Totems: who, what, when, where, why? Healing sets.

This time on your totem fix, we will focus on the healing choices for totems (as this is what i do).

Most choices are simple mana/health, spell power, haste etc. But when and what to use are entirely different as battles change, bosses have phases later on, and some one in your group will do something they probably shouldn't.


The most obvious choices for totems as a healer are;

Stoneskin (a flat armor buff, less damage to everyone is always wanted)

Flametounge (extra spell power, great for healers more healing per mana, and caster DPS)

Mana Spring (great to use on bosses, allows mana to last longer, casters to do more DPS, all round good)

Wrath of air (5% casting haste, wonderful for healing and Caster DPS, but not overly necessarily)

Thats 1 of my "Call of the..." sets, i use this on bosses where i need the healing NOW! and cannot afford to wait. Usually with this i will be chaining my heals as fast I can.

If you don't need the mana or your tank is geared enough to live without totemic aid, use this set for a DPS focus:

• Strength of Earth (If you have no Death Knight in the group this is good, if you have Death Knight don't use this as it will not stack with horn of winter. When there is a Death knight i use the Stoneskin totem its just easier that way)
• Flametounge (as before, spell power is more health per heal)
• Healing stream (Same as mana spring this is a trickle of health, right now its 130+ per tick not to bad. In some boss fights, like some in Nexus i find with this and earth shield on tank I can get some lightning bolts off as well to help the group with some extra damage.)
  
• Windfury totem (16% melee haste, more tank aggro, more DPS, very helpful where healing isn't a problem)

As I have said before it all varies and even though I use these sets or similar ones I still hot-key some totems. Cleansing totem and Tremor are good to key as fear effects and poisons happen when your not paying attention. Remember its easier on yourself and group to drop one cheap totem than to have to cleanse a group when you should be healing it.

While you run new instances and find new tactics remember there is very little wrong in the way of totems. Drop nearly any of them and your doing good, keep everyone alive even better. If your not really sure ask the group what they would like, chances are someone has done the run before and has an idea of what they need.

Egamad of Caelestraz.