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(→‎Class: organised and expanded :) moved Darkmoon and Battlemaster items to the bottom as those heals are for very small amounts now, so not significant above perhaps lv 70)
 
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{{partying}}
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{{questbox
 
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A '''healer''' is a character whose primary [[combat]] purpose is to [[Healing|heal]] friendly creatures or give them [[defensive]] [[buff]]s. [[Priest]]s, [[Druid]]s, [[Paladin]]s, and [[Shaman]]s can all serve as healers. Healers are perhaps the most wanted for a [[dungeon]] or a [[raid]].
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| name = The Mag'har
 
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| faction = Horde
 
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| level = 62
 
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| levelreq = 60
 
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| category = Hellfire Peninsula
 
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| start = [[Gorkan Bloodfist]]
 
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| end = [[Nazgrel]]
 
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| reputation = [[Thrallmar]] +250
 
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| rewards = {{loot|uncommon|Ceremonial Robes}} or<br />{{loot|uncommon|Tribal Hauberk}} or<br />{{loot|uncommon|Thunderforge Leggings}} or<br />{{loot|uncommon|Clefthoof Hide Mask}}
 
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| experience = 10500
 
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| previous = {{quest|A Spirit Guide}}
 
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| id = 9406
 
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}}
 
   
  +
== What Healers Should Know ==
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'''The Mag'har''' quest brings news of the untainted Outland orc back to the Azerothian orcs.
 
   
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* In an [[instance]], especially if the healer is significantly lower in [[level]] than the [[tank]], the healer should know that he should stand far back and not [[attack]] so as not to attract [[aggro]]. Keep in mind that if there is no other healer in your group, then your [[death]] will most likely result in the death of the rest of the group that is relying on your healing.
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== Objectives ==
 
  +
* When you are running low on [[mana]], feel free to request that the [[group]] wait for you to [[drink]] in order to fill your mana before the next [[pull]]. Most group members will understand the importance of a healer’s [[magic]] and will wait.
−
Deliver the [[Letter from the Mag'har]] to [[Nazgrel]] at [[Thrallmar]] in [[Hellfire Peninsula]].
 
