This is a little guide to help fresh level 80s/new Resto Shaman getting ready for normal and heroics dungeons.
This is a guide, it is there to help; this is NOT the only way to do things.

Disclaimer: I do not consider myself as a über shammy, but I like my class and I did look for all this information when I hit 80.
I just want to share this information with the new 80s.
Feel free to help me add more information!


-------------------- Introduction - Talents --------------------
-------------------- 1 - Stats, where to start -----------------
-------------------- 2 - New Resto Shaman starter kit ----
-------------------- 3 - Gems -------------------------------------
-------------------- 4 - Enchants ---------------------------------
-------------------- 5 - Glyphs ------------------------------------
-------------------- 6 - How to heal, shammy style --------
-------------------- 7 - Addons & Macros ---------------------



~ TALENTS UPDATED FOR 3.2 (Aug 7th, 09) ~

In 3.2 you will see variations of 2 specs for resto shaman :

http://www.wowarmory.com/talent-calc.xml?cid=7&tal=00000000000000000000000000050503300000000000000000000050005331335010501122331251
or
http://www.wowarmory.com/talent-calc.xml?cid=7&tal=00000000000000000000000000050503000000000000000000000050005331335310501122331251


With the change made to Healing Way, some will choose to put their 3 points into it instead of Elemental Weapons.


► Resto Tree ◄

•5/5 Improved Healing Wave•
Reduces the casting time of your Healing Wave by 0.5 sec
or
•5/5 Totemic Focus•
Reduces the mana cost of your totems by 25%
We don't get to cast our totems that often
Same for Healing Wave
IHW is a better choice there. Since our totems last 5 minutes now.


•Improved Reincarnation•
Reduces the cooldown of your Reincarnation spell by X min and increases the amount of health and mana you reincarnate with by an additional X%.
A healer shouldn't die often...Enough said ;)
•Healing Grace•
Reduces threat generated by your healing spells and reduces the chance your spells will be dispelled.
Threat is no longer an issue in WotLK. You shouldn't invest your points there, unless you're going for a PvP build.
•5/5 Tidal Focus•
Reduces the mana cost of your healing spells by 5%
Every little bit of mana saved is good
Especially when you just start :D



•3/3 Improved Water Shield•
A must. Even though LHW procs have been nerfed (now 60% chance),
it still procs with Riptide and Healing Wave (100% chance to proc on crits). And now, you have a 30% chance with Chain Heal. Lovely.
•3/3 Healing Focus•
Reduces the pushback suffered from damaging attacks while casting any Shaman healing spell by 70%
Even though you shouldn't get hit, it happens. And in a AoE situatiuon, it can be a lifesaver.
•1/1Tidal Force•
Increases the critical effect chance of your Healing Wave, Lesser Healing Wave and Chain Heal by 60%. Each critical heal reduces the chance by 20%. Lasts 20 sec. Instant, 3 min cooldown
1 point, free and instant, increases your crit rating. A free trinket.
•3/3 Ancestral Healing•
Reduces your target's physical damage taken by 10% for 15 sec after getting a critical effect from one of your healing spells.
Nice change!


•3/3 Restorative Totems•
Increases the effect of your Mana Spring Totem by 20%, and increases the amount healed by your Healing Stream Totem by 45%
You will still use your Mana Spring Totem in a 5m situation where you don't have a Paladin with Blessing of Wisdom. Plus, you will need your Mana Tide Totem. So yes, it is still a must even post-nerf.
•5/5 Tidal Mastery•
Increases the critical effect chance of your healing and lightning spells by 5%.
Remember that you need roughly 20% crit rating to optimize your resto tree.
It helps proc Ancestral Healing, your Water Shield Orbs, Ancestral Awakening.


•Healing Way•
Increases the amount healed by your Healing Wave spell by 25%(3/3)
Not a bad change. Makes the spell more efficient. But the question you should ask yourself before putting points there is, am I casting HW more often now? If the answer is yes, then go for it. If you don't use the spell, forget about the points then.
•1/1 Nature’s Swiftness•
Your next Nature spell with a casting time less than 10 secs will be an instant cast spell. Nature's Swiftness shares a cooldown with Elemental Mastery. Instant, 2 min cooldown
The panic button. Macro'd with Healing Wave (or Chain Heal) and Tidal Force, a real life saver.
•Focused Mind•
Reduces the duration of any Silence or Interrupt effects used against the Shaman by X%. This effect does not stack with other similar effects.
PvP oriented talent


