Restoration Druid Raid Encounter Tips

By Jaydaa Last Updated: 2018/06/22 Changelog Patch: 7.3.5

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JaydaaTwitterRaidsGeneral Raid Tips

Do your fight research beforehand. Watch videos, watch streams, go over logs, all to recognize damage patterns. Restoration Druid is all about proactively pre-HoTing before incoming damage and then reacting with Wild Growth and other CDs.

Plan out your CDs ahead of time when possible. Try not to overlap large healing CDs (Tranquility, Revival, Aura Mastery, Power Word: Barrier, Divine Hymn, Healing Tide Totem) with your other healers, unless absolutely necessary to progress further in the encounter.

Reduce your damage taken and the overall encounter healing requirement by maximizing the effectiveness of your defensives. Bear Form and Frenzied Regeneration is a very unique survivability combination that provides excellent damage reduction and throughput. Don't forget to utilize Barkskin with such a short CD.

While your role in a raid is primarily healing, don't be afraid to cast Moonfire, Sunfire, and Wrath in your downtime. It might not seem like much but healer DPS can mean the difference between a kill and a wipe in progression.

Emerald Nightmare

Trial of Valor

Nighthold Encounter Guides

Hight Botanist Tel'arn

Krosus

Tichondrius

Grand Magistrix Elisande

Gul'dan

Tomb of Sargeras Guides

Antorus the Burning Throne Guides

Gorothi Worldbreaker

Felhounds of Sargeras

Antoran High Command

Portal Keeper Hasabel

Eonar

Imonar the Soulhunter

Primary Raiding BuildsAntorus, the Burning Throne

Talents:

Legendaries: Velen's Future Sight, Aman'Thul's Wisdom, Chameleon Song, or Prydaz, Xavaric's Magnum Opus .

Primarily focuses on sustained healing through Rejuvenation. Performs best when you have 4pc T21 Bearmantle Battlegear filling other spots with high ilvl offpieces. Very low maintenance and excellent spot/tank healing.

Antorus, the Burning Throne

As the first boss of the instance, this encounter is generally straightforward. Use cooldowns such as Tranquility and Essence of G'Hanir on the Eradication.

Use Displacer Beast to quickly reposition for the Eradication or Decimation.

Can use Bear Form and Frenzied Regeneration to nullify the damage of the Eradication because it's physical.

High raid damage occurs when Enflame Corruption and Siphon Corruption are being cast together. Use Tranquility, Essence of G'Hanir, and Flourish during those abilities.

Tank damage can be quite high especially on Mythic. Pre-HoT tanks to provide extra protection especially if tanking the boss opposite of their debuff. Ironbark can be quite helpful during these times as well.

Use Bear Form and Frenzied Regeneration or Barkskin to nullify some of the damage of the Shock Grenade especially during periods of high raid damage.

Use cooldowns either after the Fusillade or slightly before if the raid is low. You can also use cooldowns if a large amount of mines have detonated.

Druids specifically restoration druids are excellent options for sitting in the first pod. We can Bear Form prior to jumping in the pod to gain a much larger health pool to take higher stacks of Psychic Assault

Use Tranquility, Essence of G'Hanir, and Flourish during a Collapsing World where the entire raid is in range or to stabilize the raid if multiple Felblaze Imps manage to cast Fiery Detonation

Can use Typhoon on Felblaze Imps to briefly interrupt Fiery Detonation.

Do not dispel debuffs unless assigned to do so. These debuffs are necessary for certain platforms and improper dispels will only delay the moving of these.

Use Displacer Beast to avoid Felstorm Barrage.

This encounter is relatively straightforward, follow your assigned group and heal. This includes your Paraxis group on Mythic.

Can use Typhoon and Ursol's Vortex to group up enemies for increased damage.

Travel Form can be quite helpful if you need additional mobility.

