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Restoration Shaman guide

Healer · our guide of 13 Oct 2026 Recommendation

Talent trees, every tier list's rating and the sim: the Restoration tab.

In short

A healer who also brings totems for the whole group.
No sim result: the sim engine has no healing spells.
Mana comes back in fights: Water Shield returns 2% of your maximum mana when you're hit or one of your heals crits, and Mana Tide Totem restores mana to your group. Sourced: Talent database
Weak spot before level 40: Chain Heal arrives at 40, so healing a whole group is slow before then.

How it plays

Up to level 30. Healing Wave on the tank, Lesser Healing Wave for sudden damage, Healing Stream Totem for the group, and Earth Shock to interrupt. Improved Healing Wave (a shorter cast) and Tidal Focus (cheaper heals) come first, then Natural Grace, Healing Focus, Water Shield and Mana Tide Totem. Healing Way, your 21st point, makes Healing Wave heal more.

Sourced: Talent database

At level 60. Theory Riptide on the tank: an instant heal and a heal over time, and Chain Heals cast straight on that ally heal more. It needs Healing Way 3 of 3, and it can crit since 24 Sep. Chain Heal on groups, Healing Wave on the tank, Nature's Swiftness with Healing Wave in emergencies, Mana Tide when mana runs low. Totemic Recall gives mana back since the 1 Oct fix.

Sourced: Talent database, Dev notes · 1 Oct Source pending

Talents at a glance

Level 20: Improved Healing Wave 5, Tidal Focus 5, Natural Grace 1
Improved Healing Wave and Tidal Focus: cheaper, faster Healing Waves for Hall of Thanes and Ruins of Lordaeron.
Recommendation · See the trees · Open in the calculator
Level 30: Improved Healing Wave 5, Tidal Focus 5, Natural Grace 3, Healing Focus 2, Water Shield 1, Mana Tide Totem 1, Tidal Mastery 3, Healing Way 1
Natural Grace, Healing Focus, Water Shield (row 3 at 10), Mana Tide Totem (row 4 at 15), Tidal Mastery, Healing Way with the 21st point.
Recommendation · See the trees · Open in the calculator
Level 60: Improved Healing Wave 5, Totemic Focus 5, Tidal Focus 5, Natural Grace 3, Healing Focus 3, Water Shield 1, Ancestral Healing 3, Tidal Mastery 5, Restorative Totems 5, Mana Tide Totem 1, Healing Way 3, Nature's Swiftness 1, Purification 5, Riptide 1, Ancestral Knowledge 5
Riptide requires Healing Way 3/3 — taken. Restorative Totems, Purification, Nature's Swiftness. Enhancement filler: Ancestral Knowledge 5/5 (+mana).
Theory · See the trees · Open in the calculator

Rotation at level 30

Recommendation

Single target

Open with Water Shield, Mana Spring, Healing Stream.

Water Shield (talent) always
Healing Wave on the tank
Lesser Healing Wave for spikes
Mana Tide Totem (talent) when low
Earth Shock interrupts

Groups

Chain Heal arrives at 40

Tip

Healing Way stacks on repeated Healing Waves.

Stats

Each guide's stat order as it gives it, the sim's stat weights, then ours. Guides dated before the last big tuning are shown but not counted.

Guides differHealing power first on every guide; the order after it differs.

Where	Stat order
Guide · 4 Oct PvE, level 30 · read 12 Oct	Healing power › Crit › Intellect › Spirit › Mana per 5 sec › Stamina
Guide · 1 Oct PvE, level 20 · read 12 Oct	Healing power › Intellect › Mana per 5 sec › Spirit › Crit
Guide · 22 Sep leveling, level 30 · read 12 Oct · dated before 1 Oct, not counted	Not ranked
Ours Recommendation	Healing power › Mana per 5 sec › Intellect › Spell crit › Spirit Where ours differs: ours puts Mana per 5 sec before Intellect, which both guides rank higher.

Race

Each guide's race picks for Restoration, then our pick for the Shaman.

Alliance

Guides agreeDwarf on 2 guides.

Guide · 4 Oct PvE, level 30 · read 12 OctDwarf
Guide · 1 Oct PvE, level 20 · read 12 OctDwarf
Guide · 22 Sep leveling, level 30 · read 12 Oct · dated before 1 Oct, not countedDwarf
Ours, for the Shaman RecommendationDwarf S

Horde

Guides agreeOrc on 2 guides.

Guide · 4 Oct PvE, level 30 · read 12 OctOrc
Guide · 1 Oct PvE, level 20 · read 12 OctOrc
Guide · 22 Sep leveling, level 30 · read 12 Oct · dated before 1 Oct, not countedTroll, Orc
Ours, for the Shaman RecommendationOrc S

Professions

Guides agreeThe same professions on 2 guides.

Guide · 4 Oct PvE, level 30 · read 12 OctSkinning, Leatherworking, Herbalism, Alchemy
Guide · 1 Oct PvE, level 20 · read 12 OctSkinning, Leatherworking, Herbalism, Alchemy
Guide · 22 Sep leveling, level 30 · read 12 Oct · dated before 1 Oct, not countedNot given
Ours, for the Shaman RecommendationHerbalism + Alchemy; or Mining + Engineering

Level 20: best and second best per slot

Slot	Best	Second best
Hands	Hillman's Leather Gloves Crafted: Leatherworking	—
Legs	Dreamer's Leggings quest Underground Assault	—
Feet	Moonglow Boots Crafted: Leatherworking	—
Main Hand	Fang of Magmatus Hall of Thanes - Magmatus	—
Two-Hand	Staff of Westfall quest The Defias Brotherhood	—
Ranged / Relic	Buzzer Blade Deadmines - Sneed's Shredder	—

Sourced: Guide · 27 Sep

Level 60: where gear will come from

Pre-raid: Alcaz Prison, Shaper's Terrace, the Drowned City and Hyjal quests for healing-power cloth/leather/mail; Forever rebuilt item stats so Classic BiS lists don't transfer.
Crafted: Tailoring 'Pristine' / 'Filigreed' healing sets (the L20 tier already exists), Leatherworking 'Wisdom's' sets; Enchanting ring Spell Power.
Remember bonus healing also grants one-third as much bonus damage in Forever — a healing set is a solo set too.
Raids open 9 December; no level-60 BiS exists yet.

Theory

What changed for Restoration

8 Oct: Lightning Bolt ranks 1–5 retuned so each new rank is an upgrade; Fire Nova no longer triggers and uses up Elemental Focus.
Sourced: Dev notes · 8 Oct
1 Oct: Totemic Recall correctly restores mana; Disease Cleansing Totem 5-minute duration fixed; Ghost Wolf visible in bright areas.
Sourced: Dev notes · 1 Oct
Totems: Flametongue Totem no duration, no stacking with Flametongue Weapon or Windfury Totem; Tranquil Air / Windfury / Grace of Air no longer stack across Shamans.
Sourced: Dev notes · 24 Sep
Restoration: Riptide can now crit.
Sourced: Dev notes · 24 Sep