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Phaelia Mailbag: Glyph Choices for Restoration

Published on January 27, 2009 by Phaelia
Lunar Guidance, Mailbag
52 Comments

Feldruid of Frostmane (US) writes in with the following question:

After some discussion with a guild-mate this morning regarding which Glyphs to use, I decided to check with the tree maven for advice.  Which glyphs do you recommend for a raiding level 80 tree?  Have you done any theory-crafting around which gives the most healing benefit?

This is actually a question I get asked a lot, and I haven’t responded to it publicly because several other blog authors have done such a great job tackling this subject (see also: Keeva of Tree Bark Jacket and Bellwether of 4 Haelz). I’d say that Resto Druids are mostly in agreement about prioritizing your Glyphs, but here’s a handy dandy flowchart to help you make the decision for yourself:

glyphs_flowchart

The [Glyph of Swiftmend] is non-optional. The [Glyph of Regrowth] is also considered pretty standard, though there’s a chance that a Nourish-oriented Glyph may surface that eclipses it in the future. How you fill your third Glyph slot depends on whether you have issues with mana; the [Glyph of Innervate] is a tremendous boost in this regard, but an additional second on Lifebloom from the [Glyph of Lifebloom] (representing more than a 10% increase to its HPM) is also pretty nice.

P.S. I apologize for my messy flowchart. It’s really hard to fit that many decisions into so narrow a horizontal space! :-)

Related Posts

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  • Mailbag: Preferred Tank
  • Mailbag: Idol of the Raven Goddess
52 Comments
Categories: Lunar Guidance, Mailbag

Graylo Guest Post: Moonkin Mana Regeneration

Published on January 16, 2009 by Graylo
Lunar Guidance, Spells and Talents
9 Comments

Phaelia: This week, I bring you another fabulous guest post from Graylo of the Balance blog, Gray Matter. While some of the talents discussed here are more typically found in a Balance-oriented build, the analysis of their value is also relevant to a Restoration Druid and will no doubt come in handy with the release of dual-specs.


If you played a Balance Druid in vanilla WoW, you are very familiar with the term “Oomkin.” Our mana issues were so pervasive that this term survived through most of the Burning Crusade, even after most of our mana issues were fixed. In Wrath of the Lich King, our “Oomkin” days are far behind us, and anyone that uses the term is either uninformed or joking.

swayze_dance_off

However, I still regularly receive question asking: How much mana regen do I need? Which talents are best? Can I give up Talent X to get more DPS talents? With that in mind I wanted to provide this little guide for Moonkin mana regen.

Talents

   
3

Moonglow

This talent reduces the mana cost of your primary DPS spells. Due to how it works it does not scale well relative to the other talents available. It does improve with haste, because more casting means you will be saving more mana, but the affect is small. This talent is best for people with an entry level of gear (i.e. Leveling gear, preraiding gear), but it quickly gets out classed by Dreamstate and Intensity as your Spirit and Intelligence levels increase. Moonglow is also best in fights with near constant DPS casting.

Note: You will see most Moonkin with at least one point in this talent because it is needed to get to the higher tiers of the Balance tree.

3

Dreamstate

This talent increases your MP5 by 10% of your Intellect. Dreamstate scales very well with gear since almost all Moonkin gear will have Intellect on it, and we have other talents like Furor that increase our Intellect level. This talent continues to regenerate mana until your mana is full and shines in choppy fights that don’t allow for constant casting.

3

Intensity

This talent allows 30% of your out of combat mana regen to continue while in combat. Intensity also scales very well with gear since your out of combat mana regen is based upon Spirit and Intellect. This talent shines in fights where there is near constant casting and few breaks where you will exit the 5-Second Rule.

1

Omen of Clarity

With this talent each of your spells has a chance to reduce the mana cost of your next spell by 100%. I haven’t been able to find a definitive description of how this talent works, but most sources agree on a few points. The proc rate is normalized based upon the casting speed of spells. Therefore it doesn’t favor faster spells like Wrath. The proc rate seems to be about 2 procs per minute.

