Restoration Druid Healer Challenge Mode BiS & Guide - MoP Classic (Phase 3)

By Voulk Updated: 2026/01/06

Druid Challenge Mode Transmog SetChallenge Conqueror: GoldScarlet Halls: GoldChallenge Conqueror: SilverAncestral Phoenix Egg

Reins of the Ashen Pandaren Phoenix

Reins of the Emerald Pandaren Phoenix

Reins of the Violet Pandaren Phoenix

Reins of the Crimson Pandaren Phoenix

Challenge Conqueror: Bronze What is restricted in Challenge Modes?do not require you to perfectly optimize every item What is my role as a Restoration Druid in Challenge Modes? Tips and Tricks for Restoration Druid in Challenge Modes

Use as a burst DPS cooldown. You'll get 2 to 3 of them per run since it has a long cooldown. While is active, put Moonfire on any mobs that'll live for a while and then fill with Wrath. Going into Cat Form and casting Rake on mobs is a DPS increase too though it complicates the rotation. Make sure you don't spend any time in Cat Form without energy since that's always worse than going back into caster form.

Use Typhoon as an AoE interrupt or to give the tank breathing room as required. Avoid overusing it though since pushing mobs away can cost your group DPS.

Use Innervate often to reduce the amount of time you spend drinking or in Amber.

If you don't need mana between pulls then refresh Lifebloom and place Efflorescence early so that you can spend the actual pull adding damage or helping the tank.

is a particularly powerful tool in challenge modes. The best choice is to your tank since it will give them an extra defensive to use like or . You'll also get a defensive in return.

Use Stampeding Roar very frequently to reduce the time your group spends walking from pack to pack. It is incredible utility.

Tough Healing Moment: The hallway next to Armsmaster Harlan is a big, dangerous pull - particularly for the tank. Prepare to Ironbark them, and pop if you have it. If you don't then Swiftmend -> Wild Growth as damage hits the group to make them near-immortal for its duration. Make sure you have Efflorescence down as the pull starts and burst it early if the pull is looking dire.

Scarlet Hall Guardian: These mobs have a 3-second stun called Jolt that you'll need to dispel as soon as possible. It's especially dangerous on the tank.

Tough Tank Pull: The last boss, Flameweaver Koegler, does very heavy tank damage. Make sure you keep 3 stacks of Lifebloom on them and use Ironbark if they get into trouble. Remember it has a short 1 minute cooldown.

Timing: You can use on Houndmaster Braun and Flameweaver Koegler and shorten both fights considerably. Just remember to heal in between DPS casts.

Resin Flake: Many packs of them at the start of the instance. Deal AoE damage when killed and give you a debuff that makes you take even more damage when more of them die. Use big AoE spells like Wild Growth here, keep Efflorescence down, and consider blooming it early if you get overwhelmed. You can also ask your team to slow down if it's too much.

Vizier Jin'bak: The first boss doesn't do too much damage but you'll need to spot heal whoever soaks the resin since they'll take moderate damage. A Rejuvenation and Regrowth is sufficient.

Drink to full mana before the second boss since you'll be stuck waiting for role-play before the boss starts anyway.

Wing Leader Ner'onok: The final boss will twice fly to the other end of his arena and start pushing the party away from him. We don't have anything that'll interrupt him but make sure you throw Wild Growth as you run to keep the party healthy.

Timing: Use on Vizier Jin'tak, Commander Vo'jak, and Wind Leader Ner'onok. This is a long one so you can comfortably fit three usages.

Liu Flameheart: Jade Serpent Strike is a healing absorb that you'll have to remove from the tank. Remove it with a large single target heal like Regrowth. This is also a good time to use Nature's Swiftness. Liu also inflicts a debuff (Serpent Strike). Dispel it as soon as possible.

It's very common to use an Invisibility potion to skip trash on the right side of the instance - toward Peril and Strife. Always keep a decent supply on you.

