That being said... I've decided to make another healer's guide. Why? Because I think that there's more to healing well than just knowing what skills you have, which is what I focused on in my last guide, Bandaids and Disinfectant Required. I'm aiming for this guide to be more beginner-healer friendly than the last one and I'll explain things [hopefully] a little better than I had the last time. As a warning, this will probably become a little long, so I hope you're prepared! (Though, I hope it'll be more entertaining and less textbook-ish.) So let's get started, shall we?
The Party: The Other Roles
For any World of Warcraft player, these icons are self-explanatory, but there are many other MMOs besides just World of Warcraft. These icons represent the basic player/character roles within a dungeon party. Keep in mind that the numbers in your party (or raid, for that matter) don't have to be three or five. Every game is different and some games have different numbers for different scenarios. Some dungeons require three players, some five, some 10 or 25, some are even personalized dungeons where only one player can go in. Regardless of the numbers, each party should have three different "types" of members within it.
Yes, I know you know you're a healer and this information isn't specific to you, but it's important that you read it. Why? Because knowing how your other players/roles work will make you a better healer. Eventually, depending on your skill level, dungeon (if you've gone through it several times, for example), and other players (if you've played with them before, for example), you'll probably be able to guess when a DPS might start to draw aggro, which will allow you to make sure you heal them at just the right time. You'll also be able to tell your party if a particularly hard part of a dungeon is coming up, if your other members should be told of something ("This boss does AoE damage at X time," for example) or other things that can help save your party from potentially failing the dungeon.
The Tank
General Role: Meatshield
The tank's role is to provide your monsters something to pound against while the other party members take its health out. Tanks will do this through aggro-drawing abilities, such as taunts, or high-threat skills. ("Aggro," for those unfamiliar with the term, is basically your monster's attention and who it's focused on.)
Your tank should be able to manage to keep multiple enemies on itself, especially bosses. There are exceptions, of course, to this rule. If a DPS starts attacking a monster that your tank isn't focused on, odds are, the DPS will draw aggro to itself. If you see this happening, politely tell them to attack monsters that the tank is attacking only-- typically, a tank will point this out, so you shouldn't have to. Another time is when a boss fight is scripted to attack a random player, a player closest to it, etc.. In these situations, it might be hard for the tank (if not impossible in some situations) for the tank to keep aggro, so be on alert if a boss fights in this manner.
A tank's primary stats should be things that boost its health and defense, typically. After all, the higher the health, the more of a beating it can take, and the more defense, the less likely they are to die when taking said beating. If you notice the tank's health "yo-yoing," or frequently jumping between lots of health and very little health, either they don't have good gear/stats/talents/etc., or are new tanks and aren't sure of what they're doing. Yo-yoing tanks are annoying to deal with and tend to drain your mana reserves, so be careful. If you have any damage mitigation (shields, damage-absorption spells, etc.,) it's best to use those when you can as long as they don't take up too much of your health.
As a healer, your focus should be primarily on your tank and keeping him alive. Typically, other roles in the party cannot handle the pounding that a tank can and will die rather quickly if the tank cannot be there to protect them.
DPS ("Damage Per Second")
General Role: Kill stuff as quickly as possible
Just as the name implies, DPS is a blanket term for all players who deal damage (just about any class can fulfill this role, though some are obviously more geared toward it than others). Their job is to take down everything as quickly as they can. That does not mean, however, that they go on a massive killing spree and target everything within sight. DPS (especially in WoW) are rather notorious for being... well, retarded. I think that part of it is that DPS classes don't require as much skill as a tank or a healer; they have to know their skills and things, sure, but they generally don't have to worry about the other members of the party and they just need to take things down while staying alive. That and DPS is typically easier to play, as it's basically what you do when you do quests and explore in the environment in the game. However, there's a bit more to it than just hackin' and slashin' your way through things.
DPS players should not draw aggro from the tank. Sometimes it happens, especially if a DPS attacks monsters that the tank isn't fighting directly or hasn't gotten much aggro on. But if a DPS is pulling (taking away from/bringing to itself) monsters frequently, then either they're not being careful or the tank isn't being effective. (I've seen it typically being the former, not the latter.)
"But, LMS! What if a DPS keeps drawing aggro after I or the tank have told them to be more careful?"
Stop healing them. I know it sounds harsh, but it's what you have to do sometimes. In my opinion, if a DPS keeps pulling, then they should be prepared to take care of themselves if they lose health. If they die and complain about the lack of healing, tell them that you'll heal them when they stop pulling; your focus should be on the tank and the party as a whole, and catering all of your heals to an irresponsible DPS will just suck your mana dry and you might also risk having the rest of your party die because the DPS kept dying.