•Nature's Guardian•
Whenever a damaging attack is taken that reduces you below 30% health, you have a 100% chance to increase your maximum health by 3% for 10 sec and reduce your threat level on that target. 30 second cooldown.
Useful for PvP
•5/5 Purification•
Increases the effectiveness of your healing spells by 10%.
10% is 10%! Also, you will be able to pick Cleanse Spirit.
•1/1 Mana Tide Totem•
Summons a Mana Tide Totem with 10% of the caster's health at the feet of the caster for [13 sec - 1] sec that restores 6% of total mana every 3 seconds to group members within 30 yards.
A must. Also another good reason to stack Intellect :D
•1/1 Cleanse Spirit•
Cleanse the spirit of a friendly target, removing 1 poison effect, 1 disease effect, and 1 curse effect.
7% of base mana, 40 yd range, Instant cast
Being able to remove curses is a good thing :D


•2/2 Blessings of the Eternals•
Increases the critical effect chance of your spells by 4%, and increases the chance to apply the Earthliving heal over time effect on the target by 80% when they are at or under 35% total health
We learned that you still need a minimum of crit rating to optimize our Resto tree. Another 4% here.
Plus, 80% chances to proc to Earthliving HoT.
•2/2 Improved Chain Heal•
Increases the amount healed by your Chain Heal spell by 20%.
A must. One of the two spells that makes Resto Shaman unique.
•3/3 Nature’s Blessing•
Increases your healing by an amount equal to 15% of your Intellect.
Well, more spell power for you. Another good reason to stack Intellect.

•Ancestral Awakening•
When you critically heal with your Healing Wave, Lesser Healing Wave or Riptide you summon an Ancestral spirit to aid you, instantly healing the lowest percentage health friendly party or raid target within 40 yards for 30% of the amount healed.
Free. Heal.
•1/1 Earth Shield• and •2/2 Improved Earth Shield•
Another unique spell. You can't skip it.


•5/5 Tidal Waves•
When you cast Chain Heal or Riptide, you have a 100% chance to lower the cast time of your Healing Wave spell by 30% and increase the critical effect chance of your Lesser Healing Wave spell by 25%, until two such spells have been cast. In addition, your Healing Wave gains an additional 20% of your bonus healing effects and your Lesser Healing Wave gains an additional 10% of your bonus healing effects..


•1/1 Riptide•
Heals a friendly target for 639 to 691 and another 665 over 15 sec. Your next Chain Heal cast on that primary target within 15 sec will consume the healing over time effect and increase the amount of the Chain Heal by 25%. 21% of base mana, 40 yd range, Instant cast, 6 sec cooldown
Riptide is sweet. It is a nice addition to the Shaman healing spells. Instant, crits really often.


Now, since you won't put 71 talent points into the Resto tree...here is where you should put the rest
of your points (classic 3.1 resto PvE build will leave you with 16 points).


► Enhancement tree ◄


•5/5 Ancestral Knowledge•
Increases your Intellect by 10%.
10% more intellect. Intellect is your friend!

•5/5 Thundering Strikes•
Improves your chance to get a critical strike with all spells and attacks by 5%.
Again, you still need crit rating to optimize your Resto tree.

•3/3 Improved Shields•
...increases the amount of mana gained from your Water Shield orbs by 15% and increases the amount of healing done by your Earth Shield orbs by 15%.
More healing power for ES and more mana gained from WS.

•3/3 Elemental Weapons•
...and increases the bonus healing on your Earthliving Weapon by 30%.

-------------------- STATS --------------------



► INTELLECT ◄

Intellect is your friend.
A bigger mana pool will help your mana regeneration, will increase your crit rating and will affect your spell power if talented properly. It will also affect the mana returned to you from Replenishment and your Mana Tide Totem.


► MP5 ◄

You just hit 80. Or, you just changed spec and didn't gather a lot of Resto gear.
You will need mp5. Since the Improved Water Shield/Lesser Healing Wave combo nerf, you need to get your Mana Regen while casting to a comfortable number.
Also, in a scenario where you'll get a Blessing of Wisdom, don't forget that this sweet buff no longer stacks with our Mana Spring Totem.
Self buffed, 325 mp5 is a good number to aim for. It is fairly easy to get.
You can do with less, of course. It's also a matter of playstyle.


► SPELL POWER ◄
You can start heroics with roughly 1500 spell power. As long as your mana pool and your mp5 prevent you from going out of mana.


► CRIT & HASTE Rating ◄

It will come with the gear you will collect.

To optimize your resto tree, you will need crit before haste. As a new Resto Shaman, you want to have a minimum of 20% unbuffed.

Some players will choose to stack a lot of haste (CH heavy users usually) and some will choose to stack more crit. Some will collect 2 sets of gear...the best advice here is to start collecting crit to optimize your spec, and then, try with more haste and then more crit. You will see what suits your playstyle the best.



