Midnight Season 2
Healer

Shaman · Restoration

Restoration is a reactive healer built around repeatable Totemic ramps: keep Surging Totem working, feed it with Healing Stream Totem and Riptide, then use Downpour and Unleash Life to turn planned damage into efficient recovery.

Checked 5 Sept 2026· 12.1.0. Last checked 39 days ago. No patch has landed since, but it is due another look.Last checked 39 days ago. No patch has landed since, but it is due another look.

Built from Blizzard Game Data APIsWarcraft LogsSimulationCraft

Guide contents
Spec briefing

How Restoration Shaman wins

Restoration is a reactive healer built around repeatable Totemic ramps: keep Surging Totem working, feed it with Healing Stream Totem and Riptide, then use Downpour and Unleash Life to turn planned damage into efficient recovery.

Role
Healer
Stat lead
Item Level / Intellect then Critical Strike
Single target
Totemic
Cleave / AoE
Totemic
Patch 12.1.0Updated Sep 5, 2026

Strong when

  • Spirit Link Totem can solve lethal health-distribution mechanics
  • Wind Shear gives healers a rare ranged interrupt
  • Totemic delivers frequent, predictable stacked-group healing

Plan around

  • Movement and spread damage can strain throughput
  • Mana planning still matters in long encounters
  • Totem placement is unforgiving when the group moves away from it
Patch 12.1.0

What changed for this spec

Healing Rain now carries a 12 second cooldown and an 18 second duration, and recasting it despawns the previous one; Blizzard's note says this is meant to give the player more flexibility to move Healing Rain around. Calm Waters is removed, Wavespeaker's Blessing moves up the talent tree, and a new talent, Swelling Tides, has Healing Stream Totem and Stormstream Totem extend active Riptides by 3 seconds. Earthen Accord's Unleash Life bonus becomes an additive +20% rather than multiplicative, and Current Control adds a 15% Chain Heal mana discount. Throughput rises broadly: Riptide, Healing Wave, Unleash Life, and Healing Rain all heal more, with Healing Rain covering 6 targets, while Farseer Ancestor Chain Heal bounces further and the Totemic bonuses to Healing Rain shrink.

One thing on this page names an ability the patch changed

These are flagged, not corrected. Rewriting a priority list needs a source this page does not have, so what is shown is where the guide and the patch notes disagree.

  • Healing Rain (rotation) The notes say "Healing Rain now has a 12 second cooldown and an 18 second duration. Recasting Healing Rain while one is already active will despawn the previous one." so its usage is no longer free-cast on demand.

Source: Blizzard, Curse of Ula'tek content update notes (https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/en-us/news/24293281). Transcript: docs/apps/wow-god/research/patch-12.1/12.1.0-CLASSES-section.txt

Not re-verified for Season 2. This ordering was checked for patch 12.0.7. Patch 12.1 raised max-level player health and creature damage by 25% and deliberately moved power out of cooldowns into steady-state damage, either of which can move secondary weights. Open question: no Season 2 sim source has been checked, so the order below is last season's and is shown unchanged rather than guessed at.

Character setup

Stat priority and consumables

Item level and effect strength still matter. Use this ordering to break close choices, then re-check it after major gear swaps.

  1. 1.Item Level / Intellect
  2. 2.Critical Strike
  3. 3.Versatility
  4. 4.Haste
  5. 5.Mastery

For raid, Critical Strike leads and Versatility and Haste are close behind. In Mythic+, Crit, Versatility, and Haste are broadly interchangeable. Mastery is normally last for throughput but rises sharply in difficult progression when allies spend more time at low health. Sim or compare your own gear when pieces are close.

Consumables

Flasks, food, potions, weapon oils, and runes for this build.

4 rows
FlaskFlask of the Shattered SunDefault all-purpose healer flask.Combat PotionLight's PotentialUse in planned Ascendance or heavy healing windows.FoodHearty Silvermoon ParadeCurrent primary-stat food recommendation.Augment RuneVoid-Touched Augment RuneUse for raid progression and high keys.

Priority order is from patch 12.0.7 and has not been re-derived for 12.1. Individual lines naming an ability that 12.1 removed or redesigned are annotated above; lines that 12.1 only retuned are unchanged, because a damage number moving does not by itself reorder a priority list.

Combat

Opener and priority

Use these as decision priorities, not a rigid cast sequence. Re-evaluate whenever targets, resources, procs, or mechanics change.

Core principles

  • Pick your targets correctly: Undercurrent, Deluge, Flow of the Tides, and Tidewaters all want as many Riptides active as possible, so put Riptide on people who do not already have it - and because of Mastery: Deep Healing and directly-targeted casts, healing the lowest-health targets increases the value of everything you do.
  • Use your short cooldowns on cooldown: Unleash Life, Healing Rain, Surging Totem, Downpour, Nature's Swiftness, Ancestral Swiftness, and Healing Stream Totem with its Stormstream Totem procs are all more valuable the more casts you fit into a fight - press them early and often whenever healing is needed.
  • Manage your mana: Healing Wave is very cheap but single-target and more likely to overheal; Chain Heal is much more expensive but spreads smart healing across multiple targets. Talents like Resurgence and Calm Waters help - pick the correct tool for the moment and understand your mana flow so you can keep healing as long as needed.
TotemicThe recommended default. The first list is the raid healing priority; the second is the Mythic+ healing priority, where spot healing matters more than mana.

Single-target priority

  1. 1.Stormstream Totem - use all of your procs
  2. 2.Riptide - keep on cooldown
  3. 3.Nature's Swiftness
  4. 4.Surging Totem - maintain
  5. 5.Downpour - use as much as possible
  6. 6.Healing Stream Totem - keep on cooldown
  7. 7.Unleash Life
  8. 8.Chain Heal or Healing Wave - Chain Heal as mana allows when AoE healing is needed; Healing Wave for single-target healing or to conserve mana

AoE priority

  1. 1.Stormstream Totem - Mythic+ priority - use all of your procs
  2. 2.Riptide - keep on cooldown
  3. 3.Nature's Swiftness
  4. 4.Surging Totem - maintain
  5. 5.Healing Stream Totem - keep on cooldown
  6. 6.Unleash Life
  7. 7.Chain Heal or Healing Wave - in Mythic+ the pick depends less on mana and more on who needs healing most right now
FarseerAncestral Swiftness replaces Nature's Swiftness and Healing Rain replaces the Surging Totem package. First list is raid, second is Mythic+.