Tough Healing Moment: Sha of Doubt does quite a lot of damage when his adds are active. Use cooldowns here and expect two add phases so you might use for one and Tranquility for the other. Or if you're running Soul of the Forest you might use Tranquility on the first and burst a big Efflorescence on the second.

Timing: Use on Wise Mari, Strike & Peril, and if it's a slower run, Sha of Doubt.

Priority Dispel: The Risen Guard mobs in the very first pull will inflict Unholy Blade which is a dangerous damage taken increase. Dispel as soon as priority.

Instructor Chillheart: The first phase does very little damage so we'll spend most of it DPSing (with ). The second phase though deals heavy AoE damage. Counter with Tranquility and . Use Wild Growth whenever it's off cooldown.

Jandice Barov: Not an ultra-high healing fight but she does deal decent damage while her images (or clones) are up. Wild Growth to mop up damage and use Rejuvenation on anyone that takes quite a few hits in a row. It's not dangerous so long as you are actively healing the phase.

Rattlegore: A heavy tank damage fight. The tank needs to kite him when Rattlegore has high stacks of Rusting. We'd like to prepare for a tank that takes hits at slightly more stacks than they should which means we'll keep Lifebloom at 3 stacks and Ironbark when stacks get high.

Darkmaster Gandling: This boss will imprison someone on your team a few times through the fight and that can include the tank or healer. If you're chosen for imprisonment then you can Nature's Cure the Fresh Test Subject mobs and that'll do AoE damage.

Timing: Use during the first phase of Instructor Chillheart and Darkmaster Gandling. There's enough time to fit in a usage in between too but no clear place to use it. Use your best judgment instead.

Tough Healing Moment: Brother Korloff (the second boss) is dangerous because he punishes mistakes with a bursty death. Be ready to Nature's Swiftness any DPS players that get caught by Firestorm Kick or pre-Rejuvenation the group so that you can Swiftmend. If you took then use it when the boss drops below 50%, since that's when his damage is highest. That'll give you access to instant-cast Regrowths.

Priority Dispel: The first boss has a magic effect (Evict Soul) that'll summon more adds the longer it's on the target. Remove it as soon as possible.

Timing: Use on Thalnos the Soulrender and Inquisitor Whitemane. Both are low-damage enough that you'll get to spend a lot of time DPSing.

Tough Healing Moment: The trash at the start of the instance can be dangerous and bursty and it's common to pull most of it at once. Use or Tranquility here as damage starts coming in. Be ready to spot heal with Swiftmend and Regrowth. Use Ironbark on the tank if you're feeling overwhelmed so you can focus on the rest of the party.

It's faster to Goblin Glider down to Garalon instead of jumping down. You'll also avoid fall damage this way. If you opt not to Glider then swapping to Cat Form will reduce the amount of fall damage that you take.

The adds on the last boss, Raigonn, can be held in place with Ursol's Vortex. Use it if you don't trust your tank to pick them up immediately.

Timing: Use on Saboteur Kip'tilak and Commander Ri'mok. The former can be a bit dangerous in a less skilled group so use your best judgement and if the group is taking a lot of damage then will help with that anyway.

Tough Healing Moment: The Shado-Pan Stormbringer in the first pull of the instance will damage random allies for a lot of damage. Consider popping or Tranquility here to help stabilize the group. It's another pull where the damage is quite manageable, so long as you are prepared for it.

Gu Cloudstrike: Will cast a healing absorb on the group that heals everyone once removed. Use here to remove half of it and then Swiftmend someone to pop the first. You can follow up with Wild Growth or Rejuvenation on people but they tend to remove each other once you pop one and we're already doing a lot of AoE healing here.

After the first boss, you'll need to run through Archers firing icy arrows at you. If you get hit you can remove it by swapping forms. If someone else gets hit you can dispel them.

Priority Dispel: Sha of Violence (the third boss) will disorient the tank and start meleeing someone else instead. Dispel it as soon as possible! The boss also has adds that explode on death so you'll want to keep the group healthy.