DPS players should be mindful of their health in general. I've played as a DPS before and I admit, focusing on killing things often leads me to forget about my health. But they should always have an eye on their health and be prepared with a few potions/health regen items or abilities just in case they do take some damage that they can fix themselves. I know I've appreciated it when DPS members heal themselves when I'm busy taking care of others, and I imagine other healers feel the same way. After all, it saves you mana, which means you can heal more and keep others alive.
Healing Guidelines for New Healers
General Advice and Things to Consider
For those that are still reading this, you're probably wondering what sort of information I'd provide for you when it comes to healing. There is quite a bit, honestly. I figured I'd start out with general tips and things that some healers might overlook when they start healing. Things like preparing for dungeons, things that you'd need to bring with you on dungeon runs, etc., which can make or break your run, in some cases.
Prepare Yourself!
This might seem kind of obvious and in a sense, it is. But being reminded about preparations is still useful from time to time. You've decided that it's time for you to give your hand at a dungeon healer. Great! But... Where do you start? Do you just run in? No, of course not.
Let's assume that you're waiting to find a party. Some games, like WoW, have a "dungeon finder" feature, which allows you to be put into a party with other players for a dungeon. You'll find that there are two different "options" or "styles." You'll either sign up for a specific or a random dungeon. Let's now assume that you've signed up for a specific dungeon, but wait! You've never been there before! How will you know what's going on?
The best thing to do is to use your downtime to look up some quick dungeon strategies. Larger or more popular games will have the advantage here as there will be plenty of guides, which can be very detailed on the encounters you'll face. You might even be able to find healer-oriented guides for your dungeon if you're lucky. Just be careful not to spend too much time reading, as you might miss your call for a dungeon. (You can, of course, look into the dungeons you can get into before you sign up for a dungeon party, so you don't run the risk of missing out. MMOs typically don't offer so many dungeons that you'd spend hours reading on them.)
The other option, too, is to let your party know that you've never been through that dungeon before and to ask for any tips or advice for boss encounters and the like. Often, many parties will be both more understanding if something should go wrong on your part and will also offer helpful advice to get you and your party through the dungeon easily. I found for example, when I did the Halls of Origination dungeon in WoW for the first time, that there was something essential to defeating the boss that only I could do because of my skill sets and I wouldn't have known that if I hadn't asked.
Preparations also includes making sure you have all necessary items for your skills, potions, and things. Depending on your mana pool, mana efficiency, and all that stuff, you may want to bring a lot of potions. I typically like to have a stack of mana potions (the numbers vary by game, of course, but usually a stack is at least 20, on average) and a handful of health potions, just in case. If you have any potions that give you benefits, such as increased cast speed, mana pool, etc., bring some of those too if you like (I usually don't until closer to end-game contents, but that's just personal play style). I also definitely bring LOTS of drinks and some food. You'll need these to recover mana in between fights and I have had parties that only let me drink for 5 seconds before engaging in battle, so be sure to bring lots of them. If you have any special skills that require items to be used before you can use your spell (some resurrection spells, for example, require reagents), bring some of those as well. This will limit the amount of stuff you'll be able to pick up, of course, but they're necessary to run a dungeon successfully as a healer.
Communication
I can't stress enough how important it is for you and your party to communicate. Aside from letting your party know if you haven't been to a dungeon before, you and your party should be communicating about nearly everything. If you need to take a mana break and sit and drink, tell them. If you're running out of mana in a fight, tell them. If you or a DPS has accidentally pulled something, say something. If buffs have run out, say something. Only on rare occasions have I seen parties successfully complete a dungeon with no problems without any form of communication.Talking with your party, letting them know what's going on, and all that stuff prevents your faces from wiping the floor, your party ragequitting, and leaving you an angry healer. Angry healers are not fun. Think of it this way: it's like throwing a cat into a bathtub. The results are a mad-dash out of the tub, lots of biting and clawing anything in the direct line of path, lots of hissing (and cursing) and some mild trauma.
Be Polite
...But don't be a walking doormat, either. It's a general rule of MMO-thumb that if you are nice to other players, they'll be nice to you. You'll be more likely to be accepted in guilds, raids, dungeon runs, and other things because people are more likely to work with you. Having a bad attitude only pushes others away from you. At the same time, don't keep quiet for the sake of being nice. If you have something to say, say it, but don't be mean in how you say it. If you notice that a tank or a DPS should be doing something differently than how they are, it's okay for you to point that out. If you have a strategy that works for a boss fight, say so.
