“Cut out all these exclamation points. An exclamation point is like laughing at your own joke.”
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Druid Healing: Raids
We’ve been in raids for about five months now. After some experimentation I’ve settled into a Talent build and am rooting it into my muscle memory which will make be a better healer.
I’ve learned some things too:
- Tanks do need healing but they don’t need baby sitters.
- Every healing class that I’ve seen is strong and viable.
- There is no one talent build. I’ve healed side by side with other Druids with different builds and our through-put is close to the same.
- Druid healing is a lot of fun with our Dash, Tree form and play-style.
Our bread is Rejuvenation. Our butter is Wild Growth. We have a nice array of jams and jellies to bring flavor to our experience. We Heal Over Time which is like a comforting padding to everyone around us.
Swiftmend is our only Instant cast spell. It is pretty powerful. I choose Prosperity so that I can have two charges. Ask Mr Robot’s Simulator tells me that Cenarion Ward will give me better numbers at the end of the raid but it’s not all about numbers.
You can cast Swiftmend and Rejuvenation on the run!
Soul of the Forest is married to Swiftmend. If a tank is in trouble, Swiftmend followed by Regrowth is strong with the choice of doing it again; Swiftmend followed by Regrowth or simply Rejuvenation to top off the tank. Otherwise, Swiftmend and Wild Growth to keep the raid cooking along.
The Affinities are nice and I do change them depending on the task.
If we are on farm, then Balance to add some dps and fight the dreariness of farming.
If we are rolling through bosses, then Feral for the cat-like feet.
If we are in progression, then Guardian to have more survivability.
If we could cheaply and easily swap talents, I’d be changing between Spring Blossoms and Germination all of the time. Since it is (currently) costly, I stick with Spring Blossoms and don’t worry about double-clicking on every raider.
I use Flourish. It is a constant challenge to remember to use it up, it is powerful; yet since it extends our heal-over-times you don’t “see” it as a result. Sometimes I wonder if I should macro it with Wild Growth and forget about it.
I would love to marry up Innervate and Incarnation: Tree of Life. With it’s three minute cool-down, I’d have to anticipate when to use it. I’ve yet to see that one specific hurdle in a raid where things are pounding us hard (maybe Gul’dan but the fight is so long Soul of the Forest is needed more).
I have one macro that would get me fired from the Healers Union of Resto-Druids (HURD):
#showtooltip Ironbark /tar focus /cast Ironbark /cast Barkskin /use 13 /use Stackable Stag /targetlasttarget
When we face an encounter, I pick a tank to “focus”. With the show-tool-tip, I can see when Ironbark is off cooldown. I figure when he needs it, I need it also so Barkskin is on me. I put my “on use” trinket in the top slot. And, you can’t resist the toy in a raid; it’s great.
If there is something (like Spew Corruption or Rot) which is cast on me and hard to heal through, I’ll not use a focus and let both Ironbark and Barkskin stack on me!
It isn’t always about the best build. Knowing your Talents and using them heartily is the key; just like life!
Coffee Cakes and Crits 