WoW players are convinced Patch 10.2 changes will completely butcher one class

World of Warcraft Dragonflight will go down in history as the expansion that introduced Augmentation Evokers, the first-ever support spec. After a miserable season two that had healers pulling their hair out for that Mythic+ rating, players can expect decent buffs, but those same buffs will actually ruin one spec’s identity.

In WoW Patch 10.2, Blizzard will give healers some power back, but only by buffing single-target spells. This buff comes at a great price because the AoE powerhouse abilities like Cloudburst Totem are getting trimmed down, and Restoration Shaman, historically known as the best raid healer, is in danger of losing its identity.

One player elaborated this perfectly in a Sept. 17 Reddit post, nailing down the biggest pet peeves mains will have with this change:

• “If I wanted to spam: small heal, small heal, big heal, I would play Priest.
• If I wanted to spam HoTs that spawn more HoTs (tierset 10.2), I would play Resoration Druid.
• If I wanted my single-target heals to be funneled to targets with my HoT (Primordial Wave) I’d play Mistweaver.”

What this player proposes is for Blizzard to shift Restoration Shaman’s power back into Chain Heal, an iconic ability that bounces off multiple players, and Healing Rain. This would put emphasis on this spec’s identity, while still having clear weaknesses and advantages.

On top of this, players want to see Healing Rain become an instant spell, just like Restoration Druid’s Efflorescence. This would make repositioning way easier, and it wouldn’t punish you as hard, especially in Mythic+ dungeons when you have to stay on the move to avoid lethal mechanics. 

As a long-standing Restoration Shaman main, I have to say these changes would lean in nicely in the class fantasy, without the spec becoming overpowered. No one ever picks up Shaman to spam single-target heals, and Blizzard has chosen the wrong direction for this spec—but it’s not too late to fix it.