Resto druid gems – part 2 (meta gems)

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Posted by Keeva | Druid healing, Tips & guides | Friday 4 September 2009 10:43 AM

Meta gems

In my mind, there are two standout choices for meta gems, the Ember Skyflare Diamond (ESD) and the Insightful Earthsiege Diamond (IED). Of those two, the IED is almost always the better choice, despite what people will tell you.

Here’s why.


Why the Ember Skyflare is hardly ever right

I’m bound to start some fights with this one, but it’s a genuine problem that I see all over the place, and very few people understand the mistake they are making. That’s not saying they’re dumb or “noobs” or anything – if nobody explained it to you, it’s quite logical to consider the ESD to be the best because it has our favourite stat – spell power.


I certainly don’t consider myself an expert on every facet of druidism; I learn new things all the time, and I’m constantly looking for ways to improve. So if you’re using the Skyflare – please don’t take this as a criticism – I would just like to make sure people are open to all of the information and don’t simply adopt a choice because it seems logical.

The catchcry of the diehard ESD fan goes like this:

I never have any mana problems, so why would I want a mana restore meta?


Makes perfect sense, right? Remember, too much regen is a waste – so if you have all the regen you need, why pick up a meta gem that gives you even more mana back? That would be a waste – might as well pick up a small amount of spellpower instead.

Wrong!

So what’s the problem with the above statement? Nothing, if it’s true. The problem though is that most people say “I never have mana problems” but when you look at their Armory – often they are wearing double mana regen trinkets. Some even admit to using mp5 flasks or regen food. You can’t really claim to “never” have mana problems if you are still using regen trinkets – or you wouldn’t be using those regen trinkets at all – you’d have swapped them out for throughput (spell power) trinkets long ago.

You can’t say you “never” have mana problems
if you usually have pure regen trinkets equipped.


This is not a criticism of people who use pure regen trinkets. I just want to try to explain to people that the reason that you perceive yourself to be immune to mana troubles is due in part to the fact that you have those mana trinkets.


That’s not a bad thing. If you’re still using regen trinkets, I assume it’s because you believe you need them for adequate longevity in a fight. So you do need regen – it’s just a case of adjusting our thinking to make sure we’re getting it in the most efficient way. If you team regen trinkets and consumables up with the ESD and justify the spell power meta by saying you “never have mana problems”, then that’s not really true.

Follow me? :)



Expanding on metas and trinkets a little

It’s all about trade-offs.

The ESD gives you +25 spell power and +2% Intellect.

The IED gives you +21 Intellect and a chance to restore 600 mana on spellcast. This has no internal cooldown, and due to resto druids’ ever-casting style, can be equal to anywhere from 40mp5 to 100mp5, depending on the fight.

For druids with around 1000 Intellect, the Intellect on these two diamonds basically cancel (although the ESD will scale slightly). So let’s discard that and focus purely on the ESD’s spell power and the IED’s mana return.

So you’re effectively weighing 25 spellpower against 40-100mp5 (let’s say 60mp5 average). This is key.

I found some examples of people at Elitist Jerks who are better at explaining than I am!


Trismegistus:
I think the point here is the stats that are available in slot. The two major sources of MP5 are Meta and Trinket.


Let’s compare the four stats on these two gems.


[Insightful Earthsiege Diamond] – +21 Int and [assumed] 75MP5
[Ember Skyflare Diamond] – +25 Spell Power and [assumed 1000 Int] +20Int


If we look at the available trinkets, they offer significantly more Spell Power than this meta, but the MP5 is much lower. It is therefore better to sacrifice the Spell Power from the Meta slot and use it for MP5 because it is the best slot on the entire gear sheet for that stat.

Boevis:
The proc is actually 5% chance to restore 600 mana which works out to be 100 mp5 if you cast every 1.5 seconds, 75 mp5 casting every 2 seconds, or 50 mp5 casting every 3 seconds.


