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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsAddon Spotlight: Raiding essentials for healers
by Mathew McCurley 
Oct 6th 2011 at 7:00PM
As we get Raid Finder clarifications and new details, the excitement ramps up for this brand new feature coming in patch 4.3. Raiders and non-raiders alike are clamoring for new ways to experience the high-end, endgame content. Since we also now know the role makeup for the Raid Finder, healers will be in demand as each Raid Finder group will be made up of six healers.
Healing is one of the most stressful jobs in World of Warcraft right now. The logistics for healing have changed dramatically since the Wrath of the Lich King days with a new emphasis on smart healing versus throughput. What that means is you have limited resources and need to make sure you're using them correctly. Healing is probably the most complicated role out there right now, if only because healers have a lot of responsibility. In the Raid Finder, encounter difficulties will be easier than we've seen before, but the fact is that players will still need their health bars above zero in order to beat a fight.
Healer addons can be a divisive topic, so I'm going to stick with the basics for healers in raids. Your own mileage may vary, and you're going to want to try out different setups in order to see what works for you. On the whole, people agree that having some addons to help with healing makes the job that much smoother.
More information on your raid frames
Healing is all about information. Who has how much life? What debuffs does the tank have? How many people have a debuff that needs to be dispelled? Who has cooldowns available, and should one be used? All these questions sort of become second nature after a while, but addons help relay that information to you.
Grid and Clique are two addons that go hand-in-hand together as an excellent healing system. Grid puts your raid into an easily managable interface, with smaller boxes representing raiders instead of the large party frames. Grid allows you to set what type of information is available in each corner of the box, as well as color code and use transparencies for a variety of conditions. Clique turns mouse clicks into spellcasts, allowing you to have the most needed of your spell arsenal at the ready with just a click. I recommend using Bati's healing layouts for Grid if you're just starting out, as they do a great job getting you acclimated to the role and the new addons.
Check out my Addon Spotlight on Grid and Clique.
There are healing-centric raid group addons that combine Grid- and Clique-like setups into one. Healbot and Vuhdo, the two most popular healing addons of this type, do a great job allowing you to set up what spells you want on click-cast as well as the information that appears in each box. Watch the comments for tips and tricks with these addons, as their fanbases are loyal and people swear by their effectiveness. I can't fault them -- these are amazing addons.
Download Vuhdo at [Curse].
Download Healbot at [Curse].
If you're a fan of the Blizzard raid profiles that are built in to the game (and, frankly, are a very competent setup when compared to addon alternatives), there are supplementary addons available to you in order to make that system work better for you. Adding information to the default raid profiles is easy, and I even wrote a whole Addon Spotlight about that very topic. Addons like Layover and Blizzard Raid Frame -- Indicators allow your Blizzard raid profiles to act more like Grid and deliver more personalized information in your group boxes.
Check out my Addon Spotlight on ways to add to the Blizzard raid profile.
Announce your raid and mana cooldowns
I recommended using Raeli's Spell Announcer for DPS and tanks because communication is the most important aspect of a good raid. You will not defeat bosses unless you have effective communication. RSA is an addon that adds a channel of communication imperitive to the Raid Finder, as not many people will be voice chatting together while participating in relatively complicated encounters. For healers, RSA can help announce healing and mana cooldowns to your raid, as well as whisper tank cooldowns to your main and off tanks so that they know when and how to plan their own cooldown usage. Communication between tanks and healers is extremely imporatant, so make it easier for everyone and grab RSA. You tanks will probably love you for it.
Also, one of the new meta design philosophies of Cataclysm raiding is that there will be times during an encounter when healers will have to coordinate and chain raid cooldowns to keep everyone alive during periods of heavy damage. You are going to want to know what's going on and who is using what, right? RSA helps. Alysrazor, Beth'tilac, and Rhyolith are the big offenders in Firelands, and you can be sure there will be more in Dragon Soul.
Check out my Addon Spotlight on Raeli's Spell Announcer.
Healing is a tunnel vision job. You get so focused on healing your tanks or raid that you might slip up looking at your feet. Wouldn't an audio cue be great for when you're standing in something bad? GTFO is a must-have addon for healers because you will get in to the zone and you will start forgetting where you are standing. It has happened to the best of us. Mitigate that scenario with GTFO and never forget again. There are tons of audio warnings and settings, so tinker around until you find the most annoying and destructive sound for you, and you'll always be watching where you stand from here on out.
Check out my Addon Spotlight on GTFO.
