Healing on Beta is simply out of control. It will be interesting to see the effects of the Holy Radiance nerf, as it was accounting for upwards of 60% for paladin healing on basically every beta encounter. I'd heard that single-target healing had been a weak spot for holy paladins in the beta, and when I saw the 30% across the board buffs to all the single-target heals, I was a little confused.

The spec is already *extremely* powerful in the Beta. While partially a result of an overtuned Holy Radiance, it surprised me that Paladins had their single-target dilemma fixed in such a straight-forward manner. Meanwhile, Holy Priests, and to a lesser extent Restoration Shamans, have been struggling greatly with healing on the Beta, and received complicated changes to Chakra, in the case of Priests, and a nerf to Chain Heal, in the case of Shamans. Also, as Wugan stated above, the Holy Paladin mastery is much less situational than the Shaman one.

As Jhazrun, Holy Priest from Paragon, said:
"I do have to admit to soul-stomping guilt about taking a raid slot being something I've just recently had the… opportunity… of experiencing.

The design of Holy is a textbook chapter in anti-synergy, each step forward locked behind two steps back. Time and time again I find myself facing nothing but unsettling frustration. Cataclysm has, however, been enough of a resounding success in other areas for me to tentatively remain in good faith for rewarding gameplay, though that's a far cry from something adjusting a value or two would lead to.

I embrace the dynamics shift, but it's a druid's and paladin's world out there. I know I'll have both prepared."

And I'm afraid this beta build did little to change this.

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