Whats with all this trashing group healers, huh???

[Drokmed]

I see A LOT of threads complaining that most group healers suck, and there are so few good group healers.  Oh yeah?  So, what constitutes a good group healer to you? It's not always the healers fault when somebody gets killed, or the party gets wiped.  The healer doesn't control other peoples actions (or lack thereof).  The tank can only agro so fast, the mage can only nuke so fast, and the healer can only heal so fast. Sure, healers do the obvious, they turn on their continuous augments (buffs), pre-buff the tank before combat, heal members during battle, remove curses/afflictions.  They have other spells to help too, such as crowd control, dots and nukes to help in combat, etc. I see a lot of threads complaining most group healers suck, or there are few good group healers.  I'd like to hear what people expect out of their group healer.  "Heal faster" is a stupid response, all spells are on timers, there's no such thing as heal faster.  So, what do you consider a good healer?

[Karlen]

Good healers concentrate on healing rather than trying to beat everyone else to get the most DPS in the group. Bad healers nuke away at the mobs, draw aggro on themselves and run out of power halfway through the battle.

[Maebus]

<p>First I have not heard too much if any bashing of "group healers" on my server.  However, I have had LOTS of bad experiences with healers just not knowing how to play in a group.  They probably have not played in a group too often and don't adjust their play styles accordingly or are geared or AA'd for solo.  I also try never to PUG a group with a Fury unless I know them.  For some reason the worst healers I have played with were Fury's.  Not that all are bad but the odds seem in favor of it and I don't think it is because the class can't heal. </p><p>P.S. while I usually play in groups that are pushing difficult content so my perceptions might be different but if my healers started throwing nukes I would ask them to stop immediately then ask them to leave if they continued.</p>

[Drokmed]

I agree a healer should never nuke in a group, unless maybe he's with friends, it's the last mob, and people are already picking up the loot!

[Karlen]

>>>They probably have not played in a group too often and don't adjust their play styles accordingly or are geared or AA'd for solo.<<< This doesn't just apply to healers, actually, although it tends to be more noticeable with them. For example, tanks that solo most of the time often don't understand when to use taunts.   Classes that have root/mez spells often use them when they are not needed -- keeping the mob away can be important when soloing, but annoying if you are a meleer and have to chase around to get to the mob you just tried to pull.

[Finora]

<p>Pfft, I've never been called a bad healer. In fact, I've been complimented many times on my skill. (not to have a big head or anything). I am ALWAYS doing something other than just healing. Just healing is bloody boring. </p><p>Even in on a raid with only 3 or 4 healers I'm never JUST healing. If a healer is doing nothing but healing, they or someone else in their group is doing something wrong. =p</p>

[Karlen]

Depending on the composition of the group and the mobs you are fighting, you might not need to focus solely on healing, but healing should be the priority for healers -- and it obviously isn't for many of them. Another sign of a good healer is that they know when to heal and when not to heal -- simply spamming your heal when the tank isn't tanking damage isn't much better than not healing at all. Incidentally, I include buffing and debuffing as aspects of healing -- debuffing the DPS of the mob reduces the need for future healing and may (or may not) be more power efficient in the long run.

[Drokmed]

Karlen@Befallen wrote: <blockquote>Incidentally, I include buffing and debuffing as aspects of healing -- debuffing the DPS of the mob reduces the need for future healing and may (or may not) be more power efficient in the long run. </blockquote> I absolutely agree.  Debuffs to lower a mobs mitigation, resistances, dps, attributes such as strength, etc. are all a big part of a healers contribution to the group.

[Calthine]

Here's the beginning of a video series on playing a templar:  <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20fgMaKygrg" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20fgMaKygrg</a>

[Maebus]

Karlen@Befallen wrote: <blockquote>Incidentally, I include buffing and debuffing as aspects of healing -- debuffing the DPS of the mob reduces the need for future healing and may (or may not) be more power efficient in the long run. </blockquote> Don't forget cures.  I can't tell you how many healers I have grouped with don't use them.

[Drokmed]

<cite>Calthine wrote:</cite><blockquote>Here's the beginning of a video series on playing a templar:  <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20fgMaKygrg" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20fgMaKygrg</a> </blockquote> Thanks, that's a good video.  Good information.  Love the lil kid walking around behind him <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[Calthine]

<cite>Drokmed wrote:</cite><blockquote><cite>Calthine wrote:</cite><blockquote>Here's the beginning of a video series on playing a templar:  <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20fgMaKygrg" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20fgMaKygrg</a> </blockquote> Thanks, that's a good video.  Good information.  Love the lil kid walking around behind him <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> </blockquote> I'll confess....  Sutures is my husband and that's my 16 month old <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />  If you look <i>very</i> carefully you can see the back of my head....

[Loge]

A good, non lazy healer can easily contribute to the dps of the group without compromising the group safety (in heroic situations at least) if he's of the appropriate level to be there of course. I do it all the time as a defiler.  I single heal groups all the time and still manage to work in my debuffs and dots on nearly every mob.  Obviously there are exceptions. EDIT - the main point of this post is the <i>non lazy</i> part <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[Karlen]

>>>A good, non lazy healer can easily contribute to the dps of the group without compromising the group safety (in heroic situations at least) if he's of the appropriate level to be there of course.<<< Absolutely, as long as you keep an eye on things and are prepared to keep the heals/wards up as necessary. EDIT:  If you can't do two things at once (dps and heal), then choose heal as the one thing you do.  If you can keep an eye on people's health and maintain steady attacks, then do so -- as long as you watch your power.  That would be my recommendation. Good point above about the cures.  A lot of people don't seem to use them. Good healers also upgrade their heals/wards to at least Adept III or Master. 