Sure, there are plenty more addons out there for healers that are useful or great, and you should recommend those in the comments below. However, to start the new enterprising, young healer on his or her brand new journey into raiding, these types of addons should make for a good first experience. Remember, as always, communication is the most important factor in raiding. If you don't communicate, you don't win. You want to win, don't you? Start talking!
That concludes our series on the brand new Raid Finder and getting people ready, addon-wise, for the newest way to raid coming in patch 4.3. I've got some ideas for new columns about the general basics for the Raid Finder and players new to the whole raiding scene, but I think I am going to save that for a time closer to the actual release of the patch. More relevant timing, you see. Smart. In the meantime, if you've got an addon that you'd like to see on Addon Spotlight or have an addon that you made yourself, send me an email at mat@wowinsider.com. I will be more than happy to take a look.
See you guys next week.
Addons are what we do on Addon Spotlight. If you're new to mods, Addons 101 will walk you through the basics; see what other players are doing at Reader UI of the Week. If there's a mod you think Addon Spotlight should take a look at, email mat@wowinsider.com.
Filed under: Add-Ons, AddOn Spotlight
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 2)
Arbolamante Oct 6th 2011 9:52PM
The problem with switching to new setups (I use X-Perl and mouseover macros myself) is that there is no healer equivalent of the dps target dummies. We need something like that to test things out. Midway through a raid encounter is a bad time to realize it doesn't work like you though it did, or you don't understand some key feature.
Jem Oct 7th 2011 3:24AM
Personally, I use battlegrounds as the equivalent of a training dummy. You generally get the full gamut of debuffs and you have to react quickly in an unpredictable environment.
The added bonus is that people in BGs tend to appreciate any heal and won't really know if you fumbled that new bind.
sperrone Oct 6th 2011 10:18PM
I'm a healbot fanboy, have been for 3 years now (maybe more...can't remember when it came out). I tried grid-clique and didn't care for it as much. Probably just because I'm so used to HB.
I have a five button mouse that I have all 5 buttons + shift-buttons mapped to spells for Healbot. It's awesome.
vegetto375 Oct 6th 2011 10:23PM
For me, is Healbot. With out HealBot I would probably had drop resto on my shaman, never picked up holy on my paladin, never play anything but shadow on my priest (heck I may not have played a priest at al).
When I first tried my hand at healing it was a disaster it woud take me forever to click a player, than move my mouse to over the spell and click the spel, than click player, click spell, click player, click spell. When a friend introuced me to HealBot, and addons in general (I never had used an addon before, didn't even knew what they were for) my healing when up 300%. I highly recomend HealBot for new healers and healers who have never heal in a group or raid, is highly custumizable and easy to learn.
Aceman67 Oct 6th 2011 11:42PM
Why no mention of Heal-bot? I use it on my Resto Druid exclusively (and its working out so far on my Disc Priest I'm leveling through Dungeon Healing). I have to agree with Vegetto375, Heal-bot is a high quality addon and requires Less set up time then both Grid and Clique
karatesmashunhurt Oct 7th 2011 5:16AM
He does mention it as an alternative to Grid+Clique. Read the article before commenting, not just the titles of the sections.
Cinnamilk Oct 7th 2011 2:17AM
I use Grid, Clique, and Vuhdo.
Grid and Clique are only for my DPS setups, as I can set the icons smaller and display minimal information, and use Clique to clickbind all of my DPS-related abilities/defensive cooldowns.
VuhDo is plain amazing with its cluster and bouquet features.
Patgamer Oct 7th 2011 2:38AM
Raid frames + Clique
I've tried Healbot, Grid and Vuhdo many times but they just don't seem to work for me, Grid was pretty solid but I just couldn't find the right setup.
Shamanfriend and Powerauras help me out a lot as well.
excorgh Oct 7th 2011 4:45AM
Grid and mouseovers. Get Powerauras if you want to see specific buff/proc/debuff/cd etc more clearly.
Britty Oct 7th 2011 6:53AM
My 2 Copper and opinions:
Grid + Clique = Love
I've been using that combination since I started healing in wrath on my druid. My poor druid is retired from healing, but both my Holy Paladin and Restoration Shaman love Grid. I use to make sure my earth shield/beacon of light are on the tank at all times, to make sure my mana shield is on the shaman. I use it to keep track of who riptide is on, so I can chain heal that target or refresh it on the tank. Heck, I even use it on my DPS. I might not be healing, but I can always tell what buffs/curses/magic/poisons are up and if the healer is being chewed so I can pull threat off them. Obviously, it works well for my tank too.