Cooldowns are generally used on bridge phases. As a mobile healing class a lot of your value will be healing people during these bridge phases because other healers won't be able to plant and heal during that time. Empowered Pulse Grenade will require a lot of healing during these phases.

Dispelling Sleep Canister needs to be done timely but only once there are no surrounding players to avoid sleeping any players.

Displacer Beast is invaluable on this fight. You can use it to blink through traps on the bridge but be sure to avoid blinking through one trap only to hit another ahead of it.

If you get hit with one of the Conflagration orbs, you can quickly shapeshift to remove the slow and the DoT effect.

Cooldown usage will vary based on the coordination with your fellow healers. Ideal usage will be during Apocalypse Protocol add phases or when popping multiple Diabolic Bombs.

Whoever is purposely popping Diabolic Bomb to make more room on the platform needs to be topped ahead of time. Be ready to use Ironbark on them if necessary.

You can Displacer Beast through the Ruiner, but be sure there is nothing that could obstruct the blink causing it to not travel the full distance.

Balance Affinity can be helpful if you need the range or frequently find yourself separated from multiple members of the raid.

This encounter causes the largest deviation from the standard raid talent build. Typically you'll want Prosperity, Renewal, Incarnation: Tree of Life, and Spring Blossoms. Prosperity allows you to quickly heal players with Swiftmend that have recently had Misery fall off. It's the same for Renewal if that person with Misery is you. Incarnation: Tree of Life provides an extra cooldown and mana savings and since people will not be dipping very low Cultivation has little value. Finally, Spring Blossoms provides another constant ticking HoT on practically the entire raid at all times.

Major throughput cooldowns will typically be used for any significant dips in health or as mana savings.

Players with Misery can't be healed. Use Ironbark if necessary. If you have Misery, feel free to use Bear Form and Barkskin.

Players with Chilled Blood or Fulminating Pulse are your highest healing priority. If you are the target of Fulminating Pulse use Bear Form and Frenzied Regeneration to nullify the damage.

Use Mass Entanglement on the middle add of an Norgannon wall to fully CC a section for 30s.

Aman'thul adds will be the bulk of the healing requirement. Save cooldowns for this phase.

Damage will vary depending on your strategy for Aggramar. Typically you'll want to either save cooldowns for Taeshalach Technique, intermission phases, or multiple stacks of Blazing Eruption.

Entangling Roots and Mass Entanglement can be utilized to root an add, but beware any damage will cause the roots to break. Typhoon can also be used to knockback and slow an individual or large group of adds. This fight is almost entirely add management.

Bear Form and Frenzied Regeneration can be used if going in low for a Flame Rend during a Taeshalach Technique.

Strength of the Sea and Strength of the Sky are both viable buffs for Restoration Druid, though I typically prioritize Strength of the Sky.

In phase one, cooldowns should be used while Soulblight is out and Tortured Rage is happening.

Healers will always be the target of the Soulbomb in phase 2 and 3. As such cooldowns are best used when a Soulbomb is out because a healer is always out of range.

When you resurrect from the Gift of the Lifebinder, you have full mana, so spam till your hearts content. You can also heal the Gift of the Lifebinder while in its withered state.

Tomb of Sargeras

As the first boss of the instance, this encounter is generally straightforward. Use cooldowns such as Tranquility and Essence of G'Hanir on the Shattering Star.

Use Displacer Beast to quickly position yourself to line of sight Infernal Burning.

Rejuvenation targets with the Crashing Comet DoT to keep them stable.

High raid damage occurs when Fel Squall or Bone Saw are being cast. Use Tranquility, Essence of G'Hanir, and Flourish during those abilities.

When dispelling Echoing Anguish, pre-HoT the targets before dispelling to ensure they will survive the dispel and to give them time to react and move.

Use Displacer Beast to quickly blink out of Suffocating Dark zones preventing you from gaining extra Torment.

