Introduction
Hi, I’m Max. Most people know me as Cryve.
I’ve mained Preservation Evoker since its introduction in the Dragonflight beta and have played it almost exclusively in high-end Mythic+ and raid content. Over the years, I’ve consistently competed near the top of the Mythic+ leaderboards, including multiple #1 runs, and have regularly held the rank 1 Preservation Evoker spot.
This guide is based on what has actually held up for me in real keys and real progression, along with the setups, testing, and updates I share through Discord, Twitch, and YouTube.
Preservation Evoker Overview
Preservation Evoker is a highly mobile, HoT-focused, preparation-based healer. It’s at its best when the group is stacked, because that’s where it can fully leverage its extremely strong AoE healing.
Core Gameplay Identity
- Preparation healer: You get the most value when you understand damage patterns ahead of time and set up accordingly
- Positioning + movement matter: The kit rewards smart movement and deliberate positioning
- Echo as core mechanic: Echo lets your healing replicate in different ways, which adds flexibility and depth when planning your healing
Utility
Evoker offers powerful group utility, including party-wide damage reduction through Zephyr, Time Dilation as a strong external, raid-wide buffs like Time Spiral and Blessing of the Bronze, and its own version of Bloodlust via Fury of the Aspects.
Strengths
- Excellent group healing when damage is predictable
- Very high mobility
- Good utility, crowd control, and personal defensive cooldowns
- Strong externals and group support tools
- Extremely rewarding when played with good planning and execution
- Very rewarding to master (High skill ceiling)
Weaknesses
- Short cast range can be restrictive
- Requires strong positioning and encounter awareness
- More punishing than many healers when forced into reactive healing
- Spot healing pattern is less intuitive than on more traditional healers
What has changed
Preservation Evoker Changes in Patch 12.1
Overall, Preservation should feel noticeably better at quickly saving individual players, especially in Mythic+.
The biggest shift is that more of our healing is being moved into Dream Breath and its HoT, making our healing profile smoother and less burst-focused. At the same time, Living Flame, Verdant Embrace, and even the new tier set give us much stronger spot healing, which has historically been one of Preservation’s weaker areas.
The Dream Breath and Consume Flame changes also strongly push us toward Flameshaper. Unless tuning changes again, this will very likely be the first season where Flameshaper becomes the best hero talent in Mythic+ as well as raid.
Major Changes
- Dream Breath: Initial healing reduced by 50%. Its HoT was increased by roughly 64% stronger than before.
- Merithra's Blessing: Now increases all Dream Breath healing by 60%, instead of increasing only its initial healing by 250%.
- Living Flame: Healing increased by 30%.
- Verdant Embrace: Healing increased by 40%.
- Consume Flame (Flameshaper): Now heals for 240% of the consumed Dream Breath healing, up from 200%.
- Fluttering Seedlings can now trigger Consume Flame.
- Emerald Blossom and Fluttering Seedlings now prefer injured targets with Dream Breath when Consume Flame is talented.
Smaller Changes
- Lifespark: Your next Living Flame now deals or heals for 100% more, up from 50%.
- Temporal Barrier: Absorb increased by 30%.
- Panacea: Healing increased by 25%.
- Font Of Magic: Now also reduces the empower time of Dream Breath and Fire Breath by 20%.
- Reverberations (Chronowarden): Now repeats 40% of Verdant Embrace’s healing over eight seconds, down from 60%.
- Inner Flame: Periodic healing bonus reduced to 50%, down from 60%.
- Spiritual Clarity: Dream Breath cooldown reduction lowered to 6 seconds, down from 10 seconds.
- Expanded Lungs: Dream Breath healing bonus reduced to 20%, down from 30%.
- Conduit Of Flame: Critical-strike chance reduced to 10%, down from 15%.
- Fulminous Roar: Fire Breath and Dream Breath deal their healing or damage 15% more frequently, down from 20%.
New Tier Set
- 2-piece: Spending Essence Burst casts a Living Flame at 100% effectiveness at your target or a nearby injured ally.
- 4-piece: Green spells heal for 5% more, and Verdant Embrace has a 100% chance to grant Essence Burst.
Other Patch 12.1.0 Changes
- Items converted into tier through the Catalyst now keep their original secondary stats, giving you much more control over the stats on your tier set.
- Later in the season, fully upgraded weapons, trinkets, and necklaces can be upgraded beyond the normal Myth track with Ascendant Venomstones.
- Heroic raid Vault rewards now provide Myth-track gear
- The default UI gets several improvements, including better cooldown, buff, and debuff tracking.
Community Resources / Credits
For questions, discussion, and ongoing theorycrafting, the Evoker Discord is a great community resource. I also run Cryve’s Lair, a Mythic+ focused Preservation Evoker Discord, where I share updates, builds, and actively discuss with the community.
Evoker Discord: https://discord.com/invite/evoker
Harrek’s Spiritbloom Pro: https://spiritbloom.pro/preservation
Cryve’s Preservation Evoker Discord: https://discord.gg/smD2Qdr2Ap