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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsRaid Rx: What druid and shaman cooldowns would you like to see?
by Matt Low 
Feb 18th 2011 at 2:00PM
No beating around the bush today. There were some upcoming healer changes that were announced earlier in the week. I can tell you as of right now, I'm worried about the Power Word: Shield change -- not because I think discipline priests will remain overpowered, but because holy might go the route. I'll explain that later on in the post.
The main focus of today's post is defensive cooldowns for shaman and druids. I'm sure a number of players don't believe there's a need for the two classes to get defensive cooldowns, but in order to compete for utility, I think druids and shaman would benefit greatly from having those spells available. The argument here is that since the four healers are approximately the same across the board (from a throughput perspective), the edge might be given to paladins and priests because of the additional cooldowns they have to offer. Shaman and druids might end up being even more attractive in 10-player raids.
The case for cooldowns
When I'm referring to healing cooldowns, I don't mean spells like Innervate or Mana Tide totem. Those are great utility spells. Instead, I'm referring to defensive cooldowns that can be used to keep tanks or other players alive. There are three main mechanics that come to mind:
- damage absorption
- damage reduction (Pain Suppression)
- healing increase (Guardian Spirit)
NethaeraWe agree with the sentiment among some players that Restoration druids and Restoration shaman are lacking in the healing cooldown department. The shaman buff and Power Word: Shield adjustment above should bring all healers reasonably close in terms of throughput. The decision on who to bring then might end up being dictated by the strong cooldowns offered by paladins or priests. This isn't the kind of thing we can address via a hotix, but it is something we are looking at for the next major content patch.
I know as a raid leader that my decision to bring one healer over another in the past has been dictated by the additional utility that some classes have to offer. By offering utility capabilities to shamans and druids, the decision would be that much more interesting. Would that mean additional homogenization? Yes and no -- yes in the sense that this would mean all classes have the capability to assist the tank through really hard phases, but no because they can save players through other means than damage absorption, damage reduction, or increased healing.
But yeah, it is high time for druids and shamans to get something else. Each healing class should have the tools to accomplish certain objectives, like AoE healing, tank healing, fast healing, and so forth. Player saving shouldn't be any different. I hope that new designs wouldn't resort to being Pain Suppression clones, but I wouldn't be entirely opposed to it even as a temporary measure.
This is where we can innovate and think of some other ways to accomplish this goal that's in line with individual class philosophy.
Ideas for druids
Let's use Barkskin as an example. Barkskin cuts down incoming damage by 20% to the druid. It has a 1-minute cooldown and can be used in all forms. That is one spell I wouldn't mind seeing castable on others. I know I'm not the only one who feels the same. But the 1-minute cooldown timer and the fact that the spell is usable in any form means it becomes a touch overpowered.
How about modifying the Barkskin glyph? Increase the cooldown timer to 3 minutes. Increase the damage reduction to 40%. Make it usable only in humanoid form, and allow it to be used on other targets. Clearly, that needs some further balance modifications. I confess, I'm not as well versed with restoration talents, but glyphs are another avenue to explore. A major glyph slot, perhaps?
Actually, it might just be easier to add another spell or talent specifically in the talent tree instead. Another spell might be the more simple solution instead of modifying another spell.
Ideas for shaman
When asked about the a cooldown wish, all that WoW Insider resto shaman specialist Joe Perez had to say was:
Joe's got some interesting ideas for cool resto shaman cooldowns. One idea he suggested that I liked is Aegis of the Tempest. Essentially, it increases the dodge rate and reduces incoming damage. I had the wacky idea of a water elemental totem. What would said elemental do? I have no idea. Perhaps the elemental could absorb a percentage of incoming damage within a certain radius before it dissolves or something.Make Riptide a baseline spell or a resto specialization. Replace the talent slot with the new defensive cooldown.
A note about priests
For priests, the Power Word: Shield cost reduction benefits from the Body and Soul talent absolutely terrify me. Once holy priests go down that tree, they can still invest points in the following talents:
I think Power Word: Shield is too powerful for holy. Cheaper shields from Body and Soul and Mental Agility? Stronger shields from Improved Power Word Shield? I just have a bad feeling about that.
But hey, hopefully I'm really wrong about that.
I can't wait for 4.1.0. No idea when that will come out, but it's another patch to look forward to for healers. With luck, we'll get a sneak preview of what they have in store. A variety of different solutions are available. Talents, spells or glyphs can be used to make adjustments.
