Restoration Shaman PvP Guide

updated for patch 5.4.2

Resto shamans are also an incredibly viable healer right now and are arguably the best healer at this point in time. But what makes Resto Shamans so good?  Well, the biggest plus that Resto shamans bring to the table is that they are a versatile healer that also bring a lot of support to a group or comp.

Resto shamans are so good right now because they have great synergy with casters and melee alike. Resto shamans can run anything from Mage, Warlock, Shaman to a melee cleave such as Feral Druid, Death Knight, Shaman. Being able to work with all of these classes is what makes a Resto shaman such a force to be reckoned with.

Contents: Restoration Talents Resto Stats Gems Enchants Resto PvP Gear Videos Macros Level Faster

Other Shaman Guides Shaman overview Shaman leveling Enhancement for raids Elemental for raids Restoration Raid Healing Restoration PvP Shaman Builds

 

Talents for Resto Sham PvP

This list oof talents is with general PvP in mind. Depending on your team and your game you may want to change these around a bit. Fortunately that’s pretty easy these days. Just keep a staock of Tome of the Clear Miind handy (from your reagents or Inscription vendors) and swap as required. (If you still need to get to 90 go here.)

Descriptions and glyphs are below the image

Level 15 Talents:

1. Nature’s Guardian – A nice passive survival talent. Your Mastery adds to its effect and it also scales well with gear. You lose all the added health when the effect fades, but you’ve probably healed yourself by then, right?
2. Stone Bulwark Totem‘s shield can be dispelled, making it less useful for competitive games. Also, the shield just isn’t that hot.
3. Astral Shift comes with a long cooldown, but might be of use if you see that Rogue coming or can otherwise anticipate incoming burst. Nature’s Guardian is automatic, one less thing to keep track of.

Level 30 Talents:

1. Windwalk Totem – Provides a nice Freedom of Movement for your (nearby) team members. It helps you to be where youi need to be. Longish cooldown, though. The other two talents will have use if you and your team don’t have to worry about movement restricting effects or really need more control.

Level 45 Talents:

1. Totemic Persistence will allow you to have both Healing Stream and Healing Tide totems up simultaneously.
2. Totemic Projection allows you to move your totems. Use it to move your Capacitor Totem next to an enemy and you can use this talent as a sort of area stun. That certainly has some use.

Level 60 Talents:

1. Ancestral Swiftness provides a nice Haste boost in addition to allowing you to insta-cast one spell every 90 seconds.

Level 75 Talents:

1. Rushing Streams is just the thing for twos or threes, healing one additional target and doing extra healing.

Level 90 Talents: 

1. Unleashed Fury – Your Earthliving Weapon, when using Unleased Elements, causes your single target spells (incl. Riptide) to do 50% more healing.

 

Glyphs

1. Ghost Wolf: highly recommended. Your Ghost Wolf form is less bothered by snares.
   
2. Glyph of Capacitor Totem is handy when you’re being harassed by melee types. It reduces the charging time to 3 seconds. Combine with the Totemic Projection talent and you can put stuns where you need them.
3. Totemic Vigor makes your totems a bit more durable.
4. Glyph of Hex is useful if you are going to be casting Hex a lot.
5. Glyph of Healing Stream Totem lightly shields youir targets so that they take less fire, frost, or nature damage. 
6. Glyph of Purge – Dispels an addition effect, but adds a short cooldown. Makes your purging work a lot easier.

Minor Glyphs

1. Glyph of Totemic Encirclement drops fake totems which, hopefully, will be targeted by your enemies before the real totems.
2. Pick any two. The rest are basically no more than cosmetic.

 

Resto Shaman PvP Stats

This is a different stat priority than in previous patches.

• Stat priority: Crit > Spirit > Mastery > Haste
• Int & Spirit are getting so high that you probably do not need the Regen (Spirit) or Spell Power (Int,) so will gem for the other stats.

Crit is now the top choice for stats thanks to Resurgence, a passive ability that restores mana every time you crit (if you’re using Water Shield.) Crits with your Ancestral Awakening summon a spirit to help out with your healing. With lots of Crit you will be getting the large heals and regenerating mana at the same time. (Thanks to the comment below, which prompted this note and the page update.) 

Spirit – You have a good amount on your gear and additional Spirit isn’t so necessary. If you’e still going out of mana then get more.

Mastery assist your heals on damaged targets, the more damaged the better the heal. 

Haste speeds up everything you do and how fast your periodic spells tick.

Hit and Expertise are not interesting to you.

PvP Power, nerfed hard in patch 5.3 and healers only get 50% of the value anyway. The stuff on your gear will be enough, your gems and enchants shuld be for other stats.

