Very new to raiding and not quite sure of my role yet... need advice please. [Archive]

VivoDi

06-07-2007, 07:01 PM

I've just joined an established raiding guild, but I'm an absolute raid noob, so well down the totem poll of healing importance as yet.So far, all I've been told to do is heal the Main Tank. First raid went like clock work and I furiously spammed single target heals on our MT.... well and good.But then we come to the second raid... not clockwork. I'm not in the MT group, or the MA group... still just the straggler group number 4. I'm targeting the Main Tank, and doing single target heals on him and throwing in the odd group heal if needed. Then all of a sudden someone's health in my group goes down really quickly, but MT desperately needs heals also. What do I do? Do I let the person in my group die? Or do I bring them back, then re-target the MT?If someone in my group dies, do I in-combat rez them, then get back on the MT or not?Do I send in my wolves to help on long fights?Do I put up my Protective Grove Tree if my group could use the additional heals? Or does that bug fellow raiders?What is my role as the newbie healer?What macros should I set up?I'd be reeeally grateful for any tips from fellow wardens. Yes, I will talk to someone in the guild about this also, but actually am very new to guild, and sort of feeling my way for the next few days.Thanks folksCheers

Veedublya

06-07-2007, 07:54 PM

Hehe, lot of questions. Okay here we go!1. MT is always main priority! If he is low on health you stay on him no matter who is dying in your group cuz chances are the dps dying in your group either pulled aggro or isnt ranging properly and deserves to die anyway <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> If the MT dies the raid is most liekly done, you can afford to loose a dps here and there2. Rezzes shouldnt be done by your healers, it should always be done by dirges and necro's, if it seems like they have been down forever and thwe MT looks good on health then sure go for it, remember they probably died for something they did wrong so they can wait, hehe3. If you arent healing then yes you dps, thats the beauty of being a druid is we have that option cuz we can put out decent numbers4. I always have my tree up, but i usually put it in a wall so it doesnt get in the way, sometimes i put it right in front of people just to [Removed for Content] em off, hehe, thats up to you5. Druids are the easiest healing class, you dont have to deal with wards or reactives which are pretty much pre-emptive heals, you simply just replenish health so heal whoever needs it whether they are in your group or not, even heal casters pets if they need it cuz they can put out alot of dps.