  +
* In [[instance]]s, your group will likely be pulling much faster then your regular [[mana regeneration]] can keep up with. You will want to keep enough drinks with you that you will not run out even if forced to drink between most pulls, and don’t forget that a [[mage]] in your group can provide you with more [[water]]. If you do run out of drinks, ask group members if they have any to spare.
  +
* Remember [[line of sight]] and [[cast]]ing [[range]] can be limiting factors on heals, especially if teammates are constantly [[moving]] in chaotic battles. If you are [[fight]]ing in an area with a corner or sharp bend, try to position yourself where you can see both sides of the corner in case you need to heal someone who runs around the corner. While not as often a problem, allies can also run out of the range of your heals in the middle of casting. It can be difficult, but if possible, attempt to keep an eye on where everyone is and be ready to reposition yourself the moment you have line-of-sight issues. If an ally is taking [[damage]] and you can't figure out where he is, remember the [[minimap]] will show nearby allies on it so looking for a dot of an ally not near the rest of the group can help you to find a wayward teammate in trouble.
  +
* Know the mana [[efficiency]], rate of healing, and [[cast time]] of your heals. Healers have multiple heals available to them and at first it can be difficult to know which to use. While learning the role of all your heals, you may want to use mana efficiency relative to your other heals as a rule of thumb for deciding which heal to use. With the exception of Paladins that utilize [[Flash of Light]], every healer has a single-target, slower heal that provides good mana-to-healing efficiency and often serves as a primary or preferred heal. Due to the slower cast of this primary heal, other less-efficient heals will then be used when you simply do not have time to cast your slower heal. At higher levels, the amount of healing you can do in a given amount of time can also become an issue if your target is constantly taking large amounts of damage; but hopefully by this time you will have developed a good sense of your heals' strengths and weaknesses to help prioritize heals. Remember, the cheapest heal you have may not be your most mana-efficient, nor is the fastest-casting heal necessarily capable of doing the most healing per second. See the [[Healing Comparison]] to learn how your heals compare to each other.
  +
* Remember instant cast heals such as [[Renew]] can be used while running. This can allow you to provide healing while fleeing opponents or following your group in an instance. It also is potentially powerful in PvP, being a great way to heal while fleeing enemy players or keeping a fast moving flag carrier alive in [[Warsong Gulch]].
  +
* Do not forget your multi-target heals. Heals that heal multiple targets or the entire group can potentially be your most mana-efficient heals and can sometimes be the only viable way of healing all those taking damage before someone dies. However, many multi-target heals also generate large sums of hate which can result in all nearby enemies focusing their attacks on you if used at inappropriate times (this is also true in large PvP situations such as battlegrounds). Try to avoid group heals at the start of a fight, and be ready to utilize de-aggro abilities after your group heal if you do draw aggro.
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* You will get aggro in instances. Your heals anger all opponents at once which can easily mean that large pulls result in many uncontrolled mobs attacking you. Know your best means of surviving aggro.
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**[[Priest]]s are the only healer to have a proper de-aggro ability that affects all enemies, called [[Fade]], which will be a Priest's primary means of dealing with undesired aggro. Keep in mind that once Fade ends, you will regain all of the threat you lost. [[Power Word: Shield]] can also be used both to protect yourself from attack and as a means of controlling hate generation (Shield generates half the hate of simply healing - at the expense of lower mana efficiency). [[Psychic Scream]] will rarely be a viable means of handling unwanted attention in instances or raids, although it is key for doing so in PvP. Remember, when desperate, [[Binding Heal]] is an efficient heal that allows one to heal oneself and an ally at the same time, with the added bonus of having lower hate associated with it.
  +
**[[Druid]]s in [[Tree of Life Form]] do not possess any de-aggro ability; however, night elf druids have a similar ability in [[Shadowmeld]]. When multiple opponents attack the druid, it is possible to shift into bear form to drastically increase survivability, but doing so keeps the Druid from healing any allies - such as the tank - still being attacked, limiting its usefulness in most middle to upper level instances. At lower levels shifting into bear form and using defensive abilities to increase your survivability can be viable, but do not attack your opponents or you will generate more aggro. Abilities such as [[Entangling Roots]] and [[Hibernate]] could potentially be used to control mobs attacking you; unfortunately, most instances have few beast opponents, and neither may be used in Tree of Life form thus these abilities will often not be available to you. [[Barkskin]] can provide some temporary defense and remove spell interruption in order for the Druid to attempt to continue healing through damage taken.
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**[[Paladin]]s will find they have less trouble with aggro then their fellow healers, thanks to their heals generating decreased hate. [[Divine Shield]] will typically always cause mobs to ignore you, as long as you are not alone in an encounter. [[Hand of Salvation]] can further decrease the chances of drawing unwanted attention while healing, although it needs some time to reach its full effect. Use Hand of Salvation if you have [[Forbearance]], otherwise, Divine Shield is better because it is instant and guaranteed aggro loss.
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**[[Shaman]]'s primary means of handling unwanted aggro is through [[Wind Shock]], although this will only work on one target at a time. Like the Paladin they have the option of using a shield and possess higher defense than the Priest and Druid, providing them the potential to try healing through damage taken. At level 80, shaman can use [[Hex]] to temporarily control one target, thus preventing it from attacking or interfering with healing.
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* When you are with fairly new players, it may help to use slash commands. For instance, there's '''/oom''' (out of mana) and '''/helpme'''. Especially use '''/oom''' when there is an off-healer that may not be paying attention to your mana bar because he is busy with [[DPS]].
  +
* Each class has an 'off-healer' spec, which generally is the same as the magic DPS spec. Shadow priests, ret pallies, elemental shamans, and balance druids all get talents which increase their heals enough to make them viable secondary healers. If you are one of these specs be prepared to switch to a healing role if your main healer is killed, runs out of mana, or is otherwise occupied. You may not be able to heal for long, but the little healing you can do could save the group in a pinch. This is possibly most important to Druids, as they can theoretically resurrect a healer that died, off heal while the healer resurrects, and then [[innervate]] the primary healer so that they may return to healing-easily saving the entire group from a wipe.
  +
* Try to learn the approximate health of your allies and keep watch for overhealing. If your primary heal is consistently overhealing a particular individual you will probably want to use a cheaper heal to avoid paying the mana cost for wasted healing potential. In these cases it might be better to use a smaller heal, though keep in mind that all ranks of the same heal now cost the same amount of mana.
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* Remember your teammate's pets. While pets are far less important then regular group members they do contribute to your group DPS. If you have both time and mana healing pets can be an effective way to help contribute to the teams DPS (via keeping pets alive that would otherwise die). This is especially true for tanking pets ([[Voidwalker]]s and tenacious style hunter pets such as bears). A good player can us a tanking pet to [[off tank]] an [[add]], but only so long as you are willing to heal the pet. Some fights, such as boss fights with strong AoE's or attacks that must be avoided by moving away from them, are guaranteed to kill pets quickly due to the pet's not avoiding damage the way a human character will; during these type of fights it's best to allow the pet to die immediately as it will be too mana and time consuming to keep them alive.
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* As you become more experienced as a healer, you will find that, in cases where you are running out of mana or when multiple individuals are taking damage at once, triage is necessary to avoid complete group wipes. Although your primary goal should always be to keep everyone in your group alive, at some point in your healing career you will be in situations where you can not possibly save every individual in your group. In such a case, it is imperative to know which individuals are essential to the survival of the group. Remember the tank and yourself will usually take first priority for heals unless you have another individual who can readily take the place of healer or tank should one of you die. Classes providing CC capabilities are next most important with pure damage classes being of less use in most instances. Try to also take notice of the amount of available mana a class has since this can have a large effect on their usefulness in a fight. For instance, a mage with no mana will be doing very little damage, while his low armor and health make him difficult and mana intensive to heal should he be under attack; as such if you are nearly out of mana you may be forced to allow him to die in order to ensure you will have enough left to keep the tank alive. Keep in mind that decisions such as this are for the direst of situations and you should always strive to keep all party members alive if at all possible.
   
  +
== What Healers Want Others to Know ==
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Items Needed:
 
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* Healers need to take a mana break from time to time. Don't become impatient and run off to another collection of mobs before mana is allowed to regenerate.
−
*{{loot|common|Letter from the Mag'har}} (Provided)
 
   
  +
* Also, healers are often forced to prioritize party members to ensure overall survival. If a damage-dealer and a tank both require attention, chances are the tank will be seen to first. Please try not to take it personally.
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== Description ==
 
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This news you bring from beyond the Dark Portal... you want us to believe the son of Durotan now rules over the lands beyond it... free from any demonic taint? And that now his people have returned to this world?
 
   
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* Save me! At times it may be essential to take one for the team. Your healer and your tank *should* be doing all they can to give you (the DPS) opportunity to unload on a specified target. Sometimes (additional enemies, threat dropping mobs, etc...) may make this difficult. Understand that, while there may be repair costs involved, ending up without a tank or healer (being that there is only one of each in a 5-man, and they are yet more important in a raid setting) is a VERY bad thing. If you have the means to keep one or the other alive by taking the beating... it may be worth it overall. Odds are your Healer will be so grateful you'll make it through the thick and the thin to save the day!
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I hope for your sake that this isn't some manner of joke, <class>. What this means to my people... cannot be described. I must send word to Nagrand at once! Hellscream must hear about this.
 
   
  +
*Each class has an 'off-healer' spec, which generally is the same as the magic dps spec. Shadow priests, ret pallies, elemental shamans, and balance druids all get talents which increase their heals enough to make them viable secondary healers. If you are one of these specs be prepaired to switch to a healing role if your main healer is killed, runs out of mana, or is otherwise occupied. You may not be able to heal for long, but the little healing you can do could save the group in a pinch. This is possibly most important to Druids, as they can theoretically ressurect a healer that died, off heal while the healer ressurects, and then innervate the primary healer so that they may return to healing-easily saving the entire group from a wipe.
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Take this letter back to your leader in Thrallmar. Tell him the Mag'har welcome them!
 
