Overview
You play a HoT-maintenance game: keep Lifebloom rolling on the tank, blanket Rejuvenation where damage is going out, and manage mana across a long fight.
Strengths
- +Best-in-slot HoT throughput for sustained/rolling damage
- +Tree of Life healing bonus + mana aura for the group
- +Innervate and battle-rez utility
Weaknesses
- −Weak burst healing — HoTs pre-empt damage rather than react
- −Lifebloom management is fiddly and mana-intensive
Stat priority & caps (raid)
Stat caps (raid)
| Stat | Cap | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Spell Hit | — | Healers need no hit — heals cannot miss. Stack +healing, then crit/haste and enough mp5 to last the fight. |
- Spell Hit: Healers need no hit — heals cannot miss. Stack +healing, then crit/haste and enough mp5 to last the fight.
Full gear with usage %, gems and enchants is on the Restoration Druid PvE BiS list.
Recommended talent build
0/0/61 · RaidThe full Restoration build: Tree of Life, Improved Lifebloom-era HoT mastery and Nature's Swiftness, 61 points deep in one tree — resto druids are the only spec in TBC that spends everything at home. The raid-HoT standard; arena resto uses the same core.
Balance
0Reduces the cast time of your Wrath and Starfire spells by 0.1 sec.
While active, any time an enemy strikes the caster they have a 35% chance to become afflicted by Entangling Roots (Rank 1). Only useable outdoors. 1 charge. Lasts 45 sec. (Proc chance: 35%)
Increases the chance for your Nature's Grasp to entangle an enemy by 15%.
Gives you a 40% chance to avoid interruption caused by damage while casting Entangling Roots and Cyclone.
Increases the critical strike chance of your Wrath and Starfire spells by 2%.
Increases the damage and critical strike chance of your Moonfire spell by 5%.
Increases damage caused by your Thorns and Entangling Roots spells by 25%.
The enemy target is swarmed by insects, decreasing their chance to hit by 2% and causing 108 Nature damage over 12 sec.
Increases the range of your Balance spells and Faerie Fire (Feral) ability by 10%.
Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Starfire, Moonfire, and Wrath spells by 20%.
Gives your Starfire spell a 5% chance to stun the target for 3 sec and increases the chance you'll resist spell interruption when casting your Wrath spell by 25%. (Proc chance: 5%)
Increases your spell damage and healing by 8% of your total Intellect.
All spell criticals grace you with a blessing of nature, reducing the casting time of your next spell by 0.5 sec.
Reduces the Mana cost of your Moonfire, Starfire, Wrath, Healing Touch, Regrowth and Rejuvenation spells by 3%.
Increases the damage done by your Starfire, Moonfire and Wrath spells by 2%.
Increases your chance to hit with all spells and reduces the chance you'll be hit by spells by 2%.
Regenerate mana equal to 4% of your Intellect every 5 sec, even while casting.
Shapeshift into Moonkin Form. While in this form the armor contribution from items is increased by 400%, attack power is increased by 150% of your level and all party members within 30 yards have their spell critical chance increased by 5%. Melee attacks in this form have a chance on hit to regenerate mana based on attack power. The Moonkin can only cast Balance and Remove Curse spells while shapeshifted. The act of shapeshifting frees the caster of Polymorph and Movement Impairing effects.
Your Faerie Fire spell also increases the chance the target will be hit by melee and ranged attacks by 1%.
Your Starfire spell gains an additional 4% and your Wrath gains an additional 2% of your bonus damage effects.
Summons 3 treants to attack enemy targets for 30 sec.
Feral Combat
0Reduces the cost of your Maul, Swipe, Claw, Rake and Mangle abilities by 1 Rage or Energy.
Increases the attack power reduction of your Demoralizing Roar by 8% and the damage caused by your Ferocious Bite by 3%.
Increases threat caused in Bear and Dire Bear Form by 5% and reduces the chance enemies have to detect you while Prowling.