Arielle Nightshade

06-08-2007, 06:22 AM

<cite>VivoDivo wrote:</cite><blockquote>If someone in my group dies, do I in-combat rez them, then get back on the MT or not?This is a good question for your raid leader. Depending on the group, many times it is preferred that someone who can rezz with no rezz sickness do it. For this reason, we are rarely on rezz duty for the MT or MA, but might be for others. As Veedub says: NOTHING has precedence over keeping the MT alive - if you are the only person standing in your group, but can heal the MT...then that's what you do. If, however, your group is all casters, therefore the DPS group...consider rezzing if you can, because that fight just got a whole lot harder without DPS. This is ONLY if the MT can afford it. By the time you have assessed that, usually, the dirges and necros have done the deed and you don't have to worry about it.There are a lot of caveats for this..what class died? Is this the 50 billionth time that person has pulled aggro and died? How much power do you have? How solid is the MT and MA's health (ie, can you afford the time off the MT in order to rezz). How important is the person who died to the raid? For example: If you've got the raid's lone Necro in your group, then rezz him ASAP because he's the one that's going to be keeping everyone in hearts for power :)I obviously can't go over every possible situation - but the point I'm trying to make is: make sure you know your class...and basically what everyone else's does. Why are they (and you) in the group you are in? What do you bring to them? What are they doing for you..and as a group, how are you helping the raid? And to directly answer your question: Someone in your group takes damage at the same time the MT desperately needs heals - person in your group is dead. Sorry. MT is more important. Almost always the MT needs heals because he's getting the snot kicked out of him. Almost always, too..the person in your group desperately needs heals because they didn't manage their aggro, or their resists are very bad and they took AE damage. Yes, keep your group alive. No, they are all dead if it's them vs. MT. Do I send in my wolves to help on long fights?Yes - but never use any damage spell using power at the expense of healing. You are not there to DPS (usually) you are there to Heal. If you CAN DPS, awesome..more power to you. If you nuked (or sent in the dogs) instead of healing, and someone dies - you didn't do what you were there for.Do I put up my Protective Grove Tree if my group could use the additional heals? Or does that bug fellow raiders?Yes it bugs them, but so what? (grin) It's a fairly significant group AE heal. If they don't like it, they can go to heck. I cast it every time the timer is up. It's a very good group heal that might prevent situation #1 - and really does free you to focus on the MT a bit more easily. If I'm healing a caster group, almost always by the end of the raid, they are tree fanbois.. The only people that don't seem to like the tree are the more mobile melee classes - even though technically, its not in your way, it's transparent and you can walk your character right through it...there's still a lot to be said for roleplay, and visually, that's a big ol' tree. Psychologically it's something to trip over. In my raid group, the MT reallly liked the tree, so...tree it is. :)What is my role as the newbie healer?Same as your role in any group is: Keep the group alive..with the addition of your responsiblities on the MT or MA. You can single target heal the MT/MA and group heal your group - switching to single target on your group if necessary. Remember that although the MT is getting the snot kicked out of him (we hope..that's his job), he still has 12K or more HP raid buffed - and 3 healers in his group alone. You can afford (usually) to top off the health of someone in your group from time to time. Interrupt the heal to get back onto the MT if necessary. S/he is always your first priority.If you see a healer in the MT or MA group in trouble...heal them too, if you can. It's far more time and power efficient to keep a healer alive than to try and rezz a dead one. Usually those healers are looking out for each other, but sometimes (especially with Shaman (shamen?) and Clerics) timers are down and that person could benefit from a heal sooner. Again, never at the expense of the MT, but realize that your healing job is VERY hard if one of the healers in either group is dead.One thing to consider, as well. If there is more than one Druid in the raid, your Chloroplast spell (the green leaf (grin) ) isn't going to stack..it's going to be a casting war. If I'm in any other group besides the MT group, that spell is cast 3rd or 4th instead of first ..since I want to be as efficient as possible, but still get regens ticking off on the MT. In this way, every other druid has already cast theirs, and you should be about right for timing to get yours to make a difference. I had a fellow Warden ask me if his Master 1 was overwriting mine..since he wasn't seeing that there was a conflict. I told him ..no, I knew he was going to cast it first ..so I didn't cast it till later. On purpose :) What macros should I set up?Someone else can tell you about the /usea macros for spells - my minimum for a raid is 3 target keys /target ::name::: (MT), (MA), (Lifeburning Necro) If you even just have the first 2 macro's you are good. If you have to switch targets to heal someone in your group you can, with just a keystroke or mouseclick, be right back on the MT. If (oh noes) the MT dies, you can INSTANTLY switch to the MA and start healing. Don't rezz the MT unless directly instructed to, even though that's your first instinct. Keep the MA up - he's the MT now until the MT can be rezzed. When he is - switch immediately back to him. I also have a macro asking for a heart/shard in whatever channel I've been requested to ask for it (raid, tell..w/e). I do not have macros announcing every teensy thing I'm doing like some people do. I do have macros for when something I'm going to do significantly affects what the rest of the group is doing - but rarely if ever use them....we don't need the spam in /r or in /g, IMO - They don't care - they just want you to keep them alive. I'd be reeeally grateful for any tips from fellow wardens.My big 'tip' is have one bar set up with your baby spells on them. Bloom, Regrowth, etc....cost you no power to use at 70 when you are out of power. All the MT has to have is 1 HP when Venekor has 0 and you guys just won.That said...get as much power regen as you can: FT items, Manastone, the one from Poet's that I hated and never use..(what's that called..?) etc. Come equipped with power potions, good stat food and drink, and make sure that your resists are as good as possible. The only reason the newb group dies repeatedly is because they all have 1500 resists on a 6000 resist fight. Stay out of the way, max casting distance, and cast nukes, don't melee..till your gear is better.Yes, I will talk to someone in the guild about this also, but actually am very new to guild, and sort of feeling my way for the next few days.Your guild SHOULD be willing to help you learn the raid instances: what to do, where to stand, how the fights go ...what they want you to do in them. What they are not going to want to do is teach you how to play your class. They want you to come to the raid knowing that already. Bottom line: you are there as a healer. In a group with 2 wizards, 2 warlocks and an assassin...don't even worry that you are DPS. If you are not sure what to do, default to Healing. If you do any damage, do it by assisting through the MA or whomever the raid leader has said "DPS by assisting...(name)" (usually, it's the MA). Do this by switching to the MA to ..say...send in the dogs..then switch right back to the MT for heals.Since resists play such a big part in a raid...don't just sit there and hope the guild will throw good gear at your feet. Get out and be proactive getting geared up yourself: Claymore, EoF legendary - good resist items drop from non-raid zones that you can easily do. Don't do this by doing pickup raids in a zone that your guild will be doing - making you unavailable via lockout to your own guild's raid. This means you need to know your guild's schedule, where you are supposed to be and when. If you have a chance to do a raid that is not on your guild's schedule ..say...MoA 4...dive in and grab a spot if you can. You'll be proactively getting yourself a nice bit of bling, without messing up your raid leader's plans.Someone who is trying to be as good as they can is pretty impressive. Makes me want to help them more than the person who whines cause their gear sucks and nothing ever drops for them in a raid.Hope this helps you! Welcome to raiding. I NEVER thought I'd like it, but I really do. :)</blockquote>

Bhugg

06-08-2007, 02:03 PM

Wolves can also be used to check to see when AOE's go off. Once the wolves die, your raid timer knows when to start the clock between AOE's and the melee group can move in to attack.Marrz

Arielle Nightshade

06-08-2007, 03:33 PM

^^^Another really good reason to cast the tree at the start of the fight and to continue to cast it when it's available. Your raid timer can miss the dogs dying, but visually cannot miss the tree getting exploded from AE....if they miss it in text.