Taran Zhu: You'll get an extra action button (Meditate) that'll remove Hatred (a new mechanic on the fight). If your Hatred hits 100 then you'll heal for 75% less! There's no advantage to a healer being high on Hatred so just remove it whenever you start to get high. Swap targets to Gripping Hatred when they're up. They'll pull everyone in the group into them.

Timing: Use on Gu Cloudstrike (when the dragon isn't active), Master Snowdrift, and Taran Zhu.

Tough Tank Pull: Before the first boss you'll do a large pull with a lot of Hozen in it. The tank will get smashed here so Ironbark them when they've finished gathering mobs, keep Lifebloom and Rejuvenation active on them and be prepared to top them back up with Regrowth or Swiftmend.

Ook-Ook: Run barrels into the boss by clicking on them and then directing them into the boss. Damage is quite low so you'll spend a lot of time DPSing.

Timing: Use on Ook-Ook and Yan-Zhu the Uncasked. You won't be able to spend the entire last boss DPSing but it'll also help with healing and you can weave in a lot of Wrath casts.

The Quillen in the opening trash packs can stun the tank. Use Ironbark to counter and layer them with HoTs to buy them time.

Trial of the King: While Mushiba is active, his pet Quillen will Ravage random allies and they'll need priority healing. When Haiyan is active, Conflagrate will do similarly dangerous damage to a random ally. Spot heal these with Rejuvenation -> Swiftmend or Regrowth.

Tough Healing Moment: Gekkan (the second boss) has a lot of dangerous mechanics that you'll have to heal through. Multiple adds will try and murder you in different ways but you'll kill them over the fight so it'll get less dangerous over time. Use if you have it, or an early Tranquility. Keep the tank healthy with 3x Lifebloom stacks. Dispel Hex of Lethargy whenever it goes out and spot heal the Shank target.

Tough Healing Moment: Xin the Weaponmaster (the final boss) is arguably even more difficult to heal. You'll be on the move often so this is a good opportunity to use . You can also aggressively Rejuvenation the party and Wild Growth on cooldown. Use Ironbark on the tank to ease pressure. Make sure you do your maintenance healing well like keeping Efflorescence down and Mastery: Harmony up.

Best in Slot Gear for Restoration Druids in Challenge ModesRestorative Amber

Slot

Item

Source

Helm (Eng Only)

Camouflage Retinal Armor

Engineering (BoP)

Helm

Helm of the Haunted Forest

Lu'lin (Twin Empyreans, Throne of Thunder)

Neck

Soul Prism of Lei Shen

Lei Shen (Throne of Thunder)

Shoulders

Mantle of the Haunted Forest

Iron Qon (Throne of Thunder)

Cape

Deadly Glare Cape

Durumu the Forgotten (Throne of Thunder)

Chest

Robes of the Haunted Forest

Dark Animus (Throne of Thunder)

Bracers

Vampire Bat-Hide Bracers

Tortos (Throne of Thunder)

Gloves

Anima-Ringed Fingers

Dark Animus (Throne of Thunder)

Belt

Girdle of Night and Day

Lu'lin (Twin Empyreans, Throne of Thunder)

Legs

Legwraps of the Haunted Forest

Ji-Kun (Throne of Thunder)

Boots

Sandals of the Starving Eye

Durumu the Forgotten (Throne of Thunder)

Ring

Durumu's Captive Eyeball

Durumu the Forgotten (Throne of Thunder)

Ring

Ro'shak's Remembrance

Iron Qon (Throne of Thunder)

Trinkets

Zen Alchemist Stone

Alchemy (BoP)

Trinkets

Lightning-Imbued Chalice

Lei Shen (Throne of Thunder)

1h Weapon

Athame of the Sanguine Ritual

Dark Animus (Throne of Thunder)

Offhand

Orb of Arcing Lightning

Iron Qon (Throne of Thunder)

Reaching Hit and Expertise Cap for Challenge Modes Best Enchants for Challenge Modes

