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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsGhostcrawler: Healing is next for an update
by Mike Schramm 
Oct 23rd 2008 at 2:30PM
Ghostcrawler just popped up on the beta forums with some good news for healers: while tanking has gotten the focus lately in terms of mechanics and tweaking, healing is apparently next on the docket.It's nothing to hold your breath over (you'll pass out way before we see any changes on the realms), but Ghostcrawler says that healing is due for a revamp in terms of "fun," and while he says it'll be "a more challenging fix because what people think is fun about healing varies and some people are pretty happy with it already," he also hints that it'll be a pretty big change. Right now, healing is basically whack-a-mole -- when someone gets hurt, you cast a heal on them -- but Blizzard may be rethinking that mechanic completely. We'll have to wait (probably quite a while) and see.
It's also interesting to note that Death Knights are a tanking class, and tanking got the revamp in Wrath of the Lich King. While some healers probably won't want to wait all the way until the next expansion, could this be a hint that we're looking at an Emerald Dream expansion, with an Arch Druid healing Hero Class, and an accompanying revamp of healing mechanics? Obviously, that's a stretch, but it makes sense, doesn't it?
Filed under: Druid, Paladin, Priest, Shaman, Patches, Analysis / Opinion, Blizzard, Expansions, Classes, Buffs, Wrath of the Lich King
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 5)
matt Oct 23rd 2008 3:19PM
@11: awkward... i obviously didn't read your post thoroughly enough before i responded
Clegane Oct 23rd 2008 3:32PM
Some would say that a shield is just an instant heal, or an "oh crap" heal though. I don't know that throwing bubbles on people to prevent damage would be any more fun than the current mechanic anyway.
Other than designing specific boss encounters that get healers more involved with the fight (maybe healing an undead type boss to do damage to it?), I don't know how you can get away from the current system. As existing healing mechanics, they already have instant heals, shields, slow hots, fast hots, instant hots, hot/heal combo heals, fast heals, slow heals, group heals, self heals, heals that bounce around to different raid members, now we even have a spell that will save a player from death. Without changing the fundamentals of raiding (DPS/Tank/Heal), it's going to be hard to keep coming up with new toys for players to heal with.
What may be interesting is to change the interface in which a healer interacts with their raid members, maybe integrating the threat/enemy targeting systems so that a healer may be able to anticipate where damage may be headed at any given time. Or give bosses "rage" meters that a healer could see to tell them that large amounts of healing will be needed soon, so they could prepare for it.
Anyway, just a few ideas...
ash Oct 23rd 2008 3:37PM
Who knows what they will come up with. I have always wanted more smart heals just because the current UI set up doesn't facilitate getting involved in the battle very well. I tried healing for a while with peoples healthbars displayed and just clicking on the group in front of me but it was just to cumbersome with clicking all over the place, and then having to watch the tank, etc, etc.
A smart heal that I could just throw out that would automatically heal the lowest hp person either by absolute amount or a percentage would be cool.
Healing should feel more like conducting an orchestra rather than whack a mole. (Although right now it feels more like Missile Command). Anyway, just one take on the matter.
ash Oct 23rd 2008 3:42PM
Oh and I like Clegane's idea about the threat/rage meter idea. I've tried something similar with omen and klh but it didn't really work out looking at so many sets of bars going up and down on the screen.
Clegane Oct 23rd 2008 3:52PM
I think the idea is to keep healing enguaging.
I don't think it'd be nearly as fun (yes, I do enjoy it) if we just needed to spam a few buttons here an there and they automatically heal whomever takes damage. Part of the thrill of healing is the feeling like you're really keeping the raid going, as opposed to just spamming the same three to four buttons over and over because that's the key combo that puts out the most DPS.
Dumbing down healing does not make it more fun.
Jellodyne Oct 23rd 2008 5:09PM
7. Judgement of light mechanic (attack this, get a fixed size heal) -- incidentally, this = more interactive, more involved with the offensive end of the fight. I suppose you could call this damage triggered, but the other way aound.
8. Lolwell mechanic (here, touch this thing!)
9. Warlock cookie (I suppose this is the same as the health potion mechanic), player created but heal-recipient-activated device.
Neirin Oct 23rd 2008 4:04PM
I hope they introduce a mechanic like the zombie effect from FF so healing does damage. THey could have some bosses have phases where they rotate between being vulnerable to normal attacks and vulnerable to heals. Of course, such a fight would require that dps would have to attack healers to keep them up.
My guess is, rather than an Arch Druid, they'd call it a Dreamer or something like that. Keep the same concept, but change the name so id doesn't hurt the feelings of us druids.
Xearo Oct 23rd 2008 2:53PM
"While some healers probably won't want to wait all the way until the next expansion, could this be a hint that we're looking at an Emerald Dream expansion, with an Arch Druid healing Hero Class, and an accompanying revamp of healing mechanics? Obviously, that's a stretch, but it makes sense, doesn't it?"