Single-target priority

  1. 1.Stormstream Totem - use all of your procs
  2. 2.Riptide - keep on cooldown
  3. 3.Ancestral Swiftness
  4. 4.Unleash Life
  5. 5.Healing Rain - maintain
  6. 6.Healing Stream Totem - keep on cooldown
  7. 7.Chain Heal or Healing Wave - Chain Heal as mana allows when AoE healing is needed; Healing Wave for single-target healing or to conserve mana

AoE priority

  1. 1.Stormstream Totem - Mythic+ priority - use all of your procs
  2. 2.Riptide - keep on cooldown
  3. 3.Ancestral Swiftness
  4. 4.Unleash Life
  5. 5.Healing Rain - harder to get value from with fewer players, but still worth it for Deluge if the majority of the group stands inside it
  6. 6.Healing Stream Totem - keep on cooldown
  7. 7.Chain Heal or Healing Wave - in Mythic+ the pick depends less on mana and more on who needs healing most right now

Pre-combat checks

  • Buff yourself: Water Shield, Earth Shield, and Earthliving Weapon should always be active on you. Instinctive Imbuements helps, and Therazane's Resilience means you only reapply hourly unless you die.
  • Cast group buffs: make sure Skyfury is active on the whole group and that someone is carrying your second Earth Shield.
  • Do not forget consumables: food and flasks are cheap throughput, Vantus and Augment runes are the expensive layer, and carry water so you can restore mana out of combat.

Major cooldowns

Ascendance

  • Reworked in Midnight: on cast, all injured allies within 20 yards are healed by a fixed amount split evenly between them.
  • While active, Healing Wave always critically strikes and heals a second ally for 50%, Chain Heal bounces up to three additional times with only 10% reduction per jump (down from 30%), and both spells cost 25% less mana.
  • The same player cannot be healed twice by one Chain Heal, so in Mythic+ the extra jumps do nothing - but the jump reduction still makes the spell far better.
  • Every Healing Wave and Chain Heal hit can proc Resurgence; guaranteed crits mean Healing Wave recovers more mana than it costs during Ascendance.
  • Prepare before pressing it: bank two Tidal Waves stacks with Riptides, cast Unleash Life and Surging Totem right before, then cast your chosen spell twice to consume Unleash Life before using your Swiftness.
  • As Totemic, dump all Healing Stream Totem and Stormstream Totem charges during it - they cast full-power Chain Heals on a lower global cooldown.

Spirit Link Totem

  • A damage-reduction cooldown: everyone inside takes 10% reduced damage and health is redistributed every second to keep the group at the same percentage.
  • Use it proactively right before a big shared hit; it also works as a single-target emergency save by pulling the dying player's health back up from healthier allies.
  • The redistribution generates no healing - every point of health it gives someone comes from someone else - so purely reactive use wastes the damage reduction.
  • Spouting Spirits raises the reduction to 15% and heals everyone inside one second after you drop it.

Healing Tide Totem

  • The simplest cooldown in the kit: it pulses over 10 seconds, healing all allies within 40 yards, reduced beyond 5 targets - so it heals each target more in dungeons than raids.
  • First Ascendant reduces its cooldown; Preeminence extends its duration and grants Haste.
  • As Totemic it gains Splitstream, a free Lively Totems Chain Heal, and Primal Catalyst Earthliving applications, making it a much more attractive choice than for Farseer.
  • Use it whenever the whole group needs heavy healing, and pre-plan casts for the most dangerous raid phases.

Nature's Swiftness / Ancestral Swiftness

  • A 1-minute cooldown that makes your next cast free and instant - free Chain Heals over a fight, or an emergency instant Healing Wave.
  • The most important part is the guaranteed Stormstream Totem proc on use: do not hold it too long or you lose valuable healing, and remember the cooldown only starts once you consume the buff.
  • As Farseer it becomes Ancestral Swiftness: shorter cooldown, it empowers the consumed cast, and it spawns an Ancestor - you must still talent baseline Nature's Swiftness for the Ancestor to spawn. Generally consume it with Chain Heal; Healing Rain or even damage spells are options in Mythic+.

Spiritwalker's Grace

  • Lets you cast while moving for a short duration - essential for forced-movement moments that still demand significant healing.
  • A cast started during the buff can finish after it ends, so starting a cast on the last second effectively extends it; you can also activate it midway through a cast and start moving.

Advanced tips

Stormstream Totem

  • The Apex talent: a proc that improves your next Healing Stream Totem with a high initial wave, extra targets, and increased healing - and it never costs a Healing Stream charge, because each proc instantly restores one and raises your maximum charges by one.
  • Procs come reliably from Nature's Swiftness / Ancestral Swiftness (guaranteed) and from a 6% chance per hardcast Riptide - free Riptides from Primal Tide Core do not count.
  • The buff lasts 60 seconds and stacks twice, so you can hold procs to line them up with damage events - but sitting on them costs Healing Stream Totem casts, so spend as soon as reasonable.
  • The talent also increases all Stormstream and Healing Stream healing by 40%, and as Totemic each drop heals an extra target at 30% power via Splitstream and casts a free Lively Totems Chain Heal.

Filler spells: Chain Heal vs Healing Wave

  • Chain Heal calculates Versatility, Unleash Life, and Flow of the Tides when the cast finishes, then loses 30% per bounce; Mastery, Critical Strike, Earth Shield, and Deluge increase each bounce independently, and it is a fully smart heal.
  • Healing Wave is a simple, very cheap single-target heal; during Ascendance its guaranteed crit and second hit count as full casts for Resurgence and Ancestral Awakening.
  • Chain Heal is considerably stronger and is the default when enough allies are injured; switch to Healing Wave for spot healing or when mana runs low - the same decision applies during Ascendance.
  • As Totemic, Lively Totems casts Chain Heal completely free and instantly whenever you use Healing Stream Totem, Healing Tide Totem, or Spirit Link Totem.

