Hello! I'm trying to go down the path of a healer, and I'm confused as to who to play. Depending on where I read, I hear different things about who is best. I know each has their own strengths, but I'm just looking for the class you would most want as your main healer in an instance, or raid.
From what I gather, these are the things that people look at the most:
*Single-Target Healing
*Mass Healing
*Survivability
I don't care much about the survivability as I plan to be in an instance almost my entire leveling, and not as the tank! So, if anyone could help me, I want whatever fits the best as the "healer" class. I'm posting this in the Priest forum too, because I'm guessing there are people that look at that one that don't here, and those are my two top choices so far.
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The Best Healer? to PaladinsFollow
Paladins are the best Single Target healer in the game, they are one of the worst multi-targets healers in the game, not that they cant multi-target heal, it's just not as easy as some other classes.
If you like survivability and simple healing assignments (ie. MT). If you like the ability to be a decent single target and a decent multi-target, go shaman. Chain heal, while mana inefficient, is extremely good. Plus there aren't that many out there and so chances are good you can get a monopoly on gear. I know we rarely bring more than 1 to a raid, and he's usually near, or on top of the charts. Druid isn't a bad choice, but its hard to get 5 man groups as a resto druid, when you can't rez a lot of people. Priest is always a solid choice, but most priests end up going shadow and aren't healers. I've personally played both a holy priest and a holy paladin, and I prefer the paladin by far.
From a tank's point of view: if I could have my choice of healer for a 5-man choosing from Druid, Paladin, Priest, or Shaman all in comparable gear, I would probably go with the Shaman. I have yet to group with a bad Resto Shaman. They're pretty good single target healers, have Chain Heal for any AOE damage, Earth Shield, and their Mana Totems ;) Plus if Draenei they have an extra healing spell giving them a HoT as well. Also nice to have Reincarnate in case of a wipe, particularly if no Warlock is present.
For raids, you want a mix of healers when possible. Again Shaman is a good choice because there are so few, but a good Druid, Paladin, or Priest is a great asset to a raid as well.
For raids, you want a mix of healers when possible. Again Shaman is a good choice because there are so few, but a good Druid, Paladin, or Priest is a great asset to a raid as well.
I tend to have problems with some Restro Druids. They seem to have a harder time keeping me standing. I often require much more CC, and much less AoE fun. Although my main healer is almost always my ret pally turned holy friend. He has kept me alive longer and better than anyone else ever. I leveled form 43-70 with him. I cant tell you how many times we have double teamed a main boss at 40%.
Druids are good on the dots, bad on the big hits, I had a very hard time with one in Heroic Mech fighting those destroyers which could hit me for around 4k occasionally
In PvE raiding I tend to fight with the priests (who are innervate whores) for top spot for effective healing. If you are alliance side I would suggest a shammy, horde side a Holy Paladin. Both are good healers and demand is high for either depending on side.
Resto druid has strong HoT heals but their direct heals have long cast timers which can be a pain, also their rezz spell is on a timer which is painful in 5 mans.
Priests great healers as well, Shammies and Pallies beat them in 5 mans but they are still VERY good and being a Priest end game ensures you a raid slot.
Resto druid has strong HoT heals but their direct heals have long cast timers which can be a pain, also their rezz spell is on a timer which is painful in 5 mans.
Priests great healers as well, Shammies and Pallies beat them in 5 mans but they are still VERY good and being a Priest end game ensures you a raid slot.
Bode - 100 Holy Paladin - Lightbringer
In instances that have a lot of AOE damage, such as mech, then I prefer shamans. In instances that have almost no AOE damage, such as SH, then I prefer Paladins. Only AOE damage that comes from SH are the Rain of Fires which are easy enough to deal with.
On a side note, SH is my favorite instance cause I can do the whole instance on regular with no cc. No sheep no trap no nothing.
On a side note, SH is my favorite instance cause I can do the whole instance on regular with no cc. No sheep no trap no nothing.
I sort of replied in the priest thread, but if you want to make a healer I really recommend a priest. If you roll a paladin or a druid, you will probably end up healing maybe 40% of the time (tanking the rest). If you roll a priest, you are generally expected to heal. It also lets those who want to tank/DPS do it.
As far as "who is best" there is no answer. I personally hate shaman, just because I've had inconsistent shaman in different groups I've done (i.e. they would drop totems that would override weapon enchants, but only have em up 20% of the time).
As far as "who is best" there is no answer. I personally hate shaman, just because I've had inconsistent shaman in different groups I've done (i.e. they would drop totems that would override weapon enchants, but only have em up 20% of the time).
