Healing in raids

[Atragon]

When I'm in a raid I feel like I'm doing nothing at all.  Mystic wards soak up damage and Templar reactives take first hit so the MT's stays full for long periods of time.  There are spikes of damage and I feel like my heals are actually contributing but things soon go back to normal where MT's health is full and stable.  Is my job to just spam heal the MT/MA? Pick up other damage in other groups? I am feeling totally ineffective in raid setup.

[gatrm]

Do what you need to do.  If there's heavy aoe damage use the grp heals; if there's spike damage to the tank, get him back in the green; if other healers are having trouble keeping people their groups alive, help them out; if healing is stable, dps.

[Arielle Nightshade]

You are also in a perfect position to help a Soul Warding Defiler in either the MT or OT group - and help the (usually) solo fury in the mage group keep them alive - as we all know most raiding mages are insane.

You will most likely parse last in a MT group, but your raid leaders or those looking at the parse know this is game mechanics and not slacking.  If you are focusing on just your group and never looking outside it to see what might be needed, you are not being a raid healer, IMO...you are grouping.   A Raid isn't 4 groups doing their own thing hoping to kill something - it's an interwoven force of people trying to achieve the same goal.  Heal across raid - remembering your priority is at all times, keeping the MT alive.   Be ready in an instant to switch to the OT if the MT dies (and it happens).  Be able to switch targets really fast and keep an eye on the entire raid and you will not only parse better, but have a lot more fun, IMO

P.S. You also debuff cold - and there are a lot of people in your raid force that can do some decent cold damage.  You aren't just standing around

[Sorano]

Get your wizzy to MT for you , although that will probably mean you will do even less healing since the Dispersion stoneskin proc will block 80% of all the mobs attacks.

Or you could tell your shaman there is no room on the raid and do the zone without wards. Another trick is to tell your templar to meet you in Tenebrous Tangle, promising to port them to KJ. Wait till they zone to TT, and port yourself to KJ without them. Quickly zone the raid into PR. They will then have to run to KJ, giving you at least 20mins to actually feel useful!

In all seriousness, if the mob is not doing enough damage to keep you occupied then you have no option other than to dps.

[Oakum]

Yep, its been layed out already. Heal or cure a non group raid member, melee dps, or I even rez if someone is close enough to me and got themselves killed pulling aggro or one shotted for not jousting an AOE. 

If healing is not required, a warden is not much good in a raid. Thats why I have heard of some fury's being put in MT groups so that they can add to the DPS of and easy raid while a warden is asked to sit out. Life goes on though. lol. Wardens are 1 trick pony's unlike the other 5 healers in the game.