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Restoration Shaman leveling guide

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The group healer. Pick this if you level in dungeons with friends. How the Restoration talents play from level 10 to 60.

On this page7 sections

At a glanceOur pickOpinion, not confirmed by BlizzardOur reading of the Restoration talent text, not a tested rotation.

Build at level 60
0/15/36 (15 Enhancement, 36 Restoration)
16-point milestone
Mana Tide Totem, level 25
Last Restoration talent
Riptide, level 40
In a group
Healing
Our first choice for leveling a Shaman
Enhancement

How Restoration plays

  • Nearly every Restoration talent names healing spells. The one line that touches your damage directly is Tidal Focus's 5% chance to hit with all spells and attacks.
  • What the tree does give a Shaman questing alone is Mana that does not run out. Water Shield restores 2% of maximum Mana when you are hit, and Mindfulness keeps 51% of your Mana regeneration going while casting.
  • Mana Tide Totem restores Mana to the whole group.
  • In a group the heal is Healing Wave, 24% stronger with Healing Way, with Nature's Swiftness to make one cast instant.
  • Riptide, the last talent, heals at once and then over 15 sec, and makes your Chain Heal 25% more effective on that target.

What to press first

Most important first. Not a rotation.

  1. 1

    Keep Water Shield up

    Water Shield lasts 10 min and restores Mana when you are hit or when a heal of yours gets a critical result.

  2. 2

    Drop Mana Tide Totem when the group runs low

    Mana Tide Totem restores Mana to group members within 30 yards for 12 sec.

  3. 3

    Lean on Healing Wave

    Healing Way adds 24% to it at three points.

  4. 4

    Keep Nature's Swiftness for an emergency heal

    Nature's Swiftness makes your next Nature spell an instant cast.

  5. 5

    Put Riptide on a target before Chain Heal

    Riptide makes Chain Heal cast directly on that target 25% more effective.

  6. 6

    Put totems down without counting the cost

    Totemic Focus reduces the Mana cost of your totems.

Talents that change how you play · 11

From Tidal Mastery at level 10 to Thundering Strikes at 46.

The level is when our build first takes the talent.

  1. Levels 10–14

    Tidal Mastery

    Heals crit more often.

  2. Levels 15–19

    Tidal Focus

    Cheaper heals, and the only hit chance the tree offers.

  3. Level 20

    Water Shield

    Being hit starts returning Mana.

  4. Levels 21–23

    Mindfulness

    About half your Mana regeneration continues while you cast.

  5. Level 25

    Mana Tide Totem16-point milestone

    A Mana totem for the whole group.

  6. Levels 26–30

    Totemic Focus

    Totems get cheaper.

  7. Levels 31–33

    Healing Way

    Healing Wave becomes the main heal.

  8. Level 34

    Nature's Swiftness

    One instant Nature spell for the moment you need it.

  9. Levels 35–39

    Purification

    All healing goes up: 10% at five points.

  10. Level 40

    Riptide

    Chain Heal gets a target to start from.

  11. Levels 46–50

    Thundering StrikesEnhancement

    The first talent in this build that helps you kill things.

The whole Restoration build, every point from 10 to 60

Gear to look for

What the talents reward on items.
  • No Restoration talent in the build names a stat or a weapon. Critical effect chance is the nearest thing: Tidal Mastery adds to it, and a critical heal restores Mana through Water Shield.

Item database

Groups and dungeons

In a group: healing. New group talents before 4 dungeons.

In a group these talents support healing.

  • This is a healing build first. Purification adds 10% to the effectiveness of your healing spells and Healing Way adds 24% to Healing Wave.
  • Mana Tide Totem is the group's Mana as well as yours.
  • Natural Grace, which reduces the threat of your spells, is not in this build. If your heals pull enemies onto you, that is where to look.

New group talents by the time each dungeon opens

All 9 launch dungeons

Strengths and trade-offs

2 strengths, 2 trade-offs.

Strengths

  • Mana, alone or in a group.
  • A full healing kit by level 40, in the order a dungeon healer wants it.

Trade-offs

  • No Restoration talent in the build raises your damage. Alone, this is the slowest of the three Shaman builds, in our view.
  • The first talents that help you kill things come at level 46, from Enhancement.

Compare this build

With EnhancementWith Elemental

Keep reading

Sources and what isn't confirmed

Not announced

  • Item names and stat weights
  • A leveling talent order from Blizzard

Sources

  • Beta 1.60.1 talent data: every claim on this page is read from the Restoration talent text. Nothing here is a published guide or a tested rotation

Updated . Talent data: beta 1.60.1. Details can change in any later build or patch.