Slot

Best Enchant

Alternate

Shoulders

Secret Crane Wing Inscription (Inscription)
Greater Crane Wing Inscription

Crane Wing Inscription

Cloak

(Tailoring)
Enchant Cloak - Superior Intellect

N/A

Chest

Enchant Chest - Glorious Stats

N/A

Bracers

(Leatherworking)
(Blacksmithing)
Enchant Bracer - Super Intellect

Enchant Bracer - Mastery (Cheaper)

Gloves

Enchant Gloves - Superior Mastery
(Engineering)
(Blacksmithing)

Enchant Gloves - Greater Haste

Belt

Living Steel Belt Buckle

Greater Pearlescent Spellthread

Pearlescent Spellthread (Cheaper)

Boots

Enchant Boots - Pandaren's Step

Enchant Boots - Greater Haste

Rings

(Enchanting)

Weapon

Enchant Weapon - Jade Spirit

Enchant Weapon - Windsong (Cheaper)

Offhand

Enchant Off-Hand - Major Intellect

N/A

Best Gems for Challenge Modes

Meta Gem: Burning Primal Diamond

Red Gem: Brilliant Primordial Ruby

Orange Gem: Artful Vermilion Onyx

Purple Gem: Purified Imperial Amethyst

Engineering Gems: Fractured Tinker's Gear & Quick Tinker's Gear

Best Restoration Druid Trinkets in Challenge ModesPassive Trinkets

Zen Alchemist Stone: The Alchemy trinket is an easy-to-craft best-in-slot trinket if you're an Alchemist. It's tuned much higher than its item level suggests but doesn't get scaled down so it ends up offering more stats than alternatives. Mastery is also a great stat for us.

Lightning-Imbued Chalice: It's very easy to take care of mana needs in Challenge Modes so you might consider adding a healing trinket in place of a regeneration trinket.

Relic of Chi-Ji: An Intellect trinket with a big Spirit proc is a great fit for us and this is one of the few Spirit-heavy items that can be worth including.

Active Trinkets Best Talents & Glyphs in Challenge Modescan Talents in Challenge ModesSoul of the ForestSoul of the ForestLifebloomUrsol's VortexTyphoon

Glyphs in Challenge Modes

- The Efflorescence / Efflorescence combo will take care of basically all light AoE damage and preps us well to burst heal when required.

- An ok increase to our single target burst healing.

- A Rebirth on the tank can be an essential run-saver. It is better at this job if it resurrects them at full health.

- Stampeding Roar is an amazing utility spell in challenge modes but its default 10-yard range is difficult to hit the entire group with.

- Lets you place Efflorescence anywhere instead of requiring a target. Very useful because it lets you pre-place your Efflorescence before you even pull the next pack.

- There are a few situations where reducing fall damage is of incredibly minor value.

Best Consumables in Challenge ModesBest Consumables for Restoration Druids

Type

Best Consumable

Alternate

Flask

Flask of the Warm Sun

Master Mana Potion
Potion of the Jade Serpent

Potion of Focus

Food

Mogu Fish Stew
Pandaren Treasure Noodle Soup

Braised Turtle
Deluxe Noodle Soup
Banquet of the Grill
Great Banquet of the Grill

Invisibility in Challenge Modes

Invisibility Potion is the best choice, giving 18 seconds of invisibility.

Lesser Invisibility Potion is a bit less powerful, lasting for 15 seconds instead.

Invisibility Field is an engineering-only version that's very good but it's only useful if your entire group are engineers since you often skip as a group.

Buff Replacements in Challenge ModesDrums of Rage Downtime Consumables in Challenge ModesRestorative AmberAmbersmith Zikk Movement & Speed Consumables in Challenge ModesDrums of SpeedNitro BoostsGoblin Glider Combat Tools in Challenge ModesG91 LandsharkBattle HornUrsol's Vortex Best Professions in Challenge Modes

Speed boosts with Nitro Boosts.

Potential skips with Goblin Glider.

Access to the best-in-slot challenge mode helm in Lightweight Retinal Armor.

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Restoration Druid Healer Challenge Mode BiS & Guide - MoP Classic (Phase 3)

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