silences, crit helps proc talents, and spirit ensures you never run out of mana. Build two or three gearsets if you want -- you may find yourself wishing for different combinations depending on the situation.
HEAD
Primary: Brutal Gladiator's Ringmail Helm, Brutal Gladiator's Mail Helm, Skyshatter Headguard. Add the Arcanum of the Gladiator.
Alternate: Electroflux Sight Enhancers, Cowl of Gul'dan. Add the Arcanum of Renewal (Alliance/Horde).
NECK
Primary: Guardian's Pendant of Subjugation, Guardian's Pendant of Conquest, Guardian's Pendant of Reprieve, Guardian's Pendant of Dominance, Guardian's Pendant of Salvation.
SHOULDERS
Primary: Brutal Gladiator's Ringmail Spaulders, Brutal Gladiator's Mail Spaulders. Add the Greater Inscription of the Gladiator.
Alternate: Equilibrium Epaulets, Erupting Epaulets.
BACK
Primary: The Tattered Cape of Antonidas or the Volanthius Shroud. Add Enchant Cloak - Spell Piercing, Enchant Cloak - Greater Speed, plus a Flexweave Underlay for engineers.
CHEST
Primary: Brutal Gladiator's Ringmail Armor, Brutal Gladiator's Mail Armor. Add Enchant Chest - Powerful Stats, Enchant Chest - Super Health, or Enchant Chest - Exceptional Resilience.
Alternate: Skyshatter Breastplate, Garments of Serene Shores, Garments of Crashing Shores, Sun-Drenched Scale Chestguard.
WRISTS
Primary: Guardian's Ringmail Bracers, Guardian's Mail Bracers. Add Enchant Bracers - Major Stamina. Leatherworkers can add any of the Fur Linings.
Alternate: Skyshatter Bands.
HANDS
Primary: Brutal Gladiator's Ringmail Gauntlets, Brutal Gladiator's Mail Gauntlets. Add Enchant Gloves - Exceptional Spellpower or Enchant Gloves - Precision. Engineers can add one of the following: Hyperspeed Accelerators, Z50 Mana Gulper,Tazik Shocker, Synapse Springs, Spinal Healing Injector.
Alternate: Skyshatter Gauntlets, Skyshatter Gloves, Gauntlets of the Ancient Frostwolf, Gauntlets of the Ancient Shadowmoon, Sun-Drenched Scale Gloves.
WAIST
Primary: Skyshatter Cord, Skyshatter Belt. Add an Eternal Belt Buckle. Engineers can add a Mind Amplification Dish or Nitro Boosts.
Alternate: Guardian's Mail Girdle, Guardian's Ringmail Girdle.
LEGS
Primary: Brutal Gladiator's Ringmail Leggings, Brutal Gladiator's Mail Leggings, Chain Links of the Tumultuous Storm, Kilt of Spiritual Reconstruction. Add a Sapphire Spellthread.
Alternate: Skyshatter Legguards, Skyshatter Leggings.
FEET
Primary: Skyshatter Treads, Skyshatter Boots. Add Enchant Boots - Tuskarr's Vitality, Enchant Boots - Greater Fortitude, or Enchant Boots - Icewalker.
Alternate: Guardian's Ringmail Sabatons, Guardian's Mail Sabatons.
RINGS
Primary: Loop of Forged Power, Guardian's Band of Dominance, Guardian's Band of Subjugation, Ring of Omnipotence.
Alternate: Ring of Flowing Life, Band of Lucent Beams, Guardian's Band of Salvation.
TRINKETS
Escape: Medallion of the Alliance/Medallion of the Horde, or the Inherited Insignia of the Alliance/Inherited Insignia of the Horde.
Engineering: The Noise Machine, Gnomish Poultryizer, Gnomish Net-o-Matic Projector, and the Gnomish Cloaking Device.
Engineering Damage: Gnomish Lightning Generator, Goblin Rocket Launcher.
Bonus: Battlemaster's Courage, Figurine: Crimson Serpent, The Skull of Gul'dan, Horn of the Herald, Strike of the Seas, Fury of the Crimson Drake, Harbinger's Wrath (Alliance only), Infused Coldstone Rune, Vial of Renewal, Warsong's Wrath (Horde only), Redeemer's Alchemist Stone, Sorcerer's Alchemist Stone.
