How can i be a good group templar?Follow

Basic Healer Guide

“Physician, heal thyself”
It's not as majestic as standing stalwart in the face of 3 heroic, up arrow mobs or as glamorous as stepping out of the shadows to deliver the coup de gras and then stepping back as the mob folds up like an oragami swan, but the whole group is counting on you to keep them alive and without you they are dead as a doornail!

The tank may well be the soul of the party but as a healer, you are the group's heart.



Who do I heal?
If you are the group's only or MH, (main healer), your first responsibility is to keep the tank standing. Without him, the rest of the party will probably die. This doesn't mean you can let everyone else fend for themselves... after all, you're a healer and you have lots of tricks up your sleeve. <>

Can you give me examples of some of those tricks?
For starters, you have options that include both solo and group heals. You also have several lines of healing spells including speciality heals and lesser common heals so you can tailor your response to fit each player's needs at that moment. And finally, every healer gets a “get out of jail free card” – in the form of a line of spells that have no power cost! Healers also get some form of group evac to yank the group out of harm's way if it really goes sour. (Just be careful not to pull the plug unless absolutely nessessary... it can be a long walk back to the dungeon for all of you!)

What if I'm not the MH?
Being a backup healer still leaves you with a variety of responsibilities. First, you should keep the DPS and the casters healthy. Also, you should be keeping an eye on the MH and keep them healed if the mob turns on them as payback for healing the tank. <>

What if I draw aggro and the mob turns on me?
It happens! But don't panic. Shift your targeting and heal yourself for a casting cycle or two then return to your tank... He should be able to survive without you for a few seconds!

How do the different healers heal?
What are the choices?
There are 3 different “schools” of healer and they all do their job in different ways.
Druids are masters of the HoT or Heal Over Time style of spells. This style lets you keep the tank at or near full strength by matching the amount of damage healed to the amount taken each pulse.

Clerics specialize in the reactive heal. This style of healing lands on the subject and sits till damage is taken then it heals that damage.

Shamen are pervayors of the ward style of heal. A ward will prevent damage from ever landing on the tank. Their creed is, “what doesn't hit him can't hurt him!”

Can you break it down and give me the details?
Getting Started:

Your main job in a group is to keep the tank healthy. This doesn't mean he has to always be at 100% but it does mean he should rarely leave the yellow and never fall below orange. Keeping your various healing lines of spells at the best quality – Adept 3 or better, will help you do that.

Keep your armor upgraded, repaired and the best you can afford. If the mob does turn on you, you don't want to get killed in a single swing.

Always carry and use the proper level drink and Wisdom boosting food.

Get armor and jewelry that boost your WISDOM – that is your primary skill and increases your power pool which determines the number of heals you can cast.

When you get offered a master II level spell upgrade every ten levels, consider which heal you use most often and choose that one for upgrade.

Know Thyself:
Learn the different healing lines in your collection... how much they heal for and how long they last.

Arrange your heals in a logical order on a dedicated hotbar and keep that hotbar where you can get to it in the heat of battle.

Know the re-use timers of all your heals. Try not to rely on the heals with the long timers even if they heal more. Better to cast a smaller heal twice than to let the tank die while you wait for your “big heal” to come back up.

Save your fastest casting heals for when you see a damage spike hit.

Even the “little” heals can be useful – sometimes you just need to touch up the tank or toss a quick heal on a caster and the low power cost of a small heal makes them very efficient.

Before the deluge:
All healers can cast a self resurrection item for the other group members. It is usually a “feather” that will resurrect the healer so he can resurrect other players in turn. Make sure you target each player and cast this spell before the fighting begins.

Cast any buffs you have for yourself and the group and make sure your damage shield, (if you have one) has been cast on the tank.

Note which group member is in which position in the group list and get in the habit of targeting them using the function keys instead of a mouse click. (You are always F1 and the remaining members of the group are F2 - F6

Agree on a signal with the tank so that he can let you know if/when he wants you to evac. It may be that the tank wants a scout to evac you all unless the scout has fallen – in any case have a clear understanding of when he wants you to pull the plug.

When the going gets tough:

Don't over medicate. Use your heals as efficiently as you can. It is more cost effective to keep the tank between 70 & 90% health than to push him from 90 to 100% and waste half of the heal. I often wait for the tank to dip into yellow before I cast my first heal.

Focus on the tank but always keep one eye out for falling health in the other members of the group. Remember that a caster wearing tissue paper armor can take far fewer hits than a guardian in plate.

Let the group know if you are starting to run low on power. The most common call is “LOM”, (which stands for Low On Manna – a holdover from EQ where your power pool was called manna). A good place to start letting them know is with about 30% of your pool remaining, then tell them again at 20% and announce “OOM”, (Out Of Manna), at 10%. This should leave you enough of a buffer to pull the plug and evac the group if things don't improve immediately.

Try to stay near the back of the party but keep a clear view of the tank and the action.

Know the range of your heals and don't exceed them. That big fast heal won't help if you can't land it on the tank!

If – and ONLY if things are going well, you can toss in an occasional DoT or nuke. Since you are targeting the tank, any offensive spell you cast will land on his target. But leave the Hos to the scouts and mages unless you are practicing group Hos. Then be alert for your step and cast it as soon as you can... after all, the clock is ticking!

When things get ugly:

When you lose a group member, don't panic. You have a resurrection spell, just wait for the fight to end and then rez your fallen comrade.

If you lose the tank, don't panic! If you are past lvl 30, you should have a ressurection spell that can be cast during combat. Just wait for the mob to turn on the nearest DPS and then rez the tank. You can pump him full of heals while he regains aggro and if you lose the DPS, he can always be rezzed next... anything is better than a full wipe!

If the tank gives the order to run, don't hesitate, RUN! You are more valuable to the group alive so you can rez them all after the smoke clears!

The Recovery Process:

When the fight is over, double check everyone's health and cast any touch up heals that are needed.

Check to see if anyone received damage from a poison, elemental or trauma style attack, (the four 'red cross” icons), cure them right away.

Make sure you have enough health and power for the next fight. If you are low, call for a hold. /gsay “Low on power – gimme a sec” should do the trick.

Enjoy the show, all you really have to do is heal... the other group members are responsible for the heavy lifting!