   
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== Rewards ==
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== Healing spells ==
  +
There are actually not 4, but 5 kinds of healers, since priests have the choice between two different skill trees, Discipline and Holy. Naturally, for raids people like to know which healer ist best suited for a particular role; healing the tank(s) or healing the raid. Usually discipline priests and paladins are considered to be more suited for tank healing. A detailed comparision of healing classes is difficult, since spells are unique for each class; however, there are striking similarities between some spells, and all four healing classes share, since patch 4.0.1., a set of very similar core healing spells.
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{{itembox|You will be able to choose one of these rewards:
 
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|Ceremonial Robes
 
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|Tribal Hauberk
 
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|Thunderforge Leggings
 
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|Clefthoof Hide Mask}}
 
   
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== Progress ==
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===Core healing spells===
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{|class="darktable"
−
What do you bring us, <name>?
 
  +
|-
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! Priest
  +
! Druid
  +
! Shaman
  +
! Paladin
  +
! Use when
  +
|-
  +
| [[Flash Heal]]
  +
| [[Regrowth]]
  +
| [[Healing Surge]]
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| [[Flash of Light]]
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| Fast healing spell; Useful to save characters from dying.
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|-
  +
| [[Greater Heal]]
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| [[Healing Touch]]
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| [[Greater Healing Wave]]
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| [[Divine Light]]
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| Slow, large healing spell; Useful to counteract heavy damage if time is sufficient.
  +
|-
  +
| [[Heal]]
  +
| [[Nourish]]
  +
| [[Healing Wave]]
  +
| [[Holy Light]]
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| Slow, mana-efficient heal; Useful to conserve mana when there are no higher priorities.
  +
|}
   
  +
With Cataclysm, all healing classes share a similar set of core healing spells. One fast, very mana-expensive heal, one slow, but large heal, and one slow, but very mana-efficient heal. Knowing when to cast which spell is important; a healer will surely run out of mana if only the fast healing spell is cast. If only the mana-efficient heal is cast, however, most likely a member of the group or raid will die.
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== Completion ==
 
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You're certain of this? True orcs... here in Hellfire! This is big news, <name>.
 
   
  +
===Other healing spells common to all classes===
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We must inform the warchief at once.
 
   
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{|class="darktable"
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==Quest progression==
 
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|-
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* {{questlong|Horde|62|The Assassin}}
 
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! Discipline Priest
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** {{questlong|Horde|62|A Strange Weapon}}
 
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! Holy Priest
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*** {{questlong|Horde|62|The Warchief's Mandate}}
 
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! Druid
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**** {{questlong|Horde|62|A Spirit Guide}}
 
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! Shaman
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***** {{questlong|Horde|62|The Mag'har}}
 
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! Paladin
  +
|-
  +
| [[Penance]]
  +
| [[Holy Word: Serenity]]
  +
| [[Swiftmend]]
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| [[Riptide]]
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| [[Holy Shock]]
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|}
   
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In addition, both priest healing skill trees and all other healing classes have an instant healing spell (or in the case of [[Penance]] a channelled one) that has a cooldown. Since these spells have a relatively low mana-cost (lower that the mana-costs of the greater heal of the respective classes), in most cases it will be useful to cast them again as soon as they are ready. Only if the basic healing spell ([[Heal]], [[Nourish]]., etc.) will be sufficient, the cooldown should not be wasted.
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==External links==
 
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−
<!-- Read http://www.wowwiki.com/WoWWiki:External_links before posting your links here.
 
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{|class="darktable"
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Links that do not conform to the rules will be DELETED.
 
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|-
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Repeat violations may result in a BAN.
 
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! Discipline Priest
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Have a nice day. :) -->
 
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! Holy Priest
−
{{Elinks-quest|9406}}
 