Like Moonglow, this talent doesn’t scale well relative to the other talents, since the mana of each spell does not change. Some people suggest that you switch to a high mana spell when it does proc to maximize the benefit, but I recommend against it because you will loose DPS looking for the proc.

Omen of Clarity is best in fights where there is near constant casting because it can proc off of any ability (including making bandages). What makes this talent really nice though is that it costs just 1 talent point.

1

Moonkin Form

I don’t really think about this as a mana regen talent, but it should be listed. While in Moonkin Form a Druid has a chance to return 2% of total mana when they crit with a single target spell. Amazingly, I tended to get a majority of my mana regen from this talent even when I had all four of the other regen talents. The effect is huge, especially when you have crit -nhancing buffs like Improved Scorch.

From here on out I am going to ignore Moonkin Form because I assume that you have it. If there is such a thing as a Balance Druid without it then they are probably beyond help.

How much regen do I need?

This depend a lot on your group make up, but as a general rule you will need more regen as your group gets smaller and the fights get longer.

In 25-mans, I have absolutely no mana issues, and I have seen some high-end raiding Moonkin drop all of their mana regen talents without issue. In 10-mans, I have issues on the longer fights like Sarth-2D because my group doesn’t have a Mage, Shadow Priest or Ret Pally. In 5-mans I don’t have any issues because the fights are too short, but my experience may not be relevant to you. My gear level makes up for my low mana regen.

If your playstyle focuses on 5-mans and you don’t have a lot of gear, then you’re probably going to want as much regen as you can get. If you raid 10-man’s regularly, it’s going to depend on your group composition. If you regularly raid 25-mans, you probably have most of the buffs covered and can sacrifice some mana regen for some DPS talents. However, the best way to tell if you need more regen is if you’re consistently running out of mana on boss fights.

Ok, I need some regen, but which talents do I choose?

If you’ve looked around the various moonkin forums then you have probably seen this equation.

Omen of Clarity > Intensity > Dreamstate > Moonglow

This equation was written with well-geared raiders in mind, but it is a pretty good guideline and fairly vague. Let’s see if I can put some numbers to it to explain it better.

The Numbers

Omen of Clarity

Numerically, this is a hard ability to nail down. It’s very random, you may get it but not use it, and it’s hard to determine which spell consumes it. To calculate its value I looked at several old WWS reports. Look at a couple of high-casting fights like Patchwerk and Razuvious, the proc rate does indeed seem to be about 2 times per minute but highly variable.

Next I tried to figure out what is the average mana cost of the spells I cast during a boss fight. Looking at the WWS report from the raid where I got the Undying achievement, I summed my total spell casts for a Naxx clear. (I know this is a 10-man instead of a 25-man. However, I don’t think my casting habits change much if at all from 10-mans to 25-mans.) I won’t give you the boring details but I cast a total of 1,326 during boss fights at an average mana cost of 458 per spell with one point in Moonglow.

Now, even though Omen of Clarity procs twice per minute on average, not all of those procs will be used and it is highly variable. So, to try and get a minimum value let’s assume that you only use Omen of Clarity one and a half times per minute.

We can get an MP5 equivalent by dividing the mana saved per minute by 12. Therefore the equivalent MP5 is equal to:

(458 * 1.5) / 12 = 57.40 MP5 equivalent (assuming one point in Moonglow)

This may not seem like much, but since it costs only one talent point, it is far ahead of what you would get by investing that point in Dreamstate or Intensity. Just for reference, if you invest a full 3 points into Moonglow, Omen of Clarity would be worth 54.10 MP5 equivalent under these conditions.

Moonglow

This talent was much easier to quantify, but it is very easy to present misleading information. If you look around the web, you may find a person or two that will indicate one point in Moonglow is equivalent to 45 – 50 MP5. Their numbers may be theoretically accurate, but here not practical because they are evaluating the talent under ideal circumstances. For Moonglow to reach those levels of mana savings, you have to be constantly casting with no breaks and no latency. In real life that isn’t going to happen.

