Healers in MoP (24 replies to this topic)

So I am a relatively new player (I joined at the beginning of this summer) and I have only rolled a Holy Pally so far. I really love it, but I do wanna try out some other classes. I really enjoy healing and so I wanna continue with that. I was just wondering what classes people are gonna be playing in MoP (healers only please, sorry tanks and DPS) and whether they will be rolling new toons to try out a new class. I'm looking for something fun (which I'm sure all classes can be considered fun, so that's more of an opinion thing), but also something challenging (can be opinion, but can also be a little more fact based, more spells/important CD's typically means more complicated). If you have any suggestions for what class I should roll leave them below with a little bit on why you think its the best choice (totally opinionated again, I know!).
Thanks!

P.S. I have read all the class guides for MoP on this site, I'm just wondering what other people think.

Edited by Swampertguy, 10 August 2012 - 09:00 PM.

My main has been a priest for maybe 4 years. I love it and it's a versatile healer with disc and holy options but like all classes they have pluses and minuses.  If you had said you had a shaman or a priest I would have recommended a paladin or a Druid. I understand you love healing but having the ability to change spec to tank or dps on the same toon would have been a better option for me in the end I think.

I don't want you to automatically stick with your paladin but you don't compete with any other classes for gear, are a very good healing class (face roll some may say) and always have that option of trying something new without having to use an alt.

That being said If you really wan a change then I would say priests are a gret choice but I am totally biased !

Hope you keep enjoying the game!  Everyone needs a pro healer!

I started my healing experience on my Paladin, and I found switching from playing a Holy Paladin to playing a Discipline Priest to be both very refreshing and very challenging.

So, I'd say you should try out a priest! As an added bonus, you can then try out Holy, too, so you've got two healing specs in one character.

When MoP comes out, Try a Monk , Until then, I have to agree with Vlad, Disc priests are very refreshing to play.

Hi there!

If you're wanting to talk about challenge and execution, I would recommend Resto Shaman. In the recent history, Shaman have been one of the hardest healers to really get the best out of (and they are extremely satisfying to do so). For a taster, here is a sample decision tree for the use of Unleash Elements in a fight;


Shaman are also a very colourful class - we are distinctive and interesting (not like those boring goodie-goodie Paladins ;P ).

My main healer is a resto shaman. I am in love with healing on her, it is very rewarding and satisfying for me personally. My mana regeneration is beauitful. I hardly ever run out of mana unless I have a very bad group, and even then it's not too often I run out. The totems you are able to use currently also play a big role.

I have also an 83 disc/shadow priest. Healing on her is a bit frustrating, as I can't seem to keep enough spirit for proper mana rengen.

I've been toying with the idea of holy on my paladin, but I haven't made that decision fully yet.

I will be trying out a monk for heals as soon as MoP goes live.

I hope this helps you out some.

Thanks a ton everyone for your feedback and suggestions. I decided on a priest, since I already had the heirlooms from a mage and I think the PW: Shield mana reduction in MoP is gonna make them much better with damage prevention and I like that idea a lot. Also there are like 5 resto shamans in my guild (this wasn't the deciding factor for me but it did influence my decision) so we don't really need any more. I will for sure be trying out a monk when MoP comes out. Thanks again for you help, sorry resto shamans

Aye you'll regret it I'm sure ;P Best of luck!

Stoove, on 13 August 2012 - 06:26 PM, said:

If I do regret it I can always roll a shaman later.

One unusual thing I have noticed on beta is that mana is no longer controlled by the amount of Intellect you have.  So, all you disc Priests with huge mana pools are going to be in for a bit of a shock when your massive mana is suddenly brought in line with everyone elses based on your level.

Currently, mana levels for healers and ranged mana dps users are fixed at this :-

Level 85 - 100k
Level 86 - 120k
Level 87 - 160k
Level 88 - 200k
Level 89 - 250k
Level 90 - 300k

Items such as meta gems that give +x% maximum mana will affect these figures. I believe other items also can affect the figures too as I have on occasion seen people with slightly higher or lower than expected figures.

That is intentional, Redcross. The aim is to make balancing more easy for the devs and to simplify the stat interactions somewhat. Intellect no longer affects your manapool or regen rate at all. It's a lovely interesting change

So far I have only tried healing on Priest on the beta and have had no trouble whatsoever keeping people alive / issues with mana. On a couple of occasions on the Sha of Doubt fight in Temple of the Jade Serpent, things have got a little close due to low / zero dps on the adds phase, but like any good healer, I just blame them

No one suggested Resto Druid? NO LOVE!!! The trees are sad.

Well, we're pretty awesome. As the only healing class that relies primarily on HoTs (rather than absorbs or direct heals), playing one is gonna feel very different and very fresh. The majority of our heals are instant casts, so we're the most mobile healer (especially with Travel Form, Stampeding Roar, and Cat Form + Sprint).

My first healing class was a HPally (back in BC), and, while that was enjoyable, I honestly think I like being a tree more.

We also have some really powerful (OP) CDs, such as Innervate (you can't OOM ever), and Tree of Life (no one dies when this is active).

