Druid Restoration Abilities

James Wood Posted: Jan 5, 2009 9:27 PM ET
Category: Guides 0

WoW: Druid Restoration Abilities

MMORPG.com World of Warcraft Correspondent James Wood continues his look at the Druid with this overview of the nature-loving class's Restoration abilities.

The word "Restoration" is enough to describe the purpose of this section of the Druid's skills. It's mostly about healing your party members long enough for them to get the job done. Most Druids become familiar with this tree, especially when they happen to be one of the few heal-capable classes in the group.

Abolish Poison

Mana Cost: 13% of base mana
Casting Time: Instant
Range: 40 yards
Duration: 8 seconds
Target: Friendly

Acquisition and Effect Table

Level	Effect
26	Cures 1 poison effect on target and 1 more poison effect every 2 seconds

This has the same effect as Cure Poison and the same mana cost for a much longer dispel effect. If you're still using Cure Poison after getting this, you're wasting mana. Cure Poison can only be used when the target is poisoned, but with Abolish Poison, you can put it on a friendly before the poison effect happens, guaranteeing protection for 8 seconds while you tend to other matters.

Cure Poison

Casting Time: Instant
Range: 40 yards
Target: Friendly

Acquisition, Mana Cost and Effect Table

Level	Mana Cost	Effect
14	13% of base mana	Cures 1 poison effect on target and 1 more poison effect every 2 seconds
16	7% of base mana	Cures 1 poison effect on target and 1 more poison effect every 2 seconds

At the later level, this is cheaper than casting Abolish Poison, but it's only good if the target has a poison on them. Don't use this spell to deal with poisons unless you know the enemy is not going to cast another poison in the next eight seconds after your first Cure Poison.

Gift of the Wild

Casting Time: Instant
Range: All party/raid members
Target: Friendly
Duration: 1 hour

Acquisition, Effect and Reagent Table

Level	Mana Cost	Effect	Reagent
50	72% of base mana	+240 armor, +10 all attributes, +15 all resistances	Wild Berries
60	72% of base mana	+285 armor, +12 all attributes, +20 all resistances	Wild Thornroot
70	64% of base mana.	+340 armor, +14 all attributes, +25 all resistances	Wild Quillvine
80	64% of base mana	+750 armor, +37 all attributes, +54 all resistances	Wild Spineleaf

It's a crowd-wide buff with the same effects as Mark of the Wild, but only an option if you're in a crowd of three or more. The reagents don't cost very much and are stackable in 20s, so one less backpack slot for you is 20 raid-wide buffs for everyone.

Healing Touch

Casting Time: 3 seconds
Range: 40 yards
Target: Friendly

Acquisition, Mana Cost and Effect Table

Level	Mana Cost	Effect
1	38% of base mana	37 - 51 healing
8	38% of base mana	88 - 112 healing
14	38% of base mana	195 - 243 healing
20	38% of base mana	363 - 445 healing
26	38% of base mana	490 - 594 healing
32	38% of base mana	636 - 766 healing
38	38% of base mana	802 - 960 healing
44	38% of base mana	1199 - 1427 healing
50	38% of base mana	1299 - 1539 healing
46	38% of base mana	1620 - 1912 healing
60	38% of base mana	1944 - 2294 healing
62	38% of base mana	2026 - 2392 healing
69	33% of base mana	2321 - 2739 healing
74	33% of base mana	3223 - 3805 healing
79	33% of base mana	3750 - 4428 healing

Your first healing spell is a doozy, both in its effect and mana cost. Healing nearly 4.5k HP in one cast will make you feel like a big shot in the raids, Healing Touch burns mana so quickly that the healing-over-time spells seem much more mana-efficient. Save Healing Touch for emergencies.

Lifebloom

Mana Cost: 14% of base mana
Casting Time: Instant
Range: 40 yards
Duration: 7 seconds
Special: Stacks 3 times

Acquisition and Effect Table

Level	Effect
64	224 over-time heal. Heals 600 when completed or dispelled.
72	287 over-time heal. Heals 770 when completed or dispelled.
80/p>	371 over-time heal. Heals 970 when completed or dispelled.

If you're obsessive about keeping everyone's health at full even if it isn't in combat, throw a Lifebloom at them. If you're worried that someone might die even if they're only at half HP, throw two Lifeblooms at them. If you're in the middle of a fight, throw three Lifeblooms and follow up with other spells, but don't rely on this for all of your healing needs, no matter how cheap it might be.

However, if you've got Nourish and don't want to spend for Regrowth, Lifebloom-> Nourish is a cheaper combo.

Mark of the Wild

Casting Time: Instant
Range: 30 yards
Duration: 30 minutes
Target: Friendly

Acquisition, Mana Cost and Effect Table

Level	Mana Cost	Damage
1	27% of base mana	+25 Armor
10	27% of base mana	+65 Armor, +2 All Attributes
20	27% of base mana	+105 Armor, +4 All Attributes
30	27% of base mana	+150 Armor, +6 All Attributes, +5 All Resistances
40	27% of base mana	+195 Armor, +8 All Attributes, +10 All Resistances
50	27% of base mana	+240 Armor, +10 All Attributes, +15 All Resistances
60	27% of base mana	+285 Armor, +12 All Attributes, +20 All Resistances
70	24% of base mana	+340 Armor, +14 All Attributes, +25 All Resistances
80	24% of base mana	+750 Armor, +37 All Attributes, +54 All Resistances

If you've got this, cast it on yourself before combat, at least. It's a buff that doesn't come with side effects and only needs mana to cast. Really, it's a no-brainer unless you're in a very large group that needs your buff.

Nature's Swiftness

Acquisition Requirement: 3 points in Intensity, 20 points in Restoration Talents, 1 point in Nature's Swiftness
Casting Time: Instant
Duration: Until next Nature spell is cast
Cooldown: 3 minutes

Acquisition and Effect Table

Level	Effect
30	Next Nature spell with below 10-second cast becomes instant

There's no reason to skip this, especially if you're a dedicated healer for a raiding or PvP group. You don't need to wait on Healing Touch, Regrowth or other Nature-based spells while your target screams 'healmehealmehealme'. Just pop and go.

Nourish

Mana Cost: 18% of base mana
Casting Time: 1.5 seconds
Range: 40 yards
Target: Friendly/p>

Acquisition and Healing Table

Level	Healing
80	1883 - 2187 + 20% if target has Rejuvenation, Regrowth or Lifebloom

Druids deal considerable healing with their heal-over-time spells, but throwing in Nourish just gives those over-time heals that much more importance. The casting time is shorter than Regrowth and the mana cost is lower. Being an instant heal, this is also a cheaper alternative to Healing Touch. It's a shame this is only available at 80.

Omen of Clarity

Acquisition Requirement: 10 points in Restoration Talents, 1 point in Omen of Clarity Talent
Casting Time: Instant
Target: Self

Acquisition and Effect Table

Level	Effect
20	Damage spells, healing spells and auto attacks have a chance to activate Clearcasting, reducing mana, rage or energy cost of next damage spell, healing spell or offensive ability by 100%.