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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsWhy healing meters suck
by Mike Schramm 
Jan 8th 2009 at 9:00PM
Matticus also has a guest blogger on his site (I posted about Phaelia's guest blogger earlier today), and he's got a great post up too, about healing meters and why they just aren't helpful to anyone. Damage meters are well known to be disliked by many players -- while they can often show some DPSers where they fit in the general rankings, they're usually still not a great indicator of performance (and when DPS gets really involved in beating the meters, then things go bad quickly).But healing meters are even worse. Given all of the crazy mechanics in the game (from armor and self-heals to situational abilities and AoE heals), they are very rarely (if ever) a valid interpretation of who's doing the healing and whether they're doing it right or wrong. And as guest blogger Ulkesshern says, more healing doesn't make a better healer anyway -- overhealing and spamming big heals do not mean you're a good healer, though they may get you higher on the healing meters.
There is one good word for healing meters, and that's to give the healer an ego boost after you show off the DPS meters at the end of the instance (usually they're on the bottom of DPS, and so when you switch over to healing, they're happy to be back on top again). But Ulkesshern makes a good point: for anything worth tabulating or tracking, healing meters are not to be trusted or followed.
Filed under: Paladin, Priest, Shaman, Analysis / Opinion, Guilds, Raiding, Bosses, Buffs
Reader Comments (Page 3 of 4)
jaxson_bateman Jan 9th 2009 3:01AM
As has been mentioned - they're not entirely useless, but are far from the be all and end all.
When looking at a specific healer, the question that should be asked is: how successful were they at completing their role? This isn't difficult to answer. If they're tank healing, and the tank lives, they succeeded. If they're raid healing, and no-one dies, they succeeded. Raid healing levels of success vary with the amount of people that died, the type of fight - whether it's a case of personal accountability (ie. Thaddius and Heigan) or a case of higher healing output required (ie. Saph and Malygos).
If all the healing objectives are being met, there's not too much need for concern.
HOWEVER, it's possible that one or two healers (or, heaven forbid, more) aren't actually pulling their weight, and are actually succeeding on the efforts of the other healers. For example, a tank healer may have been 'successful' because their tank didn't die, but the tank might only have survived because a few other healers were throwing HoTs on them here and there. Thats where healing meters can come in.
Generally, if someone is low on effective healing, and higher on overall healing, it means that their heals are either getting sniped by 'smarter' classes (such as shammies), or they're choosing bad targets or timing their heals badly. If someone is low on effective and overall healing, it generally means that they're not actually healing enough. And if they're high on the effective healing charts - well, you can somewhat safely assume they're doing a good job.
So basically, IMO - you look at how well the assignments are being completed. If they're all successful, you don't need to worry much, if at all. If some of the assignments aren't being completed successfully, then perhaps a close look at a WWS report or Recount is in order!
Bunyipee Jan 9th 2009 3:17AM
I disagree.
Yes healing meters do suck compared to dmg meters but the ignore overhealing at least the good ones do. for dps dmg meters can be a good tool for healing its very vague but ignoring them completely is also silly.
Just because someone hates the epeeners posting meters doesnt mean the dmg meters or meters in general are not useful.
when you have any boss and notice that someone is way low on dps compared to where they should be then its a very good indication that something is wrong.
With healing it is the same though the meters are less useful as there is an upper limit to how much healing can be done and its easily possible for the healer with the fastest reactions to be massivly ahead as the others overheal or cancel heals.
Gareth Jan 9th 2009 5:04AM
IMHO you comments on heal meters are completly wrong.
on face value you will see in a raid if one of your healers is slacking badly, anyone that knows what they are doing will know if there should be a reson to do less heals.
with recount you can click on and work out what heals they did, and they do not take into account healing that goes over their full health, so its only the result not the casting.
also most heal meters will also show who did over healing so basicaly wasteing valuable mana on pointless spamming heals when the target doesnt need it.
Mike Kelley Jan 9th 2009 6:01AM
It's true that damage mitigation by a discipline priest will not show up in a healing meter. There's a good reason--damage mitigation is not healing. I find the healing meters to be an extraordinary tool, and have become a better healer because of them. Sure, heals within a few percent aren;t worth fighting over. However, it's interesting to see healers of the same class and spec at opposite ends of the healing charts. It's enabled me as a class leader to swoop in and instruct and help develop my guildmates.
If you've got an issue coming in low on the healing charts, and it bothers you that much, change your spec. Complaining about the charts being "unfair" is merely juvenile.
Creomortis Jan 9th 2009 6:20AM
What the hell, of course dps meters are important. It helps when deciding dps performance and it helps when wiping on a boss. It tells you whether or not the dps is performing well enough and it tells you whether a new trial knows his stuff or not.
Dez Jan 9th 2009 7:17AM
This is kinda why I won't bother to use DM anymore. After 3 years of hardcore raiding I know that I'm a good DPSer, sure there times when you're simply out geared or the likes, but that doesn't mean you still know how to DPS well (even beat the ones that outgear you).
DMs can be nice to improve your performance and ensure you do your best, and it's competitive. But still they're only reliable to an extent, while most ppl assume they're the best when their #1 in a 5man and if your 5th your a total noob, there's so much DMs don't account for.
Some people go on and on about DMs and focus on being top damage rather then playing well. If you're a good player you can do both, unfortunately most DM freaks ain't good players, all they know is damage and even that they don't do that well.