Prepare for Unchecked Rage by watching timers or the boss's energy bar. Most of the Phase 1 damage will be from these burst windows but is generally not life-threatening.

After the boss casts Draw In, he'll begin using Frigid Blows constantly hitting the raid with mild raid damage with each melee swing. Just continue to HoT players during this time.

After expelling all his stack, Harjatan will cast Frosty Discharge which is a significant raid damaging ability, so try to plan out your cooldowns with your fellow healers ideally using Tranquility there.

Use Tranquility, Essence of G'Hanir, and Flourish during Embrace of the Eclipse to quickly clear the healing absorb. Be sure to coordinate with your fellow healers.

Tank damage is low on this fight so feel free to use Ironbark on targets affected by Rapid Shot, Moon Burn or Lunar Beacon. These should be your priority targets to heal in general.

Use Displacer Beast if you need to quickly clear your Moon Burn.

Can use Bear Form and Frenzied Regeneration if you get targeted with Twilight Glaive or Moon Burn for added safety.

Restoration Druids are extremely versatile on this fight allowing you to be in either realm.

In the shadow realm, the primary damage will be from the Wailing Souls. Use Tranquility, Essence of G'Hanir, and Flourish during this ability, especially when you need to catch up on incoming damage.

In the corporeal realm, the damage will primarily be spot healing and tank healing.

In either realm, use Tranquility early on so you can have at least two uses and to conserve mana.

Be ready with Ironbark, for those targeted with Spear of Anguish that do not have a personal defensive CD.

When the Desolate Host finally appears, most of the damage will come from Doomed Sundering and Sundering Doom. Use your cooldowns there and utilize Bear Form and Frenzied Regeneration if necessary when soaking.

Use cooldowns on Hydra Shot but avoid overlap, these happen roughly every 30 seconds. If your Hydra Shot is looking sparse, then feel free to utilize Bear Form and Frenzied Regeneration.

Players affected by Consuming Hunger or Befouling Ink should be the primary target of your HoTs.

Displacer Beast is invaluable on this fight. You can use it to blink through Slicing Tornado, out of Crashing Wave, or to ferry Befouling Ink near the Devouring Maw to end Beckon Sarukel.

Players with Unstable Soul are your highest healing priority. If that player dies. it will explode and wipe the raid. Be vigilant with those targets.

Cooldown usage will vary based on the coordination with your fellow healers, but try to use Tranquility early in the Wrath of the Creators while the raid is still stabilizing. If you're lacking on healing CDs you can take Inner Peace and Tranquility will be available for every Wrath of the Creators.

If your tanks are solo soaking Hammer of Creation make sure they are topped before each cast. Be ready to use Ironbark on them if necessary.

As a healer you cannot be targeted by Dark Mark, but you may be asked to help soak them. At the very least you should be cognizant of who will be soaking Dark Mark so those players can be topped and given healing priority. Casting Displacer Beast after soaking will return you immediately to the ground and prevent you from taking fall damage.

You can use Bear Form and Barkskin to solo soak a Touch of Sargeras and heal it back up with Frenzied Regeneration in every set even on Mythic difficulty. Be sure to communicate if you do this so no one else splits the damage and dies with you.

Tranquility is best utilized after Rupture Realities damage.

Players who soaked Armageddon Rain will have a DoT effect applied to them. They should be the primary target of your HoTs.

Be vigilant with tanks during Fel Claws as they take a large amount of damage and should be fully HoT'd. Be ready with Ironbark.

Tranquility, Essence of G'Hanir, and Flourish can be used during the Shadow Reflection: Erupting's Erupting Dreadflame. Tranquility can also be utilized during Rupturing Singularity since you and use it on the move while other may have trouble healing during all that movement.

The fight is exceptionally long and has a high requirement at the end. Conserve your mana!

Casting Displacer Beast after Rupturing Singularity will return you immediately to the ground and prevent you from falling off the end of the platform if you're out of place.

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Tags: Raiding