Call of the Ancestors (Farseer)

  • Unleash Life and Ancestral Swiftness summon Ancestors that mimic your casts on the same target: Riptide and Unleash Life produce Healing Surge, Healing Wave produces Healing Wave, and Chain Heal, Healing Stream Totem, Healing Rain, and Healing Tide Totem all produce Chain Heal.
  • For damage, Flame Shock, Lightning Bolt, and Lava Burst produce Lava Burst, and Chain Lightning produces Chain Lightning.
  • Ancestors use their own versions of the spells, so their power is not affected by your talents - and Ancestral Awakening's 'Ancestral Spirit' line is just flavor text with no Farseer interaction.

Deeply Rooted Elements

  • Gives a 7% chance per Riptide application - not cast, so free Primal Tide Core Riptides count - to activate Ascendance.
  • It has bad-luck protection, so procs normalize over time even if streaks happen.
  • Procced Ascendances benefit from Preeminence and still trigger the initial burst of healing.

Import strings were built for patch 12.0.7 and have NOT been re-verified for 12.1. Nobody authoritative publishes import strings, so none was rewritten here rather than invented. Patch 12.1 moved or removed talents in several trees, so a string may import a build that no longer exists. Check the listed key talents against the 12.1 changes above before importing.

Build

Talents and hero trees

Use Totemic for the single-target profile below and Totemic when cleave or adds make its toolkit more valuable.

Recommended starting profiles

Single-target: Totemic

Totemic is the current default for its reliable Surging Totem coverage and repeatable totem healing.

  • Totemic hero tree
  • Stat priority: Item Level / Intellect > Critical Strike
  • Interrupt: Wind Shear

Multi-target: Totemic

Surging Totem replaces Healing Rain; Lively Totems and Downpour reward maintaining it through stacked damage.

  • Totemic hero tree
  • Prioritize AoE and add-swap talents
  • Interrupt: Wind Shear

Talent builds and import strings

Start with the profile matching your content. Boss and dungeon tabs in the gear section show the exact loadout used for each ranked result.

Open talent calculator

Totemic - Raid with Downpour

The standard current raid build. It maintains Surging Totem and uses Downpour to refresh its value into recurring group damage.

TotemicSurging TotemDownpourLively TotemsUnleash LifeSpirit Link Totem
In-game import string
CgQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgBAAAAzMzMLLbDzwYmZmZGzYB2gZsox2AyMwGjhZsNGz0stMzwMmFWMzMjZYWGAAYAzMDmZAgBD
Open in talent calculator →Raid BiS equipment ↓

Totemic - Raid without Downpour

Use this raid variant when the encounter does not reward the Downpour point or your group needs the alternate utility path.

TotemicSurging TotemLively TotemsUnleash LifeSpirit Link Totem
In-game import string
CgQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgBAAAAzMzMbLbDzMGzMzMzYGLwGMjFN2GQmB2MDGsNGz0stMzwMmFWMzMjZYWGAAAYmZwMDAMYA
Open in talent calculator →Raid BiS equipment ↓

Totemic - Mythic+

A dungeon build built around the same Surging Totem cadence, with points allocated for repeatable five-player recovery and utility.

TotemicSurging TotemDownpourLively TotemsWind ShearCapacitor Totem
In-game import string
CgQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYMjZbbZmZmxYmZYGzYB2gZspx2AyMwGjZMzsNzY0stMzwMmFWMzMjhlZZAAwMgZGYmBAzgB
Open in talent calculator →Live Mythic+ gear →

Farseer - Preference option

Farseer remains playable for players who strongly prefer its ancestor pattern, but Totemic is the recommended current default for raid and Mythic+.

FarseerCall of the AncestorsUnleash LifeSpirit Link Totem
In-game import string
CgQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgBAAAAjZmZbZbGmZmZmZGzYsYmFYATwswEYsgZGMLzMGNbLzMMjZhFjZGzYZWGAAMAzMDAmZgBD
Open in talent calculator →Raid BiS equipment ↓

Complete talent referenceshow

Every class, specialization, and hero-tree talent from Blizzard game data. Active and choice talents stay open; passive nodes remain searchable and expand on demand.

Build a custom loadout
Talent type

Shaman class tree

Shared class talents, including throughput, control, defensives, and movement.