Shaman have a big nod at a healer role. very mana/speed-efficient and the talent tree actually works well. Totems are great to help group survivability and buffs. Lack of CC may annoy you.
chain heal is great, and cleansing totems are a great alternative to spamming cure x 5 times on aoe poison/disease spitting guys. can't remove magic debuffs on party. can remove enemy buffs. If played right, incredibly hard to kill or even spot in pvp(unless tauren then EVERYONE sees you). Mana tide totem talent can.../pun, turn the tide in long boss fights.
But healing isn't the only thing a shaman is good for of course. Shaman as a class can work with all 3 talent trees extremely well, unlike a certain other class *coughpaladncough*.
My answer(and this is just my opinion), if you want the option to not be king healer ALL the time if you get bored(respecs),go druid/shaman. you wanna be the uberking healer 24/7, go priest or paladin...can't believe i said that but yeah.
(oh and everyone, if yer with a shaman, discuss if you're going to poison/sharpen/etc. your mainhand weapon or not. totem buffs override rogue them, and it'd be responsible from both of you to talk about it, and shows, even a little, that you're a good non-assuming guy who likes to make a working team.)
Edited, Oct 21st 2007 11:07pm by Gukagim
chain heal is great, and cleansing totems are a great alternative to spamming cure x 5 times on aoe poison/disease spitting guys. can't remove magic debuffs on party. can remove enemy buffs. If played right, incredibly hard to kill or even spot in pvp(unless tauren then EVERYONE sees you). Mana tide totem talent can.../pun, turn the tide in long boss fights.
But healing isn't the only thing a shaman is good for of course. Shaman as a class can work with all 3 talent trees extremely well, unlike a certain other class *coughpaladncough*.
My answer(and this is just my opinion), if you want the option to not be king healer ALL the time if you get bored(respecs),go druid/shaman. you wanna be the uberking healer 24/7, go priest or paladin...can't believe i said that but yeah.
(oh and everyone, if yer with a shaman, discuss if you're going to poison/sharpen/etc. your mainhand weapon or not. totem buffs override rogue them, and it'd be responsible from both of you to talk about it, and shows, even a little, that you're a good non-assuming guy who likes to make a working team.)
Edited, Oct 21st 2007 11:07pm by Gukagim
Healing 40% tanking the rest.... what?
You are going to do 100% of the time what you want to do 100% of the time. No one can force you to tank.
I wouldn't ask a holy paladin to tank and I wouldn't ask a prot paladin to heal endgame.
Honestly, Shaman is my vote, assuming a competent player, they bring a myriad of buffs to the table, can spot heal when necessary, and have pretty decent single-target healing capabilities. True, mana consumption is an issue, with Mana Tide, Mana Spring, Mana potions, and the new changes to Water Shield in the next patch, a smart player can minimize the mana effeciency problem.
You are going to do 100% of the time what you want to do 100% of the time. No one can force you to tank.
I wouldn't ask a holy paladin to tank and I wouldn't ask a prot paladin to heal endgame.
Honestly, Shaman is my vote, assuming a competent player, they bring a myriad of buffs to the table, can spot heal when necessary, and have pretty decent single-target healing capabilities. True, mana consumption is an issue, with Mana Tide, Mana Spring, Mana potions, and the new changes to Water Shield in the next patch, a smart player can minimize the mana effeciency problem.
I was basing that on the fact that there are 4 heal classes, and 3 tank classes. Tanks are in higher demand than healers, and so while levelling he will probably end up tanking a bunch. I remember trying to find groups on my resto druid and they would have rogue, priest, shaman, hunter in them...2 healers and no tank, so they'd want me to tank.
Granted, at end game that's different, but if someone never makes it to end-game...
It seems to me it's the exact opposite of "You do what you want 100% of the time." If I spec my pally prot, I get a bunch of people saying "LF1M <Instance> Need Healer", and when I spec my druid resto I get "Need Tank." Maybe that's just me, though.
Granted, at end game that's different, but if someone never makes it to end-game...
It seems to me it's the exact opposite of "You do what you want 100% of the time." If I spec my pally prot, I get a bunch of people saying "LF1M <Instance> Need Healer", and when I spec my druid resto I get "Need Tank." Maybe that's just me, though.
Be that as it may, if you see "looking for tank" and you are a healer, then you just don't join that group. No one can make him tank if he doesn't want to.
That may be true, but sometimes the time you spend LFGing can be absolutely appalling. I'm not saying that he should go priest just because of that, but if all he wants to do is heal, the group needs is something he may need to consider.
u have posted the 3 things ppl like for healings:
1.single-target healing: without any need to explain, paladins own in this field, u just cant out heal a paladin on one target no matter what (amount per heal, time per heal, mana per heal)
2. mass healing: druids with their tranquility is obvious the best mass healing skill out there, but the CD and MAD agro pulling put's it in a second place, Priest's healing circle (or w/e da real name is) is second best. then shaman's chain heal + healing totems!
