WoW Insider http://wow.joystiq.com WoW Insider http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/wow.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif WoW Insider http://wow.joystiq.com prods@weblogsinc.com (Weblogs, Inc. Producers) (Weblogs, Inc. Web Support) en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. View our terms of service here: http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/ Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/ <![CDATA[Totem Talk: New look for Chain Heal, new features for resto shaman]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/22/totem-talk-new-look-for-chain-heal-new-features-for-resto-sham/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/22/totem-talk-new-look-for-chain-heal-new-features-for-resto-sham/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/22/totem-talk-new-look-for-chain-heal-new-features-for-resto-sham/#comments Shaman flies a kite Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and cohost of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how

So with all the excitement over the release of Diablo III, Mists hasn't been one to sit idly by and just be completely quiet. There have been a number of changes to shaman in general over the last few builds. I figured if you could tear yourself away from the eternal struggle of the High Heavens and the Burning Hells, then we could take a look at some of those changes.

One of the most underrated aspects of the new expansion, in my opinion, is the glyphs themselves. There's a lot to be said about the importance of the glyphs in the new expansion. I personally feel that they will become much more useful as tools to help define our healing kits for the fights, much more so than talents currently do.

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Totem Talk: New look for Chain Heal, new features for resto shaman originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 22 May 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> Chain HealChainHealfeaturedguide-to-shamansmists-of-pandariamists-of-pandaria-betarestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-columnrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-columnshaman-talentswow-shamanwow-shaman-info (Joe Perez) Tue, 22 May 2012 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: A restoration shaman hands-on with Ascendance]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/08/totem-talk-a-restoration-shaman-hands-on-with-ascendance/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/08/totem-talk-a-restoration-shaman-hands-on-with-ascendance/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/08/totem-talk-a-restoration-shaman-hands-on-with-ascendance/#comments Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and cohost of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how

This week, we're going to talk about our level 87 ability, Ascendance. That video above is not mine, but it is pretty darn cool, so I figured I would link brandonk99ing's video here since it did such a nice job. It shows our brand new ability for Mists, which we get to play with at level 87. Each flavor of shaman gets a different version of the ability. Elemental and enchancement get some nice damage increases, while resto gets to walk around like a giant water elemental, throwing out crazy healing numbers.

Basically, while in the Water Ascendant form, all of our healing done is duplicated and distributed evenly among nearby allies. I've commented that it looks just like the ability Essence of Dreams from the Ultraxion encounter -- and to be honest, that's exactly how it feels. I figured I would share with you my impressions of the ability, now that I've gotten my hands on it.

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Totem Talk: A restoration shaman hands-on with Ascendance originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 08 May 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> ascendancefeaturedguide-to-shamansmistsmists of pandariamists-of-pandariamists-of-pandaria-betaMistsOfPandariarestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-columnrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshamanshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-columnshaman-talentswow-shamanwow-shaman-info (Joe Perez) Tue, 08 May 2012 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: Mists talents for restoration shaman, tier by tier]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/24/totem-talk-mists-talents-for-restoration-shaman-tier-by-tier/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/24/totem-talk-mists-talents-for-restoration-shaman-tier-by-tier/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/24/totem-talk-mists-talents-for-restoration-shaman-tier-by-tier/#comments Shaman talents
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and cohost of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how

The talent systems for Mists of Pandaria is one that's received quite a bit of attention since it was first announced, and with good reason. It's a complete revamp of the current system, a reduction of the total number of talents by a considerable amount and an attempt to make the talents something more fun and less mandatory.

We've talked about them since they were announced at BlizzCon 2011, but talking and speculating about them is much different than actually sitting down and getting to test them out for yourself. Today, I'm going to talk about my own personal experience with these talents, and I'm going to offer up my own opinions, just like the last article. The talent system now doles out talents every 15 levels, presenting a clear tier structure to anyone looking at them, and that's exactly how we'll tackle them.

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Totem Talk: Mists talents for restoration shaman, tier by tier originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 24 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> featuredguide-to-shamansrestoResto-Shamanrestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-columnrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-columnshaman-talentswow-shamanwow-shaman-info (Joe Perez) Tue, 24 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: First impressions of restoration shaman in Mists of Pandaria]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/10/totem-talk-first-impressions-of-restoration-shaman-in-mists-of/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/10/totem-talk-first-impressions-of-restoration-shaman-in-mists-of/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/10/totem-talk-first-impressions-of-restoration-shaman-in-mists-of/#comments Temple Lodur
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and cohost of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how

Well, I finally got my hands on some beta access for Mists of Pandaria, and the first thing I did was make sure good old Lodur got copied over for some healing experimentation. I mean, after all, that's what I live for. Before doing any healing, though, it was time to poke around and see how things have changed.

And boy, have they! Even though I expected it, it was quite jarring to log in to Mists and see that Lodur had a measly 100,000 mana to work with. Any of you out there would probably notice that this is almost half of what we're sporting on our final run-through of Dragon Soul. While it is daunting, it's something that we have to keep in mind will be compensated with mana regen and increasing the mana pool as we level up to 90.

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Totem Talk: First impressions of restoration shaman in Mists of Pandaria originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 10 Apr 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> featuredguide-to-shamansmistsMists-of-Pandaira-Talent-Calculatormists-of-pandariamists-of-pandaria-betamists-of-pandaria-talent-changesmists-of-pandaria-talentsrestoResto-Shamanrestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-columnrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-columnshaman-talentswow-shamanwow-shaman-info (Joe Perez) Tue, 10 Apr 2012 09:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: The state of Telluric Currents and speculating for Mists]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/27/totem-talk-the-state-of-telluric-currents-and-speculating-for-m/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/27/totem-talk-the-state-of-telluric-currents-and-speculating-for-m/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/27/totem-talk-the-state-of-telluric-currents-and-speculating-for-m/#comments Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and cohost of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how

Time to revisit this topic again. You're probably asking yourself why we're talking about this again. Well, to be honest, it's because it's the end of an expansion cycle. While we're prepping for the next expansion that will shake up mechanics and stats, we find ourselves at a point of speculation -- and therefore, things like Telluric Currents find themselves back in the crosshairs, so to speak.

The talent itself is something you use, or you don't use. There are some hard facts about the talent. You do not need to stack hit to make it useful, only to make sure every bolt hits. It is not mana neutral, using the talent and casting Lightning Bolt will indeed fill up your mana bar. It can be used to supplement low spirit totals for beginning healers, and can be used in certain phases on raid bosses to maintain healing mana totals. Whether it is optional or mandatory depends on a lot of factors up to and including the team you're healing with and the content you're healing through.

