Heal Rotation & Cooldowns (5.3)
Maintaining a proper Rotation and using the right Cooldowns is essential to maximizing your Restoration Druid. Use this guide to optimize your single target and AoE rotations while learning how to get the most out of your cooldowns.
Single Target Rotation
There are no set healing rotations in World of Warcraft. Instead, you should familiarize yourself with the mechanics and suggested uses for each healing spell.
HoTs: These are the most frequently used heals by Restoration Druids.
- Rejuvenation Strong heal for any situation. Used to setup Swiftmend.
- Lifebloom Maintain full stack on tanks. Refresh with direct heals.
- Swiftmend Powerful group heal.
Direct Heals: Direct heals are less frequently used than HoTs, but still play a role in healing.
- Nourish Use on targets taking little to moderate damage.
- Healing Touch Use on targets taking a lot of damage.
- Regrowth Emergency heal to save players facing death.
Healing is a very situational activity. Learn to use your HoTs and direct heals by following the advice above. Make sure to maintain Mastery Harmony by casting a direct heal every 20 seconds. Watch for Omen of Clarity procs and consume them with Healing Touch or Regrowth as needed.
AoE Rotation
As a raid healer, you want to always use Wild Growth and Swiftmend on cooldown, with Rejuvenation and Nourish used on individual raid members. Wild Mushroom + Wild Mushroom Bloom may be used but only if the Wild Mushroom can be placed without interfering with your healing (ideally pre-pull).
Effective Cooldowns
These effective cooldowns are available if you chose them in your talent build.
- Natures Swiftness Combine with Healing Touch or Rebirth.
- Incarnation Tree of Life Use for burst healing. Spam Wild Growth and Lifebloom.
- Natures Vigil Use as needed for burst healing. Can be combined with Incarnation Tree of Life.
These are effective cooldowns to try and incorporate into most all encounters.
- Innervate Use as needed for additional Mana.
- Ironbark Use proactively to reduce high amounts of incoming damage.
- Rebirth Bring back the dead!
- Symbiosis Use for Cleanse (Paladin), Leap of Faith (Priest), or Spiritwalker’s Grace (Shaman).
- Tranquility Epic group heal. Use at the discretion of your raid/party leader.