Skip to main content

Restoration Druid Spells and Abilities

Updated 7 months, 1 week ago for patch 10.1 by Preston. View the change log.

Below are details on how each Restoration Druid spell functions and what its best use conditions are. Druids excel at using and buffing heal over time effects and as a result are one of the more mobile healers. While they have no problem single-target healing, they really shine in group-healing situations where multiple players are taking damage at one time.

Feel free to leave comments at the bottom of the page, contact me, or tweet @PrestonDvorak.

Usage Overview

Below you'll find a quick reference for each spell's usage situation. Click on any of the spell names to be taken to that spell's section for more details.

Main

The main spell is used more often in nearly every situation, either on its own or to supplement other spells noted below.

Rejuvenation



Maintenance

Maintenance spells should be maintained at all times, even if little to no damage is happening.

Adaptive Swarm (talent), Efflorescence (talent), Lifebloom



Group-Healing

Group-healing spells are used when five or more players are taking sustained damage or are missing a moderate amount of health.

Flourish (talent), Wild Growth (talent)



Single-Target Healing

Single-target healing spells are used when one player is taking sustained damage or missing a moderate amount of health.

Cenarion Ward (talent), Invigorate (talent), Ironbark (talent), Nourish (talent), Regrowth



Emergency Healing

Emergency healing spells are used if a player will die without the quick, powerful response these spells offer. They're generally used less than other healing spells.

Nature's Swiftness (talent), Overgrowth (talent), Swiftmend



Major Healing Cooldowns

Major healing cooldowns are used when 10+ players (or all players, in the case of dungeons and mythic+) are taking heavy, sustained damage or are missing a large amount of health.

Convoke the Spirits (talent), Incarnation: Tree of Life (talent), Tranquility (talent)



Utility

Utility spells won't see use in every situation, but learning what they do and when to use them is important.

Heart of the Wild (talent), Innervate (talent), Nature's Cure, Rebirth, Revitalize, Soothe (talent)



Passive Effects

Passive effects are always active and boost your healing potential with little to no extra effort.

Mastery: Harmony, Omen of Clarity (talent), Ysera's Gift (talent)



Damaging

Damaging spells are used to help kill enemies, most commonly in dungeons and mythic+, when healing required is low and extra mana is available.

The following spells are used while in no form or in Moonkin Form: Moonfire, Starfire, Starsurge (talent), Sunfire (talent), Wrath

The following spells are used while in Cat Form: Ferocious Bite, Rake (talent), Rip (talent), Shred, Swipe (talent), Thrash (talent)

More information on dealing damage can be found on the healing tips and tricks page.



Crowd Control

Crowd Control spells are used to keep enemies where you want them to be or to keep them from damaging players.

Cyclone (talent), Entangling Roots, Hibernate (talent), Incapacitating Roar (talent), Maim (talent), Mass Entanglement (talent), Mighty Bash (talent), Typhoon (talent), Ursol's Vortex (talent)



Mobility

Mobility spells let you move around quickly to avoid harmful spells or to get in range of other players to heal them.

Dash, Stampeding Roar (talent), Tiger Dash (talent), Wild Charge (talent)



Survivability

Survivability spells are used when you know you're going to take damage, or if you find yourself unexpectedly low on health.

BarkskinBear Form, Renewal (talent)

Advertisement

Main

The main spell is used more often in nearly every situation, either on its own or to supplement other spells noted below.

Rejuvenation

Do

  • use to heal players missing moderate health
  • preemptively cast on players in preparation for group damage

Dont

  • forget about your other spells when the proper situation arises

This should be the spell you're using the most. For its mana cost, it's safe to cast on players missing at least 10% of their health. If you know heavy group-wide damage is coming in <10-seconds, prepare by casting this on as many players as possible, even if they're at full health. Take a look at the healing tips and tricks page for more information on preemptively preparing for group-wide damage.



Maintenance

Maintenance spells should be maintained at all times, even if little to no damage is happening.

Adaptive Swarm (talent)

Do

  • use frequently on players missing health
  • use on enemies if all players have the effect

Dont

  • use on players or enemies with 3+ stacks

This should generally be used whenever it's off cooldown, either on a player that's missing health or on an enemy if all players are already affected. The goal being to maximize the number of active swarms. Whenever possible, avoid casting this on a player or enemy that already has three or more stacks because the maximum stack count is five and each cast of the spell applies three stacks.

