]]>Someone posted on BoK that they thought that Priests, normally thought of as a “pure” healing class, are hybrids. Here was my two cents on the matter.
Reply:
]]>Meh. something I’ve believed for a long time. I’ve been on both sides of the screen, played a priest for 2 years and now am playing a pally.
Disclaimer: The following opinions only regard PVE content in a raid format
However, there’s a important distinction. There are two types (at least only two types of hybrids that I’m going to use in this discussion): role hybrids and methods hybrids.
Role hybrids are classes that can fit into multiple roles but not nearly as effectively as a “pure” class, i.e. druids, shamen, and pallies. Then there are method hybrids, whom have the same roles, but multiple ways of doing them, like healing.
Now, in terms of role hybrids, they have to be weaker in all of their roles, else there would be no reason to play a “pure” class. Why restrict yourself if you’re only going to be substandard right? As such, when doing raid makeups, when you are concerned with min/maxing for progression, the obvious choice would be to fill with a bunch of pures, with fewer role hybrids because you’re concerned with maxing your capabilities.
However, in terms of method hybrids, having more options is a good thing. Paladins have no options (which, having played a priest for a long time, IMHO, makes paladins one of the worst healers). You have 2 useful spells. Heal, and more bigger heal. Yes, there is holy shock, but for the most part, holy shock just doesn’t heal enough or scale well enough to be worth the GC a lot of the time.
One up the chain you have shammies, who have the same options you do, plus a smart aoe heal (chain heal), and a single target smart hot (earthshield). On top of that, a big insta on a timer. And thus I feel resto shaman’s are “better” healers.
Some of you will say, well… wtf. Shamans focused in pvp and they OOM faster and they don’t have blessings. Well… survivability is a separate issue, and blessings aren’t healing per se. Limit the discussion to heals. Mana longevity is a tricky subject, because different fights favor different healing styles and different healing needs. Better to just table the subject and assume that everyone is a hardcore player that will not oom in some trivial amount of time because they will blow consumables and such.
Druids are next up on the totem pole IMO, with many HOT options, a battle res (and ignoring the fact that they don’t have a normal res… this discussion is limited to PVE raids), as well as a limited large aoe heal, and a fast heal option through swiftmend/renew. And also a big insta on a timer.
On the top, I consider the priests, because they have the most tools at their disposal. Large fast heals, efficient slow heals, effective Hots, Good AOE heal ability, and a great ~1.5k insta on a 4 second cool (pw:s). It’s no NS, but having a quick ZOMG reliable 1.5k on your bench can save many lives.
Granted, there are a lot more than what spells are in your stable to good healers, and from experience as a pally tank, I know I’d rather have a good pally or shammy healer rather than a bad holy priest at my side, regardless of my thoughts on the class balance.
Personally, even though I may get flamed for my opinion, but pally healing IMO stinks. I guess when the only tool in your toolbox is hammer, all the problems of the world look like nails. Pallies get really hurt on battles where there are a lot of movement, because they have no hots to smooth the spikes, nor do they have a good way to mitigate damage from multiple sources. Heal… and more bigger heal. That’s it. Oh there are things I wish for… like a better heal COEF on shock, or some kind of fire and forget or some way to mitigate aoe… but sadly, the only thing that is sort of working right now is Holy Pallies. I want ret and prot to get some love first.
Pallies get it both ways. We’re both role hybrids and pure single target healers. We’re certainly good and keeping that 1 guy up.
]]>So like I was looking for a party for awhile I wanted some good loot and I havent had one since 15, then one day…
This druid chick came up to me I was chilling up in ashenvale grinding some naga, and she saw me and was all like “hey I like the way you grind” , and im like thanks. But I was this one hand mace to get my skill up, every man has to be able to go one handed solo you know? So I was there working it with my one hand and she was like “so do you have a nice two hander?” haha I thought girl obviously doesn’t know this draenei, “of course I do its real nice” I said
. “Real nice huh, and big?” she said. “Yea, Verigan’s fist, its big blue and just for you if you like” I know corny but hay I haven’t had a group in along time and this cat druid was just the party I was looking for. What she said shocked me “oh I love the fist, think you can teach me how its used?” im like WTF every one knows the 2h trainer is in ironforge, and this weapon is for paladins only but w/e maybe I can show this druid although she should have learned this stuff by now.
