ChahDresh wrote:
Priests get less out of crits than, perhaps, any class in the game. The shadow ******* relies heavily on DoTs and is in fact substantially harmed by crits due to SW: Death backlash. (PvP demands some crit for burst damage but shadow still derives slim benefits.)
I respectfully have to disagree on this, ChahDresh. My main is a Hybrid Warlock (with crappy gear, I've been leveling the priest for Kara), and I can tell you that not until I specc'ed for Ruin did crits mean a thing for me. For a heavily-Afflic-specced 'lock, crits mean close to nothing. Sure, crit SBs are nice, but the majority of the damage is DoT-driven.
I hear about SPs being about their DoTs, relying on their DoTs heavily, etc, and I've never fully bought into it. Sure, we have two DoTs, but the cycle I use is VT to pull, SW:P, MF, MF, VE (assuming I start the pull at full or near full health), MF, MB, SW:D. Rinse, repeat. Very little survives that cycle.
To my reckoning, there are 2 DoTs, 1 Nuke, and 1 Burst. [Even if I take the blowback from a failed SW:D, if it has critted (which is the worst case scenario envisioned in your argument), I guarantee I have enough HP remaining in the tank to simply wand, MF, or even beat it to death with my staff.] So, there are 3 spell classes that get no benefit from +crit, and 2 that benefit immensely from it.
There's good reason Blizz gave us a talent (Shadow Power)that increases our crit chance with MB and SW:D. Right now, I'm close to 30% crit chance (on those). With solid gear, I can be up around 35-40% for those two spells. Also, keep in mind that in long Boss fights, the damage from a SW:D blowback is completely worth the return in HP/MP from 2 big crits for the rest of the party.
Otherwise, I agree with you completely. Crit heals are quite often overheals.