| Guthammer | #295145 Tuesday April 15, 2008 at 14:05 | |
Shadowguarde Sunder Monkey |
Which healer is the most fun to play in 5 mans? How about groups? I am having fun with my priest, but was wondering if the grass really was greener over by the Paladins...or Druids, or Shaman? --
4 70s and counting |
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| Tenatia | #295148 Tuesday April 15, 2008 at 14:20 | |
Warlock/Caster Lead Emeritus |
I've not had any REAL healing experience with my paladin, she's still only 56, and what few instances I've done, have had 70 escorts, or I've been tanking. I think that when she gets appropriate level where she can actually be a contributing healer, I'll enjoy it, although I will definitely miss the variety of heals available to the priest. It will be nice to have *some* durability as a healer, where I grab aggro or facepull, instead of the tradition 2 hit kills my priest has:)
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Grimjim Stonebreaker, Dwarf, 70 Protection Warrior, Health: 13.6k, Armour:16k, Defense: ~495 // Attuned for: Ony/MC/BWL/Kara Tenatia Saendar, Human, 70 Demonology Warlock // Attuned for: Ony/MC/BWL/Naxx/Kara Pietro Loyallar, Human, 70 Priest // Attuned for: Ony/MC/BWL/Kara Theraint Griffinforge, Dwarf, 65 Paladin // Attuned for: Ony/MC/BWL |
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| Alaunt | #295156 Tuesday April 15, 2008 at 14:39 | |
Member |
Generally, play the healer that suits your play style. I like having AE heals for groups so I generally have more fun on my priest than my druid in those instances. I don't have a shaman or paladin of high enough level to be significant to this discussion but I imagine you'll hear similar comments for those classes as well. If you like rubbing shoulders with the tank and having 16k armor in healing gear, a paladin is probably for you. Shaman add something to every group with their odd mix of abilities. Priests have some AE healing and situational CC (MC + shackle). Druids smooth out incoming damage with HoTs until tanks wonder if they're actually getting hit anymore. |
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| Arkhain | #295164 Tuesday April 15, 2008 at 14:53 | |
this is it for a winner! |
Shamans and paladins are fun if you enjoy only using two buttons to heal. | |
| Balzaar | #295179 Tuesday April 15, 2008 at 15:30 | |
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Mmmm, spring |
quote: Originally posted by Arkhain: Shamans and paladins are fun if you enjoy only using two buttons to heal. Hey now, Shamans have 4 buttons to use, it just so happens we only use 1 most of the time =P. For the most part, I've only ever healed as a Shm. But, if I had to guess, I'd say from a pure healing standpoint that Druid or Priest would be more fun than a Pal or Shm due to variety of healing spells they have. I just like what a Shm brings to the group. I think most any healing style will get somewhat monotonous at some point, so I'd look at what else the classes have to offer. That's just my 2c though. Balzaar |
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| Ifanora | #295181 Tuesday April 15, 2008 at 15:37 | |
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Member |
I love healing on my priest, I have a druid that is level 50 or so on a different sever I tried healing with her and decided that feral looked like far to much fun. So for me? My priest is the most fun, expesically with prayer of mending now (I don't know that I will stop using that spell) I have no expierence worth mentioning on shammy's(only level 30) and I have no pally exp at all. Besides if your group is so great they don't really need lots of heals you can always break out lolsmite. :) --
Kayandra Level 70 - BM Hunter |
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| Dae | #295185 Tuesday April 15, 2008 at 15:55 | |
Shadow carebear >.> |
I prefer healing on my druid to my priest (who I've gone holy on once, and offspec-healed with many times), but it's such a style thing. The HoT juggling act suits me well because I'm used to doing it in reverse on my dps casters. :)
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  + Daevia, 70 'lock (happily Affliction again!), and Daelind, 70 rogue |
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| Zaddy | #295188 Tuesday April 15, 2008 at 16:22 | |
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Heal Sauce and Assplosions |