-------------------- Intellect > mp5 > Spell Power > Crit Rating > Haste Rating --------------------



→→ Once your mana pool (20k ++) and your mp5 while casting (No magic number...as long as it is over 300 mp5 with you WS and as long as you are comfy with it) prevent you from going OOM, and once your crit rating is high enough to optimize your resto tree, then you can focus on HASTE and SPELL POWER.←←



Spirit is useless for Shaman.

The healing classes which want spirit have talents which do a several things. First, they allow regeneration while in the 5 second rule. Second, they tend to have talents and procs which allow the extension of ending the 5 second rule to extend regeneration. Third, they have talents which improve healing spell power with spirit.

Restoration shammies have none of these things. You will rarely have time to take a break from casting during an encounter (in raids or 5 man dungeons) so the mana regenerated while outside the 5 second rule only really applies between fights.

Thanks to Lakita of Cairne for the Spirit part :)

-------------------- RESTO SHAMAN STARTER KIT! --------------------


I think we are lucky. It is easy for us to get some very good pieces that help a lot for starting normal, heroics or even raids, if your guild is not starting Naxx with you.
These items are BoE and/or craftable, quest rewards, etc.
I included some of the reputation items too.
I didn't put any normal dungeon drops, I believe everyone should do their homework :D
Those are items to get started. But if I forgot some items, feel free to remind me of them!



~ HEAD ~

* Helm of Lightning Halls http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37857
Super nice, very cheap. Depending on your server economy, it sells in between 30-100g Super investment right there.

* Stormhide Crown http://www.wowhead.com/?item=43455
Could be an nice option as well, if you can't get the first one.



~ SHOULDERS ~

* Epaulets of Market Row http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37116
Another very common BoE drop that you can buy for less than 100g. Very good investment too!

* Stormhide Shoulders http://www.wowhead.com/?item=43457
It is nice too if you can't find the Epaulets.



~ HANDS ~

* Grips of the Warming Heart http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37781
Good choice until you get exalted with the Wyrmrest Accord and get the...

* Grips of Fierce Pronouncements http://www.wowhead.com/?item=44204
Which is why, combined with the Helm Enchant, a Resto Shaman should farm this faction rep first :D

* Stormhide Grips http://www.wowhead.com/?item=43454
An option before the Wyrmrest rep ones



~ WEAPON ~

* Totemic Purification Rod http://www.wowhead.com/?item=44052
Easy to get once revered with the Kalu'ak

* Titansteel Guardian http://www.wowhead.com/?item=41384
It is the best option you have though.



~ SHIELD ~

* Saronite Protector http://www.wowhead.com/?item=41117
Pretty cheap and craftable shield. Nice and handy until you get one in a dungeon.

* Zom's Crackling Bulwark http://www.wowhead.com/?item=44313
If you have the gold, buy it!

* Bulwark of Redemption http://www.wowhead.com/?item=44032
Reward from the group quest Banshee's Revenge



~ CLOAK ~

* Wispcloak http://www.wowhead.com/?item=41609
Craftable- Tailoring
I suggest you gather the mats for it instead of buying it at the AH.
You will save a lot by doing so.

* Shroud of Dedicated Research http://www.wowhead.com/?item=44167
Kirin Tor - Honored

* Bloodbane Shroud http://www.wowhead.com/?item=44027
Reward from The Fate of Bloodbane in Icecrown

* Cloak of Frozen Spirit http://www.wowhead.com/?item=41608
Craftable - Tailoring

* Cloak of the Moon http://www.wowhead.com/?item=41607
Craftable - Tailoring



~ CHEST ~

* Cuttlefish Tooth Ringmail http://www.wowhead.com/?item=44060
The Kalu'ak, honored.

* Stormhide Hauberk http://www.wowhead.com/?item=43453
Usually pretty cheap.

* Chestguard of Unwanted Success http://www.wowhead.com/?item=44384
Quest reward from the Battle of Valhalas.

* Revenant's Breastplate http://www.wowhead.com/?item=43461
Craftable - Leatherworking
Also a very good choice if your mana regen is solid since it has haste rating.
Once again, gathering mats will help you save money.



~ LEGS ~

* Stormhide Legguards http://www.wowhead.com/?item=43456
Good starting piece

* Kilt of Dark Mercy http://www.wowhead.com/?item=44305
Knights of the Ebon Blade - Exalted



~ FEET ~

* Scaled Icewalkers http://www.wowhead.com/?item=44445
Good choice and is usually pretty cheap

* Revenant's Treads http://www.wowhead.com/?item=43469
Craftable - Leatherworking
Very very good if your mana regen is solid since it has Haste rating

* Treads of Whispering Dreams (added in 3.1) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=45221
Available for 10 Champion's Seal (Horde Vendors)

* Treads of the Glorious Spirit (added in 3.1) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=45183
Available for 10 Champion's Seal (Alliance Vendors)

~ WAIST ~

* Stormhide Belt http://www.wowhead.com/?item=43450
Good and cheap option

* Nightshock Girdle http://www.wowhead.com/?item=43133
Also nice, but has crit instead of mp5



~ WRISTS ~

* Bracers of Sizzling Heat http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37777
Good BoE that you will find for less than 100g at the AH

* Stormhide Wristguards http://www.wowhead.com/?item=43452
Also a good choice



~ FINGERS ~

* Titanium Spellshock Ring http://www.wowhead.com/?item=42644
It is worth the investment.
I suggest you gather mats and get it crafted (JC) since it sells for 1000g or more.