55 of 55 shown

Active and choice talents

Chain HealActiveHeals the friendly target for 874, then jumps up to 20 yards to heal the 3 most injured nearby allies. Healing is reduced by 30% with each jump.Lava BurstActiveHurls molten lava at the target, dealing 679 Fire damage. Lava Burst will always critically strike if the target is affected by Flame Shock and its damage is increased by your critical strike chance.Chain LightningActiveHurls a lightning bolt at the enemy, dealing 443 Nature damage and then jumping to additional nearby enemies. Affects 3 total targetsEarth ShieldActiveProtects the target with an earthen shield, increasing your healing on them by 20% and healing them for 331 when they take damage. This heal can only occur once every 3 sec. Maximum 9 charges. Earth Shield can only be placed on one target at a time. Only one Elemental Shield can be active on the Shaman.Spirit WolfChoiceWhile transformed into a Ghost Wolf, you gain 5% increased movement speed and 5% damage reduction every 1 sec, stacking up to 4 times.Thunderous PawsChoiceGhost Wolf removes snares and increases your movement speed by an additional 25% for the first 3 sec. May only occur once every 20 sec.Frost ShockActiveChills the target with frost, causing 279 Frost damage and reducing the target's movement speed by 50% for 6 sec.Spirit WalkChoiceRemoves all movement impairing effects and increases your movement speed by 60% for 8 sec.Gust of WindChoiceA gust of wind hurls you forward.Astral ShiftActiveShift partially into the elemental planes, taking 40% less damage for 12 sec.Encasing ColdChoiceIncreases the cooldown of Frost Shock by 15 sec, but Frost Shock now freezes targets in place for 4 sec.Arctic SnowstormChoiceEnemies within 10 yds of your Frost Shock are snared by 30%.Healing Stream TotemActiveSummons a totem at your feet for 15 sec that heals an injured party or raid member within 40 yards for 256 every 1.8 sec. If you already know Healing Stream Totem, instead gain 1 additional charge of Healing Stream Totem.Planes TravelerChoiceReduces the cooldown of Astral Shift by 30 sec.Astral BulwarkChoiceAstral Shift reduces damage taken by an additional 20%.Wind ShearActiveDisrupts the target's concentration with a burst of wind, interrupting spellcasting and preventing any spell in that school from being cast for 4 sec.Earthgrab TotemActiveSummons a totem at the target location for 20 sec. The totem pulses every 2 sec, rooting all enemies within 8 yards for 8 sec. Enemies previously rooted by the totem instead suffer 50% movement speed reduction.Capacitor TotemActiveSummons a totem at the target location that gathers electrical energy from the surrounding air and explodes after 2 sec, stunning all enemies within 8 yards for 3 sec.Wind Rush TotemActiveSummons a totem at the target location for 15 sec, continually granting all allies who pass within 10 yards 40% increased movement speed for 5 sec.Earth ElementalActiveCalls forth a Greater Earth Elemental to protect you and your allies, generating high threat and taunting enemies periodically for 30 sec.PurgeChoicePurges the enemy target, removing 1 beneficial Magic effect.Greater PurgeChoicePurges the enemy target, removing 2 beneficial Magic effects.Ascending AirChoiceWind Rush Totem's cooldown is reduced by 30 sec and its movement speed effect lasts an additional 2 sec.Jet StreamChoiceWind Rush Totem's movement speed bonus is increased by 10% and now removes snares.HexActiveTransforms the enemy into a frog for 1 min. While hexed, the victim is incapacitated, and cannot attack or cast spells. Damage may cancel the effect. Limit 1. Only works on Humanoids and Beasts.Spiritwalker's GraceActiveCalls upon the guidance of the spirits for 15 sec, permitting movement while casting Shaman spells. Castable while casting.Totemic ProjectionActiveRelocates your active totems to the specified location.Graceful SpiritChoiceReduces the cooldown of Spiritwalker's Grace by 30 sec and increases your movement speed by 20% while it is active.Spiritwalker's AegisChoiceWhen you cast Spiritwalker's Grace, you become immune to Silence and Interrupt effects for 5 sec.Tremor TotemChoiceSummons a totem at your feet that shakes the ground around it for 10 sec, removing Fear, Charm and Sleep effects from party and raid members within 30 yards.Poison Cleansing TotemChoiceSummons a totem at your feet that removes all Poison effects from a nearby party or raid member within 30 yards every 1.5 sec for 6 sec.Therazane's ResilienceChoiceEarth Shield no longer loses charges and is 115% effective.Reactive WardingChoiceWhen refreshing Earth Shield, your target is healed for 1,038 for each stack of Earth Shield they are missing. Additionally, Earth Shield can consume charges 1.0 sec faster.Nature's SwiftnessActiveYour next healing or damaging Nature spell is instant cast and costs no mana.

Passive talents

Ancestral Wolf AffinityPassiveCleanse Spirit, Wind Shear, Purge, and totem casts no longer cancel Ghost Wolf.Fire and IcePassiveIncreases all Fire and Frost damage you deal by 3%.Elemental OrbitPassiveIncreases the number of Elemental Shields you can have active on yourself by 1. You can have Earth Shield on yourself and one ally at the same time.Nature's GuardianPassiveWhen your health is brought below 35%, you instantly heal for 40% of your maximum health. Cannot occur more than once every 45 sec.Winds of Al'AkirPassive2 ranksIncreases your movement speed by 6% and the movement speed bonus of Ghost Wolf by an additional 10%.Brimming with LifePassive2 ranksStamina increased by 15%. While you are at full health, Reincarnation cools down 100% faster.Elemental ResistancePassiveHealing from Healing Stream Totem reduces Fire, Frost, and Nature damage taken by 6% for 3 sec.Spiritual AwakeningPassiveMastery increased by 3%.Enhanced ImbuesPassiveThe effects of your weapon and shield imbues are increased by 30%.WindveilPassiveInterrupting a spell with Wind Shear reduces all spell damage taken by 15% for 12 sec.Refreshing WatersPassiveYour Healing Surge is 25% more effective on yourself. Improved Purify SpiritPassivePurify Spirit additionally removes all Curse effects.Static ChargePassive2 ranksReduces the cooldown of Capacitor Totem by 20 sec.Nature's FuryPassive2 ranksIncreases the critical strike chance of your Nature spells and abilities by 4%.Primordial BondPassiveYour Earth Elemental no longer taunts nearby enemies or generates threat and instead increases your maximum health by 15% while active.Elemental WardingPassiveReduces all magic damage taken by 8%.Totemic FocusPassiveIncreases the radius of your totem effects by 15%. Increases the duration of your Earthbind and Earthgrab Totems by 10 sec. Increases the duration of your Healing Stream, Tremor, Poison Cleansing, and Wind Rush Totems by 3.0 sec.Mana SpringPassiveYour Lava Burst casts restore 22 mana to you and 4 allies nearest to you within 40 yards. Allies can only benefit from one Shaman's Mana Spring effect at a time, prioritizing healers.Voodoo MasteryPassiveYour Hex target is slowed by 70% during Hex and for 6 sec after it ends. Reduces the cooldown of Hex by 15 sec.Totemic SurgePassiveReduces the cooldown of most totems by 5 sec.Instinctive ImbuementsPassiveLightning Shield increases your Intellect by 3%. Casting Lightning Shield now applies your weapon imbuements. Earth Shield is also applied if you have the Elemental Orbit talent.

Restoration specialization tree

Every Restoration talent currently exposed by Blizzard game data.