MAIN HAND
Primary: Crystal Spire of Karabor or the Hammer of Sanctification. Add Enchant Weapon - Mighty Spellpower.
Alternate: Brutal Gladiator's Gavel, Archon's Gavel, or the Sunflare.
OFF HAND
Primary: Brutal Gladiator's Redoubt, Brutal Gladiator's Barrier. Add Enchant Shield - Greater Intellect or Enchant Shield - Major Stamina.
Alternate: Tharon'ja's Aegis.
RELIC
Primary: Brutal Gladiator's Totem of Survival.
Alternate: Brutal Gladiator's Totem of the Third Wind.
NO LONGER OBTAINABLE
Medallion of the Alliance/Medallion of the Horde.
In the 70-74 bracket, restoration shamans have a tremendous variety of choices to suit their wildly varying playstyles, thanks to two factors. First, plenty of PvP and PvE gear creates a multitude of gearing options, further augmented by gem sockets capable of WotLK gems. The bracket is almost entirely devoid of BoA gear, thanks to better options. Second, players encounter significant advantages and tradeoffs in choosing any of the five levels available in the bracket.
I. Gear
II. Talents
III. Glyphs
IV. Professions
V. Races
VI. Consumables
VII. Armories
VIII. Tips
IX. Which Level Should I Play?
I. Gear
I organize gear by primary and alternate choices. Primary choices offer the greatest overall stats boosts, while alternate choices may help a healer shaman optimize for a specific stat. The same goes for enchantments and other augmentations, while trinkets follow their own organization. In this way, you can mix and match which combination of bonuses works best for your particular healing style. While this guide avoids predetermining gear decisions for players, it does make one assumption: all healer shamans carry shields. No two-hand weapon in the game is worth giving up the armor bonus of a shield for a healer shaman.
With so many close choices for gear in this bracket, it may help to think of itemizing gear in terms of "socket units" when choosing between two close pieces, determining set bonuses, and so forth. Each socket provides the opportunity to add 30 stam, 20 int, 20 hit, 20 resilience, 25 spell penetration, etc. (For a complete list of epic WotLK gem combinations, check WoWwiki's Northrend Gems by Stats Page.) Thinking in terms of a piece of gear having "3.5 sockets' worth" of stats, while another piece has more or less, may help determine which gear combination will serve you best according to the stats you value.
For example, you might like the Brutal Gladiator's Ringmail Leggings, and have your eye on the Chain Links of the Tumultuous Storm as well. The Leggings have 0.5 sockets of stamina, 1.5 sockets of spirit, and 1.5 sockets of resilience over the Chain Links, so to speak. Meanwhile, the Chain Links have 0.5 sockets of int, 1.5 sockets of haste, and 3 actual sockets over the Leggings. In these terms, the Leggings have a 3.5 socket advantage, and the Chain links have a 5 socket advantage. Now, you might have already chosen another Brutal Gladiator piece, bringing almost two more sockets' worth of resilience to the Leggings for the 2-piece set bonus, for a total of 5.5 sockets vs. 5 sockets. Finally, you made decide you don't care about spirit, so the Leggings lose 1.5 sockets of value to you, for a final tally of 4 sockets vs. 5 sockets. So, you go with the Chain Links. Thinking in terms of "sockets" can help reduce the complexity of gear choices for the 70-74 bracket, while reminding you how customizable your gear really is.
When choosing your stats, the high damage of the bracket makes resilience generally more valuable than stamina. Be sure to get hit capped (see section IX for details in your chosen level), and get a minimum of 73 spell penetration to overcome resistances so that opponents don't often resist your purges. Whether you prefer int, haste, crit, or spirit depends entirely on your playstyle and whether you spend your time in arenas or battlegrounds. Int increases your throughput, haste makes you less vulnerable to interrupts and silences, crit helps proc talents, and spirit ensures you never run out of mana. Build two or three gearsets if you want -- you may find yourself wishing for different combinations depending on the situation.
HEAD
Primary: Brutal Gladiator's Ringmail Helm, Brutal Gladiator's Mail Helm, Skyshatter Headguard. Add the Arcanum of the Gladiator.
Alternate: Electroflux Sight Enhancers, Cowl of Gul'dan. Add the Arcanum of Renewal (Alliance/Horde).
NECK
Primary: Guardian's Pendant of Subjugation, Guardian's Pendant of Conquest, Guardian's Pendant of Reprieve, Guardian's Pendant of Dominance, Guardian's Pendant of Salvation.
