New(ish) Mystic questions

[pcivil]

<DIV>Having never played a healer beyond level 15 or so in EQ Live, I am not the most experienced healer.  I played enough tanks and DPS types over the years to know and understand the basics of how to heal.  However, group experience last weekend caused me to think a bit about my style and abilities.  Background: level 34 (at the time) mystic, with probably below average gear/spells (no M1, one A3, one HQ Fabled, etc.)  Nothing great, but I have grouped enough to see that I can (usually) keep people alive.  Basically, I (foolishly) joined a pick-up group in Ruins of Varsoon consisting of two melee DPS (ranger and swashbuckler), two wizards, and a conjuror.  No tank.  All ranged from level 28 to 33. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The problems arose around the halls with the ^^^ golems.  Without a tank, there was no aggro control, so random golems would wander by and attack people.  Is there some trick or spell combination I can practice on multiple group targets to keep three or four members alive simultaneously?  When it was two blue ^^^, I could handle it - individual wards and heals, with group heals thrown in for measure.  But once it became more than two blue ^^^, even with a third ^^^ green, it became challenging.  Two fights in a row, two group members died, but I didn't really have time to mid-fight revive them, since I was keeping the remaining people (including myself) alive.   One fight, we had two ^^^ of green and three ^^^ blue, and I lost the ranger and both wizards, before dying myself - we only killed two of the five golems, even with pretty insane DPS. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>What are you tricks/tactics in non-tank groups?  They didn't seem to care that they were dying, so honestly it was a weird group.  But it concerned me that I was not able to keep them healed better.  One solution I thought of - truly act as leader, but I hate being in charge.  However, the group itself was making mistakes - i.e. not having one person pull to a safer spot, not staying together better, etc.  - that irked me.  I should have left after the first big wipe, but I stuck it out for a bit.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Thanks for any advice.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>p.s. Signature is old.  Haven't changed it.</DIV>

[Thunderthyze]

<P>Really...calling a Mystic a healer is a bit of a misnomer. We ward in order to avoid having to heal that much. When the entire group is taking damage then our weakness is magnified. Sure we have a group heal but it takes a lot of energy and isn't exactly that effective. </P> <P>Your best bet would have been to have one of the scouts tank and hope the dps were circumspect about pulling aggro or else have the conjurer pet tank. Neither are ideal.</P> <P> </P> <P> </P>

[Eepop]

As you said, its fine without adds.  Just slap people around until they learn to pull. If you have to, find your own safe spot, park your butt there and then assign one person to pull and say you arent moving. <div></div>

[danreynolds]

<DIV>Were you using the group ward?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Usually in a group without a tank where more than one person is getting beat on, the group ward gives you enough time to hit the people who need heals before it wears off.  Using the group ward as opposed to the single ward keeps you from having to "chase the hits" so to speak.  Throw the group ward on, heal the squishies who got beat on a bit before the ward cast, then recast the group ward.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Also, be sure to debuff!!!  We get some pretty nice debuffs to drop an encounter's dps by quite a bit, making sure those debuffs are up will keep you from having to heal quite as much, and if something goes wrong during a heal or ward (grrr...fizzles), people won't be getting hit for quite as much if your debuffs are up.</DIV>

[Camibella]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> <DIV>The problems arose around the halls with the ^^^ golems.  Without a tank, there was no aggro control, so random golems would wander by and attack people.  Is there some trick or spell combination I can practice on multiple group targets to keep three or four members alive simultaneously?  When it was two blue ^^^, I could handle it - individual wards and heals, with group heals thrown in for measure.  But once it became more than two blue ^^^, even with a third ^^^ green, it became challenging.  Two fights in a row, two group members died, but I didn't really have time to mid-fight revive them, since I was keeping the remaining people (including myself) alive.   One fight, we had two ^^^ of green and three ^^^ blue, and I lost the ranger and both wizards, before dying myself - we only killed two of the five golems, even with pretty insane DPS. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>What are you tricks/tactics in non-tank groups?  They didn't seem to care that they were dying, so honestly it was a weird group.  But it concerned me that I was not able to keep them healed better.  One solution I thought of - truly act as leader, but I hate being in charge.  However, the group itself was making mistakes - i.e. not having one person pull to a safer spot, not staying together better, etc.  - that irked me.  I should have left after the first big wipe, but I stuck it out for a bit.<BR> <HR> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE> <P>They were banking on the fact they could take the mob down with there DPS quicker then the mob could take them down. They probly wernt holding back one bit with that group set up. Truly the only thing I would have done was primary group ward / group heal with your little group heal bager thingeybobber and then just patch heal as needed. </P> <P>I would have set a cycle, Group Ward, Badger, Group Heal, <scan for patch heals> then rinse and repeat. <BR>In a situation like that use bounty of the virtuous also so that you stand odds at getting some of your mana back on the heal. <BR>Sounds like they were just farming for named. </P> <P>Dont forget to use your Deagro spell in a situation like that and then pace yourself since it only pops every 5 min. <BR>they didnt mind dieing because they knew they wernt set up to live if they couldnt burn the mob down quick enough. =)</P> <P>Also dont forget to hand out spirit shards =) and if they complain about your healing, complain about there tanking / taunting (or lack there of =)) /giggle</P> <P><BR> </P>

