11.0.5 Druid Tree Rework (Restoration)

In Development The War Within Patch 11.0.5 PTR
1

An overhaul was definitely something that needed to occur in The War Within Beta, but that didn’t happen. I can tell just by utilizing the Wowhead Talent Tree system that, if anything, the tree looks worse. Minus the only three prime changes that were asked for in Beta:

  • Tier 4 Set from S3/4 Dragonflight being added into the tree.
  • Reduction in the cost of Harmonious Blooming from a 2-point node to a 1-point node.
  • Swiftmend being reduced by % of HP. Great change!

Blizzard, I implore you to modify the tree again. Actually, create and test builds.
Your new tree, in fact, is an opportunity to create effective builds for Restoration Druids that would deliver and enhance a smoother playstyle. But this cannot happen unless you modernize the talent tree.

This would require:

  • Consolidation of abilities.
  • Changes to abilities.
    I know you can reduce and modify the tuning to ensure overperformance will not occur.

You did not address:

  • Modification of Restoration Druid Hero Trees such as Wildstalker / Keeper of the Grove.
  • Clunkiness of the playstyle.
  • Inability to access vital talents.

You did address:

  • Delivering a solution to burst with 2 Nature’s Swiftness.
  • Heal Cleave power with Forest Flow.
  • An opportunity for more builds.

Druid Healer Wish List:

  1. Swiftmend should no longer consume HoTs and extend HoT duration baseline – (Bake Verdant Infusion into Swiftmend).

    • Why? This will allow for a smoother rotation playstyle. We’re given the choice to mitigate burst with Prosperity (Double Swiftmend Talent), but this is counterintuitive as it takes a HoT away to utilize, and that HoT may or may not be a Soul of the Forest HoT.

  2. Prosperity should allow Soul of the Forest to stack twice.

    • Why? Emergency topping people off is punishing. If you want to heal two separate people immediately, you sacrifice one of your Soul of the Forest charges, or you rotation lock yourself.

  3. Budding Leaves changed from a 2-point node to a 1-point node.

    • Why? This is a prime example of talent bloat. Reducing it to 1 point will streamline the tree and allow Druids to focus on more impactful talents.

  4. Thriving Vegetation changed from a 2-point to a 1-point node.

    • Why? Another case of talent bloat. This change would free up points for other critical abilities without reducing its effectiveness.

  5. Forest Flow’s original iteration was a 200% Nourish. 60% is too low; deliver a 100% Nourish please.

    • Why? Without a buff, this power will remain too low to be effective in current content. Regrowth spot heals are already weak, and this is critical for making Nourish a viable option again.

  6. Stonebark and Regenerative Heartwood are still not meaningful choices. Combine them at this point.

    • Why? Neither talent feels strong enough individually to warrant their own spot. Combining them would add more value without cluttering the tree.

  7. Wild Roots is a great addition, but bake it into Abundance. Why have it separate? This is similar to your double Clearcasting.

    • Why? Keeping these separate adds unnecessary clutter to the tree. By combining it with Abundance, you’ll streamline the build and reduce talent bloat, enhancing overall talent synergy.

  8. Call of the Elder Druid still doesn’t take effect when we shift and use a shapeshift ability.

    • Why? It essentially punishes us for shifting. Make it trigger when we cast an ability (e.g., Bear: Ironfur, Frenzied Regen, etc.; Cat: Shred, Rip, etc.).

  9. Cultivation is still garbage.

    • Why? It barely heals anything and rarely procs in raid, Mythic+, or PvP. Its overall effectiveness is so low that it doesn’t warrant its talent point investment in any competitive content.

  10. Tranquility is awful to press.

    • It’s ruined by raid and Mythic+ mechanics. Also, Inner Peace and Dreamstate are still not combined, which makes it worse.
    • Suggestion: Make the ability like Malfurion from Heroes of the Storm: Press once, return to HoTs. Rather than pressing and channeling, sitting in misery, and praying RNG mechanics don’t hit you.

  11. Master Shapeshifter is far too remote and is a must-have in every form of content except world.

    • Why not add this to the top of the tree or make it baseline? Its importance across multiple forms of content justifies a more accessible position, rather than having to waste points to reach it.

  12. Regenesis isn’t flatlined, and basing it on % HP isn’t clearly defined. Just flatline the effect.

    • Why? The vague nature of its effect makes it unreliable. A flatline approach would provide consistency and predictability, which is crucial in high-pressure healing environments.