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Totem Talk: The state of Telluric Currents and speculating for Mists originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 27 Mar 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> featuredguide-to-shamansmistsmists-of-pandariamists-of-pandaria-speculationmists-of-pandaria-talentsrestoResto-Shamanrestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-columnrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-columnshaman-talentsshamanstelluric-currentswow-shamanwow-shaman-info (Joe Perez) Tue, 27 Mar 2012 17:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: Getting resurrected restoration shaman back to speed, and level 90 talents]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/20/totem-talk-getting-resurrected-restoration-shaman-back-to-speed/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/20/totem-talk-getting-resurrected-restoration-shaman-back-to-speed/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/20/totem-talk-getting-resurrected-restoration-shaman-back-to-speed/#comments Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and cohost of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how

The Scroll of Resurrection revamp has been a topic of hot debate recently. Whether you love it or hate it, the feature's still an opportunity for our healing brethren to come back after a long break. To be honest, one of my friends has done just that.

But being away from the game for any period of time, whether it is an entire expansion or just a content patch, can be jarring. So when my friend reactivated, I asked him what his most pressing concerns were coming back to Cataclysm. What did he want to know the most to get back up to speed? I thought that were probably quite a few number of folks coming back to the game who might have the same questions, so I figured now would be the perfect time to talk about that, as well as some news regarding the new level 90 talents that we just received.

Oh, and the video has nothing to do with today's post ... I just had that song stuck in my head.

Continue reading Totem Talk: Getting resurrected restoration shaman back to speed, and level 90 talents

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Totem Talk: Getting resurrected restoration shaman back to speed, and level 90 talents originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 20 Mar 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> featuredguide-to-shamansmistsmists-of-pandariamists-of-pandaria-talent-changesmists-of-pandaria-talentsrestoResto-Shamanrestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-columnrestoration-shaman-totem-talkscroll-of-resurrectionshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-columnshaman-talentswow-shamanwow-shaman-info (Joe Perez) Tue, 20 Mar 2012 13:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: Restoration shaman buffs and debuffs in Mists of Pandaria]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/13/totem-talk-restoration-shaman-buffs-and-debuffs-in-mists-of-pan/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/13/totem-talk-restoration-shaman-buffs-and-debuffs-in-mists-of-pan/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/13/totem-talk-restoration-shaman-buffs-and-debuffs-in-mists-of-pan/#comments Totem Love Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and cohost of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how

Every time there is a new update whenever we're waiting for an expansion, it's super hard not to be excited. We'll be getting a flood of information about the expansion soon -- I can feel that in my bones -- but in the meantime, we have had a steady trickle of information, ranging from the talent calculator updates to the recently discovered and discussed list of buffs and debuffs in Mists.

Thursday, though, Lead Systems Designer Greg "Ghostcrawler" Street made a blog post about consolidating buffs and debuffs in Mists of Pandaria. The first thing any shaman will notice is that buff totems have gone the way of Sentry Totem. This shouldn't be that surprising, really, since at BlizzCon 2011, Blizzard stated that this was going to happen. However, it means that raid buffs will be mobile and travel with you at all times -- a great thing for PvP and for PvE utility, but a bad thing for anyone who cares about the flavor of totems.

Continue reading Totem Talk: Restoration shaman buffs and debuffs in Mists of Pandaria

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Totem Talk: Restoration shaman buffs and debuffs in Mists of Pandaria originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 13 Mar 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> featuredguide-to-shamansmistsmists of pandaria restoration shamanmists-of-pandariaMistsOfPandariaRestorationShamanrestoResto-Shamanrestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-columnrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshamanshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-columnshaman-talentstotemtotemswow-shamanwow-shaman-info (Joe Perez) Tue, 13 Mar 2012 09:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: Possible talents for restoration shaman]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/06/totem-talk-possible-talents-for-restoration-shaman/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/06/totem-talk-possible-talents-for-restoration-shaman/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/06/totem-talk-possible-talents-for-restoration-shaman/#comments at the Shaman bar Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and cohost of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how

It's been a number of weeks since the Mists of Pandaria talent calculator was updated. It was pretty exciting, with everything that got shifted around. I mean, our level 90 talents basically got shifted around to a lower level, leaving a bit of a gaping hole with the ever classic "coming soon" from Blizzard.

I don't know about you, but since then I've been wondering what could possibly be good enough to be our level 90 talents but not be so good that there was no way to have us be balanced. I posed the question at the end of next week, inviting you to speculate with me as to what our level 90 talents could be, what we would like to see if it were up to us to pick our level 90 talents.

Continue reading Totem Talk: Possible talents for restoration shaman

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Totem Talk: Possible talents for restoration shaman originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 06 Mar 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> featuredguide-to-shamansmists-of-pandariamists-of-pandaria-speculationmists-of-pandaria-talentsrestoResto-Shamanrestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-columnrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-columnshaman-talentswow-shamanwow-shaman-info (Joe Perez) Tue, 06 Mar 2012 13:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: While my Chain Heal gently weeps]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/28/totem-talk-while-my-chain-heal-gently-weeps/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/28/totem-talk-while-my-chain-heal-gently-weeps/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/28/totem-talk-while-my-chain-heal-gently-weeps/#comments Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and cohost of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how

Last week was a massive update to the Mists of Pandaria talent calculator for shaman in general but especially for restoration shaman. There were quite a number of surprises, a fair amount of tweaks and the implementation of a brand new mystery in our yet-to-be-named level 90 talents.

Among all those changes was one that I didn't bring up. Instead, I wanted to wait until this week because I felt the topic required a bit of time all to itself. That is the change to Riptide in the new talent calculator. No longer will it be consumed by Chain Heal whenever we cast it on someone with Riptide as our primary target. This is certainly a cause for celebration, and as I imagined it in my head, Chain Heal gently wept with happiness at the news.

While we're at it, be sure to enjoy the ukulele stylings of Jake Shimabukuro, who is a genius on the uke.

Continue reading Totem Talk: While my Chain Heal gently weeps

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Totem Talk: While my Chain Heal gently weeps originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 28 Feb 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> guide-to-shamanshealingrestoResto-Shamanrestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-columnrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-columnshaman-talentsshamanswow-shamanwow-shaman-info (Joe Perez) Tue, 28 Feb 2012 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: Mists of Pandaria resto talent calculator update]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/21/totem-talk-mists-of-pandaria-resto-talent-calculator-update/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/21/totem-talk-mists-of-pandaria-resto-talent-calculator-update/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/21/totem-talk-mists-of-pandaria-resto-talent-calculator-update/#comments A shaman and his bird
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and cohost of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how

The last few updates to the Mists of Pandaria talent calculator has seen some updates for the other healer types in WoW, but restoration shaman were left untouched from what we saw at BlizzCon 2011. That fact alone was starting to concern many of us, as we eagerly wait to see what we'll get for new spells and what we'll see our talents morph into.

Well, this time around, the latest update to the talent calculator certainly has some things for the restoration-minded shaman to enjoy. Talents have been moved around -- some removed and others just reorganized -- and we get our first glimpse at a new spell.