Considering the HoT nature of druids (and the everpresent haste on gear) it’s going to trend toward the upper values. In comparison, 25 spell power is fairly weak when you take into account what trinkets you could swap out, 100 spell power trinkets are easy to find ([Darkmoon Card: Illusion]) and the best ones easily exceed 100 [Illustration of the Dragon Soul], while the best mana regen trinkets are likely [Soul of the Dead] or one of the 3 high Spirit ones.

Bregalad:
if I trade off ember skyflare for IED, I’m getting 70+ mp5 at a cost of only 25 spellpower (the int roughly cancels for most trees). There is no place on your gear where you can get a 50+ mp5 effective result that only costs you 25 spellpower. It’s only on special procs for trinkets/rings etc. that it even gets as close as my example. On regular gear, you typically give up almost 3 spellpower to get 1Mp5. That’s a tradeoff you generally don’t want to make unless you already have IED and regen trinkets and *still* can run out of mana on hard fights.


IED is the most efficient tradeoff, so it’s the first thing you should do in the regen department.

(Note: since these comments were posted, new items have come into the game and there are better trinkets available – but the underlying principle remains the same – particularly if you’re not raiding hard modes and TOC25, for example)


So in short, the IED is better “value” because you’re getting ~60mp5 for a trade of 25 spell power, which is something you can’t get in any other slot. Provided, of course, that you still have a need for more regen. If you are gearing straight spell power, have spell power trinkets, and still find you are comfortable with your mana, then opt for the ESD.


If you’re using the ESD and you still have pure regen trinkets, that’s not an efficient trade. You would be better having the mana restore meta and spell power trinket than a (weaker) spell power meta and (weaker) mana regen trinkets. Even better, grab one of the yummy +Spell Power/+regen trinkets out there.



Better options than ESD + regen trinkets


If you’re still using pure regen trinkets for everyday encounters, but you’ve opted for the ESD, it makes more sense to change to the IED and replace your trinket/s with throughput (spell power). Obviously, some hard mode encounters may demand more regen, so you might swap gear around and put in a regen trinket – there are special cases. Plenty of people keep particular trinkets on hand for hard modes. But if your standard gear for your standard weekly raiding includes pure regen trinkets and the ESD, you should consider swapping in the IED and a throughput trinket.

If you find you have plenty of regen and you want to dump some of it, you should leave the IED til last – because it is simply the best value, the best bang for your buck. Swap out regen trinket firsts, and DEFINITELY stop using regen flasks and food.

Here are a few of the spellpower trinkets available:


Or, even better, go for a balance of spell power and regen:


To have a look at all of your trinket options, try a Wowhead filter: http://www.wowhead.com/?items=4.-4&filter=minrl=80;maxrl=80


Once your normal gear and your usual content dictates that you don’t need regen trinkets, gems, consumables etc – feel free to swap to the ESD. Just make sure the IED is the last thing you ditch – because it really is the best value for regen.

If you need regen – the IED should be your first port of call.

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19 Comments »

  1. Comment by lissanna — September 4, 2009 @ 1:27 PM

    Ya, but my trinket selection sucks & my spark of hope is just so purdy.

    ;-) lissanna´s last blog ..Faction Change available early! My ComLuv Profile

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  2. Comment by Keeva — September 4, 2009 @ 1:31 PM

    Guess what I picked up last night? :D

    I’m taking it to Vezax with me. *hugs it tight*

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  3. Comment by Kayeri — September 4, 2009 @ 2:22 PM

    I’ve used IED since I got my T7.5 helm in Naxx… someone mathematical told me that was about the right level of gearing to make it the better choice, and I’ve stuck with it ever since. My trinkets are the Forethought Talisman and the Spark of Hope.

    The only place I have had mana issues so far is in Iron Council and that’s why we have innervate. I havent been far into the Yogg fight, though. (Yes, we do things at our own pace. ::giggle::) But I LOVE my Spark of Hope and it would take a lot to get me to part with it. :) I think I read somewhere that Sif’s Remembrance and Spark of Hope was the best combo for restos, at that time… that was before ToC, of course.

