“The intellectual tradition is one of servility to power, and if I didn’t betray it I’d be ashamed of myself.”
Noam Chomsky
Filling the Health Bars
The same situation that I have on my hunter with slow passive refilling of my health bar and with my druid healer are two different sides of the same coin.
Yes, those sorry dps classes do have some self-healing, but not much.
Their fate is in my hands.
Finally and it’s about time.
I read a blog posting years ago, filtering all the different complaints that players have about MMOs and such. He reduced it all down to “don’t be a dick”.
I did my test run with my DH tank last night in a heroic dungeon. We were both fantastically over-geared and wanted to see how some Talents worked, how fast we could travel and how much control we could or would have in a five-man dungeon.
In spite of our tank having a bright Star lucky charm floating over their head, two of the dps players insisted on running ahead and taking on mobs. Surely they were fantastically over-geared too. But they took unnecessary damage.
And I let them wait with a half-bar of health.
I was being a dick. I admit it.
Not a big dick. I didn’t lecture or complain. I just let them sit and contemplate the error of their ways.
Our smart heals are too darn smart. We can be forgiving without such an intention. However, in five-man dungeons; a healer can be much more specific.
Will they learn to stand in my mushroom circle of healing? Will they sacrifice one bit of dps to take three steps, mister? I don’t know. Just give me three steps.
As a Druid healer, I can and want to dictate on some level how each pull will be handled. In concert with my tank, I should be able to pre-set the group on how to manage the encounter; but will it happen?
We did a normal run on HFC on Tuesday. On the pull of Xhul, I plopped my mushroom down (on three of the DBM countdown) to target where to pull the boss and to set up the dps in a healing zone. The tank (his name is Rage, no kidding) pulled the boss to the outside edge of my mushroom; and sat there!
Was it the inherent defensive obnoxious ego of a stereotypical tank in this situation, where the raid revolves around their superior choices? Was he flipping me the figurative finger? I simply don’t know. But I’ll be healing this guy for the next two years.
And be watching him die.
No. No, no, no. Of course not. I’m not a dick. I’m a good-natured healer who follows happily the big bad tough tanks and the aggressive dps who strut their big numbers and pat me on my servile head; impressed always at how amazing they are at playing the World of Warcraft.
Coffee Cakes and Crits 