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! Druid
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! Shaman
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! Paladin
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|-
  +
| [[Power Word: Barrier]]
  +
| [[Holy Word: Sanctuary]]
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| [[Efflorescence]]
  +
| [[Healing Rain]]
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| [[Holy Radiance]]
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|}
  +
  +
All possible healer specs also have an aoe healing (or shield) spell. Restoration Druids have a talent, which adds such an effect to their [[Swiftmend]] spell.
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  +
{|class="darktable"
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|-
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! Priest
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! Druid
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! Shaman
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! Paladin
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|-
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| [[Resurrection]]
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| [[Revive]]
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| [[Ancestral Spirit (shaman ability)]]
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| [[Redemption]]
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|}
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  +
Not a healing spell as such, but also an essential part of the healer role is the ability to bring back dead comrades.
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  +
===Healing spells similar between two or three classes===
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  +
{|class="darktable"
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|-
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! Priest
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! Druid
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! Shaman
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! Paladin
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|-
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| [[Renew]]
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| [[Rejuvenation]]
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| *[[Riptide]], *[[Earthliving Weapon]]
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| -
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|}
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  +
These two priest and druid spells are the classic [[heal over time]] (hot) spells; A shaman has a different way of applying hot-effects; [[Riptide]] has a hot component (but handles differently, since it has a cooldown and its main effect is a direct heal), and [[Earthliving Weapon]] gives the shaman a 20% chance to apply a hot effect with his other healing spells.
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  +
{|class="darktable"
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|-
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! Priest
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! Druid
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! Shaman
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! Paladin
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|-
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| [[Prayer of Mending]]
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| *[[Living Seed]]
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| [[Earth Shield]]
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| -
  +
|}
  +
  +
Priests and Shamans have a spell that heals the target the next time it takes damage. A priest's [[Prayer of Mending]] has a cooldown, and a soon as its target has taken damage, it jumps to the next raid member, up to five times in total. However, often the priest's spell is used similarly to [[Earth Shield]], and recast on the tank as soons as it is ready, whereas the later is always kept on the tank. Druids have a skill that adds a similar effect to their critical heals with some spells.
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  +
{|class="darktable"
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|-
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! Discipline Priest
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! Holy Priest
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! Druid
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! Shaman
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! Paladin
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|-
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| -
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| [[Circle of Healing]]
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| [[Wild Growth]]
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| -
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| [[Light of Dawn]]
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|}
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  +
Holy Priests and Druids have a instant cast smart spell with a cooldown that heals multiple targets. A "smart" heal spell automatically prioritizes the targets with the least amount of absolute health. Usually a holy priest or druid would want to cast this spell as soons as it is ready, if several raidmembers have taken damage and are not to far apart from each other. A paladin's [[Light of Dawn]] is similar, but more difficult to use. It doesn't have a cooldown, but requires charges of holy power. In addition, it only heals targets in front of the paladin.
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  +
{|class="darktable"
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|-
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! Priest
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! Druid
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! Shaman
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! Paladin
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|-
  +
| [[Prayer of Healing]]
  +
| -
  +
| [[Chain Heal]]
  +
| -
  +
|}
  +
  +
A shaman's [[Chain Heal]] is also a smart spell, but it has a casting time and no cooldown, so that it handles more like a priest's [[Prayer of Healing]]. Both spells are useful to restore the hp of several raidmembers, if the raid has taken a lot of damage.
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  +
{|class="darktable"
  +
|-
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! Discipline Priest
  +
! Holy Priest
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! Druid
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! Shaman
  +
! Paladin
  +
|-
  +
| -
  +
| [[Guardian Spirit]]
  +
| *[[Rebirth]]
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| -
  +
| [[Lay on Hands]]
  +
|}
  +
  +
Holy priests and Paladins have an instant cast spell, that allows them to save a character who has very low hitpoints and is taking a lot of damage from certain death. This ability has a long cooldown and should only be used as last resort. A druid's rebirth is equally usefull, since it can bring back a character after he has died, although only once per combat. A discipline priest's [[Pain Suppression]] is only remotely similar. It should generally not be used on tanks (since it causes them to lose aggro), and it will hardly save a character who is taking heavy damage and is low on hitpoints, since it only reduces damage taken.