"But LMS! I have a very blunt way of speaking in games!"
That's fine. I have a blunt, forward way of saying things, too. But I am not necessarily rude when I speak. I don't call people names, curse or use obscenities, and I don't throw tantrums or ragequit. (Granted, I can be obscene and I do curse, but I usually do so in a joking/silly manner like how I write in this blog, but not with any malicious intent. There's a difference. Learn it.)
Keep Trying
There's a saying: "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." Regardless of the role you play in a party, don't give up or you won't get better. Sure, there were times when I was frustrated when healing in different situations. One party raged at me because I didn't know how to fight in the Halls of Origination dungeon (Seriously, people, take a chill pill. It's a friggin' game for goodness sake) for example. I've had my fair share of tanks that didn't know how to tank or have had DPS that couldn't keep control of their aggro. The fact is, more often than not, you'll probably have some issue with your party while playing, unless you're playing with people you know, such as guildmates or friends. Even though there were times that I wanted to tear my hair out in frustration, I didn't give up. I learned from those times and improved as a healer. Now, if I go into Halls of Origination, I tell my party to let me know when to dispel on the first boss so that we don't wipe. I can't pay attention to everyone's health AND the boss, y'know? Or I'll tell the DPS to stop pulling aggro if they do so a few times (Once in a while is understandable, especially with multiple monsters).
Frankly, you won't learn until you do it right. And doing it right takes time, usually doing something wrong until you actually do get it right. I don't claim to be an "expert" healer; hell, I consider myself to be more of a mediocre healer than anything. I'm constantly learning, experimenting, reading what others have to say, so that I may improve myself. (For example, I only learned a handful of months ago about the Hymn of Hope and Shadowfiend combo as a WoW Priest for maximum mana regen. Who knew, right?) There have been plenty of times (and I do mean plenty) where I haven't been a good healer. It takes time to improve, so don't get discouraged if you're not that great for a while--it's perfectly normal!
Research
Obviously, you're doing some of that right now, if you're reading this. There are plenty of people who have played your class in your game longer than you have. Odds are, someone somewhere has information on your class and how to improve. Some of the guides you'll find will cover a specific class in a specific game, which stats to focus on (ordered by importance, usually), what skills they have, and other general information on the class. If you find a site on a specific class (WoW Insider on Joystiq has different writers/blogs that cover specific classes or specific specs, for example), they'll be more in-depth than general guides for that game.
Most of the guides you'll find are gear-related guides. You know what I'm talking about. "Oh, at level 85, before you raid, you should have the following gear with the following gems and enchants." Those are fine and dandy at all (WoW especially) as some games are very gear-dependent. But what happens if you're looking for the importance of why those items are better than others? Or if you're wondering why certain stats are better than others for your class, beyond the typical "Oh, intellect = more mana!" explanation? You turn to theorycrafting. Typically, this is more of an endgame thing, as in earlier levels, you're more likely to switch gear more often and not necessarily have means to get the best gear or have the best stats possible. It's best to try to find someone who has clearly played that class/spec/etc before. Many sites copy/paste information from other sources and claim it to be their own, while many others write as if they have played that class. If you poke around enough on the internet, you'll be able to tell soon enough who's actually played the class you're looking for information on.
Some games--more popular games, really--have "theorycrafting" or variants of that term, which is more of the theoretical, numbers-based side of the game, in terms of game mechanics. These people and the information they post are the gems of the MMO network. They provide hard facts as to how to improve your character, your abilities, and your gameplay. I've only ever looked into WoW Disc Priest theory, so the examples that I'll draw on come from that.
I've found theory guides that cover all sorts of things to maximize your mana efficiency, healing abilities, and your skill rotation and things. One of my favorite things to look at back in WotLK times were the ratios between spirit and intellect and the numbers between them for maximum mana regen. At a certain point when you have X number in your spirit, for example, it turns out that having more intellect than spirit provided more mana regen. Why was this important information? Well, back in WotLK, spirit dictated your mana regen and so healers geared with spirit as their top stat. Well, it turns out that once you hit a certain number it was more beneficial to get intellect over spirit. I've seen guides that show how spell power was more important for your shields, as spell power increased your shield absorption rate, for example.
I think between this and my Band-aids guide, I've covered just about everything in terms of general healing. I hope this has helped some of you out or refreshed your memory or what-have-you. If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, etc., feel free to reply below, comment on Facebook or Twitter which are linked on the side. Have a game you want me to review or something to discuss? I'm more than happy to take the suggestion! This is LMS, over 'n' out!
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