My experience with the Balance/Resto spec seems to match your own. When I tried it, I found I was actually stronger in Heroic instances since my reliance upon slow-working HoTs was diminished and my higher HPS Healing Touches were faster-casting and stronger. For that reason, a Balance/Resto spec is often popular with Druids just beginning to raid heal since they’re often still running Heroics to help supplement Karazhan drops. Once we have a bit more +Healing under our belt (and tunic, and pants, and shoes), however, our HoTs get stronger and are generally much better up to the task of healing, not only in raids, but in Heroics too.

One reason that I enjoyed a Balance/Resto spec is that I’m generally disenchanted with Tree of Life. It seems like so many of the encounters in my guild’s repertoire prevent its use (Gruul, Prince, Netherspite, etc.). And you can get similar (albeit weaker) benefits that are available to you all the time and don’t limit your spell selection or your movement speed. Come Wrath of the Lich King, I’m definitely going to try out a build with Swiftmend and Lunar Guidance/Moonglow. There would have to be something WAY better than Tree of Life at 51 points to make me do otherwise (watch it’s out of combat resurrection).

A month or so ago, I went with a balance/resto heal spec and I could heal basically any 5-man (regular or heroic) that I went into without a problem. And of course soloing was an actual dream.

This was on live side, so I didn’t even have really great gear balance gear, not having actively picked much up before respec. At the time, I found it actually better to solo in my resto set and take advantage of my healing power and just depend on the talent bonuses. Of course, with the ptr changes, my healing set will have a couple hundred more damage than my fake!balance set, which could make it awesome.

The problem for me was in raiding. I just didn’t feel my HoTs had the oomph I was looking for and I didn’t feel as effective keeping up a full 25 people as I do as a tree. I’m not sure how much of that was accurate versus perception.

So after about a month, I ended up going back to tree. It just feels more right for me.

I am half-tempted to try a slightly different variation but I think I’ll wait a while before I do

@SmoovJello: Good point. I won’t count my chickens before they’ve hatched. Since I’m Resto, however, I have farmed up the materials for about 5 sets of Drums of Restoration so far!

@Fleethoof: Wow, that’s absolutely great news. I’m glad to hear that the spec is working so well for you! I tried several times over the weekend to copy Phaelia over to the PvE PTR but without luck. I finally caved this morning and put her into the queue for the PvP test realm (UGH). We’ll see if I have any better luck there. I read your whole comment to my husband and Arena partner, and he’s very excited as well. If/when I do get copied over, I’ll have to share my impressions … likely of getting repeatedly ganked since I’ll be on the PvP realm. ^_^

I wanted to give you an update on the whole moonkin/resto hybrid build that I had thought about speccing and then you posted that you were thinking about it too!

During my time on the ptr with a similar build to the one you posted (I took the +10% overall damage over the +100% crit damage… in the process of testing which is better.)

With gear and talents I have 10k health, 9k mana, 600 spell damage, 1650 healing, 350 resilience, and 15k armor in moonkin form. My wraths were hitting for ~800-850, critting for 1.2k ish. My starfires were hitting for 1.3k ish to 2k ish. Moonfire was hitting for ~550 and critting for ~775 while ticking for nearly 300, and Insect Swarm was ticking for just over 200. Even roots was ticking for ~100.

I was farming in Shadow Moon Valley for 3 hours today and never drank a single time. Ever. ~180MP5 in combat while in FULL pvp gear! I don’t think I’ve actually KILLED a mob for the last 3 months. They were being mowed down today. A starfire + roots + IS + moonfire + wrath + wrath and the mob was dead. All with me never running below 75% mana!

From rough estimation I think this spec has the potential in full resto gear to put out around 800-900 dps while self buffed. Maybe more.

Unfortunately it seems like the BGs are down on the PTR (either that or no one was doing them… i was queued for 3 hours and it never popped :/ ) To test pvp viability I dueled a gladiator sword rogue, warrior, and mage, and some random ret paladin who I found standing around durotar. I stomped them all into the ground. Moonkin form destroyed the warrior, rogue, and paladin, and i just stood in caster form out healing the mage while MF and IS were ticking on him.

In conclusion, I REALLY hope that this spec works with my rogue team mate for 2v2. Losing swiftmend and feral charge sucks but I’m hoping that the ability to crank out damage, tank melee while being able to CC, and standing behind pillars wailing on pets (getting back tons of mana per swing ) will make up for it.

My interest in this game has suddenly peaked again… I can’t believe that I can be a healbot when I need to and somehow still be able to kill things! Here is crossing my fingers that this works for 2v2…

Have you done any testing on this build? Post about it when you do!

-Fleethoof (Balnazzar)

Strange, indeed.

@Aiuriun: I think every bear should have the Picnic Basket item from the TCG. =)

Yogi’s bring bloodlust in a bottle with him from now on =)

Your logical argument about potions in forms I wholeheartedly agree with, however. Sadly it doesn’t look like logic any part in Blizzard’s decision in that regard.

~Kasumi, 70 Druid, Zangarmarsh (account cancelled until the expansion)