Restoration Druid PVE Guide – Cataclysm

Welcome to the PVE Restoration Druid Guide for World of Warcraft Cataclysm!

This guide will teach you how to play a Restoration Druid in a raid. It covers talents, glyphs, gems, enchantments, rotation, and gameplay tips.

This is the standard Restoration Druid talent build — note that it skips Nature’s Cure, which is generally not needed in larger raids but may be needed in 10-man raids.

Prime Glyphs

• Glyph of Lifebloom
• Glyph of Rejuvenation
• Glyph of Swiftmend

Major Glyphs

• Glyph of Healing Touch
• Glyph of Rebirth
• Glyph of Wild Growth

Minor Glyphs

• Glyph of Mark of the Wild
• Glyph of the Treant
• Glyph of Unburdened Rebirth

Gems are situational and depend on the build and equipment. They are used to reach the required stat caps.

• Meta – Burning Shadowspirit Diamond
• Red/Prismatic – Brilliant Queen’s Garnet, Brilliant Inferno Ruby (cheaper), or Brilliant Chimera’s Eye (Jewelcrafting)
• Yellow
  • If Socket Bonus is not at least +20 Intellect – Brilliant Queen’s Garnet or Brilliant Inferno Ruby (cheaper)
  • Otherwise, Artful Lava Coral or Artful Ember Topaz (cheaper)
• Blue
  • If Socket Bonus is not at least +20 Intellect, Brilliant Queen’s Garnet or Brilliant Inferno Ruby (cheaper)
  • Otherwise, Purified Shadow Spinel or Purified Demonseye (cheaper)

• Head – Arcanum of the Hyjal
• Shoulder – Greater Inscription of Charged Lodestone or Felfire Inscription (Inscription)
• Cloak – Enchant Cloak – Greater Intellect or Lightweave Embroidery (Tailoring)
• Chest – Enchant Chest – Peerless Stats
• Bracers – Enchant Bracer – Mighty Intellect or Draconic Embossment – Intellect (Leatherworking) with Socket Bracer (Blacksmithing)
• Gloves – Enchant Gloves – Greater Mastery or Enchant Gloves – Haste (if needed to reach cap) with Synapse Springs (Engineering) or Socket Gloves (Blacksmithing)
• Waist – Grounded Plasma Shield (Engineering) or Ebonsteel Belt Buckle
• Legs – Powerful Ghostly Spellthread or Sanctified Spellthread (Tailoring)
• Boots – Enchant Boots – Lavawalker
• Rings – Enchant Ring – Intellect (Enchanting)
• Weapon – Enchant Weapon – Power Torrent
• Off-hand – Enchant Off-Hand – Superior Intellect

You can stop adding Spirit once you feel comfortable with the mana regen you are getting in raids.

• Intellect
• Haste (to soft caps – 12.5% or 21.4%)
• Spirit
• Mastery
• Critical Strike
• Haste

You’ll generally want to use your HoTs (Heals over time), but sometimes you’ll need to use direct heals, especially when refreshing Lifebloom on the tank. Also make sure you’re keeping Harmony up on yourself, which means casting a Direct Heal at least every 10 seconds.

Heals over Time

• Use Rejuvenation to pre-HoT players before large amounts of damage come in, as a pre-requisite for Swiftmend, or to heal normally
• Use Wild Growth on cooldown, whenever more than one player needs healing
• Use Efflorescence to heal clumped players, or before a large amount of AoE damage comes in
• Use Lifebloom on the tank, with 3 stacks — maintain with a direct heal

Direct Heals

• Use Swiftmend on cooldown, on players grouped together
• Use Nourish as a filler, or to refresh Lifebloom
• Use Healing Touch on players in dire need of healing, or to refresh Lifebloom
• Use Regrowth on players who are close to death, if no other instant cast spell is available

Cooldowns

• Use Tree of Life as many times as possible, especially when lots of healing is required — use AoE heals while Tree of Life is active
• Tranquility should also be used when a large amount of raid healing is required
• Use Nature’s Swiftness on cooldown, ideally alongside Healing Touch