Continue reading Totem Talk: Mists of Pandaria resto talent calculator update

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Totem Talk: Mists of Pandaria resto talent calculator update originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpfeaturedguideguide-to-shamansmistsmists of pandariamists of pandaria restoration shamanMists-of-Pandaira-Talent-Calculatormists-of-pandaria-speculationmists-of-pandaria-talent-changesmists-of-pandaria-talentsMistsOfPandariaMistsOfPandariaRestorationShamanrestoResto-Shamanrestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-columnrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-columnshaman-talentstalenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-shamanwow-shaman-infowow-talent-guide (Joe Perez) Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: 5 ways to look like a bad restoration shaman]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/14/totem-talk-5-ways-to-look-like-a-bad-restoration-shaman/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/14/totem-talk-5-ways-to-look-like-a-bad-restoration-shaman/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/02/14/totem-talk-5-ways-to-look-like-a-bad-restoration-shaman/#comments styling shaman
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and cohost of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how.

Sometimes knowing how to do well at something relies on knowing what not to do. Over time, we can accumulate some pretty bad habits, and if we're not careful, they can make us look like a terrible healer or a complete and total noob. There's nothing worse than that feeling of being the cause of a wipe or looking like you don't know what you're doing.

That's sometimes the hardest thing a new restoration shaman faces when starting out healing groups in instances and the Raid Finder. It's OK, though -- just because you're a beginner doesn't mean you have to look like the world's worst healer. I've compiled a list of things you can and should avoid doing.

Continue reading Totem Talk: 5 ways to look like a bad restoration shaman

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Totem Talk: 5 ways to look like a bad restoration shaman originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpfeaturedguideguide-to-shamansrestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-columnrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-columnshaman-talentstalenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-shamanwow-shaman-infowow-talent-guide (Joe Perez) Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: A restoration shaman wish list for Mists of Pandaria]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/31/totem-talk-restoration-shamans-wish-list-for-mop/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/31/totem-talk-restoration-shamans-wish-list-for-mop/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/31/totem-talk-restoration-shamans-wish-list-for-mop/#comments
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and cohost of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how.

Leading up to any expansion, especially before any beta access has gone out, is a great time to start your wish lists -- things you want to see, things you don't want to see and changes that you just might not want to consider as a possibility. We've already have received a sneak peek at the new talents that will grace our classes when the expansion goes live, as well as some changes to the way spells are being distributed.

The fact is, though, that what we've seen so far has raised quite a few questions that have yet to have an answer. One of those big questions is what will happen to our beloved Telluric Currents? We're at a point where most restoration shaman can't live without the talent. It's a huge source of our mana regeneration, especially now in Dragon Soul.

Also, before we get any further: This week's image is supplied by an up-and-coming artist by the name of Jeanette Dulzo, daughter of one of my raiding priests Galdrea. She hasn't set up a website, but I'm hoping this young artist will keep at it and set one up soon. The full picture of her concept of a female shaman can be seen after the break.

Continue reading Totem Talk: A restoration shaman wish list for Mists of Pandaria

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Totem Talk: A restoration shaman wish list for Mists of Pandaria originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpfeaturedguideguide-to-shamansmists-of-pandariarestoResto-Shamanrestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-columnshaman-restoration-totem-talkshaman-talentstalenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-shamanwow-shaman-infowow-talent-guide (Joe Perez) Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: The 3 easiest ways to improve your restoration performance]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/24/totem-talk-the-3-easiest-ways-to-improve-your-restoration-perfo/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/24/totem-talk-the-3-easiest-ways-to-improve-your-restoration-perfo/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/24/totem-talk-the-3-easiest-ways-to-improve-your-restoration-perfo/#comments Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and cohost of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how.

No matter how good you are at the job you're doing, there's always something more that you can do to make yourself better. Even at the top of your game, most of us are continuously looking for ways to improve our performance -- to squeeze out a little more DPS, to survive a bit longer, to do that much more healing.

While you can spend your time poring over logs or upgrading your internet to faster speeds, tweaking your stats or replacing your mouse and keyboard, I like to follow words of wisdom given to me years ago by a musician friend of mine: Sometimes you have to get real simple before you can get real good. To that effect, let's highlight the easy things you can do to improve your healing performance.

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Totem Talk: The 3 easiest ways to improve your restoration performance originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpfeaturedguideguide-to-shamansimproveperformancerestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-totem-talkshaman-talentstalenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-shamanwow-shaman-infowow-talent-guide (Joe Perez) Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: How much do resto shaman set bonuses and mastery matter?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/17/totem-talk-how-much-do-resto-shaman-set-bonuses-and-mastery-mat/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/17/totem-talk-how-much-do-resto-shaman-set-bonuses-and-mastery-mat/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/17/totem-talk-how-much-do-resto-shaman-set-bonuses-and-mastery-mat/#comments Ultraxion stares Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and co-host of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how.

For as long as we've been healing, there's always been a pretty solid debate on what the best stats were. Was haste the king of the castle? Was it better to stack spirit and crit? The inclusion of mastery did nothing to help this particular debate and honestly just complicated it a little bit further. Set bonuses from our tier pieces are also something that has been debated. Are they worth it compared to off-set gear? How important is it that I reach my four-piece?

The debate continues on throughout Dragon Soul, and as Cataclysm winds down to a close, those choices will have an impact long into the next expansion. In the eternal debate and questions, there are some very simple answers to be had.

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Totem Talk: How much do resto shaman set bonuses and mastery matter? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpfeaturedguideguide-to-shamansMasterymastery-ratingrestoResto-Shamanrestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshamanshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-totem-talkshaman-talentstalenttalentstier 13 set bonusesTier13SetBonusesworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-shamanwow-shaman-infowow-talent-guide (Joe Perez) Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[What might Mists of Pandaria mean for healing?]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/03/what-might-mists-of-pandaria-mean-for-healing/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/03/what-might-mists-of-pandaria-mean-for-healing/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/03/what-might-mists-of-pandaria-mean-for-healing/#comments Mists of Pandaria is something of a scary thought for the future of many healers. The introduction of another class that is capable of tanking, DPSing and healing marks a potential destabilizing factor. While it is scary, it is also exciting to a lot of players. Shaking things up isn't always a bad thing, and it has the potential to introduce some very different playstyles. The most important question, though, is what the addition of another healing class could potentially mean for how the other healing classes play and are balanced.

The introduction of the monk class has the potential to trigger a series of changes that could wind up being seen across all of the healing classes -- that is, depending on the reception it receives. These changes are things that some healers might not have considered or further expanding of particular mechanics that are already in game. With that said, it's time for a bit of speculation!