45 of 45 shown

Active and choice talents

RiptideActiveRestorative waters wash over a friendly target, healing them for 2,267 and an additional 2,036 over 18 sec.Healing RainActiveBlanket the target area in healing rains, restoring 1,037 health to up to 6 allies over 18 sec. You can only have one Healing Rain active at a time.Healing Stream TotemActiveSummons a totem at your feet for 15 sec that heals an injured party or raid member within 40 yards for 253 every 1.8 sec. If you already know Healing Stream Totem, instead gain 1 additional charge of Healing Stream Totem.AscendanceChoiceImmediately heals for 4,871 split between allies within 20 yds and transforms into a Water Ascendant for 15 sec. While ascended, Chain Heal jumps to 3 additional allies with 10% healing reduced for all jumps, Healing Wave always critical heals and heals 1 additional ally at 50% effectiveness, and the mana cost of Chain Heal and Healing Wave is reduced by 25%.Healing Tide TotemChoiceSummons a totem at your feet for 10 sec, which pulses every 1.8 sec, healing all party or raid members within 40 yards for 2,001. Healing reduced beyond 5 targets.First AscendantChoiceThe cooldown of Ascendance is reduced by 60 sec.PreeminenceChoiceYour haste is increased by 25% during Ascendance and its duration is increased by 3 sec.Unleash LifeActiveUnleash elemental forces of Life, healing a friendly target for 4,747. Increases the healing of your next Riptide, Chain Heal, or Healing Wave by 25% and reduces its cast time by 30%.Earthliving WeaponActiveImbue your weapon with the element of Earth for 1 hour. Your Riptide, Healing Wave, and Chain Heal healing has a 20% chance to trigger Earthliving on the target, healing for 591 over 6 sec.Ancestral ReachChoiceChain Heal bounces an additional time and its healing is increased by 8%.Flow of the TidesChoiceChain Heal bounces an additional time and casting Chain Heal on a target affected by Riptide consumes Riptide, increasing the healing of your Chain Heal by 30%. DownpourActiveCasting Healing Rain grants a use of Downpour for 16 sec. Downpour A burst of water at your Healing Rain's location heals up to 5 injured allies within 12 yards for 1,237.Spirit Link TotemActiveSummons a totem at the target location for 6 sec, which reduces damage taken by all party and raid members within 10 yards by 10%. Immediately and every 1 sec, the health of all affected players is redistributed evenly.Stormstream TotemActiveRiptide has a 6% chance to upgrade your next Healing Stream Totem to Stormstream Totem which heals for 10% more, heals 1 additional ally at 100% effectiveness, and heals 2 injured allies for 5,090 healing when used.

Passive talents

Soothing RainPassiveIncreases the healing done by Healing Rain by 10% and reduces its cast time by 0.5 sec.Acid RainPassiveDeal 377 Nature damage every 1.8 sec to up to 5 enemies inside of your Healing Rain.Water Totem MasteryPassiveReduces the cooldown of Healing Stream Totem by 5 sec.Overflowing ShoresPassiveHealing Rain instantly restores 287 health to 5 allies within its area, and its radius is increased by 2 yards.Ancestral VigorPassive2 ranksTargets you heal with Healing Wave, Chain Heal, or Riptide's initial heal gain 10% increased health for 10 sec.ResurgencePassiveYour direct heal criticals refund a percentage of your maximum mana: 0.80% from Healing Wave, 0.48% from Riptide, and 0.20% from Chain Heal.Living StreamPassiveHealing Stream Totem heals for 100% more, decaying over its duration.Current ControlPassiveReduces the mana cost of Healing Wave by 15% and the mana cost of Chain Heal by 15%.White WaterPassiveYour critical heals have 215% effectiveness instead of the usual 200%.Wavespeaker's BlessingPassive2 ranksIncreases Riptide's duration by 6.0 sec and its healing over time by 20%.QuickstreamPassiveHealing Stream Totem heals 15% more often.Rip CurrentPassiveReduces the cooldown of Riptide by 1.0 sec.Crashing WavesPassiveHealing Wave's critical strike chance is increased by 12%.TorrentPassiveRiptide's initial heal is increased 20% and has a 10% increased critical strike chance.EarthweaverPassiveIncreases Earth Shield healing by 40%.DelugePassiveHealing Wave and Chain Heal heal for an additional 15% on targets affected by your Healing Rain or Riptide.Earthen AccordPassiveUnleash Life heals for 30% more and its bonus healing effect is increased by 20%.Tidal WavesPassiveCasting Riptide grants 1 stack of Tidal Waves. Tidal Waves reduces the cast time of your next Healing Wave or Chain Heal by 20%. Can accumulate up to 2 stacks.Improved Earthliving WeaponPassiveEarthliving receives 150% additional benefit from Mastery: Deep Healing. Healing Wave always triggers Earthliving on its target.Echo of the ElementsPassiveLava Burst has an additional charge.Earthen HarmonyPassiveEarth Shield reduces damage taken by 3% and its healing is increased by up to 150% as its target's health decreases. Maximum benefit is reached below 50% health.Water ExpulsionPassiveIncreases Downpour healing by 20%.Ancestral AwakeningPassive2 ranksWhen you heal with your Healing Wave or Riptide you have a 30% chance to summon an Ancestral spirit to aid you, instantly healing an injured friendly party or raid target within 40 yards for 50% of the amount healed. Critical strikes increase this chance to 60%.TidewatersPassiveWhen you cast Healing Rain, each ally with your Riptide on them is healed for 1,005.UndercurrentPassive2 ranksFor each Riptide active on an ally, your heals are 1.0% more effective.Spouting SpiritsPassiveSpirit Link Totem reduces damage taken by an additional 5%, and it restores 4,357 health to all nearby allies 1 second after it is dropped. Healing reduced beyond 5 targets. Swelling TidesPassiveHealing Stream Totem extends the duration of your active Riptides by 3.0 sec.Double DipPassiveHealing Rain grants an additional use of Downpour. Primal Tide CorePassiveEvery 4 casts of Riptide also applies Riptide to another friendly target near your Riptide target.Coalescing WaterPassiveHealing Wave and Chain Heal increase the initial healing of your next Riptide by 30%, stacking up to 2 times.Deeply Rooted ElementsPassiveEach stack of Maelstrom Weapon consumed has a 0.6% chance to activate Ascendance for 6.0 sec. Ascendance Transform into an Air Ascendant for 15 sec and unleash Doom Winds, reducing the cooldown and cost of Stormstrike by 60%, and transforming your auto attack and Stormstrike into Wind attacks which bypass armor and have a 30 yd range.