So to accurately quantify the value of Moonglow, I will have to look at WWS reports again.

Looking at just the boss fights in my latest Naxx run I cast Starfire 488 times, Wrath 525 times, Moonfire 113 times, and Starfall ~10 times. All 15 boss fights took a total of 46 minutes and 6 seconds (2766 total seconds). For each spell cast I saved the following amount of mana:

Starfire: (3496 * 0.16) * 0.03 = 16.78
Wrath: (3496 * 0.11) * 0.03 = 11.54
Moonfire: (3496 * 0.24) * 0.03 = 25.17
Starfall: (3496 * 0.35) * 0.03 = 36.71

So, to get MP5 equivalent for the raid, you take the total mana saved and divide it by the time spent in combat times five.

MP5 Equivalent = (((488 * 16.78) + (525 * 11.54) + (113 + 25.17) + (10 * 36.71)) / 2766) * 5
MP5 Equivalent = ((8,189.03 + 6056.82 + 2844.35 + 367.08) / 2766) * 5
MP5 Equivalent = (17457.28 / 2766) * 5
MP5 Equivalent = 6.31 * 5 = 31.56 MP5

These numbers will vary from person to person and night to night, but I doubt it will vary much. In fact, I think my estimation of Moonglow’s value is a little high because I used Wrath a little too much.

Dreamstate

This one is really easy to quantify. All you need is your total Intellect fully raid-buffed. To calculate it, look at your armory and get your unbuffed Int. Then add 60 for Arcane Intellect and 51 for Improved Mark of the Wild. Then multiply that value by 1.1 for Blessing of Kings, and by 1.1 again for Furor. For me the equation works out like this:

Total Intellect = (889 + 60 + 51) * 1.1 * 1.1 = 1210 Intellect

When you have your fully raid-buffed Intellect, you multiply that value by 0.04 to find the value of the first point, and 0.03 to find the value of the second and third point. So, for me Dreamstate is worth:

Dreamstate Point 1 = 1210 * 0.04 = 48.4 MP5
DreamstatePoint 2 & 3 = 1210 * 0.03 = 36.3 MP5

Intensity

This one is a little more complicated to calculate. First, we need to find our out of combat mana regen. To do that we use this formula at level 80:

MP5 = 5 * (0.001 + sqrt(Int) * Spirit * 0.005575 )

I’ve already showed you how to find your raid-buffed total Intellect. Finding your raid buffed Spirit is very similar. Look at your armory and get your unbuffed Spirit. Then add 80 for Divine Spirit and 51 for Improved Mark of the Wild. Then multiply that value by 1.1 for Blessing of Kings. For me the equation works out like this:

Total Spirit = (371 + 80 + 51) * 1.1 = 552 Spirit

So my out of combat mana regen is:

MP5 = 5 * (0.001 + sqrt(1210) * 552 * 0.005575)
MP5 = 5 * (0.001 + 34.79 * 552 * 0.005575)
MP5 = 5 * (0.001 + 34.79 * 552 * 0.005575) = 535 MP5

Therefore, to get the value of each talent point, we just multiply this by 10%. So for me, each point I put in Intensity is worth:

Intensity(1pt) = 535 * 0.10 = 53.5 MP5

The TL:DR Version

As a general rule you can currently use this priority when evaluating mana regen talents:

Omen of Clarity > Intensity > Dreamstate > Moonglow

Please remember though that Omen of Clarity and Moonglow are very static since they are based primarily upon the spell’s mana cost. This means that they favor relatively low levels of gear, but will be outpaced by Intensity and Dreamstate as your gear improves.

That said, Omen of Clarity is still the best mana regen talent currently because it only costs one talent point. I do not expect this to persist until the end of Wrath of the Lich King because Intensity and Dreamstate will improve significantly in Tier 8 and Tier 9.