Efflorescence (talent)

Do

  • place under 3+ players
  • place under tanks if players are too spread

Dont

  • forget to move it when players move

Place this under a group of least three players, or if players are too spread apart, place it under the tanks as they'll frequently be taking damage. Don't forget to move it when players move, especially in dungeons and Mythic+.

Lifebloom

Do

  • keep active on the current tank
  • place on yourself with Photosynthesis

This should be kept on the current tank at all times, unless you're using Photosynthesis, in which case it's acceptable to place it on yourself when group-wide damage is happening. It not only provides Omen of Clarity the opportunity to proc Clearcasting, but also counts as a heal over time effect for Mastery: Harmony. Additionally, if Lifebloom is refreshed with <30% of its duration remaining, the bloom effect is triggered just like if it expired. This can be used to supply a burst of healing to the tank in some cases.



Group-Healing

Group-healing spells are used when five or more players are taking sustained damage or are missing a moderate amount of health.

Flourish (talent)

Do

  • use with heal over time effects on 10+ players missing moderate health

Dont

  • use before players are missing health
  • use if heal over time effects from Wild Growth or Tranquility aren't active

This is best used when you know heavy group-wide damage is coming. This allows you to "ramp up" your healing potential by placing Rejuvenation on as many players as possible about 10-seconds before the damage happens, then using Wild Growth shortly after the damage begins, before finally using Flourish. Try to also have Lifebloom and Cenarion Ward (talent) active, but don't delay Flourish use if players will die or the damage will end in the meantime.

Alternatively, if damage happened unexpectedly, you can use Tranquility, then Wild Growth, and then Flourish.

More details on healing group-wide damage can be found on the healing tips and tricks page.

Wild Growth (talent)

Do

  • use when 5+ players are missing moderate health

Dont

  • use before players are missing health

Use this when five or more players are already missing health. You want to avoid using it before damage has happened because the healing effect slows over time, and you don't want to miss out of the most potent healing at the beginning of the effect.



Single-Target Healing

Single-target healing spells are used when one player is taking sustained damage or missing a moderate to large amount of health.

Cenarion Ward (talent)

Do

  • use frequently on the current tank
  • use on players taking sustained damage

You can think of Cenarion Ward as a second Lifebloom in the sense that it's nearly always fine to just use it on the current tank. You can use it on other players who are taking sustained damage, or wait to use it if you know a player is about to be taking sustained damage, but try not to keep it off cooldown for longer than 10-15 seconds.

Invigorate (talent)

Do

  • use on a player taking sustained damage
  • use on a player missing a moderate amount of health

This is best used on a player that has both Lifebloom and Rejuvenation, usually the tank, however, if a player with only one or the other needs the healing, it's still worth using.

Ironbark (talent)

Do

  • use on a player taking sustained damage
  • use on a player just before they take damage

Try to use this as frequently as possible on tanks before they take heavy damage, on any player with a major damaging debuff, or on a player low on health that you expect to continue taking damage. In some situations, external defensive cooldowns are coordinated with other healers to be used at specific times, usually on the tank before they take heavy damage or on a player assigned to take a major damaging debuff.

Nourish (talent)

Do

  • use to heal heavy damage on players with at least one heal over time effect

Dont

  • use on players with no heal over time effects

When used on a player with at least one heal over time effect active, Nourish is a very efficient heal for moderate and heavy damage. However, you need to be careful not to use it on players with no heal over time effects, as it will be significantly less effective. If a player is missing a heal over time effect and the damage is moderate, you can lead with Rejuvenation; if the damage is heavy or sustained, you can lead with Regrowth.

Regrowth

Do

  • use on players missing a large amount of health when other spells aren't sufficient
  • use when Clearcasting is active to heal any player

Dont

  • use on players if other spells are available
  • use on players missing small amounts of health

This is best used on players when other spells aren't enough to heal the damage they're taking and you don't have any emergency spells available. While it's fine to cast it on the same player multiple times in a row, it does cost a lot of mana, so make sure not to neglect your other spells in the moment. This is especially true while Incarnation: Tree of Life (talent) is active and Regrowth has not cast time.

Whenever the Clearcasting buff is active, use this on the player missing the most health to consume Clearcasting before it expires. If no players are missing health, use it on the tank as they're likely to make use of the heal over time effect.



Emergency Healing

Emergency healing spells are used if a player will die without the quick, powerful response these spells offer. They're generally used less than other healing spells.

Nature's Swiftness (talent)

Do

  • use with Regrowth on players taking heavy damage

This is our strongest emergency healing ability when coupled with Regrowth. It should be used any time a player needs a large, instant heal to survive. Depending on the type of content you're doing, it can also be used more frequently to save some mana because it makes Regrowth cost no mana, however, it's usually better to save it for emergencies.