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  +
{|class="darktable"
  +
|-
  +
! Discipline Priest
  +
! Holy Priest
  +
! Druid
  +
! Shaman
  +
! Paladin
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|-
  +
| [[Pain Suppression]]
  +
| -
  +
| -
  +
| -
  +
| [[Hand of Salvation]], [[Hand of Sacrifice]]
  +
|}
  +
  +
A discipline priest's [[Pain Suppression]] actually combines the effects of two paladin spells.
  +
  +
{|class="darktable"
  +
|-
  +
! Discipline Priest
  +
! Holy Priest
  +
! Druid
  +
! Shaman
  +
! Paladin
  +
|-
  +
| *[[Power Infusion]]
  +
| -
  +
| [[Tree of Life (druid ability)]]
  +
| [[Spiritwalker's Grace]]
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| [[Avenging Wrath]]
  +
|}
  +
  +
A druid's [[Tree of Life (druid ability)]] combines the effects of two other spells, too. It increases all healing done like a paladin's [[Avenging Wrath]], and it alters some spells, giving the druid a greater ability to continue healing while moving; in the later respect it is similar to a shaman's [[Spiritwalker's Grace]]. Discipline priests also have a temporary buff, which can also be cast on other players.
  +
  +
===Unique spells===
  +
====Druid====
  +
*[[Lifebloom]] (stackable hot)
  +
====Priest====
  +
*[[Power Word: Shield]] (Discipline)
  +
*[[Leap of Faith]]
  +
*[[Power Word: Shield]] (Holy, with [[Body and Soul]])
  +
*[[Binding Heal]], [[Desperate Prayer]] (Holy skill) (self-healing)
  +
  +
====Shaman====
  +
*[[Healing Stream Totem]]
  +
*[[Reincarnation]]
  +
  +
====Paladin====
  +
*[[Beacon of Light]]
  +
*[[Word of Glory]] (direct heal, but requires charges of holy power)
  +
  +
== Strength of classes ==
  +
  +
*Druid
  +
** Group Healer via large number of HoTs (Heals over Time).Powered up with Restoration Tree's [[Tree of Life (druid ability)]].
  +
*Paladin
  +
** Tank Healer via [[Holy Light]] criticals, possibly both tanks healer via [[Beacon of Light]].
  +
*Priest
  +
** In Holy spec: Group Healer via sheer variety of healing spells, such as [[Renew]], [[Prayer of Healing]], [[Prayer of Mending]] and still usable [[Circle of Healing]].
  +
** In Disc spec: Non-tank target-healer/damage mitigator, useful as support on tank and party single-target burst healing/preserving from death. Main disc-priest spells are [[Power Word: Shield]] and [[Penance]] (powerful burst-heal, channeled for 2sec (without haste and untalented) - 3 charges with interval 0.66 sec between them)
  +
*Shaman
  +
** Passive
  +
*** Group Healer via [[Healing Stream Totem]]
  +
*** Tank Healer via [[Earth Shield]]
  +
** Active
  +
*** Raid Healer via [[Chain Heal]] and [[Healing Surge]]
  +
*** Tank Healer via [[Healing Wave]] and [[Greater Healing Wave]]
  +
  +
=== As a group healer ===
  +
  +
As apparent from the comparison of healing spells, different classes have a different way of group healing. There are two 'styles' of group healing. Druids keep recasting [[Wild Growth]] (as soon as it is ready) and use their hot spells, while shamans keep recasting [[Chain Heal]] (which has no cooldown!). A Holy priest's group healing is a combination of both styles: [[Circle of Healing]] is cast whenever it is ready, else [[Prayer of Healing]] and [[Renew]] are used. [[Prayer of Mending]] is also cast when ready, since it jumps 5 times, so that it also works as a group heal spell. The reason it is usually cast the tank is, that it only works if the target takes damage, and the tank is usually guaranteed to take damage. [[Glyph of Prayer of Mending]] increases the heal on the first target by 60%. A discipline priest's renew spell is slightly weaker, and a discipline priest doesn't have an instant group heal, so that his group healing appears to be more of the second style, relying on [[Prayer of Healing]]. On the other hand, a discipline priest has the [[Power Word: Shield]] spell, with a 1 second cooldown, so that it can be used for group 'shielding'.
  +
  +
Paladins have the most difficult time as a group healer. They neither have a useful hot spell (like a druid's [[Rejuvenation]]), nor an group heal ability that can be casted constantly (like a shaman's [[Chain Heal]]). A paladin's [[Light of Dawn]] and [[Beacon of Light]] can't compensate for this. For these reasons raids will generally avoid to assign a holy paladin as a group healer.
  +
  +
== Classes, Races and Professions That Have Limited Ability to Heal Others ==
  +
  +
=== Class ===
  +
These classes may heal in one way or another.
  +
  +
* [[Death Knight]]: All Death Knights can heal themselves by using [[Death Strike]], but only [[Death knight talents#Blood|Blood]] builds specialize in this.
  +
* [[Druid]]: While in shapeshift forms (other than [[Tree of Life (druid ability)]]) cannot use any of their healing spells; [[Bear Form]] druids can heal themselves with [[Frenzied Regeneration]].
  +
* [[Hunter]]: Can heal their own [[pet]].
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* [[Warlock]]: Can heal their own pet, and themselves by different methods; [[Healthstone]] provides a potion-like ability.
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* [[Warrior]]: Through talents such as [[Blood Craze]] and [[Second Wind (warrior talent)]], and abilities such as [[Victory Rush]] and [[Enraged Regeneration]].
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[[Rogue]]s and [[Warriors]] can also use [[Darkmoon Card: Heroism]] for self healing and [[Enchant Weapon - Battlemaster|Battlemaster]]-enchanted weapons to heal their party.
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=== Race ===
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* All [[Draenei]] have the [[Racial]] ability [[Gift of the Naaru]] which can be used to heal themselves and others, giving non-healing Draenei classes a healing spell, however the spell is on a three-minute [[cooldown]] and thus not very useful by itself as a primary healing spell.
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* All [[Troll]]s have the Racial ability [[Regeneration (racial)]] which increases their health regeneration bonus by 10% and allows 10% of normal health regen during combat.
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=== Profession ===
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*The [[First Aid]] profession allows a character to make [[bandage|bandages]] which can be used on themselves and others, however there are cooldowns involved and damage in combat cancels the application of a bandage.
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*Characters who have [[Herbalism]] over skill level 75 receive the talent [[Lifeblood]], which they can use to heal themselves only.
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==See also ==
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* [http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/classes/index.html Official Blizzard Summary of Classes (including distinction between primary and secondary healers)]
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{{elink|site=The Holy Priest|link=http://theholypriest.com|desc=Items, Addons and tips for healing classes}}
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[[Category:Game terms]]
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[[Category:Partying]]
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[[Category:Shamans]]
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[[Category:Druids]]
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[[Category:Priests]]
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[[Category:Paladins]]

