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[Healing] Druid or Shaman, tough decision...
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Post by
456001
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Post by
cosmicguen
I have a Resto/Ele shammy and a Boomkin/Resto druid myself.
These are the only two healing-capable classes I've levelled and I heal regularly with both of them. Honestly, I'm not sure why you would bother to choose between them since we have dual spec.
Personally, I find my shaman has a more comfortable healing style - health goes down, health goes up, health goes down, health goes up. It's a bit like whack-a-mole, as your heals are reactive. Thankfully they're damned fast, so you can react quickly and get people topped up.
However my druid can take a bit more concentration and planning - health goes down, health takes a while to get back up. It's a very preventative style. You need to know how to time your HoTs (Loatheb bloomrolling, anyone?), and when to swiftmend, nourish or healing touch.
They can both heal equally well, and both have their good and bad points, but in the end it's down to personal preference. I have a resto shaman friend who just can't make his druid heal, no matter how he tries, and yet he's easily as skilled as me with his shaman.
I'd rather have my druid for any fight where I have to move a lot (Heigan, Auriaya, Razorscale, etc), but they're no harder to heal with a shaman in all honesty. I enjoy both classes pretty much equally and there's no real reason you can't too :P
Post by
116883
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Post by
cosmicguen
shaman is just like pally, one of those backup healer types. there are situations where you need a lot of versatility and cant really fill the role of main healer in a 5 man group. only priests and druids can truly fill that role, and since priest is not an option for you... go druid.
I'm not sure I understand the logic behind this. I think I fail to see what shaman and paladins "can't really do" in a 5 man setting. I've seen more disc priests struggle to heal through Loken's nova than I have paladins, and if my shaman is good enough to MT heal a raid (usually while raid healing at the same time) I know damn well he's got the chops to keep that 5 man group alive.
I do agree with you that having HoT's running through silence effects, and being able to heal on the move are both massively helpful...but I don't believe it cheapens the effectiveness of any other healer.
Sorry, not being confrontational, I just don't really see where you're coming from on that point.
Post by
etrin
well I have the same chrs as cosmicguen and I feel just the opposite
Now remember that he is healing higher level instances than me.
Druid is faster healer than shaman. dots are faster to cast and do more overall healing.
Of course since I started healing on druid it just seems easier since we have more heals to throw.
Shammy feels clunky with slower cast times.
Post by
Celdhyrean
I only have experience as a druid healer, mostly in 10 or 25 Nax/Ulduar/ToC raids.
The thing i really like about healing as a druid in a raid is that you have to be smart about how you heal, ie anticipate the damage that will be coming in. While we aren't the only class with hots, they are a much bigger part of our healing than others, making it critical to use them wisely (ie place hots on people that you know will take damage so that you don't lose time when the damage actually hits).
Also hots allow us to charge up someone and then help someone else out without the first guy dying. I've had it in a 10 man Emalon pug where the other healer died, and i was able to top up and prep both tanks well enough to create myself time for a battle rez (instant was on CD). There's a bit more strategy as to when you can leave your main target alone and help somewhere than for other healing classes.
While being mainly a raid healer, we can also pump out some massive single target heals (though there is a ramp up time in order to put up hots to boost Nourrish), and we can move while healing.
As for 5 mans, with a bit of gear they become really easy as we have enough healing power to keep the MT up without permanent use of Nourish and enough instants on short CDs to handle most errors from the dps.
(actually with a raid geared healer and tank they become downright boring, a rejuv and LB being enough to keep the tank topped up through most packs)
To compare with shamans, i'd say that our instant healing (group or single target) is probably weaker, but that played smartly and with knowledge of the fights, you can prepare things in advance and output more heal either on a tank or on the full group to overcome that.
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355943
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116883
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365547
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434466
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116883
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Post by
cosmicguen
Quoted my last post
OK, I'm not going to do a point-for-point reply, because there's really no need.
I know you're not saying that paladins and shaman can't heal a 5 man at all, but I do think you're seriously underestimating their potential.. Or at the very least you're looking at it the wrong way.
Healing things outisde of your class's niche is not hard, it's just different. Every healer I know from every healing class has 2 basic ways of healing. They have their 'single target way' and their 'AoE way'. Each class (as far as I know) has a way to deal with both types of healing, it's just a matter of the player actually working it out.
The bottom line I'm trying to get at is that
if you enjoy a class you will find your way around any obstacle
.
Sorry for calling you out specifically, but I wanted some clarification (which I got, thank you) and I'd never actually heard the argument that druids and priests are better solo healers so it was an interesting viewpoint for me.
Also, just have to say:
Then again there are heroics where a shammy healer is great to have around.
ToC HC phase 3 on the black knight is great with a resto shammy. Chain heal heals 3 people (iirc) at the same time and bloodlust/heroism is a great asset to the DPS race that it really is while you're pumping out your heals at an increased pace.
so there is one situation where shamans are superior.
this destroys my argument, where i'm speaking of the general situation.
Shaman are not superior in only this fight. Most (if not all) 5 man content has this type of AoE damage. If a resto shammy is great in ToC for the reason stated above, then it's equally great in HoL, HoS, Nexus, Gundrak, UK.......I could go on but I'm not going to type all the wrath heroics. I'm pretty sure you all know them by now :P
Post by
116883
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Post by
cosmicguen
what a polite way of arguing, really have to say.
I try ;)
your point, everyone can do it if they try hard enough, is a very comforting one, but not so scientific. i always try to set aside hopes and beliefs and see only what can be proven and measured. but still i have to agree, without the right mental approach,
no
class can heal well.
See, there's where I think it's just that our experiences differ (and I
swear
this will my last retort ;) ).
I've seen one of our holy priests go from bottom of the class to an exceptional healer in any role we give him.
I know at least 4 shaman (including me) who can raid heal and tank heal (or both at the same time if we're hitting the raid with only two healers).
Hell, I've seen a trio of paladins (and only paladins) heal a Naxx run more than once. Don't ask me how a paladin raid heals because I have no idea, but damn...beautiful to watch. I will concede the point about pally heals however, until I complete an Ulduar run with only healadins.
And I've never, repeat
never
seen a healer who knew his class struggle with solo-healing a 5 man. Undergeared and underskilled don't count, of course. Seen plenty of those...oh my aching wallet!
So yeah, I've worked with some seriously competent healers who can do everything. I guess this must be where my view comes from.
Bowing out now :)
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459445
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201699
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456001
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Post by
cosmicguen
Very welcome. I'd still dual spec 'em both though (and I have!), they're both uber fun ;)
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