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What might Mists of Pandaria mean for healing? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> disc-priestdisciplineholyHoly-Paladinholy-priestmistsmists-of-pandariamists-of-pandaria-speculationmonkmonk healingMonkHealingpriestresto-druidResto-Shamanrestoration-shamanshamanshaman-healing (Joe Perez) Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: 2011 for restoration shaman]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/03/totem-talk-2011-for-restoration-shaman/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/03/totem-talk-2011-for-restoration-shaman/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/01/03/totem-talk-2011-for-restoration-shaman/#comments
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and co-host of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how.

Hard to believe that another year has come and gone, isn't it? It seems like only yesterday we were waiting in line for the Cataclysm to drop. Now we're at the end of the expansion, complete with the last raid tier and a battle for the survival of Azeroth against the aspect of death himself. But the new year has come, and it's a perfect time to look back on a rather full year of activity while we eagerly await the release of Mists of Pandaria.

Tier 11: A slice of heaven

The release of Cataclysm was something that was eagerly anticipated by a rather large number of players -- new talent trees, new spells and abilities, and a ton of new content. After making our way through the various dungeons and heroics, we set foot into the first tier of raid content for the expansion only to find out that we were pretty awesome. Using our new tools and tricks, we were able to destroy and outclass a lot of fights. Heroic Chimaeron was a perfect example of a fight in which restoration shaman just destroyed the competition and were heroes of a higher healing caliber.

Tier 11 gave us a lot of opportunity to make use of our brand new mastery, Deep Healing, and not just use it but let it shine. Many of the boss fights had mechanics that would bring a large number of the raid members' health down to very low totals, allowing our Healing Rain and Earthliving Weapon proc to explode onto the scene. Magmaw, Chimaeron, and Halfus all had a ton of damage to heal through and really let us pour on the healing juice.

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Totem Talk: 2011 for restoration shaman originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 03 Jan 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> bastion of twilightBastionOfTwilightblackwing-descentcataclysmclass-helpdragonsoulfeaturedfirelandsguideguide-to-shamansrestoResto-Shamanrestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-columnrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-columnshaman-talentstalenttalentsthrone of the four windsThroneOfTheFourWindsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-shamanwow-shaman-infowow-talent-guide (Joe Perez) Tue, 03 Jan 2012 09:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: Healing Hagara the Stormbinder and Ultraxion]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/27/totem-talk-healing-hagara-the-stormbinder-and-ultraxion/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/27/totem-talk-healing-hagara-the-stormbinder-and-ultraxion/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/27/totem-talk-healing-hagara-the-stormbinder-and-ultraxion/#comments Restoration shaman in ugly sweater Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and co-host of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how.

The siege is, by now, well under way, and now that you're done playing with slimes, it's time to move forward. Your next opponent is Hagara the Stormbinder, a shaman who has fallen under the sway of the aspect of death and now works toward the destruction of the world. Luckily for you, she's an enhancement shaman, so she's pretty easy to deal with.

The major theme for this boss is movement. Every major ability that Hagara has boils down to your moving in the correct manner in order to avoid what would be absolutely lethal damage. Moving and healing has never really been a shaman's strong point, but if you use your abilities wisely, you'll have her down in no time. (For full details of the encounters or full raid strategies, please read Ready Check for WoW Insider's boss guides.)

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Totem Talk: Healing Hagara the Stormbinder and Ultraxion originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 27 Dec 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpfeaturedguideguide-to-shamanshagarahagara the stormbinderHagaraTheStormbinderrestoResto-Shamanrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-columnrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-columnshaman-talentstalenttalentsultraxionworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-shamanwow-shaman-infowow-talent-guide (Joe Perez) Tue, 27 Dec 2011 13:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: How to heal Yor'sahj in the Siege of Wyrmrest]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/20/shaman-how-to-heal-yorsahj/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/20/shaman-how-to-heal-yorsahj/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/20/shaman-how-to-heal-yorsahj/#comments Dead Yorggles Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and co-host of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how.

The Siege of Wyrmrest temple has begun, and with Morchok and Zon'ozz down, it's time to begin stepping it up a notch. Dragon Soul offers so many fights that are just absolutely fun for restoration shaman. Yor'sahj the Unsleeping is a great example of a great healer workout. His mechanics are simple from a DPS and tanking aspect, but for healers, you will constantly have to be prepared to adapt to different slime combinations. Make no mistake, knowing your blobs is key to success.

Every raid team will have a different way of handling the oozes and setting priorities on which to burn. As a healer, though, you'll have to learn what each blob is capable of and the effect that the certain combinations of globules will have. Each wave of oozes summoned by the boss will have three oozes on normal and Raid Finder difficulty, and your raid will have the option of killing one of the oozes each wave. (For full details of the encounters or full raid strategies, please read Ready Check for WoW Insider's boss guides.)

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Totem Talk: How to heal Yor'sahj in the Siege of Wyrmrest originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 20 Dec 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpdragonsoulfeaturedguideguide-to-shamansrestoResto-Shamanrestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-columnrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-columnshaman-talentstalenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-shamanwow-shaman-infowow-talent-guideyorsahj the unsleepingYorsahjTheUnsleeping (Joe Perez) Tue, 20 Dec 2011 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: How to heal Morchok and Zon'ozz in the Siege of Wyrmrest]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/13/resto-shaman-how-to-heal-morchok-and-zonozz-in-the-siege-of-wyrm/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/13/resto-shaman-how-to-heal-morchok-and-zonozz-in-the-siege-of-wyrm/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/13/resto-shaman-how-to-heal-morchok-and-zonozz-in-the-siege-of-wyrm/#comments Shaman standing on Deathwing
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and co-host of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how.

Dragon Soul is full of fire, black goo, explosions, dragons, and an odd shaman that have gone off the deep end and sided with some Old Golds. To be honest, it's an impressive raid zone in both scale of story -- and it's one for sure that most restoration shaman should fall in love with. (For full details of the encounters or full raid strategies, please read Ready Check for WoW Insider's boss guides.)

Morchok is an elemental baddie straight from the pits of Deepholm, the most powerful elemental still under the control of Deathwing. He'll be your first roadblock on the highway to defeating the aspect of death -- and honestly, he's a fight designed with the restoration shaman in mind. Morchok's bark is much bigger than his bite when you're a restoration shaman. So what makes him such a good boss for a resto shaman healer? Well, the mechanics of the fight first and foremost lend themselves very well to your raid staying grouped up. This plays well the vast majority of our AoE healing spells.

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Totem Talk: How to heal Morchok and Zon'ozz in the Siege of Wyrmrest originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 13 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpdragon souldragon soul lootDragonSoulDragonSoulLootfeaturedguideguide-to-shamansmorchokrestoResto-Shamanrestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-columnrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-columnshaman-talentstalenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-shamanwow-shaman-infowow-talent-guide (Joe Perez) Tue, 13 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: Restoration shaman 4.3 loot]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/06/restoration-shaman-4-3-loot/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/06/restoration-shaman-4-3-loot/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/06/restoration-shaman-4-3-loot/#comments Restoration Shaman 4.3 Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and co-host of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how.

