Why this build
How the build works
This Restoration Druid build covers the three things a level 30 healer needs: casts that are not interrupted, mana that lasts, and a fast emergency heal. Nature’s Focus gives your Nature and Arcane spells a 70% chance to keep their cast time when you take damage, which matters when you are healing yourself in the open world or get hit in a dungeon. Naturalist takes 0.5 seconds off Healing Touch and adds 10% to all the damage you deal, so it also helps while leveling.
Reflection keeps 50% of your mana regeneration going while you cast, which is the main reason Resto can heal through a long dungeon. Gift of Nature adds 10% to all your healing. Swiftmend instantly heals a target with your Rejuvenation or Regrowth for the full value of the HoT it consumes, so a pre-placed Rejuvenation becomes an instant big heal. Two points in Improved Rejuvenation add 10% to Rejuvenation.
Bloom is new since 30 Oct and replaces Gift of the Earthmother. It heals for 100% of your Spirit when a Rejuvenation or Regrowth expires naturally. It looks like a good one-point pick, but no guide has tested it yet, so we list it as an option rather than in the main build.
Leveling tips
Take Nature’s Focus at 10 to 14 and Naturalist at 15 to 19. The damage bonus from Naturalist is why Resto can quest on its own. Reflection and Gift of Nature follow, with Swiftmend at 28.
Solo, you are a caster who rarely dies: Moonfire and Wrath, Rejuvenation on yourself, and Bear Form if something reaches you. It is slower than Feral, so many Druids level as Feral and keep Resto talents for dungeon groups. In dungeons, keep Rejuvenation on the tank, use Regrowth for bigger drops and save Swiftmend for spikes.
Changes in WoW Forever
The 30 Oct hotfix reshaped this tree. Bloom replaced Gift of the Earthmother, Heart of the Wild moved here from Feral, Reflection and Subtlety swapped rows, and Naturalist now also speeds up Wild Growth and gives a flat damage bonus. Wild Growth, the row 7 capstone, now has a 3-second cast; older guides describe it as instant.
Toward level 60
Provisional. The most planned level 60 Restoration build is 11/0/39. It adds Nature’s Swiftness, Living Spirit, Improved Tranquility, Improved Regrowth and Wild Growth, with Genesis, Moonglow, Nature’s Majesty and Nature’s Splendor from Balance. Bloom is not in it yet because it was added after most plans were made.