* Dream Signet of Restoration http://www.wowhead.com/?item=42340
Usually not that expansive and is still a good choice if you can find one at the AH

* Twisted Puzzle-Ring http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37822
It is also easy to find at the AH

* Newt-Eye Ring http://www.wowhead.com/?item=44386
Reward from Basic Chemistry in Icecrown

* Ring of the Northern Winds http://www.wowhead.com/?item=43192
Reward from Forging the Keystone (H) and The Brothers Bronzebeard (A) in The Storm Peaks



~ TRINKETS ~

* Figure - Sapphire Owl http://www.wowhead.com/?item=42413
If you are a jewelcrafter.

* Mercurial Alchemist Stone http://www.wowhead.com/?item=44322
If you are an alchemist.

* Cannoneer's Morale http://www.wowhead.com/?item=44015
Reward from the The Last Line Of Defense quest in Icecrown.

* Mendican't Charm http://www.wowhead.com/?item=38760
Reward from the quest Eyes Above (H) or Northern Hospitality (A) in Grizzly Hills

* Arcane Revitalizer http://www.wowhead.com/?item=38358
Grizzly Hills PvP quests, for 70 Venture Coins (for the passive spell power)

* Horn of the Herald http://www.wowhead.com/?item=36874
Reward from Return to Atuik in Howling Fjord

* Noise Machine http://www.wowhead.com/?item=40865
If you are an engineer (for the passive spell power)

* Je’Tze's Bell http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37835
Hunt the AH if you have the gold, or pray that it will drop for you while doing dailies



~ AMULETS ~

* Titanium Spellshock Necklace http://www.wowhead.com/?item=42647
I suggest you gather mats to lower the price a bit.

* Artruis's Focus Stone http://www.wowhead.com/?item=42647
Reward from A Hero's Burden in Sholazar Basin

* Blood Sun Necklace http://www.wowhead.com/?item=42339
No stats, but pretty cheap if you can't afford the Titanium one, and you will replace this in
regular/heroic dungeon...or you'll keep it until you get the mats for the epic one ;)

* Choker of Betrayal http://www.wowhead.com/?item=39653
Reward from the Betrayal (final quest from a chain) in Zul'Drak



~ RELICS ~

* Totem of the Bay http://www.wowhead.com/?item=38368
The easiest relic to get, one of the best pre-Ulduar for resto shaman.

* Totem of Forest Growth http://www.wowhead.com/?item=40709
Once you start collecting Emblems of Heroism, this is worth the investment (15 badges only)

And woooooot! As of 3.2, 5M Heroics are dropping Emblems of Conquest!
That means you can get this sweeeeeeet relic!
* Steamcaller's Totem http://www.wowhead.com/?item=45114

-------------------- RESTO SHAMAN GEMS --------------------


~ RARE GEM ~


♦ Luminous Monarch Topaz ♦
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=40047
9 sp/8 int is my favourite one.

♦ Brilliant Autumn's Glow ♦
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=40012
It is good too if your mana pool is still poor. 16 intellect

Or the *Jewelcrafters only* version
Unique equipped, maximum of 3 jeweler's gems in socketed in your equipment)
♦ Brilliant Dragon's Eye ♦
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=42148

♦ Dazzling Forest Emerald ♦
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=40094
Best choice for a blue socket, if the socket bonus is worth it.

♦ Runed Scarlet Ruby ♦
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=39998
I do not recommand you use those when you start since you will need every little bit of intellect you can find.

Or the *Jewelcrafters only* version
Unique equipped, maximum of 3 jeweler's gems socketed in your equipment)
♦ Runed Dragon's Eye ♦
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=42144


▬ A Out Of Mana healer is a useless healer! ▬



~ META GEM ~


♦ Insightful Earthsiege Diamond ♦
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=41401
21 intellect and a chance to restore mana on spellcast (600 mana)
From EJ : You would need to have 3,654 Intellect for [Ember Skyflare Diamond] to be a better choice.