Resilience is at 72% in patch 5.4, which is pretty nice. You also get 10% from the PvP trinket pair (a set bonus) so you won’t need additional Resilience.

Reforging

1. Crit is #1 priority.
2. After that are you still running out of mana? If so then reforge remaining stats to Sprit. Otherwise go for Mastery.

 

Gems for the Resto Shaman

You will want to match socket bonuses, unless the bonus is for a weak stat, like Hit. It might be worthwhile to put the purple (Mysterious) gems in your red slots and the green (Vivid) gems in the yellow and blue slots.

Meta gem: Go with the Burning Primal Diamond until you can get the Tyrannical Primal Diamond. The latter will give you a nice boost to your survival.

Two methods for gemming.

1. Recommended: Since Crit is so nice this season we have Method #1, pure Crit gemming: Put the Smooth Sun’s Radiance in all slots, regardless of socket bonus.
2. Optional: Match for Int bonuses only, since the PvP Power bonus just isn’t worth that much. Put the Smooth Sun’s Radiance in all sockets that give a PvP Power bonus.
   • In sockets with an Int bonus, put the Potent Vermilion Onyx in the reds, Smooth Sun’s Radiance in the yellows and also in the blues (skipping those bonuses.)
   • Smooth Sun’s Radiance will also go in any Blacksmithing or belt buckle sockets.

More gems for experimenting
Meta	Burning Primal Diamond: +216 Int & 3% Increased Crit Effect Tyrannical Primal Diamond: +665 PVP Power and +775 Resilience, requires 27k earned conquest points and iLevel 476, cost 1k conquest points.
Red	Brilliant Serpent’s Eye: 320 Int, self-only Jewelcrafting gem Brilliant Primordial Ruby: 160 Int
Yellow	Smooth Sun’s Radiance: +320 Crit
Blue	Sparkling River’s Heart: +320 Spirit
Orange	Potent Vermilion Onyx: +80 Int & +160 Crit
Green	Zen Wild Jade: +160 Mastery, +160 Spirit
Purple	Mysterious Imperial Amethyst: +80 Int, +80 PvP Power Purified Imperial Amethyst: +80 Int, +160 Spirit Veiled Imperial Amethyst: 80 Int and 160 Hit
Prismatic	Brilliant Primordial Ruby: 160 Int
Cogwheel	Sparkling Tinker’s Gear: 600 Spirit – requires an engie helm, such as this. Smooth Tinker’s Gear: 600 Crit

 

 

Restoration Enchantments

Short on gold? If you want to buy the best enchants, send cash to and buy Crafted Malevolent gear for you alts, donate to the guild, lavishly tip the dancing Gnomes & Blood Elves, etc., but don’t have the cash, then see what the Tycoon Addon can do about about fixing your poverty.

Helm enchants are gone in Mists of Pandaria, shoulder enchants are handled by the Inscription profession.

The Chest piece is the only Resilience enchant, there are no PvP Power enchants. There is a Conquest points weapon enchant if you prefer the steady PvP Power bonus and disarm reduction to the Int procs of Jade Spirit.

Resto Enchantments
Weapon	Enchant Weapon – Jade Spirit: Sometimes increases Int by 1650, might increase Spirit by 750 if mana is low. Enchant Weapon – Windsong: Sometimes increase Crit, Haste, or Mastery by 1,500 for 12 seconds. Enchant Weapon – Glorious Tyranny: 600 PvP Power, 50% Disarm reduction, cost is 1,000 Conquest points. Off Hand: Enchant Off-Hand – Major Intellect: +165 Int
Shoulders	Secret Crane Wing Inscription: 520 Int and 100 Crit rating, Requires Inscription 550. Greater Crane Wing Inscription: +200 Int and 100 Crit
Cloak	Enchant Cloak – Superior Critical Strike: +180 Crit Enchant Cloak – Superior Intellect: +180 Int Lightweave Embroidery – attacks can give 2k Int for 15 sec, requires tailoring
Chest	Enchant Chest – Super Resilience: +200 Resilience Enchant Chest – Glorious Stats: +80 to all stats
Bracers	Enchant Bracer – Super Intellect: +180 Int Fur Lining increases Int by 500, requires leatherworking. Socket Bracer – Pop in a gem, requires Blacksmithing 400
Gloves	Enchant Gloves – Superior Mastery: +170 Mastery Socket Gloves – Pop in a gem, requires Blacksmithing 400
Belt	Livingsteel Belt Buckle: Gem slot for a nice Int gem
Leggings	Greater Cerulean Spellthread: +285 Int and +165 Crit
Boots	Enchant Boots – Pandaren’s Step: +140 Mastery, slight run speed increase.
Rings	Enchant Ring – Greater Intellect: +160 Int, Requires Enchanting 550

 

Restoration Shaman PvP Gear

If you’re not yet 90 then do enough PvP to hit the Honor cap for when you do hit 90. You’ll then be able to buy some of the honor gear right off.