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  4. Comment by Lath — September 4, 2009 @ 5:17 PM

    Ooooh Keeva now you’ve given me a headache ;-) I could have sworn I read that entire Elitist Jerks thread and determined ESD was the better option after hitting over 1k Intel & Spirit :(

    Well I’m definitely not a mathsy person so maybe I’ll just give IED a whirl and see how it feels for a bit, the thought of reading through that entire EJ forum thread again makes me shudder :shock:
    Also I was lucky enough to score the new SP & MP5 TOC trinket this week and it is seriously divine!
    Lath´s last blog ..Bringing Down the Bloodlust Instance Servers My ComLuv Profile

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  5. Comment by Keeva — September 4, 2009 @ 6:09 PM

    EJ makes my head hurt too. I’m not a math person and I need to rely on other people to tell me what’s what – which is exactly why Blizzard is changing things, I think. The problem is that people on EJ will put forward such good arguments on both sides that it can be really hard to decide who is right… but in this case, especially at lower levels of gear, it’s better to have the IED and throughput trinkets than the ESD and regen trinkets. At higher gear levels you’ll have better access to some awesome trinkets.

    I can’t wait to get my grubby little mitts on Solace of the Fallen, I might have to do a lot of PuGs, but it is so yummy. I love my Bell – I’d love to have two big spellpower/mp5 trinkets. I don’t think you can really go wrong, that way.

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  6. Comment by Beruthiel — September 5, 2009 @ 1:12 AM

    I think there is one more important factor that you may want to consider when looking at the two gems: What it requires to activate them.

    IED requires 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 blue gem; while the ESD requires only 3 red gems to activate.

    I think in my current gear I *might* have one yellow gem, but this isn’t always the case, and is often the exception. However, I *always* have 3 red gems. The ease of activating the ESD is highly attractive if you don’t need the extra regen from the IED, and is certainly something to be taken into consideration when choosing a meta, I think. :smile: Beruthiel´s last blog ..Quality Assurance My ComLuv Profile

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  7. Comment by Cent — September 5, 2009 @ 1:18 AM

    Your last three posts pretty much discribe the conversations I’ve had with so many resto druids on my server. There used to be so many druids with full spirits anywhere they could and no IED. I think you said it much better than i did and we have a bit of an IED cult in our healer team.

    An another topic have you noticed how insame the new trinket from Coliseum 25 is? 150 sp and 130 ish or so mp5. It’s sort of game breaking. I just picked up the legendary and was still kinda jealous when one of our guys picked that one up. I think I might go pure sp everywhere if/when I get it.

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  8. Comment by Aenokhe — September 5, 2009 @ 1:54 AM

    I haven’t thought of that before. I don’t find myself going OOM unless I’m doing anything crazy like duo-healing, but I have a fair share of trinkets which I change depending on a fight’s style.

    Shorter fights get Illustration of the Dragon Soul + Egg of Mortal Essence, longer either Illustration + Spark of Hope or Energy Siphon + Spark of Hope. Not sure if that’s the best choices, but it works more or less.

    I’m really wondering about Spark of Hope and its ton of Spirit. In BC, I know I used to stack TONS of Spirits and found myself crazy to do so, but since the nerf, I’m really confused about its worth.

    What are your relations on Spirit? Worth stacking or it’s more optional?
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  9. Comment by Bellwether — September 5, 2009 @ 2:14 AM

    As a Resto Druid who carries around five or six trinkets, I prefer the ESD. My main Trinkets are Sif’s and Illustration, and with the application of Innervate at a good time interval, the fights are rare that I need a Pot (and as an alchemist, I even get a boost from that!)

    One of the other reasons IED may be better for people not pushing the bleeding edge or who are just turned 80, too, is that it is really easy to gem for; you can potentially use only one gem slot if you don’t have any others (using a prismatic +stats). While not the best choice, if you don’t have the slots you can still use a meta.