  13. Bake Dormancy into Rejuvenation. You keep changing it from a 16-second HoT to 18, etc. Set it at 21 or 18 seconds, like it was, and leave it.

Your choices in breaking our powers into small nodes are ruining build potential and rotation.
- This approach is causing unnecessary complexity and making it harder to create meaningful builds / smooth rotation without sacrificing critical utility or abilities.

Hero Trees – Wildstalker:

  1. Symbiotic Blooms are not affected by Flourish – this is a shame.
  2. Symbiotic Blooms in a raid scenario depend on Efflorescence for procs, but there’s nothing to increase Efflorescence’s target yield or radius.
  3. Wildstalker doesn’t deliver caster druid benefits.
    • It locks the tree as catweaver, counterintuitive to allowing us diverse playstyles.
  4. Forestwalk is still awful.
  5. Twin Sprouts and Implant should be one node with a shared effect.
  6. Resilient Flourishing doesn’t have an effect when Symbiotic Blooms expires, except with Bloodseeking.
  7. The secondary talent, Root Network, isn’t reliable.

Hero Trees – Keeper of the Grove:

  1. Dream Petal stack yield should be 6 instead of 3.
    • We are capped at 3. When we Tranq and press trees, more trees pop out, and then we lose Dream Petal output because we have to sit and ramp Tranq. Fix this.
  2. Move Durability of Nature with Blooming Infusion as a choice node.
  3. Blooming Infusion is really awful.
    • It doesn’t reward you for casting 5 of each spell regarding healing, which is noticeable on Balance. Unfortunate that we don’t get rewarded for either heals or DPS.

Base Tree Suggestions:

  1. Reduce the nodes for Lycara’s Teachings to 1 point, as well as Lore of the Grove and Instincts of the Claw.
  2. I’m tired of having to choose:
    • Do I want to avoid getting one-shotted?
    • Do I need to aid with damage via Nature’s Vigil?
    • Or do I risk going OOM because Innervate isn’t baseline anymore?

Overall Suggestions …

Fluid Form - Trainer Toggle or spell toggle like the switch between Dynamic and Skyriding.

Separate New Druid Flight Form called Skyriding Flight Form.

Return of the Ramp Playstyle, since its really not the same and feels bad since you nerfed flourish and rejuvenation durations and the loss of Luxriant Soil (bring it back :()

2 Likes
2

This is lazy design. Nature’s swiftness is a bad ability and it shouldn’t exist. It’s a relic of a game 15 years ago and it’s a bandaid over pool class design.

They need to do better.

1 Like
3

All I want for my resto Druid is to have Adaptive swarm back.

That’s it.

Was probably the best looking and coolest spell mechanically in the whole kit. Nerf the % bonus if you have to, even down to 8%. I don’t care. Bring back this spell.

1 Like
4

New talents look nice, if under-tuned, but talent points are to tight to ever really use it with how set the our builds currently are and not good enough to break any of those established builds. The spec needs more baseline fixes and clean up of 2 point filler passives so we can make new builds or we’re going to end up in % aura hell needing flat buffs every week to feel competitive. More like Harmonious bloom’s change pls.

Also

  • oath, dream and the MS/Liveliness node really should have their own damage focused section of the tree higher up, like how holy has its holyfire modifers shoved in the top right not blocking any direct healing talents.


  • Tranq needs something; either a hots interaction like increased tick rate while we channel, the channel removed at it made to tick in the background so we can move and cast other spells while its active, or having each of its stacks count as individual mastery layer so we get a good modifier while its up. It should be a baseline change not like the sad modifier choice node it currently has. It’s been a depressing excuse of a cooldown since SL and its been nerfed continually since when it was never the actual problem all the other better ramp cooldowns were and those have been gutted too.


  • PoA needs the Rng removed. It can even be a technical nerf like making it every 3rd wildgrowth but if it isnt dependable healers dont want it.


  • Rejuv needs to many different talents to make its duration anywhere near decent; improved rejuv in the class tree, germination, nuturing dormancy’s gimmick extension, just give us one talent that increases its duration to 20 seconds and remove all these others for something more interesting. It happened with regrowth, it just has thriving to bring it up, rejuv deserves the same treatment.
5

Personal opinion, the changes are a step in the right direction, but jeez I hope they add more, since the loss of Adaptive Swarm you really feel the difference it brought, and I mean we are worse off now.

Our HoTs require insane talent investment just simply to increase its duration to actually get use of our mastery.

I honestly think all HoTs need/should last 20 seconds baseline, we should be rewarded by consistently keeping our HoTs up, currently I think our HoTs duration and this is way more noticeable in M+ is so low, and to make them last a reasonable time you sacrifice soo much.