Related Posts

  • Intensity to Become 30% Regen while Casting
  • Blessing of Kings vs. Blessing of Wisdom
  • Revaluing Spirit
9 Comments
Categories: Lunar Guidance, Spells and Talents

Phaelia Pre-Raid Gear: Back, Waist, Wrist, Neck, and Fingers

Published on January 13, 2009 by Phaelia
Items and Equipment, Lunar Guidance
18 Comments

This is part two of my series on recommended pre-raid gear, organized by item slot and roughly ordered by my preference/recommendation. Note that, while there might exist items better than some of those listed here, these are the items that I consider ideally itemized for the Restoration Druid (and thus, the ones I think you should focus your efforts on acquiring).

  • Part I: Head, Shoulder, Chest, Hands, Legs, Feet
  • Part II: Back, Waist, Wrist, Neck, and Fingers
  • Part III: Two-Handed Weapons, One-Handed Weapons, and Offhands (coming soon)

Quick Links

  • Back
  • Waist
  • Wrist
  • Neck
  • Fingers

Back

  1. [Reanimator’s Cloak] – Drak’tharon Keep (Heroic) Zone Drop
    Despite being a blue item, this is a great cloak and one of the few that includes Spirit. The additional red gem slot with a +4 Intellect socket bonus is pretty great, too.
  2. [Wispcloak] – Tailoring (BoE)
    While it does waste some itemization points on MP5 (a relatively pricey stat compared to the equivalent amounts of Intellect/Spirit), this is the only Epic back slot we have access to pre-Naxx. The graphic is pretty awesome, to boot.
  3. [Shroud of Moorabi] – Moorabi in Gundrak (Heroic)
    Great Intellect and high spell power but lacking the customization of the [Reanimator’s Cloak]. Still a viable option on par with the Wispcloak.
  4. [Subterranean Waterfall Shroud] – Jedoga Shadowseeker in Ahn’kahet: The Old Kingdom (Heroic)
    The highest available Spirit value of any of the ILevel 200 cloaks but lacking in Intellect.

Compare these items

Waist

  1. [Sash of Jordan] – World Drop (BoE)
    Tons of Spirit and a red gem slot make this the best-in-slot item for a pre-Naxx Resto Druid, although you can expect to pay a hefty sum for the pleasure of wearing it.
  2. [Vine Belt of the Woodland Dryad] – 40 x Emblem of Heroism
    Similar to the [Elegant Temple Gardens’ Girdle] in potency, the fact that this belt is made of leather makes it the slight favorite.
  3. [Elegant Temple Gardens’ Girdle] – 40 x Emblem of Heroism
    One of the few items to include both Spirit (YAY) and MP5 (boo). Also includes a yellow gem slot with +4 Spirit socket bonus.
  4. [Girdle of Bane] – King Ymiron in Utgarde Pinnacle (Heroic)
    Because of the hit rating on this item, be courteous and defer first to the DPS casters in your group.

Compare these items

Wrist

  1. [Putrescent Bands] – Grobbulus or Gluth in Naxxramas (BoE)
    A great balance of stats, leather, and featuring haste over crit, these are my best-in-slot choice and can be picked up from the auction house for around 1,000 gold.
  2. [Cuffs of Winged Levitation] – Cache of Eregos in the Oculus (Heroic)
    These bracers and the [Plague-Infected Bracers] are pretty evenly matched with the nod going toward the Cuffs because I prefer spell haste to spell crit.
  3. [Plague-Infected Bracers] – Dark Runed Chest in the Culling of Stratholme (Heroic)
    Also a great choice if you can get your hands around them – or get them around your hands – these bracers are also leather.
  4. [Ancestral Sinew Wristguards] – Wyrmrest Accord (Revered)
    One of the few available reputation-based items to include Spirit (if somewhat lacking). Includes a blue slot just begging to be slotted with Spirit or Spirit/spell power with a +4 Intellect socket bonus.
  5. [Wound-Binder’s Wristguards] – Knights of the Ebon Blade (Revered)
    Preferring Intellect to Spirit, these are an easily obtainable faction-based reward. P.S. They’re leather.
  6. [Handler’s Arm Strap] – King Dred in Drak’tharon Keep (Heroic)
    Similarly statted to the [Cuffs of the Trussed Hall], these have the advantage of being made of leather.
  7.  [Cuffs of the Trussed Hall] – Svala Sorrowgrave in Utgarde Pinnacle (Heroic)
    You’ll be all trussed up with nowhere to go in these high-Spirit ILevel 200 bracers.