Overgrowth (talent)

Do

  • use to rapidly heal a player over time

Dont

  • use when an immediate large heal is necessary

This spell applies our main heal over time effects to the targeted player, leading to rapid healing over time. This healing should be enough to survive most heavy damage, but could fall short if the damage comes in a single hit. You can follow up with Swiftmend if a burst of healing is required. The downside to this spell is it moves our Lifebloom to the targeted player, which may not always be ideal.

Swiftmend

Do

This is another strong emergency heal but it requires the player have a heal over time effect on them that can be consumed. If you need to heal a player that has no heal over time effect, and the damage is heavy, use Regrowth first; otherwise, use Rejuvenation.

If you've taken the Soul of the Forest talent, you'll be using Swiftmend much more often to gain the buff. In this case, it's acceptable to use it outside of emergency situations, however, do your best to avoid too much of its healing going to waste.



Major Healing Cooldowns

Major healing cooldowns are used when 10+ players (or all players, in the case of dungeons and mythic+) are taking heavy, sustained damage or are missing a large amount of health.

Convoke the Spirits (talent)

Do

Dont

This is best used after moderate group-wide damage, ideally following Wild Growth or Tranquility because of the small chance it casts Flourish. However, if the damage was unexpected it may not be worth waiting for Wild Growth to come off cooldown.

This can also be used while in Cat Form or Moonkin Form to deal damage, as it will prefer damaging spells while in those forms.

Incarnation: Tree of Life (talent)

Do

  • use just before heavy group-wide damage
  • cast Wild Growth three times while active
  • use Rejuvenation frequently while active

Dont

This is best used at the beginning of heavy group-wide damage, either when Tranquility is on cooldown or if you're assigned to use Tranquility at another point within 3-minutes. Try to cast Wild Growth three times while it's active and cast as many Rejuvenations as possible in between. If a player needs emergency healing, you can also make use of instant-cast Regrowth, being careful not to overuse them as the high mana cost will drain your mana quickly.

Tranquility (talent)

Do

  • use during periods of heavy group-wide damage
  • coordinate usage with other healers in large groups

Dont

  • use when damage is light or moderate, unless players will die otherwise

This is our powerful group-healing cooldown. In most raid situations, it will be coordinated with other healer's powerful cooldowns for use during heavy damage points in an encounter. If its usage hasn't been coordinated, use your best judgement and try to avoid using it at the same time as other healers' cooldowns. When in a dungeon, this does twice as much healing, making it useful for emergency situations there, too.

Each time this heals a player they gain a healing over time stack, which should be extended with Flourish (talent) whenever possible.



Utility

Utility spells won't see use in every situation, but learning what they do and when to use them is important.

Heart of the Wild (talent)

Do

  • use to increase damage dealt or survivability

This spell increases the potency of your chosen Affinity talent, increasing your damage dealt or survivability. With Feral Affinity and Balance Affinity your associated spells and abilities will deal more damage. With Guardian Affinity you'll gain more survivability while in Bear Form. If you know you'll need to help DPS during an encounter, you'll want to pair this with Feral or Balance. For general use, the extra survivability with Guardian is a decent choice.

Innervate (talent)

Do

  • use before preparing for group-wide damage
  • cast as many spells as possible while active

You'll most likely use this before preparing for group-wide damage, as detailed on the healing tips page, because that's a moment you know you'll be casting more than 10 spells in rapid succession. Ideally, you'll cast Efflorescence, Wild Growth, Cenarion Ward (talent), and Lifebloom while it's active, in addition to as many Rejuvenations as you can. However, you shouldn't wait for any spells to come off cooldown as casting any spell is more mana savings than casting no spell.

Nature's Cure

Do

  • dispel incapacitating or high damage debuffs quickly
  • coordinate usage with other dispellers

Dont

  • dispel “explosive” or harmful-when-dispelled debuffs until the player is ready

In most cases, it's safe to dispel any Magic, Curse, or Poison effect immediately. However, because of the eight second cooldown you may need to prioritize what you dispel first if there are multiple debuffs present. Usually, you want to dispel things that incapacitate players first, followed by debuffs that cause high amounts of damage. Be on the look-out for debuffs that “explode” or otherwise cause harm to the affected player or nearby players when dispelled. Coordinate positioning ahead of time or be ready to use an extra cooldown (like Ironbark) to keep them alive.