At 90 either buy the Crafted Malevolent gear from a Leatherworker or off the Auction House. Either way it’s expensive (need gold?) You can also get gear by looting chests on the Timeless Isle. Why bother? It will be the grind for the honor and conquest gear a lot less painful.

All PvP Gear is the order of business for patch 5.4. You do not want any PvE gear (unless you have some raid pieces and you’re doing world PvP or something where the PvE gear is not downrated.) PvP gear has the PvP Power stats and the trinket paid gives you that set bonus for added Resilience, so you effectiveness and survival is that much higher.

Honor Gear: Some prefer to get the honor set before grinding the conquest gear, because it makes getting that gear a it less painful. Your call. If you decide to do the Honor Gear then the order is the same as the conquest gear, below.

Conquest Gear is shown below, with some notes, in the order that you should obtain it. Why this order? It more effectively gives you the important stats and gets you into the set bonuses are quickly as possible.

Note that if you don’t yet have the escape trinket then that is your #1 priority. Next up will be any pieces of gear that are much lower item level than the rest. For example, some piece of green gear that you didn’t replace for whatever reason.

Your Set Bonuses for the gear: 

• 2 pieces: Increases PvP power by 500.
• 2 pieces: Reduces the cooldown of your Grounding Totem ability by 3.0 sec.
• 4 pieces: Increases PvP Power by 1000.
• 4 pieces: When you cast Spiritwalker’s Grace, you become immune to Silence and Interrupt effects for 5 sec.

Conquest Gear In Order of Acquisition:

See the gems and enchants above to finish out your gear. The Honor gear will have the same slots.

Reforging: Basically you’re reforging everything into Crit, then Spirit. Check out the ReforgeLite addon (from Curse) if you hate reforging.

 

1. Grievous Ringmail Legs – Reforge Haste to Crit.
2. Grievous Gladiator’s Medallion of Cruelty – If you don’t already have an escape trinket then this item will be #1.
3. Grievous Dagger (Reforge Mastery to Spirit if you need Mana) and Grievous Redoubt Shield (Reforge Mastery to Spirit if you need the Mana.)
4. Grievous Ringmail Chest – Reforge Haste to Crit. .
5. Grievous Ringmail Helm – no reforgiing
6. Grievous Ringmail Shoulder – Reforge Mastery to Crit
7. Grievous Meditation Belt – Reforge Haste to Crit.
8. Grievous Meditation Boots – Reforge Mastery to Crit
9. Grievous Mail Gloves – Reforge Haste to Crit
10. Grievous Mediation Pendant – Reforge Haste to Crit
11. Grievous Mediation Bracers – No reforging.
12. Grievous Mediation Ring – Reforge Haste to Crit
13. Grievous Cruelty Ring – No reforging
14. Grievous Meditation Cloak – No reforging.
15. Grievous Gladiator’s Emblem of Cruelty (Crit) or Grievous Emblem of Meditation (Spirit) or Grievous Gladiator’s Badge of Dominance (Int cooldown, if your survival is fine.)

 

 

Restoration Shaman PvP Notes

Resto Shaman Burst Healing

For max burst healing you need to have the level 90 talent: Unleashed Fury.

1. Before going for the burst make sure you have your Earth Shield on the target.
2. Then Riptide (this also gives you the Tidal Waves buff which will give you a big chance to crit with your Healing Surge.)
3. Unleash Elements and Ascendance
4. Summing up: Earth Shield > Riptide > Unleash Elements > Ascendance. This should pretty much get your team to a good place and you can top them off by spammng Healing Surges.

Always use Unleash Elements before any Ancestral Swiftness or Ascendance to get the max healing possible.

 

 

 

Macros from the video above

• #showtooltip Wind Shear
• /cast [@focus] Wind Shear

 

• /cast [@focus] Purge
• /cat [modifier:shift, target=target] Purge

 

• /cast [@focus]Hex

 

• This one cleans spells from your own self.
• #showtooltip  Cleanse Spirit
• /cast [@player] Cleanse Spirit

 

• Note: If you’re not Draenei then clip the racial line
• This can be used while silenced, counterspelled, etc.
• #showtooltip Ruthless Gladiator’s Emblem of Meditation
• /cast Ruthless Gladiator’s Emblem of Meditation
• /cast Gift of the Naaru(Racial)
• /use Healthstone

 

Restoration Shaman PvP Professions

Generally the crafting professions have bonuses that work out to about 320 Int n value. That’s two Int gems in value. Whether that’s worth it is up to you. It makes for a very expensive pair of gems.