This wasn’t as noticeable with Adaptive Swarm as it was essentially up all the time, I really didn’t notice the pull and difference one ability had in how the spec feels and plays but jeez I was doing M0s and I could tell the difference instantly.

6

100% agree. It’s silly and promotes button bloat. I want a strong direct heal, not a two button silliness that requires me to make macros just to use it with any level of efficiency. Just give me a 1.5 sec cast time big fat Healing Touch instead maybe. I miss a big beefy heal in our arsenal. Everything is like a 2 or 3 button combo when you need big direct heals and its super clunky

1 Like
7

I think they tried to give this back when they reintroduced Nourish back to the spec tree… Good luck trying to play a Nourish build without Grove Guardians which are required for Keeper of the Grove though lol.

8

yeah true. I dont even see people taking nourish usually? Its left out of most builds I have seen

9

I think the reason Swiftmend using a HoT baseline is bad is the same reason the Dream of Cenarius mechanics are awkward.

As a HoT spec, resto druids are already very busy with their GCDs. Swiftmend eating a HoT wastes a global. Spamming wrath or melee abilities for very long means your HoTs are all ticking off and you’re getting behind in globals again.

In addition to making Verdant Infusion baseline, maybe they should consider giving Dream of Cearius a % chance to cast a rejuv on a nearby target or something, increased chance during HotW?

Wild Growth also should go back to being instant cast baseline.

Nurturing Dormancy maybe should be considered for a baseline effect as well to reduce the waste of rejuv ticks for all variations of the spec. It’s not really worth picking up in a lot of specs but would be a nice QoL thing.

2 Likes
10

100% agree

100% agree why this is a PvP talent is beyond me.

Personally I’d like to also see Forest’s Flow moved in replacement of Twinleaf, and in its replacement a third charge of Swiftmend, this is with Verdant Infusion baked in.

Personally a third charge of Swiftmend is infinitely better then a second charge of Nature’s Swiftness and really would help (as Verdant Infusion is baked in) manage and keeping HoTs up.

3 charges of Swiftmend with Verdant Infusion baked in would make Resto flow so much better and can be used as a mini cd to proc Reforestation reliably when needed in those “ohh sh@t” moments.

2 Likes
11

Which would make reforestation flow so much better.

I’m drooling thinking about it rn.

1 Like
12

I just don’t see why they went with an additional charge of Nature’s Swiftness over a Swiftmend charge that essentially revolves around our kit and talents immensely.

Honestly replace Twinleaf with Forest’s Flow (makes sense near our Clearcasting talents and would be great to get early and easily), and where that was a new talent to give Swiftmend an additional charge.

Seriously I’d honestly ditch Nature’s Swiftness entirely for more Swiftmend charges, especially if Verdant Infusion was baked in, the QoL alone it brings would be amazing.

Swiftmend is essentially Nature’s Swiftness but interacts with our Talents and Mastery (Grove Tending, Soul of the Forest, Reforestation) we need more of this. We don’t need more Nature’s Swiftness.

They could remove Nature’s Swiftness altogether, let Soul of the Forest additionally let Regrowth and Wild Growth be instant cast.

Imagine Swiftmending the tank, all their HoTs extended, they’re Gucci, then instantly casting a regrowth on another target or Wild Growth everyone instantly getting the ramp up, it’s natural and smooth rotation.

Not to forget to mention, Swiftmend multiple targets to proc Reforestation if needed.

I’d also like to see Budding Leaves and Thriving Vegetation be 1 point nodes for its full effect. This would greatly open up pathing and choices.

In short, Nature’s Swiftness isn’t the answer for Resto. Swiftmend is.

—
Edit: just wanted to also mention in the removal of Nature’s Swiftness entirely what should be in its replacement as a 1min cd should be Overgrowth (this is so we don’t lose a keybind or ability aswell). So every Resto has a way to apply all our HoTs in a moments notice, this is with the further suggested 3 charges of Swiftmend with Verdant infusion baked in all mentioned above.

So Overgrowth replaces Nature’s Swiftness and its choice nodes either amplify the HoTs Given by Overgrowth by a % or cd reduction of 12 seconds.

Overgrowth shouldn’t be a choice node it’s what Resto is all about.

Now Resto Druid be looking great in TWW.

2 Likes
13

Can we get cultivation and grove tending removed and replaced with like a 15% buff to all other heals to compensate.
They use to be decent talents that contributed to healing on their own but now theyre pretty much mastery fodder, and having to many options for mastery fodder is why the baseline heals feel so bad.

