Keep Rolling Lifeblooms Post 3.1

All you Trees out there can stop having a coronary, because I do not mean what you think. Obviously since the change in Lifebloom's cost and mechanics, each cast must ultimately result in a bloom for the spell to be even remotely efficient. The days of building up a three stack and keeping it "rolling" are over. However, there is still a great deal of merit to "rolling" your stack up to three as I will explain below.

A single cast of Rank 3 Lifebloom, negating spell power and any other enhancements, heals 371 damage over 7 seconds and then blooms for a 970 instant heal. The initial mana cost is 28% of base, but with the 50% refund at the bloom, the aggregate mana cost is 14% of base presuming you let each cast result in a bloom. That means for an isolated cast without any modifiers, Lifebloom gives you 1341 in healing for 14% base mana.

Now, let's introduce a second Rank 3 Lifebloom. Let's say you are spamming up a stack and there is only a global cooldown pause between your applications. In that scenario, everything doubles: the heal over time, the end bloom, and the mana cost. The buff now ticks for a total of 742 over its 7 second life and blooms for 1940 equaling 2682 in total healing for 28% of your base mana.

What if, however, we roll our initial Lifebloom buff by waiting to cast our second stack until the moment before the first one blooms? At that point, our initial buff will have already completed its heal over time and healed your target for 371 damage. When we cast the second Lifebloom not only is a second seven second heal over time applied, but the buff from the first cast is granted another seven second lease on life. While the two stack ticks, 742 in additional healing is applied. After the bloom of 1940, by rolling your stack up you have done 3053 in healing for your 28% base investment, rather than the 2682 in healing you get from spamming.

When a third Lifebloom is added, the benefits of rolling become even more pronounced. If spammed, the third cast simply triples both the healing and the mana cost of a single cast. This results in 1113 in healing over seven seconds and a 2910 bloom or 4023 in healing for 42% of your base mana. If, however, we roll the three stack and cast the second and third Lifebloom just before blooms, we get the 371 in healing over time during our single stack and the 742 in two stack healing all before the third stack is even cast. After the third cast, we get 1113 in healing over 7 seconds and the 2910 bloom. By rolling up to our three stack, we have generated 5136 in healing for our 42% base mana investment, over 1000 more than the 4023 we would get from spamming straight up to three.

All said, rolling up a full stack of Lifeblooms and then letting it bloom makes the spell over 20% more efficient than rapidly laying down a full three stack. Obviously, the math reflects a world without overheals and with perfect timing, but if you are looking to completely maximize your efficiency, the numbers speak for themselves. Rolling Lifebloom is back and better than ever!

Life Bloom and Feral Dual Spec

As a quick tip for those of you Druids who happen to have Feral as one of your dual specs, be sure to throw a full stack of Lifeblooms on yourself or someone else right before activating your Feral talents. The mana refund at the bloom will give you just enough of a boost to let you shape-shift without any drinking or downtime. Trust me, your group will thank you for it.

Things that Make You Go Bloom

Lifebloom is not dead post 3.1, it just comes with a little extra baggage. Namely, the spell is simply no longer even remotely mana efficient if each cast does not ultimately result in a bloom. This means that once you hit three stacks, consider it patience time. Throw around some raid heals, refresh buffs, eat a sandwich, do anything other than trying to add that ever elusive fourth stack.

It may seem appealing to keep that three stack rolling for another seven seconds as that is how most good trees were raised, but it is not worth it. Generally speaking, even if your bloom will be 100% overheal, take your mana and live to cast another day. Even when your target is taking heavy damage, let your stack bloom and throw up a quick new three stack if need be. Obviously a slow build gives you the most bang for your buck.

The key to making the most out of the new Lifebloom is proper planning. Let your targets health dip in anticipation of any bloom and neither healing nor mana will be wasted. One, two, or three stacks at a time, Lifebloom can still be an important part of your rotation, just let it bloom baby!