SHOULDERS
Primary: Brutal Gladiator's Ringmail Spaulders, Brutal Gladiator's Mail Spaulders. Add the Greater Inscription of the Gladiator.
Alternate: Equilibrium Epaulets, Erupting Epaulets.
BACK
Primary: The Tattered Cape of Antonidas or the Volanthius Shroud. Add Enchant Cloak - Spell Piercing, Enchant Cloak - Greater Speed, plus a Flexweave Underlay for engineers.
CHEST
Primary: Brutal Gladiator's Ringmail Armor, Brutal Gladiator's Mail Armor. Add Enchant Chest - Powerful Stats, Enchant Chest - Super Health, or Enchant Chest - Exceptional Resilience.
Alternate: Skyshatter Breastplate, Garments of Serene Shores, Garments of Crashing Shores, Sun-Drenched Scale Chestguard.
WRISTS
Primary: Guardian's Ringmail Bracers, Guardian's Mail Bracers. Add Enchant Bracers - Major Stamina. Leatherworkers can add any of the Fur Linings.
Alternate: Skyshatter Bands.
HANDS
Primary: Brutal Gladiator's Ringmail Gauntlets, Brutal Gladiator's Mail Gauntlets. Add Enchant Gloves - Exceptional Spellpower or Enchant Gloves - Precision. Engineers can add one of the following: Hyperspeed Accelerators, Z50 Mana Gulper,Tazik Shocker, Synapse Springs, Spinal Healing Injector.
Alternate: Skyshatter Gauntlets, Skyshatter Gloves, Gauntlets of the Ancient Frostwolf, Gauntlets of the Ancient Shadowmoon, Sun-Drenched Scale Gloves.
WAIST
Primary: Skyshatter Cord, Skyshatter Belt. Add an Eternal Belt Buckle. Engineers can add a Mind Amplification Dish or Nitro Boosts.
Alternate: Guardian's Mail Girdle, Guardian's Ringmail Girdle.
LEGS
Primary: Brutal Gladiator's Ringmail Leggings, Brutal Gladiator's Mail Leggings, Chain Links of the Tumultuous Storm, Kilt of Spiritual Reconstruction. Add a Sapphire Spellthread.
Alternate: Skyshatter Legguards, Skyshatter Leggings.
FEET
Primary: Skyshatter Treads, Skyshatter Boots. Add Enchant Boots - Tuskarr's Vitality, Enchant Boots - Greater Fortitude, or Enchant Boots - Icewalker.
Alternate: Guardian's Ringmail Sabatons, Guardian's Mail Sabatons.
RINGS
Primary: Loop of Forged Power, Guardian's Band of Dominance, Guardian's Band of Subjugation, Ring of Omnipotence.
Alternate: Ring of Flowing Life, Band of Lucent Beams, Guardian's Band of Salvation.
TRINKETS
Escape: Medallion of the Alliance/Medallion of the Horde, or the Inherited Insignia of the Alliance/Inherited Insignia of the Horde.
Engineering: The Noise Machine, Gnomish Poultryizer, Gnomish Net-o-Matic Projector, and the Gnomish Cloaking Device.
Engineering Damage: Gnomish Lightning Generator, Goblin Rocket Launcher.
Bonus: Battlemaster's Courage, Figurine: Crimson Serpent, The Skull of Gul'dan, Horn of the Herald, Strike of the Seas, Fury of the Crimson Drake, Harbinger's Wrath (Alliance only), Infused Coldstone Rune, Vial of Renewal, Warsong's Wrath (Horde only), Redeemer's Alchemist Stone, Sorcerer's Alchemist Stone.
MAIN HAND
Primary: Crystal Spire of Karabor or the Hammer of Sanctification. Add Enchant Weapon - Mighty Spellpower.
Alternate: Brutal Gladiator's Gavel, Archon's Gavel, or the Sunflare.
OFF HAND
Primary: Brutal Gladiator's Redoubt, Brutal Gladiator's Barrier. Add Enchant Shield - Greater Intellect or Enchant Shield - Major Stamina.
Alternate: Tharon'ja's Aegis.
RELIC
Primary: Brutal Gladiator's Totem of Survival.
Alternate: Brutal Gladiator's Totem of the Third Wind.
NO LONGER OBTAINABLE
Medallion of the Alliance/Medallion of the Horde.