7.3 FAQ

All sections of the Resto Druid guide are now updated for 7.3.

From the Patch Notes

7.3 is a very light patch for Resto Druid with no balance changes. The patch notes we care about are as follows:

  • New animations for most of our spells
  • Rebirth castable in all forms (more useful than it might sound)
  • Prowl cooldown reduced to 6 seconds (from 10)
  • Swipe energy cost reduced to 40 from 45

 


New stuff in 7.3

New Potions

New Healing Potion

  • Astral Healing Potions are great, but are weaker than the newly-buffed Warlock Healthstones if you have more than 4.3 million health.
  • There was also an Astral Mana Potion on the PTR but it has since been removed.

 

New Trinkets

Astral Alchemist Stone

New Trinket: Astral Alchemist Stone

  • Can be upgraded to 935 ilvl, at which point it offers 1345 flat versatility and an average of 2629 intellect.
  • The 40% bonus to potions will give you an extra 96,000 mana to play with which is equal to 1000-1200 MP/5 depending on the length of the fight. This is very far behind a 900 ilvl promises which is still comfortably our crafted trinket of choice.
  • If you’re just starting out you’ll want to grab a 910 relinquished trinket and a Darkmoon Deck: Promises. This one doesn’t quite cut it.
  • 900 ilvl Promises is always stronger.

 

Echo of L’ura

New Trinket: Echo of L'ura

  • Drops from new 5 man Seat of the Triumvirate.
  • Unfortunately the on-use is far too weak for this to be competitive. You can expect 1.5-2.2% healing from it on average.

 

New Legendary

Insignia of the Grand Army

New Legendary: Insignia of the Grand Army

  • Not available until 7.3.5 when you’ll pick it up from a quest chain that includes killing the last boss of the Antorus raid.
  • See the Netherlight Crucible information below to get a better idea of what this is going to do for you but in the best case scenario you’re looking at ~2% healing from the effect.
  • This is incredibly weak for us and will rank among our worst legendaries.


Netherlight Crucible

The Netherlight Crucible adds a new layer of RNG to your relics by giving each relic its own mini talent tree. It is… not great. If you don’t know much about the system then the wowhead guide is a good introduction but we’ll look at some resto druid specifics. The Crucible is not available until week 3 of the patch and requires you to have completed most of the Argus quest line.

 

Each of your relics, once attuned on the Vindicaar, will have a tree like this. Artifact level 60 will unlock the second tier of your first relic slot and you’ll pick up the others at levels 63 and 66 with the third tier coming at 69, 72 and 75. It’s a pretty confusing system but you’ll pick it up quickly.

Crucible Example

What fantastic traits I’ve rolled. 

 


Adds 15 total ilvl to our weapon and is unlocked as soon as we unlock the crucible. This is significant and represents ~+6% extra healing.


Each relic will have a random shadow and a random holy trait and you’ll pick one or the other. The traits can be roughly ranked as follows, the weapon ilvl equivalent is in brackets:

  • Master of Shadows (3) > Refractive Shell (3-3.5)Light Speed (3) = Secure in the Light = Infusion of Light (3)  > Shocklight (2.5) =  Murderous Intent (2.5) > Light’s Embrace (1)
  • Master of Shadows also offers a significant 500 avoidance which makes it a clear first choice.
  • The others are all of very little value.


The final tier consists of three random traits giving you a 1 in 3 chance of snagging Persistence on a non-Persistence relic (you can’t double up). Eternal Restoration is available.

 

So, is my new relic an upgrade?

To decide if a new relic is an upgrade you’ll have to take it back to the Vindicaar for attunement (at which point it’ll become soul bound). To determine if it’s an upgrade you’ll need to add up:

  • The ilvl of the relic
  • The value of the trait
  • The relic tier 2 bonus and
  • The extra tier 3 trait

This is a horrible slog and is better suited for a spreadsheet or calculator. Luckily we have two amazing tools to make our job easier:

 


Quick-fire questions

  • When does the new raid open? Not until patch 7.3.5 which should still be ~11 weeks away.
  • Can I upgrade Promises past ilvl 900? No, only the newly added crafted items (like the alchemy trinkets) can be upgraded to 935.
  • Will our stat weights change? Nope. We’ll continue to aim for a balance of secondaries while wearing our highest ilvl items.
  • How does Artifact knowledge work now? Artifact knowledge is now game-wide and you don’t have to read or complete any research to get it. You’ll be given AK41 immediately on patch day and then a new level with each weekly reset.
  • How is our T21? Our T21 is very strong with current tuning, but won’t be available until the raid opens in patch 7.3.5.
  • Which legendaries will we run with it? Velens and Prydaz will remain dominant with our Belt, Chest, Shoulders, and Helm legendaries all having potential niches. We’ll have a lot more information closer to the raid release when we know much more about what the damage patterns in Antorus are like.
  • Will we still wear any other tier sets when we have it? Not really. You’ll wear 4T21 and your highest ilvl off pieces unless you’re one of the lucky few with 930+ ilvl T19 titanforges.
  • Read the FAQ.