Druid Healer in the Season of Discovery Guide

In the ever-evolving landscape of World of Warcraft's Season of Discovery, Druid Healers find themselves amidst a plethora of new possibilities and playstyles. The removal of the buff cap has opened the door for a variety of healing strategies, making Druid Healers a versatile and exciting class to explore. The introduction of the rune system brings fresh dynamics, with runes like Living Seed, Tempestria's Fury, Lifebloom, and Wild Growth offering unique flavors inspired by previous expansions.

The standout addition to the Druid Healer's arsenal is the potent AoE heal, Wild Growth. With an extended range and robust base healing, this ability can dominate a Druid Healer's throughput in raids. Its efficiency and potency shine when applied to at least two raid members, surpassing other healing options. While Wild Growth takes the spotlight for group healing, Healing Touch remains the reliable single-target heal when focused attention is required.

As the game progresses and more information unfolds, the Season of Discovery promises uncharted territories with new metas, unexplored lower-level brackets, and the potential for groundbreaking theorycrafting. The rune system injects fresh possibilities, offering Druid Healers exciting opportunities to redefine their playstyle and contribute effectively to raids.

Best Runes for Druid Healer in Season of Dsicovery

Chest Rune

Legs Rune

Gloves Rune

Best Talents for Pure Restoration Druid- Phase 1

Strengths and Weaknesses

In the Classic era, Druids were a raid necessity primarily for Faerie Fire and Gift of the Wild, with Restoration Druids reigning supreme. However, Season of Discovery flips the script, challenging established metas and signaling a commitment from developers to adapt to emerging trends. Druid Healers, known for their efficiency in tank healing, now emerge as potent raid healers with enhanced HoT capabilities.

The versatility of Druid Healers remains a strength, excelling in both single-target healing with Healing Touch and top-tier raid healing facilitated by the formidable Wild Growth rune. Their utility toolkit, featuring abilities like Rebirth, Remove Curse, Faerie Fire, Mark of the Wild, and Cure Poison, positions them as valuable assets in raid scenarios.

Yet, Druid Healers face limitations, lacking an out-of-combat resurrection option and often occupying niche roles in raid compositions. Securing a raid spot may pose a challenge due to their specialized role. Additionally, mana management becomes a concern in Phase 1, particularly without Innervate (level 40) or optimal regen itemization.

Strengths:

1. Strong Single-Target Healing Throughput: Druid Healers shine in the realm of single-target healing, particularly with the reliable and efficient Healing Touch. When focused attention is needed, Druids excel at mending individual wounds with finesse.

2. Top-Tier Raid Healing: The introduction of the Wild Growth rune elevates Druid Healers to the upper echelons of raid healing. With its extended range and substantial healing capacity, Druids become formidable contributors to group sustainability in large-scale encounters.

3. Powerful Raid Utility: Druid Healers bring a diverse set of utility tools to the raiding table. From the ability to resurrect fallen comrades with Rebirth to dispelling curses (Remove Curse), providing essential buffs (Mark of the Wild), and curing poisons (Cure Poison), Druids enhance the overall resilience and effectiveness of the raid group.

Weaknesses:

1. No Out-of-Combat Resurrection Option: A notable drawback for Druid Healers is the absence of an out-of-combat resurrection ability. While they excel in other areas, the inability to revive fallen allies outside of combat may pose challenges in certain scenarios.

2. Niche Role in Raid Compositions: Druid Healers often find themselves occupying niche roles within raid compositions. While their versatility is an asset, it may also limit the number of available raid spots, potentially making it more challenging for Druids to secure a consistent spot in raid groups.

3. Mana Starvation in Phase 1: The early stages of Season of Discovery, particularly Phase 1, present a mana management challenge for Druid Healers. Without access to Innervate (available at level 40) or optimal regen itemization, Druids may grapple with mana constraints, impacting their sustained healing output.

How to Play Druid Healer

In Phase 1, the healing playstyle revolves around mana management. The crucial decision lies in whether or not to choose Fury of Storms. Free wraths break the 5-second rule, enabling passive mana regeneration while waiting for the effect to trigger, allowing an instant Healing Touch. Alternatively, talenting slightly stronger Rejuvenations creates health buffers for more frequent passive regen triggers.

Healing Touch remains the most efficient single-target heal, offering great value and low overheal with well-timed casts. Lower ranks of Healing Touch are also efficient for matching missing health. Matching damage on a player efficiently heals more than calculated spell efficiency.

Wild Growth is emerging as a powerhouse raid heal. When effectively used on two or more targets, its healing per second and mana efficiency surpass Healing Touch. Cast it on cooldown when multiple raiders are damaged.

Rejuvenation or Regrowth on tanks establishes a health buffer, allowing more frequent passive mana regen ticks and providing additional resources for high-impact heals like Wild Growth and Healing Touch.

Unfortunately, Lifebloom is weak in Season of Discovery. The HoT is small, relying on the final bloom for efficacy. Pausing healing to let passive mana regen tick more often and gaining mana for more Wild Growths or Healing Touches yields better results.