I've only mucked around with healing on other classes a little. But ultimately, I love healing as a priest. There are so many tools available to a priest for healing. And I just don't see other classes using that many tools. When I heal in a raid, I'm generally using at least seven healing spells fairly regularly and some of those at multiple ranks (primarily Greater Heal). Heck for the first portion of trash up to the first boss we did on my last raid, Greater Heal and Flash Heal weren't even in my top 3, and I was being very effective. I dig things like that. --
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| Tribal | #295189 Tuesday April 15, 2008 at 16:32 | |
Demonwright Tribalsun Tribalmoon |
I've raided as a priest, shaman, and druid -- all healers. All three are very different healing styles. Assuming your talking about just straight healing and not utility... Priests have the most mix. They have hots, direct heals, and Aoe heals. There isn't a situation in which a priest can't adjust and overcome -- especially in 5m instances. Druids are a little more limited than priests insofar as their mix. A few druids I know (including myself in a pinch!) use Regrowth as a Flash Heal sometimes. Healing Touch, being a powerful spell, has a long cast time but is an effective healbomb. As someone said... with the proper rotation having a druid in your group makes it seem like no damage is being dealt to the group! :) Shaman healing took a lot of adjusting for me. Not nearly as much as druid healing, though. With druids you have to get use to the idea that your just not going to see a large spike in positive health :P Shaman healing is just the opposite! Our most effective heals are long heals. This can be dangerous. :P Getting to know your tank is a very effective strat for shaman healers. :) The biggest difference between them all is utility, though. Shaman bring something to the group that no other class does. We can effectively put 4 buffs on you at a time, we can augment your skills, we can self-res, etc... I have a different totem "set" for different tanks. Priests bring some utility, too. Druids... well... they bring mark and a battle res on a really long cooldown :P Really, for me, the most fun healer to play has very little to do with healing :P The most fun I have is when I'm on my druid. I love the shifting and I love the healing but the quick-shift is the balance tipper for me. I love pvp healing. I can run in travel form, hot hot hot, and run out in travel form or even dash! I don't even have to be around to heal you :P Someone already said it... the most fun you'll have is playing the class that suits your style the best. Druids just do it for me. :) Hope that helps :) --
Tribal~ -- "So when you are listening to somebody, completely, attentively, then you are listening not only to the words ... but also to the feeling of what is being conveyed, to the whole of it, not part of it." � Jiddu Krishnamurti |
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| Bregor | #295208 Tuesday April 15, 2008 at 18:03 | |
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xkcd is love |
I prefer boxers.
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 I got kicked off my high school debate team for saying, "Yeah, well, F*** YOU!". I thought I had won. -- Ron White |
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| Roberth | #295212 Tuesday April 15, 2008 at 18:21 | |
Holy "Diver!" Priest |
Gut...you're insane if you think healing is fun. Its essentially "Whack a Mole" for four hours (or so) straight. If the raid wipes its usually the healers fault. If the Main Tank dies its usually the healers fault. If the raid dps dies its probably the healers fault. If the healers die...well, you shoulda faded or something. /sarcasm I love playing my Holy Priest - its more fun than pretty much any other class than perhaps Hunter. I have awesome mana regen so I hardly have to touch mana pots unless its a long boss fight. As a Holy Priest I have more healing spells available to me than any two classes combined - so I have many choices at my disposal. While the Whack-a-Mole aspect can get old, I feel like an integral cog in the wheel known as a raid - not saying I'm more important or other classes are less so, just that there is a sense of importance behind what I need to do in a raid. As a Holy Priest my survivability is questionable and I have to stay on my toes often. In short - I like my Priesty. :D --
Its time to put down the pipe and pick up the PWN!  |
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| Roberth edited this message on Wednesday April 16, 2008 at 00:42 | ||
| Tribal | #295232 Tuesday April 15, 2008 at 21:26 | |
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Demonwright Tribalsun Tribalmoon |