Compare these items

Neck

  1. [Encircling Burnished Gold Chains] – 25 x Emblem of Heroism
    The one epic option for necklaces, what this chain lacks in Spirit it makes up for in spell power and Intellect. Unfortunately, wastes itemization points on spell hit so you’re better off saving your badges for the T7 equivalent gloves and chest first.
  2. [Necromancer’s Amulet] – Salramm the Fleshcrafter in the Culling of Stratholme (Heroic)
    The highest Intellect of the ILevel 200 blues make this the top contender among the three.
  3. [Dragon Prow Amulet] – Utgarde Keep (Heroic) Zone Drop
    Purchaseable from the Auction House, this item comes with a lot of Spirit.
  4. [Zuramat’s Necklace] – Zuramat the Obliterator in the Violet Hold (Heroic)
    At 64 Stamina, this is the beefy choice among necklaces, though obviously Intellect and Spirit remain preferred.

Compare these items

Fingers

This was a particularly difficult slot to fill with most rings including wasted stat points on spell crit, spell haste, or spell hit.

  1. [Loop of the Kirin Tor] – 6400g at Exalted with Kirin Tor
    A great option for the Restoration Druid whose primary benefit is perhaps its ability to teleport you to Dalaran once an hour. This ring would be a tremendous boon for completing daily quests, allowing you to set your hearthstone to a more convenient reputation-proximate locale. Still, 6400g is hardly a sum to sneeze at so I only recommend this if you intend to make use of its teleportation aspect.
  2. [Signet of Hopeful Light] – Argent Crusade Exalted
    Amazing Intellect and haste over spell crit make this my second choice for rings, though honestly what Druid worth their sawdust will waste time raising their faction with those Paladin goodie-two-shoes?
  3. [Spectral Seal of the Prophet] – The Prophet Tharon’ja in Drak’Tharon Keep (Heroic)
    A blue ILevel 200 ring and the only option aside from the [Loop of the Kirin Tor] that includes Spirit.
  4. [Titanium Spell-Shock Ring] – Jewelcrafting (BoE)
    Wasted itemization points on spell crit but also includes a red gem slot with +5 spell power for customizability. Purchaseable via the auction house.
  5. [Band of Guile] – Dark Runed Chest in the Culling of Stratholme (Heroic)
    Pretty evenly matched with the [Titanium Spell-Shock Ring] but with the advantage of spell haste instead of spell crit.

Compare these items

Related Posts

  • Pre-Raid Gear: Head, Shoulder, Chest, Hands, Legs, Feet
  • Mailbag: Zul’Aman Healing Chests
  • Guest Post: Balance vs. Restoration Gear
18 Comments
Categories: Items and Equipment, Lunar Guidance

Phaelia Living Seed, Replenish, and Gift of the Earthmother

Published on January 5, 2009 by Phaelia
Analysis, Lunar Guidance, Spells and Talents
51 Comments

resto_end_talents Wrath of the Lich King included many changes to the Druid class, including some very positive changes to the Restoration and Balance trees. Talents such as Nature’s Focus and Improved Mark of the Wild were reduced from a cost of 5-points to 3 and 2 points respectively, and fun abilities such as Omen of Clarity, Nature’s Grace, and Nature’s Grasp were made a lot more accessible. In particular, I consider the 14 points in Balance for Genesis, Moonglow, Nature’s Majesty, Nature’s Grace, and Nature’s Splendor to be staples of the healing Druid’s specialization.