OOORRRRR.... Since they are changing the way mounts handle water, and Tigole specifically said not to think of expansion to be continents, but possibly be UNDER them... it could be Undermine/Maelstrom... duh!
bdaneila Oct 23rd 2008 2:55PM
Maybe the next hero class will be some sort of DPS caster, but with damage done to target transferred to other party members as healing.
zappo Oct 23rd 2008 2:58PM
See shadow priests for why that probably isn't going to work.
Mujahadeen Oct 23rd 2008 3:53PM
If you aren't having fun healing, it's time for a re-spec, not another patch.
As a holy paly, nothing is better than throwing huge, massive crit heals in either a battleground, arena, or dungeon and seeing your parties survive the most brutal fights.
The alternative to "whack a mole" to me is either area heals, or they could nerf the crap out of single target heals and nerf the cool downs on bubbles and things of that nature so you'd have to do a lot more clicking and pre-empting attacks by enemies.
That would make it a lot more challenging, and it would suck bigtime in my opinion.
Cy Oct 23rd 2008 3:05PM
"Obviously, that's a stretch, but it makes sense, doesn't it?"
No, not really. Hero classes are supposed to be different and unique, not some uber version of a current class.
Also, I think you're trying to find a connection between the tanking revamp and the expansion's theme where there is nothing but coincidence. As evidenced by the many interviews done on the subjects, Blizzard basically sat down with a list of things they wanted to do and places to go with the expansion, and the DK/Northrend combination worked best together, so they went with it. It had nothing to do with wanting to revamp tanking, and basing an expansion's content around which mechanic they want to revamp is pretty silly when you think about it.
matt Oct 23rd 2008 3:15PM
I do think (hope?) that the next expansion will delve into the Emerald Dream, but I also disagree with the notion of "Arch-Druid" as a Hero Class...
While I certainly don't speak for Blizzard, there would seem to be nothing to differentiate an Arch-Druid from a normal druid except, you know, they're more pro/leet/etc. That being said, under the current system there doesn't seem to be many more options, class-wise, without stepping on someone's toes. The way they can spice things up are with brand new game mechanics, like the Runes.
2 things I think would be fun:
I would like to see hunters have the option to become more-ranger like (i.e. have a legitimate dual-wield melee tree).
Perhaps a martial-arts style class, which I imagine would specialize in dodging/deflecting damage. Maybe they could even attune their ch'i to become magic-resistant.
BCS Oct 23rd 2008 3:32PM
Oh, man, I'd LOVE to see a Monk style class with Fist weapons.
Ekimus Oct 23rd 2008 3:12PM
I'm a bit curious on how they would change the healing mechanic, since the base thought behind healing is to restore health to an ally...
My guess is they would tweak the mechanics behind how (frequency and when) health is lost.
Syrinth Oct 23rd 2008 3:18PM
Other MMOs have tried to make healing "fun" and failed. The AoC heal system was based on you doing DPS with some HoTs. It made healing LESS fun. I felt like I had no real control over the healing. It came down to throw on my HoTs and just spam the spell that did damage and splashed heals. There was no strategy to it, and you were unable to deal with spike damage or react to a situation. You just feel like an inferior healer and DPSer.
Without seeing it, I think a total revamp of healing is a mistake. The reason tanks were an issue is outside of tanking, they felt pretty worthless. All the revamp has done is enabled them to solo and pull off some halfway decent DPS when needed. Healers already have that as well with the new spellpower system. My resto shaman can pull around 800 DPS now.
Now addressing individual healers by giving them new tools or fun abilities is great. Totally revamping the mechanic of healing is a potentially game-breaking thing. If anyone can pull it off it may be Blizzard, but why fix what is not broken?
Galla Oct 23rd 2008 3:21PM
5 yard ranged healing class?
Let it have charge, kinda like a Warrior, and be running from person to person doing a 'melee' heal.
idk... just a thought on how thay could make a new healing class mechanic. Still kinda the same idea of whack-a-mole tho...
...and what about the Spell Breaker unit from WC3 as a new hero class... would imagine they wouldn't be too far off from what a warlocks Fel Hunter currently does, but I could see some fun mechanics coming out of a class based around that idea...
ButtercupSaiyan Oct 23rd 2008 5:47PM
I love that idea.
nav Oct 24th 2008 7:28AM
Horribly difficult to actually track someone down in a 25 man raid with spells flying everywhere I'm afraid. Unless there's some deathgrip like spell to get you there or point you in the right direction it'll be very hard to play.
rogue Oct 23rd 2008 3:18PM
It may make sense that a healer hero class is coming up, but I would doubt it'd be Arch Druid, as others have said, because it is basically just super druid -- and if druids aren't cool enough at level 90 (or whatever), why bother playing one? Just wouldn't make sense to me.
First mechanic pops into my head is reactive heals that can be placed on the target before damage is taken... doesn't sound very exciting though.