Wistin Jan 9th 2009 8:07AM
We have a healer who uses a pre-emtpive approach to healing more than just whacking a heal.
He tends to use shields a great deal. As such, while everyone stays alive and is healed very well, the meters don't show it.
Wistin Jan 9th 2009 8:10AM
...also, it is funny nobody complains about over damaging and thus wasting precious mana on damage that wasn't needed.
Enamore Jan 9th 2009 10:36AM
My Guild uses WWS reports and porsts then after all the raids. It has a healing meter in it, but you can berak it down to see who is healing who along with overheals, how much of that heal is directed toward a player, and how much of a healers casts contribute tot he overall healing that player recieved
Treason Jan 9th 2009 11:01AM
The difference in being the top overhealer and the top healer is often one of latency.
If one of the healers has a slightly better connection, then they will be recorded as healing, and the other one healing those targets will get recorded as overhealing.
Also healers who *do not* have comm addons that communicate their heals ALSO score well comparatively, as the healers who DO have those addon are healing people they see no incoming heals to, but in fact, have already been targeted and a heal cast on them by the player without the proper addons.
The numbers are *completely useless*. Just turn off your healing meters, completely.
h8rain Jan 9th 2009 9:22AM
I recently dropped shadow, because they changed the mechanics of Vamp. Touch (we have all the other classes that can trigger it). I am doing a sorta hybrid Disc/Holy healer (divine spirit), and so far I am liking it. Overhealing would be my biggest concern so far, and I would be interesting in knowing that. My little priest is only 75, so I have not tested in raid environments yet.
Ironically, I used to top the overhealing chart every single time, because of the health returns of Vamp. Embrace :D
Treason Jan 9th 2009 11:01AM
Overhealing is not something to worry about.
If you're not running out of mana in fights, it doesn't matter how much overhealing you do. Period. Nada. Not a thing to worry about.
Draskael Jan 9th 2009 9:32AM
I believe hiitgy covered most of it.
But here goes...
Personally I have my healing recount page open at all times, whether I'm "winning" or "losing" according to the meters. My primary reason for this meter obsession is the effect it has on my healing; it keeps me competitive!
But why?! Why as a healer would I want to be competitive? I mean, we're keeping people alive here, not destroying the opposition...
Or are we?
I know there are plenty of times where I've been -quite-satisfied to see that, on a second or third attempt at a difficult encounter I've managed to improve my healing output both in numbers and comparatively to my fellow raid healers.
These improvements are usually made via analyzing recount data, checking which spells and and their cast count, and targets that received / spells that did the most healing.
And to be completely honest, there is small chance I would have seen fit to make changes to my playstyle without such a tool.
@ meter QQers...
While aiming for higher numbers on the meter can result in more mana usage, this really shouldn't be much of a problem; the fine balancing act between 'oom' and 'low on mana' at the end of a fight still exists and must be approached with caution. This being said, I notice that previously to using meters to judge my performance, I found myself using mana cooldowns such as shadowfiend much less often on bosses, and thus I was wasting resources. As any class with a mana cooldown (i.e. shadowfiend, innervate, mana tide, to a lesser extent divine illumination and divine plea) , accepting the fact that you will have to use your 'mana cooldown' in the fight, and aiming to over heal slightly rather than underhealing, will result in much less meter qq and better 'effective healing'.
/End Rant >.<
george Jan 9th 2009 9:35AM
For all you saying if you know what you are looking for healing meters are worth something, give me your requirements, and I will meet everyone of them and still let my target die every single time. Healing meters sucks, and can be made to read whatever you want them to, if you know what someone uses to judge them. Even WWS doesn't show who saved who, or who let their healing assignments die.
Scott Jan 9th 2009 9:54AM
True to a point. When someone's consistently on the low end or bottom of the healing meters there's probably either a gear or a skill issue.
hexxe Jan 9th 2009 10:23AM
as a new healer, testing the last column of druid specs, for me Recount does a good job, just keeping track of heals and overheals, im pleased to c me has the top healer and the worst overhealer =D
Alderkin Jan 9th 2009 10:13AM
Healing meters, like damage meters are nothing more than a tool.
That's not a problem.
When your group/raid/guild leader is nothing more than a tool, and is using the meter results to justify bad decisions... Then people become more concerned with their individual performance on the meters than the group's performance in the raid. That's the problem.
Naturii Jan 9th 2009 10:12AM
I just left a guild because of healing meters. Healers in Naxx were actually judged by their performance on the healing meter...seriously.
CTD Jan 9th 2009 10:27AM
I don't give much credence to healing meters, but can't help but wonder when the pally healer is below the pally tank on healing done.
Helioz Jan 9th 2009 11:00AM
I guess I'm going to sound like a troll here, but It's hard to take end game advice for somebody who admittedly isn't an endgame player.
Personally, through nearly 4 years of raiding experience I see healing meters as important for two reasons:
1. It's a good indicator of who isn't pulling their weight, if a healer is very low on a fight where a lot of people need heals, that's an indication that they are being lazy or are just a bad player.
2. Whatever small ego boost healers get from the Healing meters is sometimes our only motovation. Healing is a rather thankless job and it's nice for us to be able to have something to look at and validate our class / spec choice. "I beat Healioz on healing! I must be doing awesome"
Healing meters don't work in the same way as DPS meters, they offer more general and broad data as to how "well" healers are doing.