Shammy Heroic Healin'

""See this Finger?"
"Sir no Sir"
"That's right! Damn trogg bit it off in Grim Batol!"

Hit the break for some heroic healing advice from a battle scarred and bloody resto shaman.


For my fellow Restoshams still grinding the heroics there are a few things you should remember when you walk into some monster's home, help slaughter it and then take its stuff.

• Healing Wave sucks but we are stuck with it. It gives back such a small amount of health compared to your fellow party member's massive health pools but it's efficient enough to let us cast it pretty regularly without impacting our mana too much. Be proactive about your healing and try to use HW to boost people when they aren't taking massive damage.
• Dress appropriately for your instance. Non-Spirit gear isn't really a good option. Yes some of it can be reforged for spirit but, especially at lower gear levels, you need all the mana regen you can get. Gone are the days when we wore very little MP5(Read Spirit for Cata) and relied on Improved Water Shield for mana regen.
• Riptide your butt off. Aside from triggering Improved Water Shield regularly it's a hot that buffs your other heals and can be part of a Riptide, Unleah Elements, Chain Heal combo.
• Unleash Elements is your friend. It's on a 15 second cooldown so should be used fairly regularly. It heals and buffs your next heal so don't be shy about spreading it around. That said if you know some spike damage is coming save it.
• Don't be afraid to use your mana - Don't get so conservative with your mana that you don't heal people. On trash don't be afraid to blow the whole kit 'n kaboodle to keep your group up. You can drink after the pull. On boss fights you have to be a bit more stingy but finishing a boss fight with no mana is better than wiping with 30% mana. It's a balancing act that you have to learn.
• Keep ES on the tank... always. There's no reason a tank should ever be without earth shield. Not only does it heal him every time he takes a hit but it also buffs your healing wave (which can use all the help it can get).
• Don't forget SWG - Spirit Walker's Grace. It's kind of a crappy talent for our level 85 big bad mutha talent. That doesn't mean it's useless though. It's great for when you need to avoid the nasty and heal at the same time. It's very situational but can save your bacon if used correctly.
• Insta Wolf is awesome - If you didn't fit insta-wolf into your spec you should. You should also have it hotkeyed, on your bar, in a clickable area or whatever you need to do to be able to pop it in a hurry.  Erudax in GB springs to mind. Sometimes he spawns that storm in the most inconvienient of places. Ghost wolf gets you there in style.
• Mana Tide and Trink often. Mana tide is only on a 3 minute cooldown now so pop it around 60% or so and you might be able to pop it again in the fight. Also your trinkets are on a 2 min cooldown so don't be afraid to use them to keep your mana up.

Hopefully these hints can help you get through a few more heroics. If you have any you'd like to add please feel free to drop some comments below. Happy Healing!