-------------------- ENCHANTS --------------------


~ HEAD ~

° Arcanum of Blissful Mending °
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=44152
Adds 30sp 8mp5 – The Wyrmrest Accord (revered)

° Arcanum of Burning Mysteries °
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=44159
Adds 30sp 20 crit rating – Kirin Tor (revered)

The second one is good, but since you will need The Wyrmrest reputation for the gloves too, and since mp5 is better than crit for a Resto Shaman, I prefer the first one.



~ SHOULDERS ~

Get ready to do your Son of Hodir dailies!

° Lesser Inscription of the Crag °
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=44130
Adds 18sp 4mp5 (honored)

° Greater Inscription of the Crag °
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=44134
Adds 24sp 6mp5 (exalted)

Once you get exalted, I am pretty sure your mp5 will be reasonable by then, so the
° Greater Inscription of the Storm °
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=44135
It adds 24sp 15 crit rating; very good choice too.

If you are a Scribe, you have two interesting options:
° Master Inscription of the Crag °
http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=61118
Adds 61 sp and 6 mp5
° Master Inscription of the Storm °
http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=61120
Adds 61 sp and 15 crit rating



~ CLOAK ~

° Enchant Cloak - Speed °
http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=60609
15 haste rating.

° Darkglow Embroidery °
http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=55769
*Tailor only*

° Springy Arachnoweave ° new for 3.1and buffed for 3.2!
http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=63765
Adds 27 spell power and can turn your cloak into a parachute (lulz)
*Engineer only*


~ CHEST ~

A few options. You should go with what you need the most.

° Enchant Chest -Super Stats °
http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=44623
+ 8 to all stats

° Enchant Chest - Greater Mana Restoration °
http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=44509
+ 8mp5



~ WRISTS ~

All a matter of preferences

° Enchant Bracers - Greater Stats °
http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=44616
+ 6 to all stats

° Enchant Bracers - Greater Spell Power °
http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=44635
Adds 23 spell power

° Enchant Bracers - Exceptional Intellect °
http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=44555
Adds 16 intellect

° Socket Bracers °
http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=55628
*Blacksmith only* for an extra gem

° Fur Lining - Spell Power °
http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=57691
*Leatherworkers only* adds 67 Spell Power



~ GLOVES ~

° Enchant Gloves - Exceptional Spell Power °
http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=44592
Adds 28 spell power

° Socket Gloves °
http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=55641
*Blacksmith only* for an extra gem



~ WAIST ~

° Eternal Belt Buckle °
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=41611
For an extra gem



~ LEGS ~

° Azure Spellthread °
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=41603
Adds 35 spell power and 20 stamina



~ FEET ~

° Enchant Boots - Greater Vitality °
http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=44584
+ 6 mp5

° Enchant Boots - Icewalker °
http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=60623
Could be a good option if your mana regen is solid.
Adds 12 crit/12 hit rating.

° Nitro Boosts
http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=55016
Engineers only
+ 24 Crit rating and greatly increases run speed for 5 sec. :)


~ SHIELD ~

° Enchant Shield - Greater Intellect °
http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=60653
Adds 25 intellect



~ WEAPON ~

° Enchant Weapon - Exceptional Spellpower °
http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=44629
For an extra 50 spell power




→ Every little bit helps. You should always enchant your gear. No excuses.

-------------------- GLYPHS --------------------


~ MAJOR ~
Added 3.1 Major Resto Glyphs.



• Glyph of Earth Shield http://www.wowhead.com/?item=45775
Increases the amount healed by your Earth Shield by 20%.
A. MUST.


• Glyph of Lesser Healing Wave http://www.wowhead.com/?item=41535
Your Lesser Healing Wave heals for 20% more if the target is also affected by your Earth Shield.


• Glyph of Water Mastery http://www.wowhead.com/?item=41541
Increases the passive mana regeneration of your Water Shield spell by 30%
Very good for a starting Resto Shaman.


• Glyph of Chain Heal http://www.wowhead.com/?item=41517
Your Chain Heal heals 1 additional target


• Glyph of Riptide http://www.wowhead.com/?item=45772
Increases the duration of Riptide by 6 sec.


• Glyph of Healing Wave http://www.wowhead.com/?item=41534
Your Healing Wave also heals you for 20% of the healing effect when you heal someone else.


• Glyph of Earthliving Weapon http://www.wowhead.com/?item=41527
Increases the chance for your Earthliving weapon to trigger by 5%


• Glyph of Healing Stream Totem http://www.wowhead.com/?item=41533
Your Healing Stream Totem heals for an additional 20%


Those are the Major Glyphs you have access to. The first one is really a must. I consider that a new resto shaman should also take the Glyph of Water Mastery, until his mana regen his solid (I still have mine). Then, the most chosen glyphs are LHW and CH. Riptide is not so far behind those 2.