Totemic

Totemic hero talents, including every active, choice, and passive node exposed by Blizzard.

18 of 18 shown

Active and choice talents

Oversized TotemsChoiceIncreases the size and radius of your totems by 15%, and the health of your totems by 30%.Swift RecallChoiceSuccessfully removing a harmful effect with Tremor Totem or Poison Cleansing Totem, or controlling an enemy with Capacitor Totem or Earthgrab Totem reduces the cooldown of the totem used by 5 sec. Cannot occur more than once every 20 sec per totem.Pulse CapacitorChoiceIncreases the healing done by Surging Totem by 10%.Supportive ImbuementsChoiceLearn a new weapon imbue, Tidecaller's Guard. Tidecaller's Guard Imbue your shield with the element of Water for 1 hour. Your healing done is increased by 2.0% and the duration of your Healing Stream Totem is increased by 3.0 sec. Amplification CoreChoiceWhile Surging Totem is active, your damage and healing done is increased by 3%.OversurgeChoiceSurging Totem deals 50% more damage while Ascendance or Healing Tide Totem is active.Surging TotemActiveSummons a totem at the target location that creates a Tremor immediately and every 5.4 sec for 43 Flamestrike damage. Damage reduced beyond 5 targets. Lasts 25 sec.Totemic CoordinationChoiceChain Heals from Lively Totem and Totemic Rebound are 25% more effective.EarthsurgeChoiceAllies affected by your Earthliving effect receive 15% increased healing from you.

Passive talents

Imbuement MasteryPassiveIncreases the duration of your Earthliving effect by 3 sec. SplitstreamPassiveYour Healing Stream Totems heals an additional ally at 30% effectiveness. Healing Tide Totem healing increased by 25%.Whirling ElementsPassiveElemental motes orbit around your Surging Totem. Your abilities consume the motes for enhanced effects. Water: Your next Healing Wave also heals an ally inside of your Healing Rain at 50% effectiveness. Air: The cast time of your next healing spell is reduced by 40%. Earth: Your next Chain Heal applies Earthliving at 150% effectiveness to all targets hit.Lively TotemsPassiveWhen you summon a Healing Tide Totem, Healing Stream Totem, or Spirit Link Totem you cast a free instant Chain Heal at 100% effectiveness.Totemic ReboundPassiveChain Heal now jumps to a nearby totem within 20 yards once it reaches its last target, causing the totem to cast Chain Heal on an injured ally within 30 yards for 855. Jumps to 2 nearby targets within 20 yards.Wind BarrierPassiveIf you have a totem active, your totem grants you a shield absorbing 1,833 damage for 30 sec every 30 sec.Primal CatalystPassiveHealing Stream Totem and Healing Tide Totem healing has a 8% chance to apply Earthliving to allies it heals.Elemental AttunementPassiveMastery increased by 2%.Totemic MomentumPassiveReduces the cooldown of Healing Stream Totem by 3 sec.

Stormbringer

Stormbringer hero talents, including every active, choice, and passive node exposed by Blizzard.

17 of 17 shown

Passive talents

Awakening StormsPassiveStormstrike has a small chance to upgrade your next Lightning Bolt to Tempest.Conductive EnergyPassiveGain the effects of the Lightning Rod talent: Lightning Rod Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning make your target a Lightning Rod for 8 sec. Lightning Rods take 10% of all damage you deal with Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning.Voltaic SurgePassiveCrash Lightning and Chain Lightning damage increased by 15%.Arc DischargePassiveTempest causes your next Chain Lightning to be instant cast, deal 40% increased damage, and cast an additional time. Can accumulate up to 2 charges.Unlimited PowerPassiveSpending Maelstrom Weapon stacks grants you 1% haste for 15 sec. Multiple applications may overlap.Rolling ThunderPassiveDoom Winds summons a Nature Feral Spirit for 12 sec. Feral Spirit An Elemental Spirit infused with Nature magic, granting the summoner with 5% increased Nature damage and 5% Physical damage for 12 sec.TempestPassiveEach Maelstrom Weapon spent has a 2.00% chance to upgrade your next Lightning Bolt to Tempest. StormcallerPassiveIncreases the critical strike chance of your Nature damage spells by 5% and the critical strike damage of your Nature spells by 5%.Descending SkiesPassiveCasting Ascendance upgrades your next Lightning Bolt to Tempest.Natural GiftPassiveNature damage is increased by 2%StormwellPassiveStorm Elemental lasts 2 sec longer, and Stormkeeper generates 10 Maelstrom.

Farseer

Farseer hero talents, including every active, choice, and passive node exposed by Blizzard.

17 of 17 shown

Active and choice talents

Natural HarmonyChoiceReduces the cooldown of Nature's Guardian by 15 sec and causes it to heal for an additional 10% of your maximum health.Earthen CommunionChoiceEarth Shield has an additional 3 charges and heals you for 25% more.Latent WisdomChoiceYour Ancestors' spells are 25% more powerful.Ancient FellowshipChoiceAncestors have a 20% chance to call another Ancestor for 8 sec when they depart.Heed My CallChoiceAncestors last an additional 4 sec.Routine CommunicationChoiceRiptide has a 15% chance to call an Ancestor to your side for 8 sec.Ancestral SwiftnessActiveYour next healing or damaging spell is instant, costs no mana, and deals 10% increased damage and healing. If you know Nature's Swiftness, it is replaced by Ancestral Swiftness and causes Ancestral Swiftness to call an Ancestor to your side for 8 sec.

