Looking Back on Healing…
I was just doing some reading, and found an old post I made right after the first instance that Kely healed on (Culling of Stratholme, in case you are curious). In it, I state…
So, what did I learn on my first run out?
Lesson One: While I have to watch the entire party – I really, really need to pay attention to the Tank and to myself. I did a good job on watching the tank – did a bad job watching myself. Kat won’t be there next time to keep me topped off – and if I die, then the tank dies.
Lesson Two: If you’re going to spam something, then spam Lifebloom and Rejuv; not Regrowth. I started the run with lots and lots of Regrowth and Nurture… that really didn’t work out too well, and I ended up having to play catch up far too often. There is a time and a place for regrowth, but not as the primary heal spell. Once I started to get the hang of the spells I started using Lifebloom and Healing Touch a lot more, with Regrowth thrown in just to HoT up the Tank if he started to take some serious damage.
Lesson Three: With a party, Wild Growth is my friend. Seriously. Once we were past the second boss I started to keep the tank targeted, and between Lifeblooms and Rejuv, I’d hit the party with a Wild Growth. Kept everyone topped off, and I didn’t have to CTRL-TAB through targets to do so.
Lesson Four: Don’t blow ‘Nature’s Swiftness’ on Trash. Not unless you’ve got at least three minutes until the next boss.
Lesson Five: Druids are not Mages. Druids do not have Evocate or Mana Biscuits. I need to purchase some good Mana food before runs, and I need a really good stack of Runic Mana pots. That said, I only actually ran out of Mana once during the run, and I was able to Pot and keep healing.
So, looking back after months of raid healing, what do I have to add or change?
Lesson One: Well, Duh.
Lesson Two: Lifebloom is nice, but if you’re going to spam anything then Rejuv and Nurture. Between the Rejuv trinkets, and Idols, and Glyphs – it only makes sense to make that one of your primary spells. During heavy damage fights, Nurture is your friend. Otherwise, sure – I’ll still stand by that.
Lesson Three: Yes! Yes! Yes! I LOVE ‘Wild Growth’. Once I hit Rejuv, I’m usually following up with ‘Wild Growth’ and just ignoring the ‘That Spell Is Not Ready Yet’ message. I usually cast it on the tank and it’ll pick up the Melee DPS for you. After Rejuv, easily my favorite healing spell.
Lesson Four: It doesn’t matter. Blow ‘Nature’s Swiftness’ every time it is up, if you like. Honestly, I don’t use it much because I’m not a Healing Touch healer. In my opinion, while it is a big heal, it is just too mana intensive to be effective. But, if I were a Healing Touch druid, I’d still blow it every time it was up. The spell simply doesn’t do you any good just sitting there, and if you wait until you’re backed into a corner to use it then it is probably already too late.
Lesson Five: Druids still are not mages. We don’t run out of mana nearly as quickly. Mana Regen for druids, as Shanaria told me some time ago, is highly dependent on your gear. If you have good gear, you won’t run out of mana – it’s that simple. And if you do, there is always Innervate.
Hunters are OP
Ok. Low Level hunters, with a new kitty, are OP. My little horde hunter just hit 10, and went and tamed one of the Lynx near Silvermoon. Oh my god. I do NOT remember being a low level hunter being this easy. I never pull aggro from my cat, and – if I’m lucky – I’m getting like three shots off before the mob is dead.
Seriously. It’s that easy now. So far, at level 12, she has died once – and that was because I made a wrong turn and end up pull like four groups at once.
On Role Playing
I’ve updated Ame, Kely and Glith’s descriptions here (over on the ‘About Me’ section). I’ll be adding more on their backgrounds later. I’ve also got a good background written up for my horde hunter – I may wait until Cataclysm to roll another Alliance RP toon – and when I do it’ll be a Nelf Mage.
Yes, I love Elves. Even my lone human – Amerya – can (IC’ly) speak Darnassan**, studied Kaldorei lore, moved to Darnassus and fell hard for a Night Elf. No, she didn’t have an easy time of it – Mages really aren’t trusted at all in Darnassus – but she didn’t care.
Anyway, I’ll post when I have more up to read.
** I really wish Blizz would let you purchase into speaking other languages in your faction (or heck, out of your faction – it’d be nice to shout back at the damn horde that keep yelling in Dalaran). They could do it as a ‘Language’ Trainer. In game I end up having to use Lore to fake it, or having whomever is playing an elf whisper me what they just said in [Darnassan] so I can make sure she reacts properly. Frustrating.
Beyond the Horizon 