I've played a 70 rogue for a long time now, but I am leveling up a priest. I healed my first instance this week, and it is so different healing than dps'ing.
I use healbot, and I spent every minute of every pull just watching the bars on healbot. Now every fight in this instance (Ramps) was pretty much tank and spank, so this was no problem.
I was wondering if good priests out there (as opposed to noobs like me) use tools like healbot? Am I better off getting rid of it and paying more attention to what is actually going on, or is it OK to just watch the little bars?
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Is healbot a crutch?Follow
Whether you're using healbot or another similar set of addons to achieve your ends a good priest will know when to watch his bars and when to keep his eyes on the action, or even better both. It just takes some practice though, I've seen a lot of newer healers only focussing on those little bars and find themselves smack bang in the middle of aoe or something of that kind and dying soon after.
The fact is for most people healbot, grid and clique, xperl and clique or even mouse-over macros or whatever you use are going to make you a quicker healer, no targetting necessary, just click and you've healed this obviously has benefits.
Ask yourself whether just pressing F2-F5 in a group or clicking on the raid target and then healing is going to mean you have more time to look up than using a one click solution? I'd say not. Some people don't use addons though and they heal very well, better than some people with addons, but I've always wondered how much more uber would they be if they took that skill and used an addon setup that would by design make them even quicker.
Have a play around and see what seems to suit you best, not me, not the guy over there with the long grey beard looking wise, you personally. Try a few of the other addons and see how they work for you, compare that with healbot, hell compare that with targetting and healing and see which you feel more comfortable with.
Whichever you choose being aware of what is going on around you is essential to being able to stay alive long enough to heal those people who depend on you, as I said at the start that requires practice.
The fact is for most people healbot, grid and clique, xperl and clique or even mouse-over macros or whatever you use are going to make you a quicker healer, no targetting necessary, just click and you've healed this obviously has benefits.
Ask yourself whether just pressing F2-F5 in a group or clicking on the raid target and then healing is going to mean you have more time to look up than using a one click solution? I'd say not. Some people don't use addons though and they heal very well, better than some people with addons, but I've always wondered how much more uber would they be if they took that skill and used an addon setup that would by design make them even quicker.
Have a play around and see what seems to suit you best, not me, not the guy over there with the long grey beard looking wise, you personally. Try a few of the other addons and see how they work for you, compare that with healbot, hell compare that with targetting and healing and see which you feel more comfortable with.
Whichever you choose being aware of what is going on around you is essential to being able to stay alive long enough to heal those people who depend on you, as I said at the start that requires practice.
As a 70 Rogue, I assume you saw some proper raid content? In that case, you should already be familiar with some of the things that make you run for your life. For ranged classes, this is no different. I suggest doing some serious work on your UI. Streamline it. Make sure you have a good view of all the action, while easy access to things like Healbot/Clique and Grid.
The key is combining tools like that with the everyday mundane viewpoint. If you can't use both, you will most likely be slightly sub-par.
The key is combining tools like that with the everyday mundane viewpoint. If you can't use both, you will most likely be slightly sub-par.
i came into WoW as a clicker and i still am mostly a clicker. this served me well as a Pally(all specs) until i started healing some raid situations. so i keybound two buttons for spam healing while targeting with my mouse.
now as a priest, the options have increased 3 fold. between down ranking, aoe, hots, instants, and trinkets i have have too many to simply keybind to a number. in comes healbot. it combines the interactivity of clicking with the freedom of the keyboard. with this and the many indispensible included options...i am sold.
edit: dank ranking lol
Edited, Aug 19th 2008 10:48am by tommyguns
now as a priest, the options have increased 3 fold. between down ranking, aoe, hots, instants, and trinkets i have have too many to simply keybind to a number. in comes healbot. it combines the interactivity of clicking with the freedom of the keyboard. with this and the many indispensible included options...i am sold.
edit: dank ranking lol
Edited, Aug 19th 2008 10:48am by tommyguns
tommyguns wrote:
i came into WoW as a clicker and i still am mostly a clicker. this served me well as a Pally(all specs) until i started healing some raid situations. so i keybound two buttons for spam healing while targeting with my mouse.
now as a priest, the options have increased 3 fold. between dank ranking, aoe, hots, instants, and trinkets i have have too many to simply keybind to a number. in comes healbot. it combines the interactivity of clicking with the freedom of the keyboard. with this and the many indispensible included options...i am sold.
now as a priest, the options have increased 3 fold. between dank ranking, aoe, hots, instants, and trinkets i have have too many to simply keybind to a number. in comes healbot. it combines the interactivity of clicking with the freedom of the keyboard. with this and the many indispensible included options...i am sold.
No matter what addon you use, clicking is bad.
uh, healbot is pretty much mouse-controlled
I started my adventures in Wow already pretty familiar with the play style of a heal, transitioned from a cleric in EQ. I knew how to watch my health bars and whatch the action at the same time. This is sometimes the difference between life and death.
In the beginning I had no idea what an add-on was, and set up my healing spells to be bound to number keys 7 through =. I played this way from 0-60 pre BC without ever installing an add-on. I still run all my 5-mans without using any add-on. I find that this keeps me more aware of my surroundings. Yes Im using a few more steps with healing but it works for me.
