In Death and Taxes, pallies heal and priests DPS
by Mike Schramm 
Mar 9th 2007 at 1:01PM
This Forums thread poster points out (probably discovered via the Armory) that every single Paladin in Death and Taxes (our Guild of the Year last year) is specced for healing-- right down the line, they're all 41/20/0. And as if that wasn't interesting enough, later in the thread, paladin Nidhogg of D&T posts, and actually lays out just what every class' role is in their raids. There's some surprises:Our warriors tank
Our paladins heal
Our druids heal
Our priests DPS
Our rogues DPS
Our hunters DPS
Our warlocks DPS
Our mages DPS
Our shamans heal
As Pally Sucks says, priests DPS? While all the paladins heal? Nidhogg says the "utility + DPS" of shadow priests is something they can't pass up, so their priests are in shadowform (with one holy for spirit). In addition, he says all the paladins are specced for healing not because they're forced to, just because they like it. And they put 20 points in Protection, Nid says, because he likes having them for PvP.
So what does it mean for class balance when you've got the hybrid healing instead of the main healing class in one of the most advanced guilds in the game? Sure, Paladins can do DPS, but when it comes down to it, a raid who knows what they're doing makes them healbots, and asks priests to all go in shadowform.
Filed under: Paladin, Priest, Analysis / Opinion, Guilds, Raiding, Talents
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Renasar Mar 9th 2007 1:07PM
It means that holy/disc priests need a f-ing buff already..
Justin Mar 9th 2007 1:10PM
It means that Disc/Holy needs some serious work...like we've been saying for months.
AND that shadow is crazy awesome.
Desmonique
70 SHADOW Priest
Kyle Mar 9th 2007 1:13PM
Ya, it means that holy priests need a buff somehow.
Shadow priests are good, but their dps pales in comparison to warlocks' dps. Shadow priests are used for their utility (group-wide healing) and for buffing warlock damage to unimaginable levels.
Mekias Mar 9th 2007 1:15PM
Was this before the shadow priest nerf in the last patch? I'm thinking it was. Before then, shadow priests were incredible. I doubt the current shadow priest is better for a raid than a holy priest.
Rabbid Mar 9th 2007 1:20PM
Can anyone post a link to their paladin raid build?
(wowhead would be nice).
Justin Mar 9th 2007 1:25PM
@3
In my groups I come just short of rogues in DPS. Well geared warlocks tend to beat me out but only after I've given THEM 15% increase in damage and my gear isn't anywhere near theirs. If you were to take our damage into account seperately mine would probably overshadow (pun intended) theirs. However, that's not a realistic way to look at it. But to say a shadow priest doesn't do that great DPS means you're just uninformed.
Justin Mar 9th 2007 1:33PM
Woops, 20% increase to Warlocks' damage...forgot about Misery.
Matt Park Mar 9th 2007 1:34PM
I did a quick look on the armory a while ago at nihillum and D&T builds for shaman & warrior.
Every single 70 warrior was prot. No exceptions.
Nihilum has 4 resto shamans and 1 0/45/16.
D&T has 2 resto shamans and 1 20/41/0.
physcho Mar 9th 2007 1:38PM
this is how our grp has been running for some time
3 healers
2 paladins 1 priest
1 shadow priest for dps
(as an aside rest of grp is 2 warriors 2 rogues 1 lock 1 mage)
anach Mar 9th 2007 1:45PM
@4, the nerf didn't really affect the shadow priests group mana regeneration all that much, unless your a paladin with their spiritual attunement. The mana regeneration is the main reason they are handy - most average geared shadow priests will give their group approx 30-40+ mana per second.
Burgdorn Mar 9th 2007 2:09PM
I've been a paladin since release of this game and have never argued with our different functions via spec. Now that said, when I get a group together for 5mans and I see a priest I ask what they are specced. Based on that information I come to my conclusion. If they are shadow, I demand they stay shadow since it is more beneficial to my mana regenration and they heal enough to act as buffer healing while doing damage.
Nothing wrong with that at all, it just happens to offer dual benefits and you can't top that off in other builds. The other builds have their place too just usually they don't get their time to shine since raiding is the leetness of gaming.
Samidare Mar 9th 2007 8:59PM
Hmm, interesting. My new main is a shaman and I love the class (dispite what people hate or cry about the class). But This kind of sheds a bit more light on where I will stand spec wise. I am ENH/res atm. And hope to stay that way. Especially since we have a lot of pallys in the guild.
Hayase
Mike Schramm Mar 9th 2007 1:45PM
I should add that I don't think at all means it's the way things must be done. All of my guild's priests are holy, and we have a fully enhancement shaman that raids with us (although I raid as a resto shaman). And we have quite a few feral druids as well, who have offtanked in a pinch.
But it's very interesting that this is one way to do it, and one way that apparently works very well.
Gitr Mar 9th 2007 1:56PM
I'm only a level 63 Shadow priest, so I'm probably talking out of my butt a little here, but it seems to me that having 3-5 Shadow priests with VE and VT dealing 300-600 dps each while healing for 75-200 hps each would seriously offset any additional healers trying to heal targets, leaving the Pallys as spot-healers for the MTs, OTs, and people that pull aggro.
I would like to see a video of that, the heals going up, up, up all over the raid, then bang, the tank gets whacked and a pally heals him. I would think everyone's HPs should stay relatively full with that set up.
Anyone from Death and Taxes on to confirm?
deviationer Mar 9th 2007 1:59PM
WoWInsider should do an interview with the GM and officers of D&T. Maybe dispel some myths of them and maybe find out if they really are tight with blizzard and their devs. See how their guild is setup and how they manage to eat up content.
exodus Mar 9th 2007 2:33PM
How many more threads about this damn guild will we have to endure...?
Todd Mar 9th 2007 2:40PM
That's just sick. However this must be the grand design of Blizzard if they have allowed this to happen. Priests are no longer viable healers and often get out classed by Druids and Paladins. At this point, why not have the Priests DPS instead.
Jack Kelly Mar 9th 2007 3:32PM
I wouldn't go out and respec just because the two top guild are doing whatever. they seem to do lots of "unconventional" things....though maybe, just maybe, that's why they're the top guilds. They think outside of the box and seem to know how Blizzard thinks of doing things.
The D&T Hunter uses a Dragonhawk. Most likely for the AOE Dragonhawk Fire. You can do some serious damage on multiples with that but most Hunters (and Hunter sites) laugh at Dragonhawks as pets.
If ALL you do is Raid, then maybe it's fine to spec one way and one way only. Heck, if you have the best gear in the game, it doesn't matter how you spec for farming mats. You're going to breeze through mobs anyway.
Scruffy Mar 9th 2007 4:43PM
@16
Because priests are op! They aren't suppose to DPS! THey DPS too much! nerfbat! nerfnerfnerf!
I kid, I kid.
WoW needs more rioting to make Discipline and Holy viable talent tree like how speccing in Shadow is awesome if you go all the way. What do you get for D or H? Lightwell and CoH? Fucking PAIN SUPPRESSION? Yeesh.
Leshrac Mar 9th 2007 6:22PM
Why the hard-on for this guild?