Passive talents

Primordial CapacityPassiveIncreases your maximum mana by 10%. Tidal Waves can now stack up to 3 times.Spiritwalker's MomentumPassiveUsing spells with a cast time increases the duration of Spiritwalker's Grace and Spiritwalker's Aegis by 1 sec, up to a maximum of 4 sec.Elemental ReverbPassiveLava Burst gains an additional charge and deals 10% increased damage.Final CallingPassiveWhen an Ancestor departs, they cast Hydrobubble on a nearby injured ally. Hydrobubble Surrounds your target in a protective water bubble for 15 sec. The shield absorbs the next 1,795 incoming damage, but the absorb amount decays fully over its duration.Maelstrom SupremacyPassiveIncreases the healing done by Healing Wave, Downpour, and Chain Heal by 25%.Offering from BeyondPassiveWhen an Ancestor is called, they reduce the cooldown of Riptide by 2 sec.Call of the AncestorsPassiveUnleash Life calls an Ancestor to your side for 12 sec. Whenever you cast a healing or damaging spell, the Ancestor will cast a similar spell.Mystic KnowledgePassiveIncreases the chance for Lava Surge to occur by 20%.WindspeakerPassiveThe cast times of Healing Surge, Chain Heal and Lava Burst are reduced by 10%.Ancestral InfluencePassiveYour Intellect is increased by 1.0% for each Ancestor active.
Gear

Boss and dungeon loadouts

Switch between raid and Mythic+ to inspect the top player for every available encounter: exact talents, source link, item level, enchant and socket counts, and the player's gear.

Season 2 class set

datamined. Read out of the game's spell data and republished by Wowhead. Blizzard does not publish set bonus text, so there is no first-party version to compare it against.
2-piece
Healing Wave and Chain Heal have a chance to create a Healing Rain at the target's location for 8.0 sec.
4-piece
Every 1 sec, 1 ally inside of Healing Rain gains a watery shield that absorbs 0 damage for 10 sec.

Source: Wowhead spell pages, retrieved 2026-09-05. spell 1296629, spell 1296630. Third party, not Blizzard. If one of these is wrong, check the overview page and tell us.

Loading verified raid results

Pulling the top Warcraft Logs result, exact talents, and equipment for each boss.

Editorial acquisition targets

Use these slot targets when planning drops and crafted pieces. The encounter explorer above remains the source for the exact gear worn by each ranked player.

Season 1 acquisition targets, not re-verified for Season 2. The rows below name Season 1 items at their Season 1 item levels and are accurate as that; they are not Season 2 recommendations. Season 2's raid is The Venomous Abyss (8 bosses, Nek'zali the Soulcoiler through Ula'tek). Confirmed Season 2 raid item levels run 279 (Raid Finder, first boss) to 344 (Mythic, last two bosses and Very Rare drops), with Normal 292-302, Heroic 305-315 and the Great Vault paying 292/305/318/334 by difficulty. Open question: per-slot best-in-slot for Season 2 needs a sim source, and none was reachable.

Raid acquisition targets

13 slots
Oblivion Guise
Head
298
Crit / VersEmpowered Hex of Leeching
Midnight Falls
Rotmire's Sporeheart
Neck
298
Socketed neckTelluric Eversong Diamond
Rotmire
Tempests of the Primal Core
Shoulder
298
TierSilvermoon's Mending
Catalyst / Fallen-King Salhadaar
Imperator's Banner
Back
298
Crit / Haste
Imperator Averzian
Embrace of the Primal Core
Chest
298
TierMark of the Worldsoul
Catalyst / raid
Amberfrond Bracers
Wrist
298
Crit / Vers
Windrunner Spire
Earthgrips of the Primal Core
Hands
298
Tier
Catalyst / raid
Waistcord of the Judged
Waist
298
Crit / Vers
Lightblinded Vanguard
Leggings of the Primal Core
Legs
298
TierArcanoweave Spellthread
Catalyst / Rotmire
Grudgefiend Stompers
Feet
298
Crit / HasteShaladrassil's Roots
Rotmire
Eye of Midnight
Finger
298
Crit / VersNature's Fury
Midnight Falls
Gaze of the Alnseer
Trinket
298
Top raid trinket
Chimaerus
Locus-Walker's Ribbon Crown
Trinket
298
Top raid trinket
Crown of the Cosmos

Season 1 acquisition targets, not re-verified for Season 2. The dungeons named below are the Season 1 pool and are not in Season 2 rotation. Season 2 runs Altar of Fangs (new in 12.1), Murder Row, Den of Nalorakk, The Blinding Vale, Voidscar Arena, Temple of Sethraliss, Kings' Rest and Ruby Life Pools. Confirmed Season 2 keystone item levels: +2 through +3 pay 295 end-of-run and 305 in the vault, rising to 311 end-of-run and 318 in the vault at +10 and above. Open question: per-slot best-in-slot for Season 2 needs a sim source, and none was reachable.

Mythic+ acquisition targets

11 slots
Vortex Visage
Head
298
Crit / VersEmpowered Hex of Leeching
Magisters' Terrace
Masterwork Sin'dorei Amulet
Neck
298
Choose Crit / VersTelluric Eversong DiamondJewelcrafting
Crafted
Tempests of the Primal Core
Shoulder
298
TierSilvermoon's Mending
Catalyst / raid
Embrace of the Primal Core
Chest
298
TierMark of the Worldsoul
Catalyst / raid
Sunlash's Sunsash
Waist
298
Crit / Haste
Magisters' Terrace
Farstrider's Razor Talons
Feet
298
Choose Crit / VersShaladrassil's RootsLeatherworking
Crafted
Masterwork Sin'dorei Band
Finger
298
Choose Crit / VersNature's FuryJewelcrafting
Crafted
Whisper of Duskwraith
Trinket
298
Mythic+ healing trinket
The Nexus
Heart of Wind
Trinket
298
Reliable secondary-stat proc
Windrunner Spire
Magister's Cleaver
Weapon
298
Choose Crit / VersBlacksmithing
Crafted
Ward of the Spellbreaker
Off-Hand
298
Crit / Haste
Magisters' Terrace
Enhancements

Enchants

Choose enhancements after your equipment is settled. Secondary-stat enchant choices move with your current stat mix and the content you are preparing for.