So I whipped out my big hammer, gripped it with both hands and began to swing it in front of her to show her how to use it. But she was all like “wow I don’t think I have the skill enough to use something like that” and im like “ha, im sure you can, let me show you” so I went to trade her my hammer but then remember it wouldn’t leave my body, duh soulbound, (btw soulbound is stupid but ok). But anyway she’s like “na I rather just duel ya and see how you use it in action”. Hey? I wanted a party and a duel is a great way to build trust so im like “heck ya I’ll show you how draenei wield their hammer”.
But she she said “but just don’t use your tenticles, there long and really unfair to use”. And im like gah, I love those things. So im like “fine but you cant stop me from using my tail”, she groans of course but accepts to the terms. So we drop our flags and get right into it, she purrs at me (I think she was taunting me) and begins to bite me all over, of course I bring down my hammer and began to pound her with it. First thou I brought up my seal, my friends tell me I should never duel with out a seal up.
They say you can get into so many problems if ya don’t seal it up, before you tear it up. I know it’s a lot of work and stuff, sealing it up, judging it off, but w/e I figure it’s the smart thing to do. So we have been going at it, my hammer was kinda big for her, she lost a lot of hp quickly, and began to run, of course I knew she would, I mean who would wanna take a full Verigan’s fist? So she makes a break for it to the river, I figure she thought she could kite me around, but im a rp and my character doesn’t like to get wet. But she jumped right in. At this point im like “great she’s all wet”, then she yells out “hey im ready”. And im like w/e I can do this im not gonna quit before I get her off, I don’t want her running around thinking I don’t know how to use this thing.
So I jumped in and began to fight her, she was all “Oooooooh” and I was all “grunt, grrr eh eh eh”, she was a tough little %!#!@ cat. (Nerf druids plz). But finally I was getting the upper hand but she busted out and tangled me up in this bush thing. Then she yelled out “oh my is that all you got I just barely got wet, and not even done”I wasn’t about to stand her be rude to me I took over half her hp away! So I yelled “get read to see a paladins poweeeer!!!” and I Whipped out my hammer of justice and it stunned her, finally I was ready after all this time, and released my judgment on her, her face covered in bright white light. She got to her knees and looked up to me.
“I give I give, wow you do know how to use your hammer, and that stun, geez its so powerful it must have a huge cool”. Then I looked to her and smirked and said “hey if you wanna see a long cool down wait to I lay my hands on ya”. She groaned loudly. I don’t think she wanted me to pound her anymore today she looked beat, but because I did so completely satisfy her questions of how I use my equipment she decided I was paladin enough for her and we partied up. Got some nice loot from that run. And added her to my friends list.
Shesh do all paladins have to prove that yes, the hammer is that big and they know how to use it? If so being a paladin is gonna require a lot of work, i dont wanna have to go threw this every time just to get a party, thats kinda brutal.
Source: Wow: Paladin Forums
]]>BTW: It only took me 6 hours 30 mins to figure out how install the appropriate packages to do the file conversion. Yay Linux.
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Yeah. I had to run out to my car to get my laptop to login to WoW at work because some other guy in the dorms was having network connectivity problems. I of course, in my infinite (yet finite…. wait… that doesn’t make sense) geekitude, was able to log on, and secure myself a 17ms ping. (and 15fps… but lets not go there =p)
Now to get them to put WoW on the supported programs list so I can get paid for raiding. Heck I’ll volunteer for shifts…
Hey Geek! Go home! You’ve been here for 16 hours!
But but… I have to tank for Kharazan!
Now all I would need is a cot under my desk and a way to pause WoW so I could take phone calls between pulls.
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