Revision as of 15:32, 15 July 2011

Partying Help
Tactics

Partying
Instancing

Group Roles

Tank
Healer
Damage

Functions

Leader
Crowd control
Main assist
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Rezzer
Scout

Related

Aggro
Hybrid classes
Meeting Stone
Pickup group
Wipe

A healer is a character whose primary combat purpose is to heal friendly creatures or give them defensive buffs. Priests, Druids, Paladins, and Shamans can all serve as healers. Healers are perhaps the most wanted for a dungeon or a raid.

What Healers Should Know

  • In an instance, especially if the healer is significantly lower in level than the tank, the healer should know that he should stand far back and not attack so as not to attract aggro. Keep in mind that if there is no other healer in your group, then your death will most likely result in the death of the rest of the group that is relying on your healing.
  • When you are running low on mana, feel free to request that the group wait for you to drink in order to fill your mana before the next pull. Most group members will understand the importance of a healer’s magic and will wait.
  • In instances, your group will likely be pulling much faster then your regular mana regeneration can keep up with. You will want to keep enough drinks with you that you will not run out even if forced to drink between most pulls, and don’t forget that a mage in your group can provide you with more water. If you do run out of drinks, ask group members if they have any to spare.
  • Remember line of sight and casting range can be limiting factors on heals, especially if teammates are constantly moving in chaotic battles. If you are fighting in an area with a corner or sharp bend, try to position yourself where you can see both sides of the corner in case you need to heal someone who runs around the corner. While not as often a problem, allies can also run out of the range of your heals in the middle of casting. It can be difficult, but if possible, attempt to keep an eye on where everyone is and be ready to reposition yourself the moment you have line-of-sight issues. If an ally is taking damage and you can't figure out where he is, remember the minimap will show nearby allies on it so looking for a dot of an ally not near the rest of the group can help you to find a wayward teammate in trouble.
  • Know the mana efficiency, rate of healing, and cast time of your heals. Healers have multiple heals available to them and at first it can be difficult to know which to use. While learning the role of all your heals, you may want to use mana efficiency relative to your other heals as a rule of thumb for deciding which heal to use. With the exception of Paladins that utilize Spell holy flashheal [Flash of Light], every healer has a single-target, slower heal that provides good mana-to-healing efficiency and often serves as a primary or preferred heal. Due to the slower cast of this primary heal, other less-efficient heals will then be used when you simply do not have time to cast your slower heal. At higher levels, the amount of healing you can do in a given amount of time can also become an issue if your target is constantly taking large amounts of damage; but hopefully by this time you will have developed a good sense of your heals' strengths and weaknesses to help prioritize heals. Remember, the cheapest heal you have may not be your most mana-efficient, nor is the fastest-casting heal necessarily capable of doing the most healing per second. See the Healing Comparison to learn how your heals compare to each other.
  • Remember instant cast heals such as Spell holy renew [Renew] can be used while running. This can allow you to provide healing while fleeing opponents or following your group in an instance. It also is potentially powerful in PvP, being a great way to heal while fleeing enemy players or keeping a fast moving flag carrier alive in Warsong Gulch.
  • Do not forget your multi-target heals. Heals that heal multiple targets or the entire group can potentially be your most mana-efficient heals and can sometimes be the only viable way of healing all those taking damage before someone dies. However, many multi-target heals also generate large sums of hate which can result in all nearby enemies focusing their attacks on you if used at inappropriate times (this is also true in large PvP situations such as battlegrounds). Try to avoid group heals at the start of a fight, and be ready to utilize de-aggro abilities after your group heal if you do draw aggro.
  • You will get aggro in instances. Your heals anger all opponents at once which can easily mean that large pulls result in many uncontrolled mobs attacking you. Know your best means of surviving aggro.
    • Priests are the only healer to have a proper de-aggro ability that affects all enemies, called Spell magic lesserinvisibilty [Fade], which will be a Priest's primary means of dealing with undesired aggro. Keep in mind that once Fade ends, you will regain all of the threat you lost. Spell holy powerwordshield [Power Word: Shield] can also be used both to protect yourself from attack and as a means of controlling hate generation (Shield generates half the hate of simply healing - at the expense of lower mana efficiency). Spell shadow psychicscream [Psychic Scream] will rarely be a viable means of handling unwanted attention in instances or raids, although it is key for doing so in PvP. Remember, when desperate, Spell holy blindingheal [Binding Heal] is an efficient heal that allows one to heal oneself and an ally at the same time, with the added bonus of having lower hate associated with it.
    • Druids in Tree of Life Form do not possess any de-aggro ability; however, night elf druids have a similar ability in Ability ambush [Shadowmeld]. When multiple opponents attack the druid, it is possible to shift into bear form to drastically increase survivability, but doing so keeps the Druid from healing any allies - such as the tank - still being attacked, limiting its usefulness in most middle to upper level instances. At lower levels shifting into bear form and using defensive abilities to increase your survivability can be viable, but do not attack your opponents or you will generate more aggro. Abilities such as Spell nature stranglevines [Entangling Roots] and Spell nature sleep [Hibernate] could potentially be used to control mobs attacking you; unfortunately, most instances have few beast opponents, and neither may be used in Tree of Life form thus these abilities will often not be available to you. Spell nature stoneclawtotem [Barkskin] can provide some temporary defense and remove spell interruption in order for the Druid to attempt to continue healing through damage taken.
    • Paladins will find they have less trouble with aggro then their fellow healers, thanks to their heals generating decreased hate. Spell holy divineshield [Divine Shield] will typically always cause mobs to ignore you, as long as you are not alone in an encounter. Spell holy sealofsalvation [Hand of Salvation] can further decrease the chances of drawing unwanted attention while healing, although it needs some time to reach its full effect. Use Hand of Salvation if you have Spell holy removecurse [Forbearance], otherwise, Divine Shield is better because it is instant and guaranteed aggro loss.
    • Shaman's primary means of handling unwanted aggro is through Wind Shock, although this will only work on one target at a time. Like the Paladin they have the option of using a shield and possess higher defense than the Priest and Druid, providing them the potential to try healing through damage taken. At level 80, shaman can use Spell shaman hex [Hex] to temporarily control one target, thus preventing it from attacking or interfering with healing.
  • When you are with fairly new players, it may help to use slash commands. For instance, there's /oom (out of mana) and /helpme. Especially use /oom when there is an off-healer that may not be paying attention to your mana bar because he is busy with DPS.
  • Each class has an 'off-healer' spec, which generally is the same as the magic DPS spec. Shadow priests, ret pallies, elemental shamans, and balance druids all get talents which increase their heals enough to make them viable secondary healers. If you are one of these specs be prepared to switch to a healing role if your main healer is killed, runs out of mana, or is otherwise occupied. You may not be able to heal for long, but the little healing you can do could save the group in a pinch. This is possibly most important to Druids, as they can theoretically resurrect a healer that died, off heal while the healer resurrects, and then Spell nature lightning [Innervate] the primary healer so that they may return to healing-easily saving the entire group from a wipe.
  • Try to learn the approximate health of your allies and keep watch for overhealing. If your primary heal is consistently overhealing a particular individual you will probably want to use a cheaper heal to avoid paying the mana cost for wasted healing potential. In these cases it might be better to use a smaller heal, though keep in mind that all ranks of the same heal now cost the same amount of mana.
  • Remember your teammate's pets. While pets are far less important then regular group members they do contribute to your group DPS. If you have both time and mana healing pets can be an effective way to help contribute to the teams DPS (via keeping pets alive that would otherwise die). This is especially true for tanking pets (Voidwalkers and tenacious style hunter pets such as bears). A good player can us a tanking pet to off tank an add, but only so long as you are willing to heal the pet. Some fights, such as boss fights with strong AoE's or attacks that must be avoided by moving away from them, are guaranteed to kill pets quickly due to the pet's not avoiding damage the way a human character will; during these type of fights it's best to allow the pet to die immediately as it will be too mana and time consuming to keep them alive.
  • As you become more experienced as a healer, you will find that, in cases where you are running out of mana or when multiple individuals are taking damage at once, triage is necessary to avoid complete group wipes. Although your primary goal should always be to keep everyone in your group alive, at some point in your healing career you will be in situations where you can not possibly save every individual in your group. In such a case, it is imperative to know which individuals are essential to the survival of the group. Remember the tank and yourself will usually take first priority for heals unless you have another individual who can readily take the place of healer or tank should one of you die. Classes providing CC capabilities are next most important with pure damage classes being of less use in most instances. Try to also take notice of the amount of available mana a class has since this can have a large effect on their usefulness in a fight. For instance, a mage with no mana will be doing very little damage, while his low armor and health make him difficult and mana intensive to heal should he be under attack; as such if you are nearly out of mana you may be forced to allow him to die in order to ensure you will have enough left to keep the tank alive. Keep in mind that decisions such as this are for the direst of situations and you should always strive to keep all party members alive if at all possible.