A new patch has come and brought with it many new wonders. The final content patch of the Cataclysm expansion has finally gone live, bringing three new dungeons tied intricately with the story of the new raid zone. It's an exciting time for everyone involved as stories come to a close, and there are many new toys to play with like transmogrification and the Raid Finder.

One of the greatest things about a new raid tier is the amount of new gear you get to play with. Each tier in Cataclysm has done things a little different with how you obtain your gear, combining valor points and tokens from raid in order to obtain your tier pieces and raid drops with off-set valor gear to fill in your gaps. This tier is no exception to the changing gearing climate, and the number of options is almost staggering.

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Totem Talk: Restoration shaman 4.3 loot originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpfeaturedguideguide-to-shamansrestoResto-Shamanrestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-totem-talkshaman-talentstalenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-shamanwow-shaman-infowow-talent-guide (Joe Perez) Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: Mists of Pandaria talent calculator for restoration shamans]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/29/mists-of-pandaria-talent-calculator-for-restoration/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/29/mists-of-pandaria-talent-calculator-for-restoration/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/29/mists-of-pandaria-talent-calculator-for-restoration/#comments Restoration Talent Calculator Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and co-host of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how.

BlizzCon 2011 was an exciting time with a lot of announcements for every class and for the state of the game in general. If you're a regular reader of the column (and I hope you are), you'll remember that we talked a little bit about the proposed talent system changes before and what it meant for restoration shaman.

Well, since then, the official talent calculator for Mists of Pandaria have been released on the official World of Warcraft site. With it, there are a few surprises. It has caused quite a stir throughout the community, and many of the bloggers out there have been sharing their thoughts on the new calculator and what it means for the future of their classes and specs. So today that's exactly what I'm going to do.

We've talked about this before, but it bears repeating. Cataclysm brought about a pretty revolutionary (and at the time controversial) change to the talent system by breaking it down from what we knew for years to the 31-point talent system we have today. It allowed for specialization locking a player into a certain talent tree, eliminating hybrid talent builds, but in exchange giving players some key abilities as perks. It was the first step in streamlining the talent system.

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Totem Talk: Mists of Pandaria talent calculator for restoration shamans originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpfeaturedguideguide-to-shamansrestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-columnrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-columnshaman-talentstalenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-shamanwow-shaman-infowow-talent-guide (Joe Perez) Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: Restoration healing blues]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/22/totem-talk-restoration-healing-blues/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/22/totem-talk-restoration-healing-blues/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/22/totem-talk-restoration-healing-blues/#comments Winged Ghostwolf Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and co-host of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how.

While the last few articles have been focused on the upcoming patch 4.3, lately there's been a new set of concerns that's popped up regarding healers, mana and restoration shaman abilities.

The official forums are a place that is both infinitely scary and amazingly wonderful all at the same time. You're as likely to find the next greatest bit of news as you are the next and most terrible meme. That said, I find myself on them more often than not, digging around for the latest news and concerns from other players or just for a laugh. This past week, though, a thread sprung up about healers going into the future, and our own Matt Low has covered it in his post from an all-healer perspective.

The thread has a number of blue responses and many of the answers directly relate to restoration shaman. Over this last week, I've received a number of emails about this thread and thought now would be a good time to go over it and address some concerns.

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Totem Talk: Restoration healing blues originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 22 Nov 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpfeaturedguideguide-to-shamansrestoResto-Shamanrestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-totem-talkshaman-talentstalenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-shamanwow-shaman-infowow-talent-guide (Joe Perez) Tue, 22 Nov 2011 09:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: Restoration and the 5-man dungeons of patch 4.3]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/15/restoration-shaman-patch-4.3-heroics/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/15/restoration-shaman-patch-4.3-heroics/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/15/restoration-shaman-patch-4.3-heroics/#comments Murozond from the End Time Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and co-host of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how.

On the PTR, the latest version of patch 4.3 has gone up, and it has an interesting tag with it. Now it has the word "release" to accompany the latest build. So this means that there is a release candidate up and running, or at least what would be proposed as one. This usually indicates that we are rapidly approaching a live release and that the patch could be on servers very soon for everyone to enjoy.

So in my ongoing effort to shift the focus back into the upcoming content and what lies ahead for restoration shaman, today we're going to be focusing on what will likely be the first new content you explore in the latest patch, the new 5-man dungeons. Action, excitement ... a restoration shaman craves these things.

Continue reading Totem Talk: Restoration and the 5-man dungeons of patch 4.3

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Totem Talk: Restoration and the 5-man dungeons of patch 4.3 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 15 Nov 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpfeaturedguideguide-to-shamansrestoResto-Shamanrestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-columnrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-columnshaman-talentstalenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-shamanwow-shaman-infowow-talent-guide (Joe Perez) Tue, 15 Nov 2011 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: Resto shaman advice for healing groups, DK tanks, and heroic instances]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/08/resto-shaman-advice-for-healing-groups-dk-heroics/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/08/resto-shaman-advice-for-healing-groups-dk-heroics/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/08/resto-shaman-advice-for-healing-groups-dk-heroics/#comments Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and co-host of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how.

Man, the last few weeks sure have been fun and full of interesting information regarding our future. Speculation has already begun as to how we're going to be doing when the next expansion is poised for release, and we leave this world of Cataclysm behind us. Let's take the time to bring the focus back to current-day concerns and the most important thing of all, questions from you the readers. Restoration shaman have been a class in flux throughout Cataclysm, and as a result, there are numerous questions from those who are pushing raid content all the way to those who are returning to the game after a hiatus. So this week, let's get started with Ask a Restoration Shaman!

Welldead asked:

What is the best healing spell for Death knights?? I've been struggling just to keep a blood dk and its just getting on my nerves even though they are great tanks i just don't know if its me or is it the spell I'm casting wrong? I usually keep my riptide and earth shield up as long as doing chain heals and throwing healing rain when ever it gets messy.

Continue reading Totem Talk: Resto shaman advice for healing groups, DK tanks, and heroic instances

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Totem Talk: Resto shaman advice for healing groups, DK tanks, and heroic instances originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 08 Nov 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> ask a restoration shamanAskARestorationShamanclass-helpfeaturedguideguide-to-shamansResto-Shamanrestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-columnrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-columnshaman-talentstalenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-shamanwow-shaman-infowow-talent-guide (Joe Perez) Tue, 08 Nov 2011 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: Preparing restoration for patch 4.3 raiding]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/01/preparing-restoration-shaman-patch-4-3/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/01/preparing-restoration-shaman-patch-4-3/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/11/01/preparing-restoration-shaman-patch-4-3/#comments Dragon Soul raid Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and co-host of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how.