~ MINOR ~




• Glyph of Water Shield http://www.wowhead.com/?item=43386
Increases the number of charges on your Water Shield spell by 1

-------------------- HOW TO HEAL, SHAMAN STYLE version 101 --------------------


→ Keep ES on the tank.
All.the.time. Get a tracker, if you think it is not that easy to follow the charges on it.


→ Glyph LHW and use it when only one target is taking damage generally.



→ Use Riptide



→ Use Chain Heal when multiple people are taking damage.
If they are all accross the room, use LHW. If they're all in range of each others, go ahead and Chain Heal!
You can also ask people to stay close to each others sometimes, depending on the fight. For example, you can ask the mage and the warlock to stay close to you.
Once you say :"For Chain Heal purposes", they should understand :)


→ Use your totems smartly.
Try to please your group: Windfury and Strength of Earth for melee, Mana Spring (or Healing Stream if you have a Paladin buffing Wisdom in your group) and Flametongue for casters.
If you don't know the fights, don't be afraid to ask your party members. This will prevent wipes by dropping a Tremor Totem, a Poison or Disease Cleasing Totem, or even a Grounding Totem in the appropriate situation.


→ Use Earthliving Weapon
And make sure you refresh it!


→ Refresh Watershield.
All.the.time. This should become an automatism. Get a tracker if needed.


→ Prioritize Self Preservation FIRST.
Tank second. A dead healer can't heal.


→ Save your Ankh for moments when you can use it to save the party during an encounter.
Not because someone is too lazy to run back to their body. There are no epic-long runs in WotLK.


→ Save Bloodlust/Heroism for boss fights.
Some groups prefer to have it at the beginning of the fights, some when the boss hits 50%, 30%...
Don't be afraid to ask their preferences.


→ Get mage water.
If possible.
Drink 1-2 ticks whenever you drop combat, dont let your mana get down. This makes groups go faster.


→ Bring your consumables
Make sure you carry vendor water, in case you can't find any nice mages around.
Make sure you always have a couple Mana and Healing potions on you.
Don't be afraid to take food for buffs and elixirs too. Every little bit counts :D


→ Don't let people blame you.
You will know if a wipe is your fault (in which case you should probably admit it), otherwise it is generally that of the dps (for not killing things fast enough / staying out of the fire / keeping adds off you / whatever else reason).


→ You are not just a healer, you are an Artist
As the saying goes, "DPS is a Science, Healing is an Art"
Take pride in what you do. Always.


→ Practice makes Perfect.
Yes! And it is also the best way to test your stats, gear, reflexes, etc.
Don't be afraid to try things :)



Thanks to Notfool of Frostmourne and to Tongar of Tichondrius for this ;)

-------------------- ADDONS & MACROS --------------------



~ USEFUL MACROS ~


Oh snap button!
Note: There is no global cooldown when you activate a trinket so it won’t delay your heal.
13=upper slot trinket
14=lower slot trinket
Remove the /use 13 and/or /use 14 if you don't have trinkets that boost haste/crit/sp.

#showtooltip Nature's Swiftness
/stopcasting
/use 13
/use 14
/cast Nature's Swiftness
/Cast Tidal Force
/cast Healing Wave



Smart Mouseover Healing
Casts the specified spell on the most appropriate target.
In order of priority: target (friendly), mouseover (friendly), player
Allows you to keep your current target while healing a friendly (mouseover them or their profile) or yourself (do nothing), while still acting like a normal cast (friendly targets have priority).

#showtooltip Lesser Healing Wave
/cast [help,exists] [target=mouseover,help,exists] [target=player] Lesser Healing Wave




Other useful macros can be found here: http://www.wowwiki.com/Useful_macros_for_shamans





~ ADDONS ~


Shield Trackers:




- ShieldsUp http://www.wowinterface.com/downloads/info9165-ShieldsUp.html
Tracks both Earth Shield and Water Shield charges

- WaterShield Monitor http://wow.curse.com/downloads/wow-addons/details/watershield.aspx

- Shieldy Sound http://wow.curse.com/downloads/wow-addons/details/shieldy-sound.aspx
Plays one of 3 sounds whenever lightning shield, water shield, or earth shield are removed from the player or the player's earth shield target.




Shaman addons




- Full Moon http://wow.curse.com/downloads/wow-addons/details/fullmoon.aspx
A simple and compact addon for Shaman to keep track of relevant cooldowns more easily. Thanks Zasi!

- Shaman Friend http://wow.curse.com/downloads/wow-addons/details/shaman-friend.aspx
This addon is designed specially for the Shaman class. It contains a lot of usefull functions no matter which spec you are.




Totem Management:

As of 3.2, you can still use the totem management addons, but most of them are not supporting the new totem bar added by Blizzard.

As of August 7th, only TotemTimers is supporting the new totem bar.