While the average hot per person is probably 3 (rejuv regrowth wildgrowth) at anytime for ~ 12% mastery per hot, it can swing wildly from 1 to 12 mastery buffs at anytime between the core kit, lifeblooms triple stack, cenarion ward, cultivation, germination, spring blossom, grove tending and tranquility. Remove the 2 weakest that dont heal on their own and are only a gimmicky/conditional mastery stack to bring the max down to 10 and redistibute their theoretical power to the base kit.

Id say remove cenarion ward too but its actually a useful single target heal thats still tuned to be okay with just a lifebloom.

Can move the cleave regrowth/nourish talent to where cultivation is and the swiftmend health based cooldown to where grove tending is, surving similar purposes but in a way where they dont pad total mastery stacks.

14

I agree with this 100%. This is the exact problem with Resto Druid and their healing style. It is GCD-locked because of all the mastery fodder we require to reach effective healing.

I really do wish we had a different mastery.

1 Like
15

Time and time again (across many classes even) it seems that modifiers can sort of go a little out of control resulting in your actual spells on their own feeling terrible. Whether that’s Mastery modifying things or talents.

I really wish they could gracefully resolve this. They did a great job with Paladin when they removed Glimmer which was sapping power from the baseline kit in order to keep an overall balance. After Glimmer’s removal, Holy Shock actually feels like a good button to press again on its own.

16

You know what would be a welcomed change, Wild Growth applies a 3/5% DR to all targets effected.

Having some slight buffer of assistance to help us with how our mastery is and stacking HoTs I think is seriously needed.

Seriously we need help. Something to help slow done all this AoE.

17

Why is Improved Ironbark still -20sec, making Ironbark a 70sec CD? This feels like an intentionally bad talent. Make it a full 30sec decrease and provide more DR, or make it a 45sec decrease and make it actually usuable more often.

18

Changes to consider with these new talents to clean up the mastery dependency/ low baseline tuning.

Move renweing surge to grove tendings location and remove grove tending, they serve similar improve swiftmends healing functions but RS is good without padding mastery.

Put forest flow where cultivation is and remove cultivation. Similar idea, cultivation is a conditional mastery pad that doesnt heal on its own so get rid of it, and forest flow’s current position in the bottom third of the tree makes it hard to get with how point strapped we are.

Change spring blossom to some other efflorescene buff, it is the quintessential mastery fodder, the first of its kind being the whole point of it since legion but we have way to much fodder now. Make it bring efflo up to 5 targets per hit, grant a DR while in it, have the tier 20 bonus, anything else but a mastery stack.

Then with 3 less total mastery stacks availible buff the baseline spells ~25% so they actually feel good to use and we arent gcd locked just to upkeep mediocre healing.

Other suggestions
Remove the tranq buff and make regensis the 1 rejuv duration improving node (rejuv heals 15/30% more based on the targets missing health and last 5/10 seconds longer) delete improved rejuv, change germinations secondary bonus to mana reduction on targets that already have rejuv and make nuturing dormancy store rejuv overheal living seed style. We shouldnt have to chase 3 different nodes to give our primary hot a decent duration.

Re-split flourish; make flourish extend the duration by 10 seconds and move it to a choice node with gift of g’hanir which makes hots tick 50-100% (tuning dependant) faster for 10 seconds.

Make improved ironbark bring iron bark to 1 minute, like gumble said, its just kinda weird at current duration.

Make thriving and budding 1 point nodes, again its just weird they aren’t; forcing people to spend 2 points or take a dps talent to get to reforestation is feels like bad design.

Buff tranq in anyway; tick speed increase while channel, can be used on the move, summons some treants, triggers SotF idk it just doesnt feel like a good cooldown anymore which is a shame cause its a pretty iconic spell.

19

Whelp, latest PTR change.

  • Reforestation Every 34 casts of Swiftmend grants you Incarnation: Tree of Life for 10 sec.

    • Effect #1 Apply Aura: Dummy: Modifies Damage/Healing Done
      Value: 34

So another huge nerf.

But hey, we got 2 charges of Nature’s Swiftness… :expressionless:

Blizzard seriously ain’t cooking anymore, dinner is burnt and they left the pot on the stove on high heat.

Like seriously, the rework had its highs and lows, particularly with 2 charges of Nature’s Swiftmess :man_facepalming:t4:, but now it’s gotten to much and further away from what we need.

2 Likes