quote: Originally posted by Roberth: Gut...you're insane if you think healing is fun. Its essentially "Whack a Mole" for four hours (or so) straight. If the raid wipes its usually the healers fault. If the Main Tank dies its usually the healers fault. If the raid dps dies its probably the healers fault. If the healers die...well, you shoulda faded or something. /sarcasm *cringe* This is the school I was born in, too :P I remember being yelled and screamed at and belittled and etc etc and so on (all the healers were). I'm SO glad I haven't been in a raid like this since joining LO :P The last few raids I've been in and *thought* it *was* the healing, I saw the leads looking at *everything* and discussing and resolving... no finger pointing or anything. *sighs happily* *rocks in her chair* --
Tribal~ -- "So when you are listening to somebody, completely, attentively, then you are listening not only to the words ... but also to the feeling of what is being conveyed, to the whole of it, not part of it." � Jiddu Krishnamurti |
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| Amarta | #295282 Wednesday April 16, 2008 at 10:02 | |
All stats courtesy of the [Riding Crop] |
Heya Gut! Now for a completely biased opinion: Resto Druid for 5 man :) When our little band moved to Silver Hand we were only about 6 people. I was the only healer. Amarta had always been a druid so even though I was a bit intimidated by the Blizz descriptions of the druid class- off I went. I have never regretted it. Druids are often described as back up healers or HOT mongers but I have always seen druids as the "Oh shit" healers. While we have a lot of heals that require waiting em out, we also have a lot of tools to make any heal an instacast. Healing 5 mans this way is a lot of fun. You Hot, Hot, Hot and wait for the Whoosh and Oh shit! Swiftmend, Nature's Swiftness, Healing Touch, WHEW, Hot, Hot, Hot. Add in the no aggro Tranquility when the AOE's hit the fan and Woot! we lived :) Druid outta mana... I tried a priest, I really did- but it always felt so slow to me. The one hot is littler and even fast heal is sloooow. Lots of guildies have told me I would enjoy a shammy healer and I may try one but I also suck at leveling alts. The only complaint I could have is Druids don't have any skills/spells to lower aggro. We have the uber sexy leather pants so we can take one extra punch but no fade or metal armors. Being a main healer means you can't alway drop to bear if it goes bad. If you have a good 5 man group who is willing to let you learn the rhythm of HOT healing (like I did) and you don't mind dying occasionally then I personally find druid healing the more exciting option. --
 The voodoo priest and all his powers were nothing compared to espresso, cappuccino and mocha. |
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| Alaunt | #295292 Wednesday April 16, 2008 at 12:01 | |
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Member |
quote: Originally posted by Amarta: Heya Gut! Now for a completely biased opinion: Resto Druid for 5 man :) The only complaint I could have is Druids don't have any skills/spells to lower aggro. We have the uber sexy leather pants so we can take one extra punch but no fade or metal armors. Being a main healer means you can't alway drop to bear if it goes bad. If you can't swap to bear form there are a few options: Barkskin, Shrouding Potions, Timelapse Shard and failing that you could use a cower macro, something like: #show Cower /stopcasting /cast Cat Form /cast Cower /cancelform would be the basic format. You could also throw barkskin in there although that would add a global cooldown which means another 1.5seconds until your threat reduction kicks in. Aggro early in a fight is best avoided by stacking the HoTs before the pull, but it's also important to know which mobs are likely to incapacitate your tank and don't stand next to priests!! they will Fade on leave you to die. |
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| Fireina | #295309 Wednesday April 16, 2008 at 13:18 | |
All Hail the HypnoToad |
I've got two healer alts -- resto shaman and priest. I can say that I think the shaman is a lot more fun to raid with. Sure there's only two basic heal spells, but theres plenty to do on top of it. They're slow but really big. I often find myself downranking too. Totem management, popping off heroism at good times, keeping your Water shield going, keeping up earth shield. All good times. Also, for single target healing, stacking up Healing Way and keeping it up can be a challenge. On the other hand, there's a lot to be said for being able to fear, fade, and shackle undead. And of course everyone wants their fort and (to a lesser extent) Divine Spirit. I only wish power infusion hadn't been nerfed to its current stupid state. |
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