What ideas would you suggest for druids and shaman so that they have similar capabilities to priests and paladins?
Need advice on working with the healers in your guild? Raid Rx has you covered. Send your questions about raid healing to mattl@wowinsider.com. For less healer-centric raiding advice, visit Ready Check for advanced tactics and advice for the endgame raider.Filed under: Druid, Priest, Shaman, Raid Rx (Raid Healing)
Reader Comments (Page 6 of 6)
Neirin Feb 18th 2011 9:48PM
Glyphed Word of Glory for paly hot.
Rabidpandrar Feb 18th 2011 10:46PM
I'd prefer to see one of the suggestions on Lissanna's blog take place: A reworking of Nature's Swiftness or Living Seed into a survivability CD for resto druids.
You'd think a resto wouldn't be able to live without an instant healing spell, but I've found that Swiftmend generally covers that. Besides, NS just isn't what it used to be now that health pools are so large. It's a dated talent and I can't speak for every resto druid, but I've come to learn to live without it. It was ok for leveling and while starting out in Heroic 5 mans, but in a raid setting NS doesn't seem to have that large an impact anymore. And Living Seed? Honestly, it's just talent points that are necessary to reach Efflorescence atm zzz.
Barkskin is a spell that I cannot live without, therefore I do not wish to see this spell changed. In encounters where there are large amounts of AOE damage and massive raid healing is necessary, Tranquility has finally become a spell that one doesn't cringe when using (aside from its long CD). AOE damage obviously means interruptions while casting, and an interrupted Tranquility is a wasted cooldown. If I have to save Barkskin for a tank, rather than use it for myself during these situations and many other situations, it's pretty much making another spell (Tranq) less appealing to use (again..). (Poor Tranquility.)
Not to mention changing Barkskin and the potential backlash it will have in terms of Moonkin and Feral PVE and Druid PVP in general.
Keep Barkskin the way it is, amend and/or change Nature's Swiftness or Living Seed imho.
Iwilechu Feb 18th 2011 11:05PM
Hey, it's not like there was a gaping void of new abilities for Resto druid when Cata released.
Oh wait.
MetasynMan Feb 19th 2011 1:19AM
I play a resto shaman as my main, and I've often wondered why we don't get a cool water elemental totem, possibly tossing around more chain heals (back in WotLK at least) or a spammable riptide HoT on raid members. But then stupid mages got water elementals, and I definitely don't want it anymore.
Something that might be cool would be water bubbles like we see in Throne of the Tides, but something of a 2-min CD instead of the spammable priest bubble. It could even be more niche like it only absorbs magic damage or something. Nature's Swiftness just doesn't feel like enough of an "oh s#!t" button when both my priest and pally healer alts have instant-cast heals they use all the damn time. I just know that when I cast my pain suppression on a tank, I think "Ok, I've got some breathing room for the big slow heal, or possibly heal someone else." NS just becomes part of the heal spam routine where I cross my fingers I get enough crits to bring the tank back from the brink quick enough.
Aside from defensive cooldowns, though, the recent buffs have been most welcome on my shaman. I understand that we have totems and chain heal and swirly water orb mana batteries that other healers are jealous of. I'm also still a little old school in that I liked thinking of priests & pallies as tank healers that NEED those kinds of cooldowns, while druids & shammies were the raid healers that had more utility cooldowns. So now that my standard healing throughput seems more on par with the other classes, I'm more or less content at the moment.
Sally Bowls Feb 19th 2011 3:09AM
The shaman cooldown should be PvE only. Otherwise we risk millions of shamans getting nerfed becuase the few dozen arena players think it is OP.
I would like a glyph/talent, probably tied to SW Grace, that reduced my AoE, (crap on the floor) damage taken by 90%
Jarvisone Feb 19th 2011 4:33AM
For a resto druid, maybe crib off the two priest CD's via modifying the Wild Mushroom spell, make it a talent in the resto tree to change its effects.
Possible ideas could be:
Places a mushroom on the ground and players under neath it either
a) takes X% reduced damage
b) Receives X% extra heals (to make it druid specific make it x% extra from Hots on the targets).
Like i say, slightly a rip off of PW: Barrier or Guardian Spirit and would only be accessible to 85 druids but its a thought.