- Yata http://wow.curse.com/downloads/wow-addons/details/yata.aspx

- TotemTimers http://wow.curse.com/downloads/wow-addons/details/totemtimers.aspx

- TotemCaddy http://wow.curse.com/downloads/wow-addons/details/totemcaddy.aspx

- Totemus 3 http://wow.curse.com/downloads/wow-addons/details/totemus303.aspx




Unit/Party/Raid Frames




- ag_UnitFames http://wow.curse.com/downloads/wow-addons/details/ag_unitframes.aspx
Customable unit frames. Easy to configure to make healing easier. Can be use also for raid frames.

- PitBull Unit Frames http://wow.curse.com/downloads/wow-addons/details/pit-bull.aspx
Customable unit frames. A little more complex to configure but has more options than ag_UF. Can also be use for raid frames.

- Perl Classic Unit Frames http://wow.curse.com/downloads/wow-addons/details/perl-classic-unit-frames.aspx

- Grid http://wow.curse.com/downloads/wow-addons/details/grid.aspx
" Grid is a modular, lightweight and screen-estate saving grid of party/raid unit frames based on Ace2 and various embedded libraries provided by the Ace-community " A few pluggins available on Curse too, make Grid absolutely awesome for party and raid frames.




Healing Addons




- Healbot Continued http://wow.curse.com/downloads/wow-addons/details/heal-bot-continued.aspx
Very versatile and complete addon to ease healing

- Clique http://wow.curse.com/downloads/wow-addons/details/clique.aspx
" Clique is a simple GUI that lets you assign click-casting for any number of unit frames. Click casting allows you to define the behavior the game takes when you click on a frame. This can be casting spells, running a macro, using an item, or something as simple as changing targets or assisting a unit "

- VuhDo http://wow.curse.com/downloads/wow-addons/details/vuhdo.aspx
" VuhDo is a raid monitor similar to CTRaidAssist or Blizzards built-in raid frames. Basically this is about displaying the health of raid members in form of clearly arranged bars. VuhDo is primarily directed to healing classes, but will make use to almost any other class. Moreover several healing spells or other actions can be asserted to mouse clicks on those bars (Click-Heal)."

--------------- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ---------------


EJ Forum - Resto Shaman http://elitistjerks.com/f47/t24796-shaman_restoration/

Meka's Guide http://www.ensidia.com/home/shaman-restoration-part-1-general/

Uhhh, no.

Every resto shaman should be gemming for 16 int in every slot unless there's a haste/spellpower/int etc. bonus they need, in which case they can gem for 9 spellpower/8 int. MP5 is fairly worthless right now. I've healed through every single fight as resto and have never gone out of mana.

TBH you should actually read up on your class from a legit source before you start giving out advice.

http://elitistjerks.com/f47/t24796-shaman_restoration/
is a good place to start.

---

Q u o t e:
Uhhh, no.

Every resto shaman should be gemming for 16 int in every slot unless there's a haste/spellpower/int etc. bonus they need, in which case they can gem for 9 spellpower/8 int. MP5 is fairly worthless right now. I've healed through every single fight as resto and have never gone out of mana.

TBH you should actually read up on your class from a legit source before you start giving out advice.

http://elitistjerks.com/f47/t24796-shaman_restoration/
is a good place to start.

---

Thanks for the little flaming-on-the-side. It's always nice.
You get a lot of intellect with the gear. And I did say that the 9sp/8int is the best choice for a start.

All a matter of preference. And personal experience. I don't gem for mp5 usually, but when you start, I think it is important to get mp5 to get confortable with your regen.

Yes, elitist jerks is a good source of infos. But not everyone experience the same thing while playing the game. Personal preference, personal experience.

I didn't claim to be a uber shammy, I just want to help all those new 80s that wants to know where to start.

Edit: I added the 16 int gem, thanks

You know Heres a good resto guide
STEPS OF RESTO HEALING AS A SHAMAN
1. Spec resto
2. Make sure theres a ret pally in the raid that judges alot
3. Earthshield main tank and water shield yourself (make sure to always keep watershield on)
4. Drop totems
5. Bloodlust
6. SPAM CHAINHEAL
7. Repeat 6 until 40% mana then go to 8
8. Drop mana tide wait till its done pulsin then drop mana spring
9. Spam CHAINHEAL till boss is dead.

Edit for baddies that let watershield fall off

Thanks for choosing Guides R Us!
Your ultimate choice in guides for WOTLK PvE content!
©Guides R us! 2009

Thanks for the time putting up this guide Zavijah. I will put it to use when my shammy gets to 80

I have no idea on how resto shamans really work/gem so I won't comment on the content.

The only comment I will make is it feels sloppy, even if it is accurate.

---

Q u o t e:
I have no idea on how resto shamans really work/gem so I won't comment on the content.