What Healers Want Others to Know

  • Healers need to take a mana break from time to time. Don't become impatient and run off to another collection of mobs before mana is allowed to regenerate.
  • Also, healers are often forced to prioritize party members to ensure overall survival. If a damage-dealer and a tank both require attention, chances are the tank will be seen to first. Please try not to take it personally.
  • Save me! At times it may be essential to take one for the team. Your healer and your tank *should* be doing all they can to give you (the DPS) opportunity to unload on a specified target. Sometimes (additional enemies, threat dropping mobs, etc...) may make this difficult. Understand that, while there may be repair costs involved, ending up without a tank or healer (being that there is only one of each in a 5-man, and they are yet more important in a raid setting) is a VERY bad thing. If you have the means to keep one or the other alive by taking the beating... it may be worth it overall. Odds are your Healer will be so grateful you'll make it through the thick and the thin to save the day!
  • Each class has an 'off-healer' spec, which generally is the same as the magic dps spec. Shadow priests, ret pallies, elemental shamans, and balance druids all get talents which increase their heals enough to make them viable secondary healers. If you are one of these specs be prepaired to switch to a healing role if your main healer is killed, runs out of mana, or is otherwise occupied. You may not be able to heal for long, but the little healing you can do could save the group in a pinch. This is possibly most important to Druids, as they can theoretically ressurect a healer that died, off heal while the healer ressurects, and then innervate the primary healer so that they may return to healing-easily saving the entire group from a wipe.

Healing spells

There are actually not 4, but 5 kinds of healers, since priests have the choice between two different skill trees, Discipline and Holy. Naturally, for raids people like to know which healer ist best suited for a particular role; healing the tank(s) or healing the raid. Usually discipline priests and paladins are considered to be more suited for tank healing. A detailed comparision of healing classes is difficult, since spells are unique for each class; however, there are striking similarities between some spells, and all four healing classes share, since patch 4.0.1., a set of very similar core healing spells.

Core healing spells

Priest Druid Shaman Paladin Use when
Spell holy flashheal [Flash Heal] Spell nature resistnature [Regrowth] Spell nature healingway [Healing Surge] Spell holy flashheal [Flash of Light] Fast healing spell; Useful to save characters from dying.
Spell holy heal [Greater Heal] Spell nature healingtouch [Healing Touch] Spell nature healingwavelesser [Greater Healing Wave] Divine Light Slow, large healing spell; Useful to counteract heavy damage if time is sufficient.
Spell holy greaterheal [Heal] Ability druid nourish [Nourish] Spell nature healingwavelesser [Healing Wave] Spell holy surgeoflight [Holy Light] Slow, mana-efficient heal; Useful to conserve mana when there are no higher priorities.

With Cataclysm, all healing classes share a similar set of core healing spells. One fast, very mana-expensive heal, one slow, but large heal, and one slow, but very mana-efficient heal. Knowing when to cast which spell is important; a healer will surely run out of mana if only the fast healing spell is cast. If only the mana-efficient heal is cast, however, most likely a member of the group or raid will die.

Other healing spells common to all classes

Discipline Priest Holy Priest Druid Shaman Paladin
Spell holy penance [Penance] Spell holy persuitofjustice [Holy Word: Serenity] Inv relics idolofrejuvenation [Swiftmend] Spell nature riptide [Riptide] Spell holy searinglight [Holy Shock]

In addition, both priest healing skill trees and all other healing classes have an instant healing spell (or in the case of Spell holy penance [Penance] a channelled one) that has a cooldown. Since these spells have a relatively low mana-cost (lower that the mana-costs of the greater heal of the respective classes), in most cases it will be useful to cast them again as soon as they are ready. Only if the basic healing spell (Spell holy greaterheal [Heal], Ability druid nourish [Nourish]., etc.) will be sufficient, the cooldown should not be wasted.

Discipline Priest Holy Priest Druid Shaman Paladin
Spell holy powerwordbarrier [Power Word: Barrier] Spell holy divineprovidence [Holy Word: Sanctuary] Inv misc herb talandrasrose [Efflorescence] Spell nature giftofthewaterspirit [Healing Rain] Spell paladin divinecircle [Holy Radiance]

All possible healer specs also have an aoe healing (or shield) spell. Restoration Druids have a talent, which adds such an effect to their Inv relics idolofrejuvenation [Swiftmend] spell.

Priest Druid Shaman Paladin
Spell holy resurrection [Resurrection] Ability druid lunarguidance [Revive] Ancestral Spirit (shaman ability) Spell holy resurrection [Redemption]

Not a healing spell as such, but also an essential part of the healer role is the ability to bring back dead comrades.

Healing spells similar between two or three classes

Priest Druid Shaman Paladin
Spell holy renew [Renew] Spell nature rejuvenation [Rejuvenation] *Spell nature riptide [Riptide], *Spell shaman giftearthmother [Earthliving Weapon] -

These two priest and druid spells are the classic heal over time (hot) spells; A shaman has a different way of applying hot-effects; Spell nature riptide [Riptide] has a hot component (but handles differently, since it has a cooldown and its main effect is a direct heal), and Spell shaman giftearthmother [Earthliving Weapon] gives the shaman a 20% chance to apply a hot effect with his other healing spells.

Priest Druid Shaman Paladin
Spell holy prayerofmendingtga [Prayer of Mending] *Ability druid giftoftheearthmother [Living Seed] Spell nature skinofearth [Earth Shield] -

Priests and Shamans have a spell that heals the target the next time it takes damage. A priest's Spell holy prayerofmendingtga [Prayer of Mending] has a cooldown, and a soon as its target has taken damage, it jumps to the next raid member, up to five times in total. However, often the priest's spell is used similarly to Spell nature skinofearth [Earth Shield], and recast on the tank as soons as it is ready, whereas the later is always kept on the tank. Druids have a skill that adds a similar effect to their critical heals with some spells.

