Infraction for OmniDo: Grammar

Kaubel · 12/15/08, 5:12 PM

Post: WotLK Healing Compendium v3.0 [in progress]
User: OmniDo
Infraction: Grammar
Points: 1

Administrative Note:

Message to User:

You're going to need to stop with this crazy one-sentence-per-line crap. Seriously.

Original Post:

As this thread is exceedingly long, I wont add much to the commentary that I dont think could be beneficial.
One thing I'd like those to consider here is the following:

Discipline is not meant to be healing tanks.

While some people may raise an eyebrow and respond with: "Wth are you smoking?"
Allow me to explain.

If one examines the Discipline tree, one will notice that all of the talents are tailored around reducing mana expense, or returning mana expense while casting.
At first glance, this might seem like an MT design, but if one looks carefully one can consider a different design.

The Discipline healer, if specced correctly, is the most mana effecient priest in the game.
Disipline doesnt pack the "Punch" that Holy does, and it isnt designed to front-load massive amounts of healing.
Thus one might conclude that Discipline isnt suited to be a big-hitter for heals.

Well, if the main tank is supposed to be (in a perfect game) taking the brunt of damage from the most things, the most often (not including special mob-AoE and Boss Mechanics/gimmicks), then discipline is definately not the best choice for healing.

The holy Tree has the best benefit and results for MT healing, IF One re-evaluates how to heal as one.
See, prior to 3.0. there wasnt as clear a distinction for the healer roles of priests where Discipline is concerned.
This is mainly because very few could find a beneficial use in anything other than meditation or Improved Fort, to name a few.
In contrast, the Holy Tree provides clear numbers and an overall obvious boost in healing capabilities, whereas Discipline seems a bit lackluster.
Thus, many priests chose the Hybrid route; taking points in Discipline and Holy in an attempt to get the best of both worlds.

Indeed, I didnt realize either until 3.0 what the two distinctions were until I respecced and tested about 10 different variations of Talent builds in action, all based around my playstyle which is "Getting the most bang for your buck", as I am a cheap bastard on mana and an effeciency whore.
Thus, while many other priests gemmed and enchanted for Spellpower and Spirit, I chose Spellpower and Direct mp5.

The results were quite astonishing.
Discipline is meant to be a Raid Healer.
Why?
Because Discipline receives more benefit from cheaper instant-cast spells, has more staying power, and lasts longer in a heal-fest where more than one target is being healed.
Reason?
Discipline is designed to reduce damage taken, not bolster-heal through massive damage, as Holy is designed to do.
Everything in the discipline tree is meant to reduce damage, and/or decrease the costs of instant-cast spells; renew, Dispell, Greater Dispell, Improved Power Word: Shield, anything that can "Buy time" for the raid, which in theory shouldnt be taking much damage at all, save for special circumstances.
Discipline does this with finesse, Holy does not.

Now I know what many are thinking: "But CoH is THE best healing spell."
This is false.
CoH is not meant to be a "Heal the whole raid" spell, and it will be changed soon to include a cooldown which will all but reduce its current "uber-ness" to what it was intended to be: an Emergency "Oh Sh**" instant-heal for multiple targets.
Yes, it currently functions rather too well, but that is destined to change, so I try not to grow too attached, given that it will eventually be altered.
Take advantage of it while you can.

To provide some evidence for my point, I conducted an endurance test with the same healing mechanics used for both specs.
As Discipline, I had no trouble healing the group/raid at all, where they were behaving like a skilled raid should; not pulling aggro, not standing in the fire, et al.
I had difficulty healing the tank(s) for extended periods of time where the tanks simply take too much damage too quickly for my less-than-boosted healing capabilities.
As Holy, Keeping the Tank alive was a cakewalk, but keeping the raid alive was not.
Renews cost far too much to be casting all the time (and yes I do keep renews up on almost everyone where anyone takes any amount of damage from any situation) dispells ate up far too much mana, and if not for Meditation, I would have gone OOM rather quickly when healing anyone but the tank.

Serendipity is what makes this into a statistical proof.
25% mana refund on any primary spell overheal is the key, combined with SoL and HC procs, guarantees that the Holy Priest will have the staying power to out-last almost any other single-target healer.

As Holy, I can cast 60+ Flash Heals, including procs, trinkets, etc...before going OOM, where overheal is the deliberate aim of the heal style.
As Discipline, that number is (or was when the test was conducted at level 72) less than half.
When one combines the free mana return from SoL and HC's (and yes, it takes a bit of awareness and skill to best utilize these when they proc) thats immense staying power on a single target.

It is possible to raid heal with this methodology, but it requires the player to adopt a "Paranoid" approach; constantly attempting to overheal with the applicable spells whenever possible.
This proves to be quite difficult in a 25 man where there are at least 6-7 assumed healers total.

In conclusion:
I would reccomend that the members of the healing community seriously reconsider (if they already havent) their heal-style and specs for what the talents are designed to do.
While its possible to heal in numerous different ways, there are some that are definitively "better" statistically than others, regardless of personal preference.

My main is a 76 Holy Priest (at present), and Renew alone accounts for a minimum of 35%, average 40% of ALL my healing.
The rest is PoM, Flash Heal, and in some extreme cases (rarely) Greater Heal.
I almost never go OOM, can handle 7-8 Pulls in Heroics (where the tank and DPS are geared/skilled) and rarely ever lose anyone in a group/raid for any reason.

Prior to LK, I was pulling about 405 mp5 while casting, and around 940 out of FSR, fully raid buffed.
I had(have) one piece of Tier 6 Gear.

Feel free to examine my Spec.