Kirise
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Welcome back, 49s! Battle for Azeroth brings some huge changes to this bracket on all fronts: stats, gear, abilities, you name it. Featuring balanced secondary stats and the lowest bracket to allow for a plethora of interesting PvP talent choices, 49s have high expectations entering BfA.
The first two sections start with a short summary, then enter in-depth discussion afterward if you want to get into the details (and in some cases, the arithmetic) of why certain choices stand above others. Sections three and four involve interconnected concerns that offer no opportunity for summary. Shout out to @Sun for gear info, as well as @Swoops (especially for BiS green gear) that helped in the crafting of this guide, and to @Haaveilija for insight about talents (and the wristguards find). I'm always interested in suggestions for changes/additions/etc.
Let's get started!
Contents:
I. Stat Priority
II. Gear and Enchantment Options
III. Talent Options
IV. Playstyle Approaches
I. Stat Priority
Resto shamans see two primary stats (stamina and intellect), plus three secondary stats (crit, haste, and versatility). Our stat priority is as follows:
int >> vers > haste >> crit
In other words, a point of int (or spellpower, since 1 int = 1 spellpower) is a little less than twice as good as a point of vers, which is a little better than a point of haste, which is twice as good as a point of crit. Enough BiS gear comes with stamina such that health isn't a concern.
A point of each stat provides the following boost to healing spells (and damage reduction, as noted):
int = 0.24% (varies a little, depending on spell coefficients)
vers = 0.12%, and 0.06% damage reduction
haste = 0.15%
crit = 0.07% (crit is 150% in PvP, not 200%)
armor = 0.11% physical damage reduction (varies slightly on total armor, and assumes a shield)
Because primary stats are additive i.e. they contribute by number rather than by percentage, each extra point of INT makes slightly less of an impact than the point before it. This makes sense, as going from 200 int to 201 int is a bigger deal than going from 400 int to 401 int. In other words, if we go crazy to stack int, the value toward our healing spells might drop to 0.22% per point rather than 0.24%, still more valuable than the other stats, point-per-point.
Healing throughput matters the most for healers, but shaman healers impact battles as much through their utility as through their heals. Shamans work best as secondary healers, prioritizing battlefield tactics such as CCs, slows, and boosting teammates. While shamans will leverage healing surge for their main spell, they will spend at least as much time on instant cast spells (riptide, cleanse, various totems, etc.). Versatility allows a shaman to capitalize on both healing throughput and damage reduction, a great benefit for a class that already carries a shield. If you plan to play a shaman as a primary healer, you'll want to choose haste over versatility. Crit lands at the bottom of priority for resto shamans due to the unpredictable nature of crits and no specific talents that capitalize on them.
II. Gear and Enchantment options
8.1's nerf to the Green Dragonscale and Slither-Scale set bonuses hit 49s hard enough that BiS now is all BoE. We're also back to the days when wearing all mail doesn't grant the 5% stat bonus until level 50, so some non-mail pieces end up BiS for resto shamans at 49.
The following list omits grandfathered gear and enchantments, and provides some secondary options until you can get your BiS pieces. Some tooltips may not show the correctly scaled stats, and "Of the Aurora" gear will not show secondary stats.
Head: Feathermoon Headdress. Or, Corrupted Keeper's Band, Eye of Flame, or Crusader's Helm / Formidable Circlet / Lord's Crown (of the Aurora). Welcome to BfA, where the best non-clothie caster headpiece in the 49 bracket (and in the 39 bracket, for that matter) is one of the rarest leather BoEs. One of the secondary options may act as your primary for all of BfA.
Neck: Jade Pendant of Blasting + Mark of the Ancient Priestess or Mark of the Claw. Or, Lady Maye's Pendant, Jeweled Amulet of Cainwyn, Anastari Heirloom, Necklace of the Dark Blaze, Armsmaster's Sealed Locket, Marble Necklace (of the Aurora). A crafted neck from the 39 bracket? That's how strong spellpower is for casters. Yep, BiS is gonna get a little expensive for dedicated players.
Shoulder: Aged Pauldrons of the Five Thunders + Greater Crane Wing Inscription.
Back: Chain Link Towel + Gift of Versatility. Or, Highborne Cloak, Runecloth Cloak, or Celestial Cape / Councillor's Cloak / Bonecaster's Cape / Mystical Cape (of the Aurora). The movement speed enchant stacks with the Minor Speed foot enchant.
Chest: Wildthorn Mail + Glorious Stats. Glorious stats provides primary stats i.e. extra stam and int.
Wrist: Gwenyth's Wristguards + Superior Spellpower. Or, Ornate Bracers (of the Aurora).
Hands: Stonerender Gauntlets + Glove Reinforcements or Major Spellpower. Or, Merciless Gauntlets (of the Aurora).
Waist: Sash of Mercy or Merciless Belt (of the Aurora). Talk about contrasting gear names.
Legs: Crusader's Leggings (of the Aurora) + Ironscale Leg Armor.