Calibur Feb 19th 2011 5:46AM
Personally im with you matt, i'd like to see a new elemental totem. We already have Earth and Fire so why not the other two ?
Something along the lines of "Wind Elemental Totem" 13k mana with a 3 minute CD: Places a totem at the feet of the shaman with xx health and lasting for 15 seconds => Summons a Wind Elemental which reduces the damage taken by 20% and causes all spells cast against earth shielded targets to gain 10% spell haste.
and..
"Water Elemental Totem" 13k mana with a 3 minute CD: Places a totem at the feet of the shaman with xx health and lasting for 15 seconds => Summons a Water Elemental which mimics the casts of the shaman on the lowest health party or raid member for 50% of the normal effect.
Both of these would share the same CD so that they wouldnt be useable at the same time of course and probably sound a tad OP but we shamans could really use a CD similar to these. Imo nature's swiftness just doesnt cut it most of the time.
EaterOfBirds Feb 19th 2011 9:03AM
SPIRIT LINK
even if only in name.
DBSJ Feb 19th 2011 9:26AM
I imagine a shaman healing spell called Golden Shower:
It sprays your target for, oh let's say 4 sec, and it's channeled. It heals your target up for a whole lot cause it's one of those "oh shit" spells. There is also a drizzle of healing onto any players close to your healing target. It could look like the Chain Heal graphic but with splashing coming from your main target.
benjabutt4 Feb 19th 2011 2:57PM
For Resto shamans why not have a glyph or talent that changes our Earth Elemental to be a defensive cooldown. It nevers gets uses in pve content like dungeons and raids. The glyph/talent should be something like how Power Word: Barrier is for disco priests. Since you could just run in and set the totem wherever you want you could then stand inside it and pop Healin Rain and Chain Heal to get everyone back up. As for a healing increase cooldown some sort of Water Bubble ability would be nice to throw on a tank when you know they are gonna take a lot of damage in a given amount of time. The Bubble could increase the healing received or maybe increase the crit rate of heals cast on the target so you could use many smaller heals instead of burning through your mana use Greater Healing Wave spam. Just my 2 cents.
Kooper Feb 19th 2011 3:27PM
Why would the Body and Soul PWS mana reduction scare you after thinking about it for more than 10 seconds?
-PWS cost was bumped up from 25% base to 34% base, a 36% increase.
-Body and Soul reduction brings it down from 34% base to 25.5% base, keeping it the same.
-My PWS as Disc stacked with Mastery absorb 27k-29k depending.
-Cut out 52%-56% from Mastery, leaving 13k-16k.
-No Rapture, Renewed Hope or Borrowed Time benefits from PWS.
Blizzard is trying to bring PWS for Discipline closer to what it means for Holy right now, a reaction or preparation ability. Not something you use 85% of the time, which is what Discipline is right now. Top end Holy Priests have some PWS usage, but not anywhere near the scale to be terrifying. Terrifying would be if we saw Holy Priests having 50% PWS usage because it's absorbing 22k-24k each.
All this is moot anyways since they reverted the change this morning because Holy Priest regen accounts for the increase, thus never needing the reduction in the first place.
Smoke353 Feb 21st 2011 2:48PM
The change to PW:S isn't a holy buff it's a disc nerf. PW:S cost is increasing, the change to Body and Soul only counteracts that.
jeanmail Feb 23rd 2011 2:10PM
Interestingly, I've recently been asked to bring my resto shaman instead of my priest to heal our raid team, after the loss of our other two shamans. We felt the utility of the totems, bloodlust, and cc outweighed the advantages of my priest.
But I'll really miss the cooldowns my priest has... quickly saving a low health tank is significantly more challenging on the shaman. I do hope Blizz gives us a decent cooldown. We could really use it.
Jayfitty Mar 5th 2011 6:25PM
For Shaman I would like to see something like Mana Tide but for healing. You toss it down and it does a significant amount of healing to the raid/party for a short duration with a long cooldown. It could be AoE healing like Healing Stream Totem/Healing Rain or it could be a single target cooldown like Guardian Spirit.
With the changes to Tranquility that have been datamined, the reduced cooldown may take care of a lot of needs. But Barkskin and Thorns ar eboth good spells to see buffs for Resto Druids.
I think both classes could greatly benefit from a revamp of Nature's Swiftness, or at least some synergy between it and other talents.