I tried healbot and Vuhdo, but not used either very long. I always felt Healbot was way too clunkly looking on my screen, and my UI is already small enough with X-Perl and what not. In fact, before I started using Grid, I tried healbot. I actually uninstalled it and went heal addonless for short while because I just could not get past how "ugly" it appeared to me. (Note: I have severe OCD, and it more or less CLASHED and drove me bananas. I'm sure most people are handle things like that; I however can't.) Eventually my guild talked me into trying Grid because our druid friend had nothing but praise for it.
Don't get me wrong though, most of my friends LOVE healbot and absolutely adore it.
Vuhdo I just couldn't get use to after Grid. It certainly looked a lot better aesthetically to me than healbot, If anything ever happen to Grid, I'm sure I'd jump ship to Vuhdo. I have a few friends that use this, and prefer it to healbot as well.
Ging Oct 7th 2011 8:43AM
Sharkeater, maybe it's the player and playstyle in this case. I'm certainly not saying that Priests didn't get bent over in Cataclysm, but there are PLENTY of priests (holy and disc) that are pumping out the heals and conserving mana just fine in FL.
Maybe deleting the game is in your best interest if you're throwing insults to people you don't even know just because of your shortcomings as a healer.
As far as add-ons for healers, this article is a blessing. Been healing since Wrath and I prefer using Blizzard's raid frames and mouseover healing. Will certainly be checking out the ones you suggested for that.
I've attempted to use Grid + Clique, Vuhdo and Healbot...all have lead me wanting to slam my head against the desk. >.<
sporkwind Oct 7th 2011 10:26AM
I used to go Healbot all day long. Downed LK with that thing, but when my wife joined the healing team she ended up convincing me to try VuhDo. Gotta admit I'm glad I did. So much customization in there.
Add that to the fact that when people are out of range to me it shows a little arrow which direction I need to run. That has saved the off-tank kiting adds I dunno how many times.
Lots of little Quality of Life things in that add on. I like how they set up mouseover macros, adding extra bars is way easy, customizing where heals and debuffs show, etc. So much to play with.
TimR Oct 7th 2011 10:51AM
As a Resto Druid I find Grid plus some supplemental grid addons irreplaceable. I have my grid set up so my rejuv ticks in one corner, wild growth in another, regrowth in another, MotW indicator in the fourth corner, and lifebloom in the lower center. All heals have timers, and lifebloom is color coded red, yellow, green depending on the number of stacks. Magic, curse, and poison debuffs are rings around the square. It makes keeping track of all of that information really easy. My corner indicators broke a few patches ago and i didn't realize it until already in a dungeon, and I was so much more frantic trying to keep track of everything that was happening.
Dragon_eel Oct 9th 2011 10:54AM
GridManaBars - to see mana/energy/etc on the raid. When I'm in Moonkin form I still throw out my innervates to healers in need, even though it may not give them much at all anymore.
GridStatusHots - to track my druids heals on the raid.
"lifebloom is color coded red, yellow, green depending on the number of stacks." you can also adjust at what stack you want the timer to change color. Have one timer show, or many timers, this addition to Grid is very easily manageable.
*** Maybe have an Addon Spotlight on just accessories to Grid?
Duane Eckholm Oct 7th 2011 11:33AM
Does any holy priest have a suggestion for spell setup in vuhdo?
brain314 Oct 7th 2011 1:08PM
I use Healbot with mouseover macros in addition to clicking. Typically, it's the uncommon spells that get shifted to clicks while the common spells I use mouseovers.
Ryan Oct 9th 2011 2:35PM
Default raid frames + mouseover macros;
Grid + clique;
Vuhdo;
Healbot.
They all work fine. I know I'm leaving some out. These are just the ones I've played around with.
If you get comfortable with one, you won't want to change.
But if you do change, say because the one you used previously wasn't updated for your patch day raid, then you find something in the new one that you didn't use before. So you decide this new one is better. But by the following week, the one you left behind has the new feature you like. You just don't realize it.
Basically, you just need to be able to tell from your frames: your raid members' health, maybe their mana, what hots or shields are on them, if there are incoming heals, whether they are in your range, whether they are in a cluster, whether they are dead or disconnected, whether they have aggro, whether they have a debuff you can get rid of, and maybe whether you need to rebuff them.
I use vuhdo right now, but it's mainly because I find it easiest to relearn how to configure it after I have completely forgotten.