[Eepop]

Wouldn't have badger at that level =/ <div></div>

[Camibella]

<DIV><FONT color=#66ff99>Wouldn't have badger at that level =/</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#66ff99></FONT> </DIV> <DIV>Thats right! I forget these things! Blah</DIV> <DIV>Its ok - Hes not that cirtical to have =)</DIV>

[Baccalarium]

When you are having difficulties with agro control,  use your assist macro, (or in your group perhaps just tab target) to target the mob.    Now your wards will go to whoever is at that time generating the most agro.   Its still not very efficient if agro is bouncing around, but lots of new healers don't realize you can target the mob and any beneficial spells will go to who the mob is beating on.If agro is bouncing around,  its really hard as a shaman.   With wards we are really at our best we can predict where the damage is going to go, and prevent it from occuring in the first place.  <div></div>

[pcivil]

<DIV>Thanks, I already see some suggestions of things I was doing wrong or not efficiently.  I was using group wards, but would supplement with single target on the casters, a lot, and I when I used "heal" I should have clarified to "ward".  I sorta forget about the debuffs - I use them when I am soloing, especially yellows, but tend to forget about them in groups.  After reading the "Macro" thread down page, I will definitely set up macros for debuffs - I just got the DPS one, so that will help.  What is the badger?  Is it the 44th spell?  </DIV>

[Finora]

<P>Yes the badger is lvl 44 or 49 something like that.</P> <P>Group ward, debuff, have the conjurer pet tank or have a scout tank. Scouts can make reasonably good tanks in many situations. (I've most often had a brigand tanking when in that situation though, evil counterpart of swashy). </P> <P>Find a 'safe spot' ie a place where you aren't going to get wanderers too often, to pull your mobs to fight. Wandering adds are rough to deal with.  Multiple pullers is usually a bad idea unless you know your group REALLY well. </P> <P>A hard lesson I've learned when I made a healer was that sometimes, you have to let people die, for their own good. For example, my guild has a warlock that I swear must really like to get agro, so when he does, I let him die. It is more mana efficient to rez his silly butt after the fight than it is to try to keep him alive when he gets agro. This tactic doesn't go over well in PUGs but occassionally it brings the over nuke offenders back in line. And even if they do end up leaving the group, the group usually functions better without them despite the loss of DPS.</P> <P> </P>

[Sillililygirl]

<div></div>First.  I played a druid to level 56 in EQLive - was a good healer.  Don't rely on what you learned about healing in EQLive.  I say don't rely because it's useful, but you won't use the same style.  (Like letting someone actually go low on hps before healing - bad idea if you are warding.)Ok, 3 or 4 targets to heal? Seriously? No, it's not going to go well at mid 30s.  Later you'll have multiple clicky/no power wards that you can use - but casting time makes it tricky still. I don't mean casting time on the clicky wards but casting time on your other targets.  The badger helps too - if you aren't getting agro and aren't in AEs - otherwise the mobs will kill that badger QUICK - but that won't help you in mid 30s.It was probably mid 30s when I started to recognize that a mystics strength is stopping the most damage possible - not healing. If a mystic is healing she isn't doing her job, or her group isn't using her right.Mystics do well as primary healers when you have someone who can control agro or as secondary healers if the group is a little crazy - adds/pops/aggro problems/etc.Also, whatever the straight hp/power buff is - don't forget to put that on whoever is taking the most damage or always going lowest on power - you should be able to put it on one other person besides yourself if I remember my active spells right.<div></div><p>Message Edited by Sillililygirl on <span class=date_text>11-06-2006</span> <span class=time_text>01:24 PM</span>