[Karlen]

>>>I'd like to hear what people expect out of their group healer.  "Heal faster" is a stupid response, all spells are on timers, there's no such thing as heal faster. <<< Actually, in most cases you can "heal faster".  Once.  Or perhaps twice.  We usually have a number of emergency or long reuse heals/wards that we could use.  Much of the skill in healing is knowing when to use those abilities that are only good once per fight.   Or to use the appropriate level of heal for the damage being taken.   There is no point in overhealing -- you just waste power. For example, mystics must try to predict how much damage the tank will be taking over the next few seconds in order to decide which ward(s) to use.  Some have long recasts or other effects.  Using too much ward will mean that he will run out of power a lot quicker -- a problem in a long fight.  But not enough could mean that the fighter will die from a huge hit(s).  Similarly other healer types must make the same considerations about reactive heals and HoTs, healing in advance without knowing what the damage will be. In a lot of ways, the level of content a group can handle is dependent on the ability of the healer (in combination with the tank).  Whatever level of mob that the tank can tank and healer can keep healed is the level of mob that the group can fight.   When you fight mobs below that level, the skill of the healer becomes less important and he can divert some attention to other actions like adding dps.

[Ysandre]

Generally I think the issue is just that healers are easy to blame. I've played a healer in most MMOs i've played and so many others have said that when an instance goes well it's "Awesome tankage man!" or something to that effect. If it goes badly its the healers fault. You need a thick skin and confidence in your own abilities to be a successful healer imo and not get demoralised by often being the unsung hero.

[Norrsken]

Most healers can do the basics of healing a group. Some of them dont know even that, but usually, they are enough to keep a tank alive. Nah, most of the time, when a group wipes, its a bad pull, or a silly scout pulling in an add. (Which usually depends on bad positioning from the tank). See where Im getting with this? <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> The baseline for a tank is to keep aggro. that is the very least they need to do. Some cant even do that. But what makes a good tank (and keeps group wipes from happening) is good pulling, and good positioning. None of those are within the healers ability to affect. (Unless you are one of them new fangled tanking inqys, like me. <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> )

[Illum70]

VERY useful information, that video is very nice. I just came back after being gone for over 2.5 years so I'm a newb heh. Been trying different classes and atm I'm focussing on Templar since I always play healers in MMO's. That first video simply sums up the basics of a healer (I've made similar thigns in CoH and DaoC), can't wait to see more of these videos, even more as I'm still not sure what class to really go for hehe.

[Kitsi]

Ysandre@Splitpaw wrote: <blockquote>Generally I think the issue is just that healers are easy to blame. I've played a healer in most MMOs i've played and so many others have said that when an instance goes well it's "Awesome tankage man!" or something to that effect. If it goes badly its the healers fault. You need a thick skin and confidence in your own abilities to be a successful healer imo and not get demoralised by often being the unsung hero. </blockquote><p>I have to agree that this pretty much sums things up.  It is easiest to blame the healer.</p><p>I generally play a healer as well, and spec myself AS a healer (not a battle priest (although I have a little alt I am playing around with that way), not a dps cleric).  I am a healer.  It is what I do best and I heal the tank, first and always.  Tanks are my friend <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />  </p><p>But if someone in the group is a bit out of control (or mistimes a cast) I have to change my focus, target, cast and get back to the tank - hopefully before he is beyond the point of no return.  Frankly, if you are a squishy and die in two hits, you can wait for a rez. Sorry, but by the time I get to you, you are dead anyway.  As soon as there is a break in the action, I will get you back on your feet. </p><p>Regardless of the class you play, we all need to remember that we are just human.  We make mistakes, we hit the wrong key, we lag, we d/c, we show off.  Any of which can cause things to change and a group to wipe.  Thank goodness this is a game and not real lives at risk. </p><p>Sometimes I  get thanks for good saves (love my Guildies!) and for my help.  Sure, sometimes someone will fuss (generally in a pug).  But if I know I am doing the best I can to keep the group going, and the reason for the death (or wipe) is the result of someone else, let them blame away.  They need to blame someone else for their screw-up if it makes them feel better.  Rest assured though, they are on my watch list.  No need to group with someone that can't control themselves and then blames others for the end result.</p>

[Chaosfairie27]

<p>I play a Fury and some folks out there have given us a very bad reputation as healers.  When I am in a group, I am healing, especially if I am the main healer.  I don't even have to make the parse, if I did, I would have rolled a DPS toon.  If a Fury or any other class of healer joins a group and wants to do damage instead of heal, do not join the group as a healer, join as DPS and let the group advertise for another healer to join the group, I think that would save alot of frustrations and blame gaming.  State your intentions up front to your group, it's only fair.  And I'm still not quite sure what constitutes a "lazy" healer, so I won't even get started on that <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p>

[rumblepants]

<p>Well you can define a good healer in only so many ways and probably as much as you can say what makes a good tank? For me a good healer has to be able to <b>analyze the situation and make adjustments as necessary</b>. If I'm in a group with a squishy tank or someone who can't hold aggro chances are I'll probably be doing more healing. If I'm in a good group with a solid tank than I will stasrt meleeing alot because in most cases my wards can cover him or her for the duration of the fight. It pleases me sometimes to rank no. 1 or 2 on the group DPS logs. <img src="/smilies/283a16da79f3aa23fe1025c96295f04f.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p>