3. survivability: important when the tank losed agro, and ur in da heat, obviously paladin again is the best- plate armor, shield, bubble, blessed life, concentration aura, holyshock.... second is shamon-mail armor, shield, earthshield. and then comes the priest, and lastly druid
so since paladins take 2 spots out of the 3 fields healers are being looked at, i think a paladin is what u want to roll. and ur always gona be the MT healer, altho, u are gona have a rough start without Hots and such, but u will kill the priest at healing da MT.
so if u are looking for (simple ) singal target heals + mana efficiency + the ability to play jesus and not die or sacrifise urself for the greater good (DI), then roll a paladin and kick butt.
1.single-target healing: without any need to explain, paladins own in this field, u just cant out heal a paladin on one target no matter what (amount per heal, time per heal, mana per heal)
2. mass healing: druids with their tranquility is obvious the best mass healing skill out there, but the CD and MAD agro pulling put's it in a second place, Priest's healing circle (or w/e da real name is) is second best. then shaman's chain heal + healing totems!
3. survivability: important when the tank losed agro, and ur in da heat, obviously paladin again is the best- plate armor, shield, bubble, blessed life, concentration aura, holyshock.... second is shamon-mail armor, shield, earthshield. and then comes the priest, and lastly druid
so since paladins take 2 spots out of the 3 fields healers are being looked at, i think a paladin is what u want to roll. and ur always gona be the MT healer, altho, u are gona have a rough start without Hots and such, but u will kill the priest at healing da MT.
so if u are looking for (simple ) singal target heals + mana efficiency + the ability to play jesus and not die or sacrifise urself for the greater good (DI), then roll a paladin and kick butt.
skribs wrote:
If you roll a paladin or a druid, you will probably end up healing maybe 40% of the time (tanking the rest).
um, i lvl'd 10-70 holy....i think i tanked deadmines a couple times if you can all anything at that lvl really tanking. other than that though, i refused to tank (not even a spec thing - i just suck at it). never had a hard time getting a group. never owned a 'tanking' set of gear cause i never needed it.
however, one thing i've noticed on my other chars is that a pries w/ his wand can keep the group alive AND dish out a small amount of mana free ranged damage... as a pally i can get close and auto attack... but then i tend to get aggro and die. kinda like that about the priest. still love my palies though.
It's all relative, really. I could rebuke many things pointed out as "facts", but I'm at work and don't have much time.
I'm a huge fan of Druids and I think they do a fantastic job healing. However, it's a lot harder to do it well, compared to some other healing classes.
So, all in all, I'd only advise trying to figure out the healing style of all those classes and pick whichever you find suits you the most.
The most "uber" healing class is worth nothing if you can't play it to its fullest.
I'm a huge fan of Druids and I think they do a fantastic job healing. However, it's a lot harder to do it well, compared to some other healing classes.
So, all in all, I'd only advise trying to figure out the healing style of all those classes and pick whichever you find suits you the most.
The most "uber" healing class is worth nothing if you can't play it to its fullest.
Quote:
The most "uber" healing class is worth nothing if you can't play it to its fullest
FTW. if player sucks toon sucks.
Quote:
3. survivability: important when the tank losed agro, and ur in da heat, obviously paladin again is the best- plate armor, shield, bubble, blessed life, concentration aura, holyshock.... second is shamon-mail armor, shield, earthshield. and then comes the priest, and lastly druid
hmm list alot of pally stuff but no priest or druid. fear root switch to bear form for armor/hp bonus true cant heal then but just to take some less damage. hmm preist shielding. and i'm sure theres probaly more seeing my healers are only like lvl 20 or so.
edit. also i've yet to see pallies reduced threat from heals like a diff post mentioned
Edited, Oct 23rd 2007 10:39pm by punkspider
Trust us, it's there (the reduced threat), and has been for a long time now.
Indeed.
Just run a threat meter and do something simple like have a Priest cast some downranked heal and then cast a heal of yours that would match the healed value.
Then look at the meter. Of course there's a margin for error since it's a single spell, but you should have less threat. Enough to notice it.
Just run a threat meter and do something simple like have a Priest cast some downranked heal and then cast a heal of yours that would match the healed value.
Then look at the meter. Of course there's a margin for error since it's a single spell, but you should have less threat. Enough to notice it.
Well he already made his decision, apparently he only wanted to mention that to the Priest boards. (He chose Priest btw)
So this thread can go away now.
So this thread can go away now.
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