In addition to the obvious care and attention that was given to “pruning” our early talent trees, we were given 4 new abilities at the bottom of the Restoration tree to give us something to spend points on leading up to our 51-point talent, Wild Growth. Today, I’d like to take a look at three of these abilities: Living Seed, Revitalize, and Gift of the Earthmother.

Continue reading ‘Living Seed, Replenish, and Gift of the Earthmother’…

Related Posts

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51 Comments
Categories: Analysis, Lunar Guidance, Spells and Talents

Phaelia Pre-Raid Gear: Head, Shoulder, Chest, Hands, Legs, Feet

Published on January 2, 2009 by Phaelia
Items and Equipment, Lunar Guidance
32 Comments

By repeated request, here is a listing of pre-raiding gear to help you prepare for Naxxramas, organized by item slot and roughly ordered by my preference/recommendation. Because this is so lengthy, I’m breaking this article into two parts. Part II will include wrist, back, fingers, neck, and waist.

 Capes will be covered in Part IIQuick Links

  • Head
  • Shoulder
  • Chest
  • Hands
  • Legs
  • Feet

Head

  1. [Helm of Anomalus] – Anomalus in the Nexus (Heroic)
    Leather, both a meta socket and a yellow socket, and among the highest Spell Power for an ILevel 200 helm make this my first choice of hats pre-raiding.
  2. [Crown of Unbridled Magic] – Cache of Eregos in the Oculus (Heroic)
    I consider this to be pretty closely tied with the similarly itemized [Forgotten Shadow Hood] (they essentially trade Intellect and Spirit). I prefer the socket bonus on this one (12 Stamina vs. 8 Haste Rating). Contains meta and yellow sockets.
  3. [Forgotten Shadow Hood] – Salramm the Fleshcrafter in The Culling of Stratholme (Heroic)
    Slightly less attractive than the [Crown of Unbridled Magic], this is the higher Spirit and lower Intellect of the two. Contains meta and blue sockets.
  4. [Elder Headpiece] – Elder Nadox in Ahn’kahet: The Old Kingdom (Heroic)
    No socket on this item but a very respectable 91 Spell Power and astounding 77 Intellect make this a good choice.
  5. [Cowl of the Dire Troll] – Trollgore in Drak’Tharon Keep (Heroic)
    No socket on this helm either, but an excellent 78 Spirit.

Compare these items

Shoulder

  1. [Silent Spectator Shoulderpads] – Svala Sorrowgrave in Utgarde Pinnacle (Heroic)
    These shoulders are the only ILevel 200 option in leather, have the highest Spirit of all three, and include a blue socket.
  2. [Runecaster’s Mantle] – Utgarde Keep (Heroic) Zone Drop 
    A yellow socket (worth approximately 16 Intellect for a blue-quality gem) makes this slightly more attractive than the [Mantle of Deceit] .
  3. [Mantle of Deceit] – Dark Runed Chest in the Culling of Stratholme (Heroic)
    Although this shoulder piece lacks sockets, it has seven more Intellect and fourteen more Stamina than the [Runecaster’s Mantle], at the cost of 2 Spirit.

Compare these items

Chest

  1. [Heroes’ Dreamwalker Robe] – 80 x Emblem of Heroism
    Leather, sockets, and half of the way there to the 2-piece set bonus! If you can get this, do so!
  2. [Moonshroud Robe] – Tailoring (BoE)
    A perfect balance of stats with no itemization points wasted on spell crit or spell haste. All wrapped up in a pretty blue, belly-bearing package! The downside is definitely the cost. If you have the patience, it’s better to save your Heroic badges for the [Heroes’ Dreamwalker Robe].
  3. [Ymirjar Physician’s Robe] – Utgarde Pinnacle (Heroic) Zone Drop
    This item is essentially a watered-down, leather version of the Moonshroud Robe with 12 less Intellect, 12 less Spirit, and 14 less Spell Power. Still, you can likely pick this piece up for around 200 gold which is substantially less than you can expect to pay for [Moonshroud Robe].
  4. [Bauble Woven Gown] – Quest Reward from Junk in My Trunk
    If you prefer to gear up through questing and instancing, this is a good option. Has 13 less Intellect, 24 less Stamina, 21 fewer Spirit, and 24 less Spell Power than the [Moonshroud Robe].
  5. [Raiments of the Titans] – Loken in Halls of Lightning (Normal)
    Similar to the [Bauble Woven Gown], this item trades 3 Intellect and 9 Spirit for 8 Stamina and a yellow gem slot.
  6. [Wildscale Breastplate] – Leatherworking (BoE)
    The Wildscale Breastplate is sadly lacking on Stamina and has itemization points wasted on critical strike. Included here because so many Druids also happen to be leatherworkers.

