Recommended Changes to Resto, ft. High Tide & Echo of Elements

Classes Shaman
1

Hey everyone. Just waiting for servers to come back up, just thought I’d offer my input on some CORE issues I have with Resto at the moment where I feel it could be drastically improved – not simply or just to improve healing, but to add depth, flavor, and variability to the kit/play style, which is soo valuable to every game.

« « [[ High Tide ]] Recommendations ]] » »

First up, I have a problem with the current implementation of High Tide. It just doesn’t feel right for chain heal to not have any bounce reduction, and it’s static, lame, and boring. Please, consider these High Tide changes instead (in no particular order):

  • Chain Heal bounces now have no static bounce radius; instead, Chain Heal has a TOTAL bounce radius equal to the current bounce radius * max bounces, which will be used by the CH algorithm to allow for more efficient, smarter healing. [EX: current bounce radius is 12 and base bounces is 3 from inital target = 36 yrds TOTAL bounce radius. With this, the first bounce could be 20 yds, the 2nd bounce 10 yds, and the 3rd bounce 6 yds, totaling the same NET distance of 36 yds, but allowing for more target selection by CH algorithm.]
  • Chain Heal bounce radius increase from ~12 yards to ~15. This would not just increase the bounce radius (obviously), but it would allow Chain Heal to be SMARTER by potentially giving it more targets to bounce first.
  • Chain Heal bounce heal reduction decrease to 15-25% per bounce.
  • Chain Heal bounces to +1-2 more targets, if 2 targets, 1 of them should be Shaman himself, probably the final bounce would make the most sense for added self survival.
  • Chain Heal crits splash, healing the two lowest health raid member within 7 yard radius for 25% of the amount healed that bounce.
  • Chain Heal crits will also heal the raid member with lowest health for 50% of the amount healed that bounce.
  • Chain Heal bounces renew Riptide duration
  • Each Healing Wave or Healing Surge you cast grants 15% haste to your next Chain Heal.
  • Base Chain Heal cast time reduction to ~2.25 - 2.0 or % Haste equivalent (ideally passive)
  • Chain Heal Critical Strike chance increase by ~15% - 30%. Passive.
  • Chain Heal has a 50% increased crit chance on targets below 50% health.
  • Chain Heal bounces leave a 6-8 second HoT on targets below 75%-60% health.

« « [[ Riptide & Echo of the Elements ]] Recommendations ]] » »

I don’t know how, but I only realized that, regardless of speccing into Echo of the Elements for the second charge of Riptide, only ONE can recharge at a time. This became clear to me as I created ZerkinUI Pro WeakAura Pack, which shows a tracker icon for both charges when running Echo of the Elements and displays the remaining CD on each respectively.

So, unless I’m missing something, there is no benefit to this talent with regards to Riptide outside of having +1 more charge UP FRONT, or pooled, if you don’t cast it for 2 full CDs; put another way, if you are casting Riptide on CD, there is no benefit after the very first Riptide you cast falls off!!!

This is overwhelmingly underwhelming, so please, either make the baseline of Riptide two charges, and make Echo of the Elements add another charge, or ideally: MAKE BOTH CHARGES OF RIPTIDE ABLE TO RECHARGE SIMULTANEOUSLY, PLEASE!!

The same would be nice for Cloudburst, even though it wouldn’t affect the majority of player’s play style, but it would allow people who explode it early more freedom to do so, which would add a notable amount of depth and variability to the kit and play style!

What do you guys think?

You can find my latest version of ZerkinUI Pro | WeakAura Pack, now with TRI-SPEC support at:

https://wago.io/EPXsJ46uW

I also highly recommend also checking out my corresponding & re-designed ElvUI profile titled ZerkinUI Pro Heals at:

https://wago.io/K7N_eof5D
2

As for chain heal, it appears as those a lot of this would just be totally overpowered.
Let’s try bring it more down to earth. If we add bounces and radius, then there would be a larger reduction in each bounce. Basically choose 2 of the 3 things, # of bounces, radius or reduction amount.
Would be interesting to choose those options via talents.

Riptide w/ echo allows me to keep up 4 riptides vs just 3. Also allows cloud to have a much higher uptime. Double the uptime of no echo actually.

3

The numbers could be adjusted to whatever would be balanced. Just throwing out concepts for consideration, but thanks for mentioning that.

4

An azurite trait/ set bonus that would be awesome would be splash heals from chain heal, or the reduction of the bounce loses (each bounce is reduced by 25% now).

5

Im mostly ok with shaman healing, but coming from a druid main i kinda wish my shaman had more heal over time effects.

What would be nice is a water bubble spell that works like power word shield so you can quickly protect a low health ally. Shaman heals are all long cast times, and so many times ive been sending a heal at s low health dps only for them to die before it finishes casting.

Oh, and I’d really like my dungeons to stop smelling like wet dog every time i have worgens in my group.

6

There are azurite traits that gives Riptide a small bubble if the person is below 50%.

BTW horde doesn’t have that wet dog smell. Maybe the undead smell, but you get used to it.

7

I love the second charge of Riptide but it really should be standard.

8

It seems like they are changing Deluge for the next patch:

[Deluge]Chain Heal heals Healing Wave, Healing Surge, and Chain Heal heal for an additional 20% on targets within your Healing Rain or affected by your affected by your Healing Rain or Riptide. Restoration Shaman - Level 30 Talent. Restoration Shaman - Level 30 Talent.