We're also getting a HUGE buff in MoP for PvP, if you enjoy that.

So if i'm correct that means that gnomes have 315k mana because of there racial?

I can confirm that yes I have just seen a lvl 90 Gnome Warlock with 315k mana.

I love druid healing! I started as feral kitty in TBC, and took resto as 2nd spec. In Cata I was asked to focus on my healer because of our raid group were short on healers. And now resto druid is my favourite! In Cata we had no mana issues, that is true - patch 5.04 seem a bit harder on that point, but with the scaling up to lvl 90, I feel confident that things will be good   If you get bored with the priest - resto druids are great fun!

Hi there,

Im a bit late with my reply, but its better ever than never.

Im playing holy pala for 3 years now, started from level 10, without any BoAs (my first charr on account. After gearing him and raiding on him, i rolled Enhance shaman who ended up (surprise! Resto), also riding geared. After him, i started Druid, YEY! another healer
I dont like playing clothers, so i skipped Priest.

Now, these are my 2c.

Holy paladin - best tank healer. period. There is noone close to it, insta free heals, huge hits if farget is below 35%.. everything there just screams "Tank, your ass is mine!"

Resto Shaman - Oh man... most fun to play and hard to master, hands down. in 4.3 with few talent changes they can easily go from formidable singe target healer to AoE healer. Lots and lots of utility and nice combo of casted heals and HoTs.

Resto druid - Most unusual to play, and pretty much decent to master. Not so good single target healers as shamans (cause they dont have that choice of talents) but outstanding AoE heals. Lots of stuff to monitor.


This all changed with patch 5.0.4 - Palading became pretty good AoE healers too, and even better tank healers with Sacred Shield or 3 hoiy power Eternal Flame HoT. Lvl 90 talents are also good, giving us a option of even better tank healer with another HoT, or one more AoE HoT healing. I didnt have a chance to try rest of my classes, but what i can tell you is that Druid resto (tree) form is back as perma shapeshift, not as it was in Cata.

I will prolly roll a monk for sure, and for sure it will be my main. I have played it on beta to learn class and mechanic and i can telly you that they are perfect. I can openly claim that from all changes to old and 3 new specs in new class, Monk, Mistweaver (healing spec) got all the love, there is a ton of synergy between spells, you can easily switch from Single target to AoE healing and utility with Mana Tea (restores 4% of mana with every stack of mana tea, channeled 1s per stack. Braking channeling does not consume rest of Tea stacks).

Tbh, by looking at healer monk spells, you will see a mixture of all good spells that other healing specs have, combine that with King-fu panda.. and well.. what is there not to love?

I have played with my DK after Wotlk came out. I have been in raids as tank and dps (mostly dps). So I decided to change my main when MoP comes out. I will start to raid with my H-Pally. It wasn't really hard to choose because instantly when I dinged 85 with the paladin I started to love healing. Like Bedle said H-Pallys came better AoE healers after 5.0.4 and I will be totally waiting for raid evenings at MoP... Anyways I think cata raiding was big failure from blizzard.. Well, hope they get back to making good raids and some fun healer mechanics at MoP!

priest has been my main for 6 years. I lvled my priest to lvl 20 and I was getting tons of whispers in orgrimmar, ppl were begging for me to heal them in dungeons....

priest is the king of healers.. Cause the class is designed to heal. Till cataclysm, shadow priests had never been a desired dps class in any raid since they were sucking donkey balls. But every tank was comfortable when they had a priest healer in their raid.

We are the only class which has 2 specs dedicated to heal only. Disc is a perfect spec which has the ability to heal by damaging spells. Holy is a great versatile spec which can turn from aoe healing to single target just by one click....

TBH I m a great healer and priest is a great class to heal. I played holy paladin, resto druid, resto shammy... They are good but none of them gives me the joy of priest...

Edited by lifebinder, 04 September 2012 - 12:14 PM.

lifebinder, on 04 September 2012 - 12:13 PM, said:

Well, as ONLY class that have 2 dedicated specs for healing, Priests ARE kings of healers.
But again... i like versatility of Paladins, Druids and shamans.. Reason.. Completely 3 different play mechanics. If im bored of Healing or i just need break, i can go Tank, if i get tired from it too i can go DPS.. While.. As priest you can go Healing/DPS.

As i said.. i dont really like clothers.. dunno why, i dont like caster DPSs at all. I dont say that they are bad, but i like to go toe-to-toe, head-to-head, draw my weapons and start hearing melee hits and glance hits weapon against weapon.

Aye.. Priests are hitting top of healing charts, with Resto shamans/Druids, leaving palas pretty low on that scale cause of insane AoE Heals. But now, palas also got AoE heals.

Tbh.. i was competing with our healers in upper part of chart with minimal overhealing. Some of them are highly geared than me, i like changes in mechanics, palas are finally good and fun to play, but again, if you want to play dedicated healer.. go priest they are, hands down, really strong healers.. But i like having 3 in 1 pack, infamous Hybrid classes, so my obvious choice were those classes.

Edited by Bedle, 04 September 2012 - 01:00 PM.