Well, after all the excitement about BlizzCon, it's very easy to forget that we have more immediate things to look toward. For us, this mainly is the next raid tier, the Dragon Soul. The next raid tier will be coming fairly soon, and we'll be gearing up to take down Deathwing.

Recently we've had some concerns about the numbers that are being put out by restoration shaman in a raiding environment. The next tier has promised to be much more exciting for us in many ways, from the fact that we are getting new raid content to new and exciting new bosses with new mechanics to learn and work with. Today, we're going to focus on getting ready for this new content.

Continue reading Totem Talk: Preparing restoration for patch 4.3 raiding

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Totem Talk: Preparing restoration for patch 4.3 raiding originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpfeaturedguideguide-to-shamansrestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-columnrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-columnshaman-talentstalenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-shamanwow-shaman-infowow-talent-guide (Joe Perez) Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: Post-BlizzCon restoration shaman thoughts]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/25/totem-talk-post-blizzcon-restoration-shaman-thoughts/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/25/totem-talk-post-blizzcon-restoration-shaman-thoughts/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/25/totem-talk-post-blizzcon-restoration-shaman-thoughts/#comments Shaman Class Icon
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and co-host of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how.

It has been a very exciting weekend for every World of Warcraft fan. BlizzCon is that one yearly event where news unlike anything else we've heard all year comes out. We were treated not only to the announcement of the next expansion, Mists of Pandaria, but a plethora of changes for every class and spec.

The big news outside of the expansion was the announcement of the new talent system. In patch 5.0, a new talent system will come along and replace the one we have grown to know right now. It came as a bit of a shock, especially after we were bumped down to the 31-talent point system we have now. The system has a lot of exciting things that will have an impact on our healing; probably most important is that talents will no longer be a key factor in determining a character's power.

Continue reading Totem Talk: Post-BlizzCon restoration shaman thoughts

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Totem Talk: Post-BlizzCon restoration shaman thoughts originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 25 Oct 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> blizzconblizzcon-2011class-helpfeaturedguideguide-to-shamanspandaria-talentspatch 5.0Patch5.0restoResto-Shamanrestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-columnrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-columnshaman-talentstalenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-shamanwow-shaman-infowow-talent-guide (Joe Perez) Tue, 25 Oct 2011 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[BlizzCon 2011: Heroic Scholomance and Scarlet Monastery redesign]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/22/blizzcon-2011-heroic-scholomance-and-scarlet-monastery-redesign/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/22/blizzcon-2011-heroic-scholomance-and-scarlet-monastery-redesign/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/22/blizzcon-2011-heroic-scholomance-and-scarlet-monastery-redesign/#comments scholomance interior One of the most exciting things last year was the announcement that in the Cataclysm expansion there would be a redesign of classic dungeons into new heroic modes for level 85. Shadowfang Keep and The Deadmines got quite a face lift including new layouts, new boss mechanics and in some cases entirely new bosses. The redesign was quite successful, and the new instances were fun and fresh and breathed new life into content that had previously been considered stale.

With the announcement of the new expansion, Mists of Pandaria, there was a very exciting announcement that we will be receiving three new heroic dungeons as redesigns. These rediscovered zones are Scholomance and Scarlet Monastery. Both are iconic instances and most players have some fond (or not so fond) memories there.. During the Dungeon and Raids panel we received a few bits of information about each of these revamps. Join us after the break for details.

Continue reading BlizzCon 2011: Heroic Scholomance and Scarlet Monastery redesign

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BlizzCon 2011: Heroic Scholomance and Scarlet Monastery redesign originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 22 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> blizzconblizzcon-2011breakingdungeonsheroicheroic dungeonsHeroicDungeonsheroics (Joe Perez) Sat, 22 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[BlizzCon 2011: Hands on with Mists of Pandaria]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/21/blizzcon-2011-hands-on-with-mists-of-pandaria/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/21/blizzcon-2011-hands-on-with-mists-of-pandaria/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/21/blizzcon-2011-hands-on-with-mists-of-pandaria/#comments I'm sure that you've already heard the news of the next World of Warcraft expansion: Mists of Pandaria. As an added treat to the reveal of the next expansion, those in attendance at BlizzCon have the opportunity to sit down and spend some time with the new race and the new starting zone. I was fortunate enough to get a chance to play through what was available and to get to know the new Pandaran race just a little bit. We also got to spend some time with the new class, the monk. Join us after the break for more information.

Continue reading BlizzCon 2011: Hands on with Mists of Pandaria

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BlizzCon 2011: Hands on with Mists of Pandaria originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 21 Oct 2011 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> blizzconblizzcon-2011breakinghands-onmists-of-pandariapandaren (Joe Perez) Fri, 21 Oct 2011 16:55:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: Restoration's pre-BlizzCon special]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/18/restoration-shaman-pre-blizzcon-special/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/18/restoration-shaman-pre-blizzcon-special/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/18/restoration-shaman-pre-blizzcon-special/#comments Lodur in stormwind at sunrise
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and co-host of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how.

Can you feel the electricity in the air? Can you feel the anticipation? This is one of the most anticipated weeks of the year for those of us who play World of Warcraft. Everyone from the most casual to the most hardcore of players tends to love this upcoming weekend.

It will be a weekend of news, a weekend of events, and a weekend of amazing meetups. BlizzCon will be an amazing time, for sure, and an opportunity for many questions to be answered. There will be several panels of interest to us and plenty of opportunity for us to ask questions. The World of Warcraft Class Talent System panel, World of Warcraft Dungeons & Raids panel, and many more will all have potential news for us. This week, I'd like to talk about what we could possibly get news of this weekend.

Continue reading Totem Talk: Restoration's pre-BlizzCon special

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Totem Talk: Restoration's pre-BlizzCon special originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpfeaturedguideguide-to-shamansrestoResto-Shamanrestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-columnshaman-talentstalenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-shamanwow-shaman-infowow-talent-guide (Joe Perez) Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: Restoration's pre-patch 4.3 activity guide]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/11/totem-talk-restorations-pre-patch-4-3-activity-guide/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/11/totem-talk-restorations-pre-patch-4-3-activity-guide/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/11/totem-talk-restorations-pre-patch-4-3-activity-guide/#comments Old School Restoration Shaman Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and co-host of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how.

With patch 4.3 on the PTR and the next tier of raid content under way, many of us are wondering what to do to fill the time in between now, in the time after the great nerf, and the next content patch. Some folks have recently expressed concern at being bored until there is something new to do.

Truth is, there is still quite a number of things that you can do while you are waiting for the next big patch, from the very little things like just socializing with guildies and friends, to tying up those loose ends in the current tier of content. This week, I thought we could take a look at a number of various options you have at having fun and keeping busy in the pre-patch world.