Increases the stun duration of your Bash and Pounce abilities by 0.5 sec.
Increases your Armor contribution from items by 4%.
Increases your movement speed by 15% while outdoors in Cat Form and increases your chance to dodge while in Cat Form, Bear Form and Dire Bear Form by 2%.
Causes you to charge an enemy, immobilizing and interrupting any spell being cast for 4 sec.
Increases your critical strike chance while in Bear, Dire Bear or Cat Form by 2%.
Reduces the energy cost of your Shred ability by 9 and the rage cost of your Lacerate ability by 1.
Increases your melee attack power in Cat, Bear, Dire Bear and Moonkin Forms by 50% of your level.
Gives you a 50% chance to gain an additional 5 Rage anytime you get a critical strike while in Bear and Dire Bear Form and your critical strikes from Cat Form abilities that add combo points have a 50% chance to add an additional combo point.
Increases the damage caused by your Claw, Rake, and Mangle (Cat) abilities by 10%.
Decrease the armor of the target by 175 for 40 sec. While affected, the target cannot stealth or turn invisible.
Increases your healing spells by up to 50% of your Agility, and increases healing done to you by 10% while in Cat form.
Increases your Intellect by 4%. In addition, while in Bear or Dire Bear Form your Stamina is increased by 4% and while in Cat Form your attack power is increased by 2%.
Increases all attributes by 1% and reduces the chance you'll be critically hit by melee attacks by 1%.
Increases your chance to resist Stun and Fear mechanics by 5%.
While in Cat, Bear or Dire Bear Form, the Leader of the Pack increases ranged and melee critical chance of all party members within 45 yards by 5%.
Your Leader of the Pack ability also causes affected targets to have a 100% chance to heal themselves for 2% of their total health when they critically hit with a melee or ranged attack. The healing effect cannot occur more than once every 6 sec.
While in Cat Form, Bear Form, or Dire Bear Form, increases your damage from melee critical strikes by 2% and your chance to avoid area effect attacks by 3%.
Mangle the target, inflicting damage and causing the target to take additional damage from bleed effects for 12 sec. This ability can be used in Cat Form or Dire Bear Form.
Restoration
61Increases the effects of your Mark of the Wild and Gift of the Wild spells by 7%.
Gives you 20% chance to gain 10 Rage when you shapeshift into Bear and Dire Bear Form or 40 Energy when you shapeshift into Cat Form.
Reduces the cast time of your Healing Touch spell by 0.1 sec and increases the damage you deal with physical attacks in all forms by 2%.
Gives you a 14% chance to avoid interruption caused by damage while casting the Healing Touch, Regrowth and Tranquility spells.
Reduces the mana cost of all shapeshifting by 10%.
Allows 10% of your Mana regeneration to continue while casting and causes your Enrage ability to instantly generate 4 rage.
Reduces the threat generated by your spells by 4% and reduces the chance your spells will be dispelled by 6%.
Imbues the Druid with natural energy. Each of the Druid's melee attacks has a chance of causing the caster to enter a Clearcasting state. The Clearcasting state reduces the Mana, Rage or Energy cost of your next damage or healing spell or offensive ability by 100%. Lasts 30 min. (10s cooldown)
Reduces the mana cost of your Healing Touch and Tranquility spells by 2%.
Increases the effect of your Rejuvenation spell by 5%.
When activated, your next Nature spell becomes an instant cast spell. Modifies Cast Time -100%: Cyclone , Entangling Roots , Entangling Roots , Entangling Roots , Entangling Roots , Entangling Roots , Entangling Roots , Entangling Roots , Healing Touch , Healing Touch , Healing Touch , Healing Touch , Healing Touch , Healing Touch , Healing Touch , Healing Touch , Healing Touch , Healing Touch , Healing Touch , Healing Touch , Healing Touch , Hibernate , Hibernate , Hibernate , Rebirth , Rebirth , Rebirth , Rebirth , Rebirth , Rebirth , Regrowth , Regrowth , Regrowth , Regrowth , Regrowth , Regrowth , Regrowth , Regrowth , Regrowth , Regrowth , Soothe Animal , Soothe Animal , Soothe Animal , Soothe Animal , Wrath , Wrath , Wrath , Wrath , Wrath , Wrath , Wrath , Wrath , Wrath , Wrath
Increases the effect of all healing spells by 2%.