Compare these items

Hands

  1. [Heroes’ Dreamwalker Handguards] – 60 x Emblems of Heroism
    Between this and the [Heroes’ Dreamwalker Robe] (purchaseable with 80 Emblems of Heroism), you can start raiding with the 2-piece T7 set bonus and halfway to the 4-piece bonus to Nourish. The stats are great, too!
  2. [Gloves of Token Respect] – Grand Widow Faerlina or Gluth in Naxxramas (Heroic)
    These are actually statistically superior the [Heroes’ Dreamwalker Handguards] but the set bonuses from the Dreamwalker set make them my first choice.
  3. [Overlook Handguards] – The Prophet Tharon’ja in Drak’Tharon Keep (Heroic)
    Nearly identical to the [Moonshroud Gloves] (but much cheaper to acquire).
  4. [Moonshroud Gloves] – Tailoring (BoE)
    Have lots of money and no time or interest in running instances to gear up? These gloves are nearly identical to the [Overlook Handguards] .
  5. [Gloves of Glistening Runes] – Keristrasza in the Nexus (Heroic)
    While these gloves do have a bit of wasted critical strike rating, they also include a red gem slot which is clearly OM NOM NOM.
  6. [Grotto Mist Gloves] – Hadronox in Azjol’Nerub (Heroic)
    The only leather option, the [Grotto Mist Gloves] include a red socket with a +4 Spirit socket bonus.
  7. [Sterile Flesh-Handling Gloves] – Ebon Blade Revered
    These have the highest Intellect and Stamina values of any of the ILevel 200 gloves and share the highest Spell Power value with [Gloves of the Crystal Gardener].
  8. [Gloves of Distorted Time] – Chrono-Lord Epoch in the Culling of Stratholme (Heroic) Includes a yellow socket, ideal for an Intellect or Intellect/Spell Power gem. Unfortunately, the socket bonus is +4 Stamina.
  9. [Gloves of the Crystal Gardener] – Ormorok the Tree-Shaper in Nexus (Heroic)
    High Spirit and great spell power from an easily farmable boss make these a good choice.

Compare these items

Legs

  1. [Earthgiving Legguards] – Leatherworking (BoE)
    Easily the best choice for a Restoration Druid just beginning Naxxramas, you can generally find these on the Auction House for around 1,000 gold.
  2. [Kilt of the Forgotten One] – Herald Volazj in Ahn’kahet: The Old Kingdom (Heroic)
    Your only leather option of the ILevel 200 legs, the [Kilt of the Forgotten One] has a good amount of Stamina and Spell Power as well as the highest Spirit value.
  3. [Breeches of the Caller] – Ingvar the Plunderer in Utgarde Keep (Heroic)
    While these pants have the lowest Spell Power of any of the ILevel 200 legs, they have the highest Intellect, making them a good choice to bolster mana regeneration. As a bonus, they also include red and blue gem slots.
  4. [Cyanigosa’s Leggings] – Cyanigosa in the Violet Hold (Heroic)
    These legs have nice, well-rounded stats. They are probably slightly easier to acquire than the [Opposed Stasis Leggings] (whose stats are identical) because of the easy access to and lower completion time of the Violet Hold instance.
  5. [Opposed Stasis Leggings] – Commander Kolurg or Commander Stoutbeard in the Nexus (Heroic)
    Identical to [Cyanigosa’s Leggings].

