Cataclysm is scheduled to be released in just a month and a half, and with it big changes will be made to all classes. Many of these changes can already be enjoyed (or suffered) since the implementation of 4.0.1 a few days ago. Here we will deal with the changes affecting healers.
General
The changes that affect all classes and that are already implemented in the live game are the following:
- Implementation of the 31-point talent trees, which have the peculiarity that exclusive specialization benefits are granted when choosing each specific branch. The intention of this is that we obtain interesting skills from level 10 when we choose the desired specialization, and not have to wait at level 40 for our class to start being entertaining. Each class will receive one skill and three bonuses.
- Disappearance of Spell Power in all equipment (except weapon and enchantments) to be replaced by Intellect. This stat will be the equivalent of Spell Power from now on. The weapons still have Spell Power since they have to be more powerful than the rest of the pieces.
- Disappearance of the MP5 as a statistic in the team, which happens to be replaced by Spirit.
- All healers now benefit from Spirit as a form of mana regeneration through specialization Meditation .
- Glyph implantation: from now on we will have three types of glyphs, which are primordial, sublime or minor. Different glyphs also appear for each class.
- Mastery: A new stat is added that improves the last of the three bonuses received for talent specialization (for example, in the case of a Holy Priest, Mastery benefits Echo of Light).
- Reforge: this new feature allows us to modify certain statistics of our team that are less attractive or beneficial, for another that is more useful to us. We can reduce up to 40% of a certain statistic of each piece of equipment to exchange it for another.
After the jump, we are going to do an intensive review of the Shaman. Soon I will be covering the rest of the classes.
SHAMANS
The shaman in Cataclysm has undergone few changes, the basic way of healing remains the same, although now our repertoire of cures has been expanded and we will have to choose wisely which cures we will use on each occasion, since, especially in Cata, the mana will be scarce.
Talent Branch Bonuses
The specific benefits of the chosen talent branch, in the case of the restoration shaman, are:
- Earth shield: Ceases to be a talent to become a specific bonus of the specialization
- Purification: Increases the effectiveness of heals by 10% and reduces the casting time of Wave of Healing and Wave of Greater Healing by 0,5 seconds.
- Meditation: Allows 50% of mana regeneration from Spirit to continue in combat. With the disappearance of the MP5 in the team, the shamans begin to regenerate mana thanks to the spirit like the rest of the healers.
- Mastery: Deep Healing: Increases the power of heals by up to 20% based on the target's health; the less life, the more powerful. 1 point of mastery increases the effectiveness of heals by 2,5%.
Talents
Generic build for 4.0.1. The possible variations are few. We can exchange points between the following talents:
- Focused Insight: This talent allows us to bonus our next cure if we use a Shock spell first. We must, therefore, have a previous TRG (global cooldown) to be able to launch the Clash of Flames, which is the cheapest. Its usefulness is circumstantial at present, although it can be very beneficial in combats in which the damage is predictable and we can have a TRG to launch the Shock.
- Blessing of the Eternals: This talent increases the probability that it will be applied Terrestrial life to targets with less than 35% up to 100%. That is, targets with less than 35% health will gain this cure over time as long as we heal them. Earth Life has been snorted and now heals much more, in addition to being affected by Crit and Haste, so on bosses with a lot of raid damage and frequently lowering teammates' lives, it will be very useful. There are few such battles these days, but in Cataclysm it will be much more useful.
- Elemental Weapons: Increase the passive benefit of the temporary enchantment Earth Life Weapon and also increases the effect of Unleash Elements. The first benefit does not scale with the team level, but the second does, although as it is not available at the moment, its usefulness is partial.
- Telluric currents: Currently, no shaman should need this talent in PVE. Mana right now, well managed, shouldn't be a problem. On the other hand, in the words of the developers, this talent will only serve so that we healers “feel less guilty of spending mana doing DPS in an environment where it is a scarce good”, and that in case the mana spent / mana balance earned is beneficial, they will nerf the skill. His claim is that said balance is approximately equal to zero.
- Cleaning waters: A talent that, every time we successfully dispel a magic or a curse, we will also heal the target for a certain amount. This amount will be similar to the direct part of Live Tides. It can be useful in specific bosses where there is a lot to disperse (an example would be Yogg-Saron before the nerf), but in global, it will not be.
Generic build for Cataclysm. We are faced with the same debates about Focused Insight and Blessing of the Eternals.