Rotation:

1. Ensure Faerie Fire stays on the boss (Feral might cover this).

2. Cast Wild Growth when two or more nearby raiders are damaged.

3. Cast Healing Touch to address single-target healing issues.

4. Spam free Wraths with Fury of Storms while waiting for passive mana regen.

5. Cast Rejuvenation on the tank to create a health buffer for longer passive mana regen ticks.

6. Include Regrowth to increase the buffer if tank damage is high.

7. When many raiders take slow periodic damage, spread Rejuvenation across the raid.

Stats and Gear for Druid Healer

The best stat investments for Druid Healer are mana and regen. Spell healing totals on gear are low at the level 25 bracket, and casting more heals improves throughput. Breaking the 5-second rule frequently allows passive mana regeneration, making Intellect, Spirit, and MP5 valuable for enhancing healing potential.

Stat Priority:

• MP5
• Intellect
• Spirit
• Spell Healing
• Spell Damage
• Crit %
• Hit Chance (important for maintaining Faerie Fire and Fury of Storms)

Gear Recommendations for Druid Healer - Phase 1

• Blackfathom Deeps loot will be BiS for most slots. Look for specific pieces from dungeons to gain an advantage:
• Feline Mantle (from Wolf Master Nandos in Shadowfang Keep)
• Robes of Arugal (from Archmage Arugal in Shadowfang Keep)
• Crescent Staff (from Leaders of the Fang in Wailing Caverns - Horde Only)
• Emberstone Staff (from Captain Greenskin in The Deadmines)
• Arugal's Belt (from Archmage Arugal in Shadowfang Keep)
• Deep Fathom Ring (from Mutanus the Devourer in Wailing Caverns)

Run Warsong Gulch for reputation to obtain:

• Rune of Perfection (Friendly)
• Advisor's Ring (Honored)
• Advisor's Gnarled Staff (Revered)

Best Races for Druid Healer

There is only one race option for Druids on each faction, so this is more a decision about which faction you want to choose. If that choice is made for you already because of who you want to play with, you will do fine on either faction as the differences between races for a Druid Healer are minor.

Best Alliance Races:

Night Elf

Night Elves bring good looks, flippy jumps, a slightly higher base mana pool, and slightly less base regen than Taurens. Shadowmeld is a powerful PvP tool for getting drinking breaks, especially impactful at low levels.

1. Nature Resistance: Nature Resistance increased by 10.

2. Wisp Spirit: Transform into a wisp upon death, increasing movement speed by 50%.

3. Quickness: Dodge chance increased by 1%.

4. Shadowmeld: Activate to slip into the shadows, reducing the chance for enemies to detect your presence. Lasts until canceled or upon moving. Night Elf Rogues and Druids with Shadowmeld are more difficult to detect while stealthed or prowling.

Best Horde Races:

Tauren

Taurens bring the beef, higher HP totals, slightly higher base regen, and slightly lower base mana pool than Night Elves. War Stomp is a powerful PvP and PvE tool to interrupt a cast, give yourself a window to heal, or provide an opportunity to escape.

1. Cultivation: Herbalism skill increased by 15.

2. Endurance: Total Health increased by 5%.

3. Nature Resistance: Nature Resistance increased by 10.

4. War Stomp: Stuns up to 5 enemies within 8 yds for 2 sec.

Best Professions for Druid Healer:

Engineering:

Engineering will continue its dominance in PvP and PvE metas for its vast array of tools to control combat and deliver damage. Engineering will also provide the best pre-raid head item currently available: Shadow Goggles.

Also provides the Minor Recombobulator trinket. It can be triggered without needing a polymorph to dispel. With our limited trinket options, this provides around 3 MP5 when used on cooldown.

Other items of interest at the level 25 cap:

1. Large Bronze Bomb

2. Heavy Dynamite

3. Explosive Sheep

Tailoring:

The BiS boots for Phase 1 Extra-Dimensional Spider Silk Boots are BoP and Tailor only. Not only do these boots have great stats, but their on-use effect could be a game-changer during a dicey boss fight.

Mining:

Materials will be scarce and expensive as everyone tries to level professions on their characters simultaneously. Taking Mining as your 2nd profession is a great choice to let you farm some of the materials you need to level Engineering (and maybe make some quick gold on others attempting the same).

At level 25, a feral off-spec will be the 2nd fastest gatherer in the game with Cat's Swiftness providing 130% run speed and everyone else lacking mounts (there will be 150% mounts from Ashenvale PvP, but only usable in Ashenvale). Hunters with Cheetah Aspect will compare, and Shamans with Ghost Wolf will take the #1 speed spot.

Herbalism:

Farming herbs will be a big moneymaker as everyone will be using flasks, elixirs, and potions to optimize their gameplay. Taurens get an extra advantage from Cultivation.

Conclusion

The Season of Discovery unfolds as a canvas of untapped potential for Druid Healers. With a dynamic mix of classic strengths and newfound abilities, they embark on a journey where adaptability is key. The evolving meta and rune system create an environment ripe for experimentation, ensuring that Druid Healers play a pivotal role in shaping the unfolding narrative of World of Warcraft.

As we delve deeper into the mysteries of the Season of Discovery, Druid Healers stand as pioneers of change. The possibilities are limitless, and the evolving landscape promises an exhilarating journey for those who choose to embrace the versatility and resilience of this unique class. Until our next exploration, may your heals be swift and your adventures boundless. Farewell!

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