Totemic Thoughts?

As a Resto main, in its current state, this is easily the most underwhelming Hero tree. I was hoping “totemic” would do crazy and banger stuff with our totems… but what I’m seeing is very bland and uninteresting.

Surging Totem: Replaces Healing Rain. Casts Healing Rain on a friendly target every 5 seconds. 30% more effective than Healing Rain.

A stronger Healing Rain, but I lose control of where to put it? Pass.

Totemic Rebound: Chain Heal can bounce off a totem to heal one more additional ally

One of only two talents in this Hero tree I actually like. Kind of a neat idea.

Amplification Core: Healing and damage increased by 3% while Surging Totem is active

Basically, it’s just a tuning knob. It’s whatever.

Oversurge: while Ascendance is active, Surging Totem is 150% stronger

Cool, let’s buff the Healing Rain I have no control over where it gets placed.

Lively Totems: summoning Healing Stream, Healing Tide, Mana Tide, Cloudburst, or Spirit Link casts a Chain Heal

Eh, a free Chain Heal. Good for numbers but not much else interesting about it.

Reactivity: Healing spells cause Healing Stream to instantly heal an ally for 50% effectiveness. Cloudburst stores an additional 25%.

Really only benefits Cloudburst. 50% weaker tick from Healing Stream isn’t much to write home about.

Wind Barrier: gaing a damage shield every 30 seconds while you have an active totem

I really don’t like them buffing Shaman’s survivability into the Hero Trees instead of just making our base line survivability better.

Oversized Totems: increase the size and radius of totems by 15% and their HP by 30%

Really? That’s it? The radius on totems is kind of nice, but increasing their size and HP is just… who cares?

Swift Recall: successfully dispelling with Tremor or Poison Cleansing, stunning with Capacitor, or rooting with Earthgrab reduces their cooldown by 5 seconds. Cannont happen more than once every 20 seconds.

This is, in my opinion, the worst talent of the tree. A whopping 5 second reduction on one of our CC totems. Woo-freaking-hoo. Maybe this would be more useful in M+ and PVP (I don’t know. I don’t do either of those forms of content), but I don’t see them getting much use in a Raid unless they’re going to be ramping up the number of boss fights that have add phases or Poison/Fear effects.

Imbuement Mastery: increase the duration of Earthliving’s effect

I hope they buff Earthliving Weapon to make this worthwhile. Right now, I’m not aware of any Resto builds that use it.

Pulse Capacitor: increase the healing/damage of Surging Totem

Eh, another tuning knob. It’s whatever.

Supportive Imbuements: learn Tidecaller’s Guard. Cast on shields. Increase healing by 2% and the duration of Healing Stream and Cloudburst by 3 seconds

The only other talent in the tree I like. Finally, shields are actually useful and not just a stat stick.

Totemic Coordination: Chain Heals from totems are 30% stronger

Basically, it’s a 30% buff to Totemic Rebound and Lively Totems.

Earthsurge: healing is 10% stronger on allies effected by Earthen Wall, Ancestral Protection, and Earthliving

Neat, I guess? Do these totems even see much play? Maybe this is an attempt to get people to actually use them more?

Whirling Elements: elemental motes surround your Surging Totem. Healing spells consume a mote for an additional effect

I’m not a fan of having to fish through rotating buff effects to get the one I want. I don’t like Blessing of Seasons for Paladins… and I don’t like this either.


All and all, I don’t see myself ever running Totemic in its current state. I don’t like losing control of where to put Healing Rain and most of the talents are just boring to me. For Resto, I’m definitely taking Farseer over Totemic.

1 Like