Recommended enchants
8 recommendations
Empowered Hex of Leeching+44 Leech - Outdoor kills in Midnight zones heal 2% Health, once per 5 secHelm - Leech is the standard all-purpose helm choice.EnchantingSilvermoon's Mending+132 LeechShouldersMark of the Worldsoul+50 Primary StatChestArcanoweave Spellthread+32 Intellect - +3% maximum ManaLegsShaladrassil's Roots+28 Leech - +232 StaminaBootsNature's Fury+29 Critical StrikeRings - Use on both rings; re-evaluate secondaries as your gear changes.EnchantingEarthliving Weapon; do not use a weapon oilWeaponEarthliving WeaponWeapon - Class weapon imbue. It replaces any weapon oil.
Enhancements

Gems

Socket into the current stat priority, then re-check after major equipment swaps rather than treating a gem choice as permanent.

Recommended gems
4 recommendations
Telluric Eversong Diamond+23 Primary Stat - +1% Maximum Mana per unique Midnight gem colorUnique primary-stat diamond; gains mana value from distinct Midnight gem colors.JewelcraftingFlawless Versatile Garnet+16 Critical Strike - +7 VersatilityCrit / Versatility filler option.JewelcraftingFlawless Deadly Lapis+16 Versatility - +7 Critical StrikeUse as one of the distinct gem colors.JewelcraftingFlawless Deadly Peridot+16 Haste - +7 Critical StrikeUse as one of the distinct gem colors.Jewelcrafting
Crafting

Embellishments

Crafted effects are capped at two equipped embellishments. Lock these in only after deciding which crafted slots survive your next raid or Mythic+ upgrades.

Recommended embellishments
3 recommendations
Use two throughput embellishments once your crafted slots are settled.Darkmoon Sigil: HuntWeapon - A strong early crafted-weapon embellishment while replacing low-item-level weapons.InscriptionArcanoweave LiningCrafted armor - Use on a non-tier crafted armor slot only after comparing it with current raid and dungeon upgrades.Tailoring
Survival and control

Utility, defensives, and movement

Your Shaman toolkit is part of the rotation whenever it prevents lost uptime, lethal damage, or an enemy cast.

Defensives

Utility & CC

Movement

Bloodlust/Heroism plus situational totems make Shaman one of the deepest utility classes.

Interrupt: Wind Shear - grab a focus-interrupt macro on the Restoration macros page.

Execution

Interface and macros

Use interface changes only when they expose a decision sooner: resources, procs, defensives, dispels, interrupts, and encounter assignments.

Better Blizzplates - cleaner, threat-colored nameplates with cast bars and cooldown text - the nameplate upgrade nearly every top player runs.
OmniCD - party and enemy defensive/utility cooldown tracking - the biggest information edge the base UI still does not show.
Mythic Dungeon Tools - build and follow pull-by-pull Mythic+ routes.
Details! (optional) - deep damage/healing breakdowns and Warcraft Logs uploads beyond Midnight's built-in meter.
Cell (or VuhDo) - fast, click-cast raid frames built for healing.
Method Raid Tools - cooldown assignments, boss notes, and pull timers.

Mouseover Riptide

#showtooltip Riptide
/cast [@mouseover,help,nodead][] Riptide

Focus Wind Shear

#showtooltip Wind Shear
/cast [@focus,harm,nodead][] Wind Shear

Cursor Capacitor Totem

#showtooltip Capacitor Totem
/cast [@cursor] Capacitor Totem

Mouseover Flame Shock

#showtooltip Flame Shock
/cast [@mouseover,harm,nodead][] Flame Shock

Cursor Spirit Link Totem

#showtooltip Spirit Link Totem
/cast [@cursor] Spirit Link Totem
Full addon guide →Restoration macros →Keybind setups →

Written for patch 12.0.7. Patch 12.1 increased max-level player health and creature damage by 25% and made crowd-control diminishing returns reset after 20 seconds instead of 16, so defensive timing and crowd-control advice on this page is the most likely to have moved. Source: Curse of Ula'tek content update notes, https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/en-us/news/24293281.

Execution review

What improves results

  • Keep Wind Shear on an easy key; it is one of the healer's best dungeon tools
  • Place Surging Totem for the next movement window, not where the group was standing
  • Spirit Link is a health-redistribution cooldown, not a generic healing totem
  • Earthliving Weapon occupies your weapon enchant slot, so do not use a weapon oil
Self-review

Common mistakes

  • Dropping Surging Totem where the group will immediately leave
  • Letting Downpour miss its refresh window
  • Holding Spirit Link until players are already dead
  • Using Chain Heal into a spread group or wasting Unleash Life's bonus

FAQ

2 quick answers

Which hero tree should I play?

Play Totemic by default in both raid and Mythic+. Farseer is a preference alternative, but it generally trails after the current hero-tree changes.

Which race is best?

Racial throughput differences are very small. Dwarf is a strong practical Mythic+ option for Stoneform and Might of the Mountain; Tauren, Orc, Pandaren, and Goblin each offer useful situational utility. Pick the race you enjoy unless you are solving a specific encounter problem.

Arena Talent Planning

Talents by enemy class

Pick an opponent to see the pressure your PvP build must answer. The baseline comes from this spec's current arena build when one is published.

Open full matchup guide
Their pressure

Grip setups, anti-caster pressure, and sustained melee uptime.

Talent focus

Mobility, anti-slow, and physical or magic mitigation.

Game plan

Keep an answer for grip-based isolation and do not spend movement before the Death Knight commits their control chain.

No reviewed PvP baseline is published for this spec yet. Use the live tree to apply the matchup focus above rather than treating a PvE build as an arena answer.

Comments

Comments load when you reach this section.

Loading comments...