Life Staff Targeted Group Healing Build for New World

The Group Healing Build is crucial for group-focused healing in PvP content, specifically in War. This is the most standard healing build you will come across, but it is one that comes with a high skill ceiling. It emphasizes mobility, positioning, and cooldown management, in order to dive in and out of the fight to keep your allies healed and in the fight. If you are wanting to see high overall healing numbers on the scoreboard, this is not the build to inflate an ego. This build is strictly for empowering your dedicated 5-man team and seeing them rack up kills, damage, and assists. This is by far one of the most important builds to learn compared to all other PvP healing builds.

This is the preferred group healing build for Season One. It can be used to provide a mix of AoE and targetted healing.

• Divine Embrace — Targets party members and acts as a traditionally-cast burst heal. It also has AoE opportunity through Shared Struggle and Rebound
• Sacred Ground — Targets a player and casts a zone at their feet. This creates a healing circle for a quick burst heal and residual healing over time. It also amplifies the healing received of any player in the zone through Anointed.
• Beacon — Projectile that is aimed and will stick to the first player or surface it touches. This can be used on the ground when large damage is occurring, but it is best placed on front-line melee players so that the healing area continues to move to the action.

This build can be used, but be mindful that in Season One Fortify is significantly weaker, and the buffs applied from Orb of Protection result in increased damage from Invigorated Punishment.

• Orb of Protection — Projectile that is aimed at friendly players and provides a small burst of healing with long healing over time effects and a 10% fortify to reduce damage taken. It also increases healing output through Mending Protection

In almost all cases with this build you will be taking the Rapier for mobility and survivability. But if you are looking for an alternative that also increases healing output you can use the Void Gauntlet.

Rapier is the premier PvP secondary as it offers defensiveness and mobility with all of its abilities to help escape enemies and reposition. Riposte will stun targets and completely block and incoming attack. Evade allows for dodging abilities, a quick invulnerability frame, and a way to get haste and stamina back. Fleche dashes a far distance to escape and quickly reposition.

200 Constitution will be your baseline for all types of healing in both PvP and PvE. It gives you enough defensiveness while still maintaining great healing output. The additional points from higher gearscore sets can go into Focus for increased healing, or Constitution for more survivability.

Slot	Perks	Gem	Weight	Attribute	Source
Life Staff	Blessed Refreshing Divine Embrace Refreshing Move	Cut Pristine Diamond	-	Focus	Dynasty* or Crafted/BoE
Rapier	Refreshing Fleche Keen Speed Keen	Cut Pristine Amber	-	Focus	Crafted/BoE
Helmet	Fortifying Sacred Ground** Resilient Freedom	Cut Pristine Opal	Light	Focus or Constitution	Crafted/BoE
Gloves	Resilient Freedom Refreshing	Cut Pristine Opal	Light	Focus or Constitution	Crafted/BoE
Chest	Resilient Freedom Refreshing	Cut Pristine Opal	Medium	Focus or Constitution	Crafted/BoE
Pants	Freedom Shirking Energy Resilient	Cut Pristine Opal	Light	Focus or Constitution	Crafted/BoE
Boots	Resilient Freedom Refreshing	Cut Pristine Onyx	Light	Focus or Constitution	Crafted/BoE
Amulet	Health Stamina Recovery Thrust Protection	Cut Pristine Onyx	-	Focus or Constitution	Crafted/BoE
Ring	Sacred Hearty Refreshing	Cut Pristine Onyx	-	Focus or Constitution	Crafted/BoE
Earring	Refreshing Toast Healthy Toast Refreshing	Cut Pristine Onyx	-	Focus or Constitution	Crafted/BoE

*: Glowing Lifecrystal Staff is a best in slot drop from any version of Mutated Dynasty Shipyard or it can be crafted with Materia.

**: Ability perks can go anywhere that you are able to fit them. These slots are just a suggestion. Note that it may be better to not use Fortifying Sacred Ground because of its interaction with Invigorated Punishment and the Fortify nerf.

Overall with gearing, this is the ideal loadout of perks for a best in slot healing build. With that being said, be sure to refer to the Life Staff Perks guide to have a better understanding of other flexible perk options to fit into your build. You can decide what you are most comfortable with. Perhaps you feel that you need more cooldown reduction, then opt to take more Refreshing.

When running Freedom you should run 5 stacks for the most optimal CC reductions. If you choose to use less, it is more beneficial to play at 3 stacks and use other perks.

In PvP combat it is best to run 5 stacks of Resilient for maximum damage reduction, but you can definitely get away with 4 stacks.

Refreshing is valuable, but do not over value it on a gear piece. Remember, you can fit it in on jewelry too. You should always have 5 stacks.

For more specific information on optimizing your gems and consumables, please refer to our dedicated Life Staff Gems and Consumables guide.

Minor Heartrune of Stoneform is the most defensive and useful option a healer has. It allows you to freely break out of crowd control effects, become immune to stagger, and obtain defensive buffs.

Stalwart Heartrune of Stoneform is the best pick as it not only gives a 10% Fortify, but a healing over time effect as well. This is our best option after the changes to Fortify in Season One.

Your Heartrune will be used similarly in PvP and PvE scenarios. As such, please refer to the Heartrune section of our Life Staff guide for tips on how it can be used most effectively.

The theoretical healing rotation for this build is as follows:

• Dodge to receive Bend Light
• Cast Orb of Protection to obtain the Mending Protection buff, fortify, and apply healing over time.
• Cast Sacred Ground to increase the target's healing received through Anointed.
• Cast Beacon on melee clumps or for additional AoE healing..
• Cast Divine Embrace to burst heal any party memeber who continues to lose significant health.
• Light attack as a filler ability when cooldowns are not up, or not needed, this provides healing through Blissful Touch.
• Repeat

When using the Life Staff in PvP and PvE there are many similar nuances to a healer's mechanics and gameplay decisions. To learn more about how you can improve your gameplay, use certain secondary weapons, or additional information on specific abilities, please refer to the gameplay section of the Life Staff guide.

For more information on the most frequently asked Life Staff questions please refer to the FAQ section of the Life Staff guide for answers on PvP and PvE topics!