Continue reading Totem Talk: Restoration's pre-patch 4.3 activity guide

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Totem Talk: Restoration's pre-patch 4.3 activity guide originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 11 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpfeaturedguideguide-to-shamansPatch 4.3patch 4.3 PTRPatch4.3Patch4.3PtrrestoResto-Shamanrestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-columnrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-columnshaman-talentstalenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-shamanwow-shaman-infowow-talent-guide (Joe Perez) Tue, 11 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: Restoration's first week with PTR patch 4.3]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/04/totem-talk-restorations-first-week-with-ptr-patch-4-3/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/04/totem-talk-restorations-first-week-with-ptr-patch-4-3/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/10/04/totem-talk-restorations-first-week-with-ptr-patch-4-3/#comments Lodur Dwarf Pirate Shaman Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and co-host of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how.

It's been a very exciting few weeks for restoration shaman as a group. First, we got to see the new look of the tier 13 shaman gear. It's a good-looking set, that's for sure. We then got a chance to see our tier 13 set bonuses. Both the two- and four-piece set bonuses are actually quite nice, and I'm looking forward to getting to check them out in a live environment soon.

Last week, though, we got news of the PTR going live, and with it came a number of restoration shaman changes. To be honest, there were just a lot of general shaman changes in the works on that patch right from the get-go. For the past week, I've been playing around with the PTR and the changes, through both new dungeon content and current raids. Today, I'd like to share my experiences of the last week with you.

Continue reading Totem Talk: Restoration's first week with PTR patch 4.3

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Totem Talk: Restoration's first week with PTR patch 4.3 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpfeaturedguideguide-to-shamanspatch 4.3patch 4.3 PTRPatch4.3Patch4.3PtrrestoResto-Shamanrestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-columnshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-columnshaman-talentstalenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-shamanwow-shaman-infowow-talent-guide (Joe Perez) Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Patch 4.3 PTR: Shaman class changes]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/28/patch-4-3-ptr-shaman-class-changes/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/28/patch-4-3-ptr-shaman-class-changes/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/28/patch-4-3-ptr-shaman-class-changes/#comments Patch 4.3 is now up on the PTR, as well as the official patch 4.3 patch notes. With the latest build comes a rather large amount of changes for shaman of all three talent specializations. Some come as no shock; others were things I don't think many of us planned on seeing. Everything, though, seems aimed at bringing balance back to the class on every front.

As always, we look at the upcoming changes for any patch with both excitement and trepidation. Will our changes make a difference for the better or the worse? Are they buffs or are they nerfs? Will we finally get that spectral moose we were promised so long ago? As always, remember that these changes are tentative, and since they are on the test realm, they are subject to change at any time that the developers at Blizzard Entertainment feel they should change.

So what's in store, and what does it mean for shaman? Jump after the cut for the full list.

Continue reading Patch 4.3 PTR: Shaman class changes

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Patch 4.3 PTR: Shaman class changes originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 28 Sep 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> patch 4.3Patch 4.3 patch notespatch 4.3 PTRpatch notesPatch4.3Patch4.3PatchNotesPatch4.3PtrPatchNotesshamanshaman-info (Joe Perez) Wed, 28 Sep 2011 09:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: Restoration tier 13 set bonuses and Firelands nerf]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/27/restoration-shaman-tier-13-set-bonuses-and-firelands-nerf/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/27/restoration-shaman-tier-13-set-bonuses-and-firelands-nerf/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/27/restoration-shaman-tier-13-set-bonuses-and-firelands-nerf/#comments Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and co-host of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how.

So last week, we talked about the aesthetics of the shaman tier 13 set. It is a pretty good-looking set overall, and it was very nice to hear what the community had to say about it as a whole. You guys certainly offered quite a bit of insight into how you view the set. We also took some time to make some speculative guesses as to what we might see in the next patch in regards to shaman healing and even discussed how the developers looked at healing as a whole.

Another week has come and gone, and it certainly has been full of excitement. We got our first glimpses of the restoration shaman two- and four-piece set bonuses for tier 13, and I thought we could take a moment today to talk about that as well as what the current tweaks to the Firelands raids mean for you as a restoration shaman.

Oh, and in case you didn't see in Sunday's The Queue, that handsome dwarf shaman on the playing card is yours truly. I'll freely admit that I squeed a bit when I saw that arrive in my inbox.

Continue reading Totem Talk: Restoration tier 13 set bonuses and Firelands nerf

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Totem Talk: Restoration tier 13 set bonuses and Firelands nerf originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 27 Sep 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpfeaturedfirelandsfirelands-raidguideguide-to-shamansrestoResto-Shamanrestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-columnrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-columnshaman-talentstalenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-shamanwow-shaman-infowow-talent-guide (Joe Perez) Tue, 27 Sep 2011 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: Tier 13 and Patch 4.3 for restoration]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/20/resto-shaman-tier-13-patch-4-3/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/20/resto-shaman-tier-13-patch-4-3/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/20/resto-shaman-tier-13-patch-4-3/#comments
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and co-host of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how.

Last week, we had a chat about transmogrification and your choices as a restoration shaman. We also covered the shamanistic style through the years, covering the various tiers of gear and how they were defined through their art style -- strong tones of the elements and classic Warcraft shaman iconography.

This past week, we finally got our first look at the shaman tier 13 set. Opinions have been varied, ranging from love and adoration of the set to outright hatred of it. So I thought this week we could talk a little bit about the shaman tier 13 armor set, as well as speculate as to what we might see this week in the upcoming patch 4.3 information and what it could mean for restoration shaman.

Continue reading Totem Talk: Tier 13 and Patch 4.3 for restoration

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Totem Talk: Tier 13 and Patch 4.3 for restoration originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 20 Sep 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpfeaturedguideguide-to-shamansPatch 4.3Patch4.3restoResto-Shamanrestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-columnrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-columnshaman-talentstalenttalentstier-13tier-13-shamanworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-shamanwow-shaman-infowow-talent-guide (Joe Perez) Tue, 20 Sep 2011 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: Restoration shaman transmogrification guide]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/13/restoration-shaman-transmogrification-guide/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/13/restoration-shaman-transmogrification-guide/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/13/restoration-shaman-transmogrification-guide/#comments Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and co-host of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how.

In patch 4.3, not only will we get the chance to punch Deathwing in the face, we can do so with a whole new style. Not only will we be getting a new tier of raiding to go through, as well as new 5-man content to explore, but there will also be some extra features added that we as players have been asking for quite some time. Transmogrification will allow us to take our current armor and weapons and transform them to look like other pieces of gear.

Vanity items may sound like a silly request by the players, but when you've had as rich a history of iconic gear sets as shaman have, it can be pretty awesome. Over the years, shaman in particular have had some pretty amazing and visually stunning sets of gear. Let's take a look! Also, if you listen to the lyrics of the classic song above, you'll notice that not once do they specifically mention pants. (I'm ignoring the mention of suit.) Long live the kilt!