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Feet

  1. [Arcanic Tramplers] – Alexstrasza’s Gift in The Eye of Eternity (25-Man)
    Despite dropping in a raid instance, these boots are BoE and can be picked up off the auction house. More Intellect, Stamina, and Spell Power than the [Earthgiving Boots] (though 6 less Spirit), and the smidge of haste won’t kill you (just don’t tell the Tree League).
  2. [Boots of Septic Wounds] – Patchwerk or Gluth in Naxxramas (25-Man)
    With a +16 Spirit gem in the blue socket, these would be slightly better than the [Earthgiving Boots], though the difference is such that you might base your decision on which you could buy cheaper.
  3. [Earthgiving Boots] – Leatherworking (BoE)
    Epic leather. ‘Nuff said.
  4. [Boots of Transformation] – Gal’darah of Gundrak (Heroic)
    These are pretty close to the [Footwraps of Teleportation], having a red slot instead of a yellow and preferring Spirit over Intellect. These, however, are leather and so are ranked higher in desirability.
  5. [Footwraps of Teleportation] – Xevozz in The Violet Hold (Heroic)
    Has a yellow slot and plenty of Intellect. May be more difficult to acquire than the [Boots of Transformation] given the random assortment of bosses that can appear in Violet Hold.
  6. [Aurora Slippers] – Tailoring (BoE)
    While these only have an iLevel of 187, I’m including them because they’re probably going to be pretty cheap to acquire.

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Related Posts

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32 Comments
Categories: Items and Equipment, Lunar Guidance
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Recent Comments

The Sprout(ed) Seed (80)

David
Congratulations! Cute baby!

Tsuki
I’m so late that little Colin ain’t swimming on his mini-shirt anymore by now. And Mr. Phae and the classic “drooling daddy” face, priceless. Grats Phae and family!

Rayvis
First I want to say congratulations on your new baby boy, albeit a little late. As a Druid myself, formerly Resto even, I found this to be pretty awesome. I had my first child in October, also a boy. He just happens to have the exact same onesie that you’re little boy is wearing in the video. It’s my favorite outfit of his because I am my son’s superhero! As a side note, I hope you’re enjoying your new seed. They grow like weeds though and you start wondering...

Snowmaidn
I certainly never looked that good when I sprouted my seedlings. Thanks for all the great advice on this site. Things have changed a lot over the years and 60 was the highest you could go when I last played before this year. I got back into the game again about 6 months ago after taking a 4 year break when I was pregnant with my daughter.
Phaelia’s Vestments of the Sprouting Seed (54)

Gammenon
Wow, a wife interested in MMO’s and Marvel?! Mr. Phae is one fortunate man. Regards
Gift of the Nerfmother (16)

Kenan
@Terrorpaw: This information is vastly outdated. Notice that the article indicates patch 3.0.8 while the current version is 3.3. The amount of haste needed for resto druids to reach 1 second GCD has been shuffled considerably. I’ve been poking around on this site and I find it likely that much of the information here might be outdated.

Terrorpaw
Not to distract from your information, but this is confuddling to me. Everyone on the druid forums just touts that with CF and GOTEM you should see 735 haste on your character sheet? Are they just dead wrong?

Ck
This is actually really useful – thanks for this! Is it still current and user friendly? I somehow managed to get up to 740 Haste without trying, and even with scrapping all haste enchants and gems – I am still languishing on 723 :(
The Belkin Nostromo N52 TE (71)

Softi
Over a year and a half later this post is still worth it’s weight in gold! Hope you and your family are all well Phae. :) *hugs* .-= Softi´s last blog ..Dum di dum di dum =-.
Ark Inventory (2)

Kengur
I’ve been using this addon since I started playing some over a year now. I can’t imagine wow without it since. To swap bags you can right click the one you wish to free up and select ‘filter’. Then drag all the stuff into another bag. Also you could just swap a bag from inventory to your bank still full of stuff.
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