This is the first of two slightly out of date posts that have been sitting in my draft folder for about a month or so. They were intended to be helpful posts and may still be useful so I’ve decided to finish them up and post them. It was getting a little long though, so now it’s split into two posts! Hopefully someone out there with questions about then whens, whys, and hows of Battle Resurrection spells will come across these posts. =D
With 4.1 came a big change: Warlocks and Death Knights now have the ability to resurrect fellow raiders during a battle. This change follows closely along the heals of other changes Blizzard has recently implemented to the game; making certain that all critical raid buffs are spread out among at least three unique classes. For another example you can look at Heroism/Bloodlust, which is now provided by Shamans, Mages, and (Beast Master) Hunters.
In addition to the recently added Battle Rezzes, Cataclysm changed how raid leaders and raiders should fundamentally approach the spell by enforcing a hard per encounter limit; three Battle Rezzes in 25s, one in 10s.
Historically, some guilds allowed resurrection to be used whenever the Druid thought it was appropriate, and some guilds restricted the spell, requiring the raid leader to call out for someone’s resurrection. From my experience, many guilds and raid leads allowed for an amalgamation of the two methods. Often times, the more Druids in your raid, the freer they were to use their Battle Rez at will.
However, in Cataclysm (even in a 25s setting) the increased number of people who can Battle Rez coupled with the decreased number of allowed Battle Rezzes and the method in which Battle Rezzes are counted forces us to be more careful about when we use the spell, on whom we cast it, and if we should accept a combat resurrection sent our way.
It’s that last bit I want to focus on:
Should you always accept a combat resurrection sent your way?
The short answer would be no.
A Battle Rez only counts against your encounter limit when it has been accepted by the recipient. If someone sent a Battle Rez your way and you decline (or even if you simply sit on the “Accept or Decline” window), the combat resurrection does not count towards the encounter limit and another Battle Rez can still be cast.
This places an equal burned on the person accepting a Battle Rez as the person casting the Battle Rez. The caster has triggered (and potentially wasted) their personal 10/15 minute cooldown, but the recipient has the final say on whether or not the resurrection counts against the encounter limit.
In this new world of limited Battle Rezzes, you should consider a quick checklist before accepting any combat resurrection sent your way:
- Did someone more valuable die while the spell was being cast? (Be honest with yourself about what you can contribute to the raid)
- If so, is there another Druid/DK/Warlock available to combat resurrect the other person? (Some addons, such as ORA3, will help track Battle Rez cooldowns)
- Was the caster in a safe location when they cast the Battle Rez? (You’ll return to life at the exact location the caster was standing when they used their ability; listen/watch for communications from your rescuer, a good combat resurrecter will let you know if it is not safe to accept)
Ideally, you should be running through this list and paying attention to the locations of your potential rescuers from the moment you die until combat ends or you receive a Battle Rez. The tides of battle can turn swiftly if you are able to act quick enough and get back into the fray with minimal downtime.
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Part 2 of this post will cover the details of all three combat resurrection spells, including a discussion of their differences and suggestions on their best uses.
Heart of the Wild 