Continue reading Totem Talk: Restoration shaman transmogrification guide

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Totem Talk: Restoration shaman transmogrification guide originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpfeaturedguideguide-to-shamanspatch-4.3restoResto-Shamanrestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-columnrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-columnshaman-talentstalenttalentstransmogrificationtransmogrification-guideworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-shamanwow-shaman-infowow-talent-guide (Joe Perez) Tue, 13 Sep 2011 13:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: Head of shaman healing for a day]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/06/shaman-healing-design-ideas/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/06/shaman-healing-design-ideas/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/09/06/shaman-healing-design-ideas/#comments Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and co-host of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how.

We've spent the last couple of weeks going over the history of the restoration shaman, dating back from the days of vanilla WoW all the way up through Cataclysm. I feel that no matter what your current stance is on shaman healing, we can all agree that it has been one roller coaster ride from then until now.

I'm an amateur game designer currently working on my own little indie game. Whether or not it will see the light of day is a topic for another day, but needless to say, things like class balance and character design are always of interest to me. With that in mind, I did pose a question for the last two weeks. It seemed like a simple question, but the answers I received were incredibly well thought-out. It made it hard to choose just a few for this week's article, and it may wind up making into a second part later on. Let's see what you, the readers, would propose for class changes to restoration shaman if you were head honcho for a day.

Continue reading Totem Talk: Head of shaman healing for a day

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Totem Talk: Head of shaman healing for a day originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpfeaturedguideguide-to-shamansrestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-columnrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-columnshaman-talentstalenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-shamanwow-shaman-infowow-talent-guide (Joe Perez) Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: The later history of restoration shaman]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/08/30/resto-shaman-history-part-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/08/30/resto-shaman-history-part-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/08/30/resto-shaman-history-part-2/#comments Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and co-host of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how.

Last week, we started our trip back to the beginning of the days of our restoration shaman pioneers, those brave souls who endured 40-man raids, laggy servers, limited toolkits and short-duration totems! They survived the harrowing times of downranking and the collapse of the 40-man raid into 25-man raids and helped restore the Sunwell. Truly, this was a time of legends.

This week, our trip through WoW's history will lead us toward more recent events. While we can reminisce about the good old days of the release and first expansion of WoW, we can't deny the impact the current expansion, as well as the one before it, had on the evolution of the shaman healer. I mean, it's not like they heralded the end of the world as we know it, right?

Continue reading Totem Talk: The later history of restoration shaman

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Totem Talk: The later history of restoration shaman originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 30 Aug 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> cataclysmclass-helpfeaturedguideguide-to-shamansrestoResto-Shamanrestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-columnrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-columnshaman-talentstalenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-shamanwow-shaman-infowow-talent-guidewrath of the lich king (Joe Perez) Tue, 30 Aug 2011 17:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: The early days of restoration shaman]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/08/23/resto-shaman-history-part-1/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/08/23/resto-shaman-history-part-1/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/08/23/resto-shaman-history-part-1/#comments Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and co-host of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how.

This has been a pretty exciting week for every player and every class, it seems. As I'm sure you heard, patch 4.3 is already in the works and building up to the epic confrontation with the mad dragon aspect Deathwing himself. Along with what will likely be the defining fight of this expansion, we also got some interesting news about vanity gear and some additional storage for those of us who are massive pack rats.

While we look forward to patch 4.3, this week I thought it would be the perfect time to start looking back on restoration shaman through the years of WoW's history a little bit. After all, we've come so far, and it's ever so fun to Back It Up once in a while. This week's header just seemed appropriate for the topic -- hope you enjoy the sounds of the wonderful Caro Emerald!

Continue reading Totem Talk: The early days of restoration shaman

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Totem Talk: The early days of restoration shaman originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 23 Aug 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpfeaturedguideguide-to-shamansrestoResto-Shamanrestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-columnrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-columnshaman-talentstalenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-shamanwow-shaman-infowow-talent-guide (Joe Perez) Tue, 23 Aug 2011 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: Restoration crit and haste and mastery, oh my!]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/08/16/resto-shaman-stat-weights/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/08/16/resto-shaman-stat-weights/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/08/16/resto-shaman-stat-weights/#comments Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and co-host of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how.

Last week, we took some time to revisit the optional talents for restoration shaman. There were some good comments on the talents and many good questions in the comments. I hope you enjoyed the piece.

Continuing the reader-requested posts, this week we'll be talking about a restoration shaman's secondary stats. Reader Shazzyy asked for a discussion on this topic, which means that we will be talking about crit, haste and mastery and not only how they affect restoration shaman, but also possible builds concerning them. As always, if you want me to cover a particular topic or have any questions, feel free to email me or send me a message on Twitter.

Continue reading Totem Talk: Restoration crit and haste and mastery, oh my!

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Totem Talk: Restoration crit and haste and mastery, oh my! originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpfeaturedguideguide-to-shamansrestoResto-Shamanrestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-columnrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-columnshaman-talentstalenttalentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-shamanwow-shaman-infowow-talent-guide (Joe Perez) Tue, 16 Aug 2011 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Totem Talk: Revisiting restoration's optional talents]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/08/09/totem-talk-revisiting-restorations-optional-talents/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/08/09/totem-talk-revisiting-restorations-optional-talents/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/08/09/totem-talk-revisiting-restorations-optional-talents/#comments Every week, WoW Insider brings you Totem Talk for elemental, enhancement and restoration shaman. Want to be a sultan of swing healing? A champion of Chain Heal? Totem Talk: Restoration, brought to you by Joe Perez (otherwise known as Lodur from World of Matticus and co-host of the For the Lore and Raid Warning podcasts), shows you how.

The ask a restoration shaman article last week is something I'd like to start doing a little more regularly. You guys provided some awesome questions and offered amazing feedback. Seeing readers answering questions as much as asking them makes me proud to be a member of the shaman community!

Today's post comes as a request through last week's call for questions. When our talent trees were revamped to the current model, one of the goals was to make some optional but fun talents. Some of the talents have proven to be insanely useful and almost mandatory, while others seem completely out of place. Today we're going to talk about some of restoration's "optional" talents. Oh, and if you have anything you want covered in a Totem Talk post, feel free to email me!

Continue reading Totem Talk: Revisiting restoration's optional talents

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Totem Talk: Revisiting restoration's optional talents originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpfeaturedFocused InsightFocusedInsightguideguide-to-shamansrestoResto-Shamanrestorationrestoration-shamanrestoration-shaman-columnrestoration-shaman-totem-talkshaman-guideshaman-healingshaman-infoshaman-restoration-columnshaman-talentstalenttalentstelluric-currentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-shamanwow-shaman-infowow-talent-guide (Joe Perez) Tue, 09 Aug 2011 18:00:00 EST WoW Insider