This post has less to do with gameplay mechanic identity and more to do with THEMATIC identity, but I made a post that relates to resto shaman’s need for a better represented and communicated thematic identity:
One point I kinda ended up at there is that restoration has historically not had a well-fleshed out theme for how they heal, but in the past couple expansions have definitely moved towards becoming water/tide/storm-based healers. However, I’d argue that that theme is not really as obvious as other specs to other players. Like for example, even if you never play mage or paladin, everyone knows that a fire mage does damage by throwing all kinds of fire balls, and paladins smack things with holy light. They may not know the intricacies of the playstyle, but they understand the theme.
But I feel like Restoration shaman’s method of healing has never really shined through thematically. Is it sorta nature based like resto? But also with a bunch of other nonsense? Lots of folks don’t really conceptualize it but…
Restoration shamans are embodied by Kul’tiran’s Tide Sages. They are basically water benders that can control water and the weather. They make rainclouds, summon and accumulate clouds, waterbend the s@#$ out of water, throw tides at their allies that splash all over the battle field. Their talents are named after floods, rain storms, lightning storms, and many of their totems are water based and relate to the tide as well.
As such, my main argument in that post is that if any two classes get the new hero talent tree “stormbringer”, it should be elemental and restoration. Enhance have a good claim too, but I’d argue not as much as restoration.
I think this would be a great opportunity for blizzard to really communicate to the community at large: Restoration heals by controlling the weather, and water.
And on that note, they should really change the name of restoration at this point to help cement that identity as well. Even if you don’t play restoration shaman, it would be awesome if everyone understood, thematically, that while fire mages are the fire benders of Warcraft, everyone should think of restoration shamans as the Water Benders. If “frost” or “fire” or “fury” can be the name of a spec, so can “Tide” or “Water” or even just “Storm” (if folks can shake their perception that storm=damage. It doesn’t have to be associated with damage.) (also, name changes to carve a better identity have precedence, with combat rogues becoming outlaw, and getting a better defined identity in the process.)
(Some may argue that ‘spirit’ and ‘ancestral’ stuff is part of resto’s theme. I’d argue that is part of SHAMAN’s theme, and that is present in both other specs as well, so is absolutely a moot point.)
(“Totemic” as a hero spec sounds bland AF and should be changed to something that actually sounds like an identity someone would want to be. If they are trying to lean in towards something voodoo-y, they should just go full “shadowhunter”. Dwarves have been able to cast hex for a decade at this point, every class can be a holy priest. Who cares about the cultural identity tied to that kind of thing. Make it interesting!!!)