- In the Elemental branch, we take Acuity for the bonus to the critic.
- In the Upgrade branch, we complete Elemental Weapons and choose Ancient Swiftness, which will improve our mobility and survival in raid (the faster you get out of the fire from the ground, the better, and you can also continue healing sooner).
Spells and abilities
- Higher Healing Wave: Cure from 6696.89 to 7651.03. Cost: 30% base mana, 3 sec cast (reduced to 2,5 per spec bonus). It's the big cure, more effective than Healing Surge, albeit expensive. Useful for high damage occasions on a target (healing tanks or in Valithria).
- Wave of Healing: Cure from 2511.54 to 2869.38. Cost: 9% base mana, 3 sec cast (reduced to 2,5 per spec bonus). It is the cheapest cure although it is slow to cast. We can spam it non-stop without the mana going down. It is the spam cure, very effective in terms of mana but very weak. It is not recommended in emergency situations. In current content, it is of little use given the speed with which changes in the band's standard of living occur.
- Wave of Healing: Cure from 5023.09 to 5738.75. Cost: 27% base mana, 1,5 sec cast. It is the cure that replaces the Lower Healing Wave. It is very expensive, but very fast and heals a lot. It has a low chance to recover mana with the Water Shield (60%), which makes it not ideal to use it continuously since it involves a high cost with a low mana return. The ideal is to use it in emergency situations, although with the current content and equipment its use can be more abused (which in Cataclysm we will not be able to do).
- Spring tides: Heals 2363 and another 3725 for 15 seconds. Cost: 10% base mana, instant, 6 sec cooldown. It is our last talent of the restoration branch, an instant cure that also leaves a healing in time and that bonuses the rest of the spells (giving them haste or critical). Additionally, HoT part ticks now benefit from both haste and critical.
- Chain healing: Cure of [1055-1205] to [2658-3037]. Cost: 17% base mana, 2,5 sec cast. Now heals 4 nearby targets. It's our clever area heal that jumps to the most damaged nearby targets within 12 yards. It heals slightly less than the previous version, although it is still very versatile. It is ideal to use when you can heal three or more companions.
- Earth Life Weapon: The temporary weapon enchantment applies this HoT that now heals 2066 for 12 seconds. It is also affected by haste and critical.
- Unleash Elements: using this ability together with Terrestrial Life Weapon provides us with an instant cure called Unleash Life between 1916 and 2074, which also increases the next direct cure by 20%. Not available until level 81.
- Cleanse Spirit: It also heals, if we bring the right talent.
- Healing RainHeals all allies in the area for 345,02 to 410,36 every 2 seconds. Cost: 46% base mana, 2 sec cast, 10 sec cooldown. It is an area effect that heals all players under it. It has a very high cost. Not available until level 83.
- Healing Stream Totem: Cost: 3% of base mana, instant.
Other skills
- Grace of the Spiritwalker (85): Ability that allows us to cast spells while moving.
- Elemental Bind (68): Crowd Control for Elementals
- Quiet Mind Totem (74): new totem that provides the effect of an Aura of Concentration.
Glyphs
The glyphs available as of 4.0.1 are:
Primordial glyphs
- Earth Shield: Increases shield healing by 20%
- Spring tides: Increases the duration of Riptide by 40%
- Water Shield: Increase shield mana regeneration by 50% (from 30%)
- Earth Life Weapon: Increases the effectiveness of temporary enchantment cures by 20% (up from: increases application chance)
Sublime Glyphs
- Chain Healing: Reduces the Chain's healing on the initial target by 10% but increases it in subsequent jumps by 15% (Before: your Chain heals one more target). It will be useful to reduce the overheal (it is always higher in the first jump) although at the moment many shamans think that it is useless at level 80.
- Ghostly wolf: Gives you 10% bonus movement speed
- Healing Stream Totem : The totem also provides 150 resistance to Fire, Nature and Frost (up from: your totem heals 20% more)
- Wave of Healing: The Wave of Healing also heals you for 20% of the amount healed to another.
Minor glyphs
- Arctic Wolf: Alters the appearance of the Ghost Wolf
- Astral return: Reduces the cooldown of Astral Return to 7,5 min
- Renewed life: Allows you to use Reincarnation without carrying components
- Aquatic Breathing: Allows use of Aquatic Breathing without components
- Walk on water: Allows you to use Walking on Water without components