Rebirth

Do

  • use immediately to resurrect a tank or healer in most situations

Dont

  • always immediately use on a DPS

In large group content, it's usually best to resurrect a tank immediately when they die. When a healer dies, it's usually fine to resurrect them immediately, however, if the encounter doesn't require a lot of healing and they're the only healer dead it can be fine to wait. Resurrecting DPS immediately usually isn't the best idea, unless they have an important assignment on the encounter, or if you're in a dungeon or mythic+.

Revitalize

Use this to resurrect dead group members when out of combat. Classes with healing specializations are the only ones with a mass resurrection. This can also be used to resurrect dead players that are otherwise out of range, thanks to its 100-yard range.

Soothe (talent)

Do

  • use to remove Enrage effects on higher health enemies

Dont

  • use on enemies that are close to dying

Druids are one of the classes that are able to remove Enrage effects on enemies, making this an important utility spell in most group content. With a 10-second cooldown, it will be almost impossible to dispel every Enrage effect. So, the best way to handle it is to dispel the highest health enemy first, except in cases where an Enrage effect is more potent on a lower health enemy, such as if they're casting a group-wide damage ability.



Passive Effects

Passive effects are always active and boost your healing potential with little to no extra effort.

Mastery: Harmony

Our mastery increases the healing done by our healing over time effects for each healing over time effect on a player. Given Restoration Druid's heal over time centric spells and talents, this can be a consistent, large increase to healing throughput.

Omen of Clarity (talent)

This makes your next Regrowth cast cost no mana, and the buff should always be consumed when it's active. If no players are injured, using Regrowth on the tank is fine, as they'll likely make use of the heal over time effect at the very least.

Ysera's Gift (talent)

This automatically heals you or a nearby player while you're at full health. It costs no mana and happens automatically.



Crowd Control

Crowd Control spells are used to keep enemies where you want them to be or to keep them from damaging players.

Cyclone (talent)

Do

  • use to keep enemies completely controlled for a short duration

Dont

  • use on enemies that are being intentionally damaged

This is a powerful, short duration crowd control effect that makes the affected enemy completely immune to beneficial and harmful abilities and effects. In almost all cases, it should only be used on an enemy that's not going to be the target of DPS for its duration, and unless coordinated with the group shouldn't be used on current DPS targets. In the rare case a crowd controlled enemy has damage over time effects placed on it when it's important that it remains crowd controlled, Cyclone can be used until the damage over time effects wear off and a more permanent crowd control effect can be applied.

Entangling Roots

Do

  • use to hold a melee enemy in place

Dont

  • use on enemies taking damage
  • use on caster/ranged enemies

This spell is primarily used for controlling enemies that use melee attacks. It doesn't fully incapacitate the affected enemy, so it's less useful for enemies with ranged attacks and spells. It will also break if the affected enemy takes too much damage. If a player is standing near a melee enemy while it's rooted, the enemy will hit the nearby player even if they don't have threat.

Hibernate (talent)

Do

  • use to incapacitate a Beast or Dragonkin
  • use to interrupt casts from Beats or Dragonkins

Unlike Entangling Roots, this fully incapacitates a hostile Beast or Dragonkin, stopping them from using any attacks or abilities. However, any damage dealt to the affected enemy breaks the effect. If you want the enemy under control for a long period, it's best to use this before the enemy is engaged. It can also be used to interrupt casts, even on enemies that are being actively damaged.

Incapacitating Roar (talent)

Do

  • use to control enemies for a short duration
  • use to help interrupt enemies susceptible to incapacitating effects

This can be used to control enemies for a short duration, whether that be to follow up with more powerful crowd control, or just to slow incoming damage for a moment. It's also a great for interrupting spell casts from enemies that are susceptible to incapacitating effects.

Maim (talent)

Do

  • use to keep an enemy incapacitated
  • use to interrupt enemies susceptible to Stun effects

This is similar to Mighty Bash, with the downside of needing combo points to use. If you have the time to generate the combo points, this is a powerful incapacitating effect that can be used for general crowd control while the enemy is in combat, or as an interrupt on enemies that are susceptible to Stuns. However, given that combo points are better spent on higher damage abilities, this should be used for emergencies only.

Mass Entanglement (talent)

Do

  • use to hold enemies in place

This can control large groups of enemies that aren't being damaged, however, like Entangling Roots, damage will eventually break the effect. It also won't stop enemies from using ranged attacks or spells.

