The Resto Druid tier set comes out swinging and is one of the most powerful healer sets on the PTR by far. The 4 set is also fairly interesting, though it does introduce some tuning concerns which we’ll talk about soon. It’s also a fairly easy bonus to maximize the use of which means you won’t feel like you play particularly differently with this. It’ll feel more like a powerful but passive healing increase rather than something you can master.
Playstyle Changes
You won’t need to make any major playstyle changes for our 2pc bonus. It’s a very nice bonus to our strongest spells. The only consideration might be playing around Rampant Growth a bit more during downtime since a 75% increase to our Regrowth HoT is an incredibly powerful bonus.
Our 4pc is extremely strong, but fairly passive. Here’s how the Flourish portion of the bonus works:
HoT speed increases are always very powerful but right now we have a few talents that greatly increases how much value we get from them. Luxuriant Soil (for Rejuv builds) and Verdancy (for Lifebloom builds).
Power wise this is a good thing but it does also have a side effect of concentrating even more power in base Rejuv casts. The downside to this is the skill expression of the spec is minimized since we move further away from our BFA / Shadowlands era ramp-based playstyle. The gap between a good and great Resto Druid gets smaller.
Power Level
Raw Power
With a mythic geared character, our 2pc is worth around 6-7% healing without changing how you play. Here’s how it would have broken down on a fight from this tier:
The 4pc is worth a little more – specific numbers still need to be run but you can comfortably count on 7-10% healing from it. These are quite a bit stronger overall than our current tier set though there’s a fair chance it gets brought down in power before it goes live.
Mythic+
This is still a great Mythic+ set but it’s a little bit weaker than it is in raid. The most dangerous healing checks tend to be shorter which means it’s easier to waste a bonus that applies over 24 seconds. Our Rejuvenations are also shorter in Mythic+ and in some cases could even fall off before the bonus expires! We also tend to have fewer HoTs ticking at once. Still an excellent healing-focused bonus overall.
Feedback
This is a powerful bonus, and the 4pc is quite interesting. The downside is that it continues to emphasize getting as many Rejuvs out as possible rather than timing them well. The Flourish bonus is also significantly more powerful than the Verdant Infusion portion of the set. That isn’t necessarily an issue because Flourish is a much more interesting talent but the power disparity is notable. If the set goes live as-is it might be worth looking at the power of Luxuriant Soil (as hesitant as I am to bring nerfs down on my spec). Resto Druid remains an incredibly fun healer, and this is a great set, but caution should be taken around making sure the playstyle doesn’t go backwards.