The only comment I will make is it feels sloppy, even if it is accurate.

---

I am still working on it.

And I was expecting more positive suggestions, like "Oh Z, you forget this or that!"

:P

This was the exact guide I've been looking for in preparation to hitting 80, specifically the gear and enchant lists.

Thanks for this!

You're misinformed if you think that 9 SP / 8 int is even worth getting, it's a simple math problem really. Assume you get 2 9 SP / 8 int gems that is equal to 18 SP / 16 int, now assume you have one red gem and one yellow gem, you now have 19 SP and 16 int. So basically you're losing one point of SP just by using the orange gem.

Also, there comes a point when int, like mp5, becomes not nearly as good. For instance when you have enough regen from int on gear, why would you socket for more int? If you finish all your fights with good mana, why socket int? When you have too much regen from int it's better to gem SP or haste.

---

Q u o t e:
5/5 Improved Healing Wave.

---

Terrible talent. You never use healing wave outside of Nature's Swiftness. Your heals will be snipped if you use it. Also it's the "big heal" that heals for the least. You're better off with Rip tide + CH combo.

---

Q u o t e:
3/3 Healing Focus

---

I know this is more of a prefrence, but I disagree to this one for PvE reasons. You should NEVER have anything beating on you which will increase your cast time. There are more worth while talents to get like Imp. Reincarnation. Nothing like Ahnking in a fight and having ~40% mana and HP compared to 20%. Plus the 20 min off the CD is a plus.

---

Q u o t e:
Intellect > mp5 > Spell Power

---

Yes this is true once you hit 80 and start gearing up. But once you start getting gear your mana pool becomes less of a problem and int isn't as big. Having a mana pool greater than 20% after a fight is stupid and unefficent. You're mana is there to use not to stockpile on. If you have mana that means you can gem into other more importaint stats.

---

Q u o t e:
Crit Rating > Haste Rating

---

Wow you're terrible. Stupidest thing ever unless you're spamming LHW but that was nerfed in 3.0.8 when IWS was nerfed. Haste > Crit for obvious reasons called Chain Heal. Chain heal is our bread and butter. Our AoE/raid heals are the best. This is why we were stacked for sunwell... well that and lust/heroism.

---

Q u o t e:
Totem of the Bay http://www.wowhead.com/?item=38368
The easiest relic to get, and it is considered to be one of the best currently in-game

---

No. The badge one is much better. 78 less mana on CH is much more efficent. out of ~10 Chain Heals you get one for free which is MUCH better than 102 SP to CH.

---

Q u o t e:
Luminous Monarch Topaz 9 sp/8 int is my favourite one.

Brilliant Autumn's Glow is good too if your mana pool is still poor. 16 intellect

Royal Twilight Opal 9 sp/3 mp5 is pretty good to help regen if your mp5 while casting is pretty low.

Runed Scarlet Ruby. I do not recommand you use those when you start since you will need every little bit of intellect you can find. A OutOfMana healer is a useless healer :P

---

After mana isn't a problem, meaning you have ~20% mana after finishing patchwerk or ~20% mana after killing the 3rd drake in OS+3 you're FINE on mana. No need to gem/enchant towards int/mp5. Haste is a much more useful stat at this point.

---

Q u o t e:
Greater Mana Restoration for the 8mp5
Super Stats for the 8 to all stats

---

8 stats to all is much more beneficial than 8 mp5. The mp5 to chest was true in tbc when mp5 ruled all, but not now.


Other than these things, everything else seems alright. This guide is alright for new resto shamans but over all its terrible.

You're barely geared yourself. You're somewhat geared but not enough to be writing a guide imo.

P.S. Regem your pants, you're missing out on your +6 int bonus. Remove the 19SP gem IMO. SP isn't as importaint since downranking was removed.

---

Q u o t e:
You're misinformed if you think that 9 SP / 8 int is even worth getting, it's a simple math problem really. Assume you get 2 9 SP / 8 int gems that is equal to 18 SP / 16 int, now assume you have one red gem and one yellow gem, you now have 19 SP and 16 int. So basically you're losing one point of SP just by using the orange gem.

Also, there comes a point when int, like mp5, becomes not nearly as good. For instance when you have enough regen from int on gear, why would you socket for more int? If you finish all your fights with good mana, why socket int? When you have too much regen from int it's better to gem SP or haste.

---

Like I said, this is not a Resto Shaman guide.

It is to give an idea of what you should get when you are starting. Start-ing. Like in fresh level 80 :P

Assuming you have 2 gem slots, you are right. But as you gather gear and do not wait to get it enchanted or gemmed, I prefer to put the orange gem if I have only one slot in there.

I will edit the information with your comments later, thank you.

Aaaaaaaaand I'll regem my tunic ;)