Feet: Merciless Greaves (of the Aurora) or Crusader's Boots (of the Aurora) + Minor Speed. Run speed bonuses cap at +10% and don't benefit ghost wolf, except for this +10% speed enchant.
Rings: Advisor's Ring / Lorekeeper's Ring and Maiden's Circle + Binding of Versatility. Or, Electrocutioner Lagnut, Emperor's Seal, or Sardonyx Knuckle (of the Aurora). Who knew the PvP ring would take top honors for best stats in BfA? Be forewarned, a properly scaled Maiden's Circle will make for one of the most difficult items to find in the bracket. Also, some (like myself) may prefer the Freezing Band's proc (two bands can stack proc rates).
Trinkets: Mindtap Talisman and Recruit's Distinction of the Aurora (the rare/blue version). Or, Heart of Noxxion, Ruby Serpent (22 spell power), Vigilance Charm, Defending Champion, Inherited Mark of Tyranny, or Philosopher's Stone.
Main Hand: Blade of Eternal Darkness + Major Spellpower or Coastal Surge. The best caster one-hander in the bracket, plus it can proc from flame shock ticks. The fast attack speed will help you clear enemy totems more quickly, if needed.
Off Hand: Skullflame Shield + Major Intellect. Or, Blackskull Shield, Mountainside Buckler, or Revenant Deflector (of the Aurora). Other epic shields like the Wall of the Dead and The Green Tower bring once-in-awhile procs that sound fun, but they can't compare in stats or procs to the main choices.
III. Talents, Talents, and More Talents!
In the first tier, Unleash Life may seem like the top choice, along with Earth Shield from the second tier. Indeed, if you plan to act as the primary healer for a flag carrier (or act as a flag carrier yourself), both of these talents will make the most of your healing surges. Most resto shamans, should take Echo of the Elements from the second tier. Mobility is one of a shaman's greatest assets, and Echo of the Elements provides more opportunities for instant-cast spells.
The third tier brings the easy choice of Earthgrab Totem unless you're the FC, in which case you might prefer Spirit Wolf.
Now, let's delve into one of the main draws of the 49 bracket: PvP talents! Resto shamans have a couple of good options after gaining their Gladiator's Medallion. Tidebringer shines in battlegrounds now that Chain Heal does 50% more healing in instanced PvP. Ancestral Gift can help with clutch saves, and FC resto shamans will likely opt for Spectral Recovery. Counterstrike Totem may sound good, but in practice the damage sent out from the totem acts as a beacon, inviting any half-alert enemy to kill the totem. Consider that talent situational.
IV. Playstyle Approaches
Resto shamans have one job: set up our team for success. Our utility shines, so make the most of it. We bring more survivability than most healers, so we can afford to get more aggressive. Interrupt casters, hex enemies, DoT stealthies and use the instant-cast lava burst procs to help burn down a teammate's target. And for the love of WoW, use totems.
A resto shaman's secret sauce is totems. Years ago, the "school" to which a totem belonged (earth/fire/air/water) mattered, because we could only play one of each school at a time. Now, we can play as many as we want. Earthbind and Earthgrab to slow down a big group or an EFC. Double healing stream in a big brawl. Capacitor totem to save a flag cap or turn the tide in a pitched battle. Totems do clutch work even when quickly destroyed, so put them to use.
Field awareness remains critical for resto shamans. What will help the team win in a given situation? Should we slow the incoming mass of enemies, or use the totem to root the warrior currently on our FC, and buy our FC time to get away? Do we hex the enemy healer, or the enemy dps so that the healer gets no support? Do we stay and fight, or see if we can lure three melee into a cross-field kite that then gives our team a lopsided advantage?
Positioning makes a difference for all casters, and resto shamans bring even more options since we can bait opponents into making errors. We want to keep a little distance from enemies, but we can afford to play "in the fray" compared to other healers, and indeed our teammates can benefit from our proximity. Resto shamans don't tend to play at the edges -- we are not a back-line class, but our kiting abilities can make us feel back-line to our opponents.
It may help to think of resto shaman positioning and overall play like keeping a rubber band connected to the center of the area where our teammates battle. Rely on utility spells and totems when closer to the fray, or while the group falls back. Throw in more healing spells when the group starts to push forward and create a little distance from you. Let the group pull you where it needs to go. Likewise, leverage your field awareness and totem utility to pull the group in a particular direction. Position according to the needs of the group. If teammates need more heals, back out of the fray and cast, while looking for opportunities to CC opponents and create some breathing room for your teammates. If teammates need to push forward, close the distance with the group and let the hexes, shears, and flame shocks fly.
A resto shaman doesn't play to top the charts in healing, and most of a resto shaman's strengths don't show up in statistics. When played well, a resto shaman works like a fountain of good luck, helping teammates excel and turning the tide toward success. This can make a resto shaman sound like a "jack of all trades", but we're not. Playing whack-a-mole with our abilities on the battlefield and throwing out totems at random won't make a significant impact. Position and time the use of our unusual abilities for when and where our teammates need them the most, and exult as the improbable turns into the inevitable.
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