Mighty Bash (talent)

Do

  • use to keep an enemy incapacitated
  • use to interrupt enemies susceptible to Stun effects

This is a strong, short-duration crowd control effect that's perfect to use while an enemy is already in combat or taking damage. It's also nice for interrupting spell casts, especially on enemies that are immune to spell interrupt effects but are still susceptible to Stun effects.

Typhoon (talent)

Do

  • use to keep enemies away from players
  • use to help interrupt enemies susceptible to knock back effects*

This can be used to keep enemies away from yourself or other players, or to interrupt spell casts of enemies susceptible to knock back effects. DPS sometimes find it annoying to have enemies knocked away, but it's almost always worth it to interrupt an important spell cast or keep another player safe.

Ursol's Vortex (talent)

Do

  • use to keep enemies controlled in an area

Great for any situation that has enemies that need to be controlled or kept away from the tank or other players. Be careful of situations where enemies are standing in ground effects that buff them, where Ursol's Vortex can keep them buffed for longer (a great example is the Sanguine mythic+ affix).



Mobility

Mobility spells let you move around quickly to avoid harmful spells or to get in range of other players to heal them.

Dash

This is the baseline movement speed ability for Restoration Druids. It requires you to stay in Cat Form to take advantage of the speed increase. However, you can freely shift in and out of Cat Form for the duration of the buff. You should use this ability if you won't make it out of something without the speed increase. If you can make it out safely without using Dash, you should always continue healing while moving instead.

Stampeding Roar (talent)

Similar to Dash, this will not only increase your movement speed but also the movement speed of nearby players. When used, it shifts you into Bear Form but you don't have to remain in Bear Form to take advantage of the movement speed buff. You should use this anytime you or nearby players need to make it out of a dangerous spot quickly.

Tiger Dash (talent)

This replaces Dash and allows you to cover a significant amount of ground in a short period of time. It does require you to be in Cat Form but you'll cover the distance more quickly and can shift out sooner than with Dash.

Wild Charge (talent)

This is a versatile spell you can customize by changing forms. It can feel clunkier than other options due to the need to change forms, but it offers many more possibilities and may be more useful on some encounters. Such as those that take place on multiple platforms, as this gives you multiple options to move to nearby platforms while in no form or Moonkin Form.



Survivability

Survivability spells are used when you know you're going to take damage, or if you find yourself unexpectedly low on health.

Barkskin

Do

  • use when low on health and taking damage
  • use before taking heavy damage

This is our baseline personal defensive cooldown, and should be used anytime you're at risk of dying or before you're going to take heavy damage or sustained moderate damage.

Bear Form

Do

  • use when Barkskin isn't enough or on cooldown

This isn't like a traditional survival cooldown, but considering it increases your health and armor, it can still help keep you alive. You can also couple it with the Frenzied Regeneration talent to heal yourself while in Bear Form. The downside is you won't be able to cast healing spells while in Bear Form, but sometimes keeping yourself alive is more important.

Renewal (talent)

Do

  • use when missing more than 30% of your health

This can be thought of as another Healthstone, and should be used any time you're missing a moderate amount of health.


Comment on Restoration Druid Guide

Changelog - View the last ten changes. - +

May 23, 2023 - 3:29 pm (Stat Weights and Gearing) - Adjusted Best in Slot trinkets for Raid and Mythic+, added the missing Screaming Black Dragonscale.

May 18, 2023 - 4:25 pm (Addons) - Updated Grid2 import code an Filtered Debuff lists with various debuff corrections for Dragonflight Season 2.

May 16, 2023 - 4:48 pm (Stat Weights and Gearing) - Made changes to Feet, Back, and Finger best in slot items for Raiding and Mythic+ to account for additional embellishments.

May 09, 2023 - 11:12 pm (Stat Weights and Gearing) - Updated Best in Slot lists for Dragonflight Season 2.

May 09, 2023 - 7:16 pm (Addons) - Updated Grid 2 import code with Dragonflight Season 2 debuffs.

May 09, 2023 - 6:26 pm (Addons) - Updated Grid2 import code with initial Aberrus debuffs.

March 30, 2023 - 3:44 pm (Talents and Builds) - Updated builds for 10.0.7 and added additional swap information.

March 24, 2023 - 4:51 am (Stat Weights and Gearing) - Updated Onyx Annulet stone recommendations for Mythic+.

March 20, 2023 - 8:15 pm (Stat Weights and Gearing) - Added Onyx Annulet to BiS lists.

January 30, 2023 - 4:19 pm (Healing Tips and Tricks) - Added Innervate usage and miscellaneous tips section.