Discipline Priest Holy Priest Druid Shaman Paladin
- Spell holy circleofrenewal [Circle of Healing] Ability druid flourish [Wild Growth] - Spell paladin lightofdawn [Light of Dawn]

Holy Priests and Druids have a instant cast smart spell with a cooldown that heals multiple targets. A "smart" heal spell automatically prioritizes the targets with the least amount of absolute health. Usually a holy priest or druid would want to cast this spell as soons as it is ready, if several raidmembers have taken damage and are not to far apart from each other. A paladin's Spell paladin lightofdawn [Light of Dawn] is similar, but more difficult to use. It doesn't have a cooldown, but requires charges of holy power. In addition, it only heals targets in front of the paladin.

Priest Druid Shaman Paladin
Spell holy prayerofhealing02 [Prayer of Healing] - Spell nature healingwavegreater [Chain Heal] -

A shaman's Spell nature healingwavegreater [Chain Heal] is also a smart spell, but it has a casting time and no cooldown, so that it handles more like a priest's Spell holy prayerofhealing02 [Prayer of Healing]. Both spells are useful to restore the hp of several raidmembers, if the raid has taken a lot of damage.

Discipline Priest Holy Priest Druid Shaman Paladin
- Spell holy guardianspirit [Guardian Spirit] *Spell nature reincarnation [Rebirth] - Spell holy layonhands [Lay on Hands]

Holy priests and Paladins have an instant cast spell, that allows them to save a character who has very low hitpoints and is taking a lot of damage from certain death. This ability has a long cooldown and should only be used as last resort. A druid's rebirth is equally usefull, since it can bring back a character after he has died, although only once per combat. A discipline priest's Spell holy painsupression [Pain Suppression] is only remotely similar. It should generally not be used on tanks (since it causes them to lose aggro), and it will hardly save a character who is taking heavy damage and is low on hitpoints, since it only reduces damage taken.

Discipline Priest Holy Priest Druid Shaman Paladin
Spell holy painsupression [Pain Suppression] - - - Spell holy sealofsalvation [Hand of Salvation], Spell holy sealofsacrifice [Hand of Sacrifice]

A discipline priest's Spell holy painsupression [Pain Suppression] actually combines the effects of two paladin spells.

Discipline Priest Holy Priest Druid Shaman Paladin
*Spell holy powerinfusion [Power Infusion] - Tree of Life (druid ability) Spell shaman spiritwalkersgrace [Spiritwalker's Grace] Spell holy avenginewrath [Avenging Wrath]

A druid's Tree of Life (druid ability) combines the effects of two other spells, too. It increases all healing done like a paladin's Spell holy avenginewrath [Avenging Wrath], and it alters some spells, giving the druid a greater ability to continue healing while moving; in the later respect it is similar to a shaman's Spell shaman spiritwalkersgrace [Spiritwalker's Grace]. Discipline priests also have a temporary buff, which can also be cast on other players.

Unique spells

Druid

Priest

Shaman

Paladin

Strength of classes

As a group healer

As apparent from the comparison of healing spells, different classes have a different way of group healing. There are two 'styles' of group healing. Druids keep recasting Ability druid flourish [Wild Growth] (as soon as it is ready) and use their hot spells, while shamans keep recasting Spell nature healingwavegreater [Chain Heal] (which has no cooldown!). A Holy priest's group healing is a combination of both styles: Spell holy circleofrenewal [Circle of Healing] is cast whenever it is ready, else Spell holy prayerofhealing02 [Prayer of Healing] and Spell holy renew [Renew] are used. Spell holy prayerofmendingtga [Prayer of Mending] is also cast when ready, since it jumps 5 times, so that it also works as a group heal spell. The reason it is usually cast the tank is, that it only works if the target takes damage, and the tank is usually guaranteed to take damage. Inv glyph majorpriest [Glyph of Prayer of Mending] increases the heal on the first target by 60%. A discipline priest's renew spell is slightly weaker, and a discipline priest doesn't have an instant group heal, so that his group healing appears to be more of the second style, relying on Spell holy prayerofhealing02 [Prayer of Healing]. On the other hand, a discipline priest has the Spell holy powerwordshield [Power Word: Shield] spell, with a 1 second cooldown, so that it can be used for group 'shielding'.

Paladins have the most difficult time as a group healer. They neither have a useful hot spell (like a druid's Spell nature rejuvenation [Rejuvenation]), nor an group heal ability that can be casted constantly (like a shaman's Spell nature healingwavegreater [Chain Heal]). A paladin's Spell paladin lightofdawn [Light of Dawn] and Ability paladin beaconoflight [Beacon of Light] can't compensate for this. For these reasons raids will generally avoid to assign a holy paladin as a group healer.

Classes, Races and Professions That Have Limited Ability to Heal Others

Class

These classes may heal in one way or another.

Rogues and Warriors can also use Inv misc ticket tarot heroism 01 [Darkmoon Card: Heroism] for self healing and Battlemaster-enchanted weapons to heal their party.

Race

  • All Draenei have the Racial ability Spell holy holyprotection [Gift of the Naaru] which can be used to heal themselves and others, giving non-healing Draenei classes a healing spell, however the spell is on a three-minute cooldown and thus not very useful by itself as a primary healing spell.
  • All Trolls have the Racial ability Spell nature regenerate [Regeneration] which increases their health regeneration bonus by 10% and allows 10% of normal health regen during combat.

Profession

  • The First Aid profession allows a character to make bandages which can be used on themselves and others, however there are cooldowns involved and damage in combat cancels the application of a bandage.
  • Characters who have Herbalism over skill level 75 receive the talent Warlock healthstone [Lifeblood], which they can use to heal themselves only.

See also