• Blacksmithng lets you slot two gems, of any sort (except Meta.) – You can gain 640 crit from the two additional gems and that’s definitely better than the 320 Int. You can also easily drop in new gems. So if in the next patch or hot fix Int becomes better, or Mastery or whatever, then you drop in the new gems.
• Jewelcrating for better gems.
• Engineering for “one use” gloves enchant (here) and other useful gadgets. 
• Skinning will give you 480 Crit Vs Blacksmithing’s 640. While that’s roughly equal to the 320 Int of Jewelcrafting I think you’ll find that the Skinning isa lot cheaper to level up.

Macros for Restoration Shaman PvP

 

Races for the PvPing Resto Shaman

As a healer your race doesn’t matter all that much. If being big and furry or short and annoying is more important than every last iota of healing power then go for it. That said, here’s the rundown:

• Best Horde: Orc for the burst, Tauren for survival.
• Best Alliance: Dwarf
• Pandarens are an interesting option.

Pandaren

• Can choose to be either Horse or Alliance upon leaving their starting area.
• Take less falling damage, which makes jumping off cliffs (or getting thrown off) a bit easier.
• If you’re leveling then your rest XP lasts twice as long.
• If you eat then you get increased benefits from food buffs. You’ll have to eat again if you die, though.
• Can stun melee opponents for four seconds, which has definite use.
• Good with cooking.

Draenei

• Self-Heal: You have plenty of heals, but this one is free and there are times when that’s a nice thing to have.
• +1% Chance to Hit – Self-Only: Hit is a pretty useless stat for you.
• Jewelcrafting skill increase.

Dwarf

• Stone Form washes away bleeds and other effects, which has some use in PvP. 😉
• Mace and Ranged weapon expertise are pretty useless for you, as Resto.
• Good with Archeology.

Orc

• Blood Fury increases Spell Power for 10 seconds, which is a good thing in all cases. Tie it into a macro with your “on use” trinket and any other cooldowns you might have.
• Resistance to Stuns has PvP value and is occasionally useful in PvE, but will only reduce a 6 second stun by about 1 second. Still, every bit counts.

Tauren

• War Stomp is strictly melee range and has definite use in PvP when melee types get in your face.
• Health Increase is nice, but hardly important for you. It works out to about three stam gems at level 90.
• Good with Herbalism, and this skill provides a pretty nice Haste buff.

Troll

• Berserk increases casting speed, once every three minutes, which can be rather nice. Unfortunately, Haste is not your best stat.
• Ranged Weapon Expertise is a pretty useless stat for you.
• Damage Increased Vs Beasts: Pretty useless.
• Da Voodoo Shuffle is always useful in PvP (though not nearly as good as an escape ability or trinket.)

Goblin

• Rocket Jump is a nice little escape from, or entry into, combat. Kinda like a cheap Blink spell.
• Increased Haste (1%) is only slightly useful.
• Increased Alchemy skillis nice if you have that skill. Keeping a pile of mana potions on your bar is a good idea anyway.

 

 

How to Get your Shaman to the Level Cap, ASAP

Looking to get your Shaman to max level? How about all  those other alts you want to level though those 90 levels?

With the thousands of quests to 90 and a bazillion mobs to kill (not to mention other players, but they don’t count here) the task of sorting out which quests are best and which series of quests will get you to 90 the fastest is important, not to mention knowing exactly where to go and what to do, which is why we highly recommend Zygor’s Guide.

Zygor’s is an in-game guide and it nearly automates the whole leveling process: you just pick your starting point, at any level, and the guide tracks which quest you’re on, tracks the quest objectives, and automatically advances and updates as you complete your tasks and quests. In addition, a waypoint arrow is set automatically, so you never have to wonder where the goal of your quest is located. All of the important quest info is included in the guide so you never have to wonder what to do. You’ll find that it’s vastly superior to the in-game questing help.

Playing with Heirlooms and/or Recruit a friend? Gaining a few levels in the dungeons or in PvP? Zygor has your back. The guide knows what level you are and will correctly suggest where to go next and will let you dump all of your obsolete quests. You will probably never need to look at your quest log again.

Grab your copy here and get to 90 as fast as possible, or read our review, first.