Then there came battlegrounds. This is wear I use Healbot religiously. Having a window that highlights players closest to you so you can heal someone within healing range is, in my opinion, the only way one can heal a BG effectively. I dont know if I could even go back to playing BG's without Healbot.
I do think that all healers should learn to heal without the help of an Add-on. Then once you are comfortable with that see if Healbot (or similar) helps improve your healing style. Plus, with patches when add-ons are out-of-date you wont be lost without your precious add-on.
In the beginning I had no idea what an add-on was, and set up my healing spells to be bound to number keys 7 through =. I played this way from 0-60 pre BC without ever installing an add-on. I still run all my 5-mans without using any add-on. I find that this keeps me more aware of my surroundings. Yes Im using a few more steps with healing but it works for me.
Then there came battlegrounds. This is wear I use Healbot religiously. Having a window that highlights players closest to you so you can heal someone within healing range is, in my opinion, the only way one can heal a BG effectively. I dont know if I could even go back to playing BG's without Healbot.
I do think that all healers should learn to heal without the help of an Add-on. Then once you are comfortable with that see if Healbot (or similar) helps improve your healing style. Plus, with patches when add-ons are out-of-date you wont be lost without your precious add-on.
I lvld from 60 to 66 doing nothing but healing instances. No add-ons.
F2-F5 worked for me, with keybinding on the # line.
I have no idea about PvP or BG's as all my exp is PvE (trying to hit 70) and after reading this I might try healbot for fun. But in the end I really enjoy my (mostly) button pushing. It's (imo) easy. I do use Bongos2 and when healing instance have flash heal bound to my 5th mouse button. But that is mostly to fade the majority of my buttons out (as well as a setup for solo work) for more screen space. It's actually fun to remove so much of your screen and just watch.... ANYWAY...
F2-F5 worked for me, with keybinding on the # line.
I have no idea about PvP or BG's as all my exp is PvE (trying to hit 70) and after reading this I might try healbot for fun. But in the end I really enjoy my (mostly) button pushing. It's (imo) easy. I do use Bongos2 and when healing instance have flash heal bound to my 5th mouse button. But that is mostly to fade the majority of my buttons out (as well as a setup for solo work) for more screen space. It's actually fun to remove so much of your screen and just watch.... ANYWAY...
Commander cococj wrote:
Some people don't use addons though and they heal very well, better than some people with addons, but I've always wondered how much more uber would they be if they took that skill and used an addon setup that would by design make them even quicker.
Pretty much this. When I first started healing instances on my shammy, I was a target and heal type of person. No addons or anything, and I didn't have trouble at all. In fact, I noticed I was healing faster than others. Guildies said exactly what Cococj said, "wonder how much more faster I'd be if I had something like healbot."
Well I gave healbot and try, and it definitely makes it a lot easier to heal, imo. Instead of having to drag groups of names over onto my screen to I can easily target who I need to heal, It's all right there for me. Less work and even faster healing. Plus the fact that I can buff, debuff and whatnot on the same frame.
Quote:
Am I better off getting rid of it and paying more attention to what is actually going on, or is it OK to just watch the little bars?
Watching the little bars is your job. If you are not paying attention to them, and one disappears....then it's your fault. At your level, this won't really happen. However, once you start hitting heroics and raids, this can happen (and will happen) more often than you want. You really need to be on top of people's health bars. So that is your #1 priority, and you need to be fully aware of their status 100% of the time.
It takes some time to get used to healing instances. Once you are more comfortable with the healing mechanic, then you will be able to heal AND pay attention to the fight. It will come in time :)
Another hint - configure it so that it tells you who has aggro. Then, you can start a pre-heal or bubble on someone who pulls aggro. This is very critical when people can 1 or 2 shotted.
Just my two cents;
I've healed without any mods for quite a bit... Tried a bunch, and went back to healing modless. That is over a timespan of 3+ years. In the end it's a personal choice, I think. I've seen both sides and can heal better without clumpy mod frames in my screen. I generally just drag the bars of the 2 main tanks left and right of my character, and the rest of the party in the upper left or lower right corner, works fine for me. The only thing that has really improved my healing over the past... year or such is the discovery of a stopcasting macro.
Then again, not using mods isn't for everyone, I reckon. My first character was a priest and so is my current main... The class has become second nature to me. It's actually so bad that I once rolled a warlock and was amazed that I had a DOT with casting time; I was so incredibly used to having 1 hotkey for an instant DOT...
Edited, Aug 22nd 2008 9:15pm by Mozared
I've healed without any mods for quite a bit... Tried a bunch, and went back to healing modless. That is over a timespan of 3+ years. In the end it's a personal choice, I think. I've seen both sides and can heal better without clumpy mod frames in my screen. I generally just drag the bars of the 2 main tanks left and right of my character, and the rest of the party in the upper left or lower right corner, works fine for me. The only thing that has really improved my healing over the past... year or such is the discovery of a stopcasting macro.
Then again, not using mods isn't for everyone, I reckon. My first character was a priest and so is my current main... The class has become second nature to me. It's actually so bad that I once rolled a warlock and was amazed that I had a DOT with casting time; I was so incredibly used to having 1 hotkey for an instant DOT...
Edited, Aug 22nd 2008 9:15pm by Mozared
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i don't heal with my first priest i go to the shadow spec
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