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  10. Comment by Kae — September 5, 2009 @ 4:08 AM

    Hmm thanks for this food for thought, Keeva. I didn’t used to have mana regen problems, but the patch-regen-changes have lead to me being close to OoM during some critical fights–taking pots, actually NEEDING my innervate, and sometimes even needing the feral’s innervate. Pre-patch, I honestly had no need for the regen, and that was with Illustration o.t. Dragon Soul equipped.

    I’ll go give the IED a whirl. I hate having to use the Binding Stone’s click-use.

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  11. Pingback by Daily Heroics, soon a thing of the past « Cows Loves Cake — September 14, 2009 @ 10:10 AM

    [...] is always better unless you massively out-gear the content you are running. I found a great post here which explains why in more [...]



  12. Comment by Vesper — September 19, 2009 @ 6:59 AM

    Thank you for writing this. I’ll have to say that I’m one of those druids who would’ve said I don’t go oom (except in weird cases like too many healers dead), but I suppose the spirit trinket MDF counts as a regen item. I still don’t think I’d give that up to a spellpower trinket (rethinking it, I do use it a lot in situations where I can get out of the fsr, stack it, and watch my mana come back (Mimiron being the strongest case)). But I never realized how much mana regen is on that meta. With the new epic gems, +25 sp is kinda lame anyway. Looking at it that way, I’d give up +25 sp for that much mp5. I think I’ll give it a try sometime. Thanks for writing. :)

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  13. Comment by Buttercup — September 25, 2009 @ 4:25 AM

    Thanks a great big lot for this post!

    I started out writing a comment here writing why you were wrong. Rawr recommends the ESD after all. And then I looked at what I had written and it was just one big pile of nonsense. So instead I went back to check the Rawr source code and found that Rawr was actually bugged(!)

    http://rawr.codeplex.com/Thread/View.aspx?ThreadId=33586

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  14. Comment by Arcuta — September 29, 2009 @ 12:24 PM

    oops. Thank you ;)

    <3

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  15. Pingback by WoW Druid Guide: Gearing a new restoration druid at 80 | FREE World of Warcraft Guides — May 10, 2010 @ 7:23 PM

    [...] Meta Gem If you’re having mana issues, use the Insightful Earthsiege Diamond. If you’re not having mana issues, Ember Skyflare Diamond. You will probably want to read Tree Bark Jacket’s blog post on how this works vis-a-vis what your trinkets are. [...]



  16. Comment by Jazzy — June 10, 2010 @ 2:20 PM

    This post made my brain hurt :( I’ve been using the IED meta for a while and its treated me well.. But I’m at the point in my gear where I depend more on SP seeing as I’ve worked out my oom’ing issues. And if I find myself ooming on certain fights, I put my trinky from OS10 (Spirit on spell cast, stacking 10times) [replacing my abacus, and keeping purified lunar] and the idol that reduces the cost of rejuv on and that usually fixes my oom’ing problems. I dont really see the lunar trinket as a mana regen trinket, I got it for the spellpower and the spellpower only, though the extra mp5 on proc is yummy[i go overboard when its up :P]

    What my debate is..wether or not to ditch that free 600 mana on proc and go for spellpower or just keep it and not waste gold on something I may not keep.

    HALP?! D’:

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  17. Comment by Keeva — June 10, 2010 @ 2:24 PM

    How much are meta gems? On Cael they’re about 60g – hardly anything. I’d say give it a try with your usual gear – if you notice a difference and need the mana back, swap back to IED :) Keeva´s last blog ..Thinking of going druid in Cataclysm? My ComLuv Profile

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  18. Comment by Jazzy — June 10, 2010 @ 2:28 PM

    also, to add to my post and answer the unasked question[that may or may not pop up] of my OS10 trinket choice is: I never got the healing trinket from toc25, I’m more of a 10man raider and when the trinket did drop I either lost the roll or had it ninja’d :( after having it ninja’d 4 or 5 times, I gave up and moved on to better trinkets.

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  19. Comment by Jazzy — June 10, 2010 @ 2:31 PM

    they’re like…100-150g on my server. Way over priced -.- which still isn’t much but I could buy nearly 2 stacks of flasks for that :(

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