Reduces threat caused by Tranquility by 50%.
Your Healing Touch spell gains an additional 10% of your bonus healing effects.
Increases the critical effect chance of your Regrowth spell by 10%.
Increases your total Spirit by 5%.
Consumes a Rejuvenation or Regrowth effect on a friendly target to instantly heal them an amount equal to 12 sec. of Rejuvenation or 18 sec. of Regrowth.
Your critical strike chance with all spells is increased by 1% and critical strikes against you give you the Natural Perfection effect reducing all damage taken by 2%. Stacks up to 3 times. Lasts 8 sec.
The bonus healing effects of your healing over time spells is increased by 4%.
Shapeshift into the Tree of Life. While in this form you increase healing received by 25% of your total Spirit for all party members within 45 yards, your movement speed is reduced by 20%, and you can only cast Swiftmend, Innervate, Nature's Swiftness, Rebirth, Barkskin, poison removing and healing over time spells, but the mana cost of these spells is reduced by 20%. The act of shapeshifting frees the caster of Polymorph and Movement Impairing effects.
Points are filled on each tree above — hover a talent for its tooltip; highlighted talents are the build's key picks.
Healing priority
- 1Keep a Lifebloom stack rolling on the main tank; refresh before it blooms (or let it bloom by design).
- 2Blanket Rejuvenation on targets taking sustained damage; Regrowth for a bigger single-target HoT.
- 3Swiftmend to convert a HoT into an instant when someone spikes.
- 4Stay in Tree of Life form for the healing bonus + mana aura.
- 5Innervate yourself or a healer; manage mana across the fight.
Resto Druid healing is proactive HoT blanketing. Keep Lifebloom on the tank, pre-HoT before predictable damage, and use Swiftmend for the occasional instant on a spike. You shine on sustained raid damage; let Paladins handle single-target tank spikes and Priests/Shamans handle burst AoE. Watch mana — rolling Lifebloom is expensive.
Druid macros
Focus macros
Focus Cyclone
Cyclone a focus enemy (usually their healer) during a kill attempt without leaving your target.
#showtooltip Cyclone /cast [target=focus] Cyclone
Defensive
Nature's Swiftness + Healing Touch
Instant full Healing Touch — your clutch save against burst.
#showtooltip Healing Touch /cast Nature's Swiftness /cast Healing Touch
Utility
Focus Innervate
Innervate a focus ally (or yourself with no focus) to refill mana in a long game.
#showtooltip Innervate /cast [target=focus] Innervate
PvE addons
Full list on the Druid addons page.
Best race (PvE)
Only option — War Stomp has niche PvE uses and Endurance (+5% health) is pure survivability.
Only option — Quickness (+2% dodge) helps Feral tanking and Shadowmeld has occasional raid utility.
More on the best race for Druid page.
Best professions (PvE)
Common mistakes
- ✕Mismanaging the Lifebloom stack (accidental blooms or letting it drop).
- ✕Trying to reactively burst-heal spikes (HoTs are proactive — pre-cast them).
- ✕Running oom by over-rolling Lifebloom on too many targets.
FAQ
What's a Resto Druid's raid role?
The HoT engine — best sustained/rolling healing via Lifebloom and Rejuvenation, plus Tree of Life's healing bonus and mana aura. It complements direct-heal Paladins and burst-AoE Priests/Shamans.
How do I manage Lifebloom?
Keep a stack on the tank and refresh it before it blooms for efficient rolling healing, or let it bloom intentionally for a burst tick. It's mana-intensive, so don't over-spread it.