User:Kaidia/Healing

A few things you may not know that can drastically improve your healing
 * 1) Download ProfitUI. This is pretty much a must have for healers (in my humble opinion).  As a healer you have to keep track of so many different things:  your own power, your spells, other's health, detrimentals, Who dies.  Profit UI has a sleek interface making everything easy to see, as well as providing click-to-cure buttons in the raid window.  As a healer, I rely heavily on this.  If you want more info on Profit UI, check out EQ2interface.com or ask me anytime.
 * 2) /cancel_spellcast. Along the lines of the "click to cure" offered by profit UI, this simple command macroed with an ability causes you to cancel whatever you are casting and cast the spell you macroed.
 * Good spells to use this command with include Cure, Cure Curse, Emergency wards and heals, Stoneskins and Death Prevention Spells. Simply right-click your spell, and select "Create Macro...".  Add a Command before your spell and put /cancel_spellcast in the box.  Save it and you're done.


 * 1) /cancel_maintained. A recent addition to the useful commands for us.  Rather than search for a spell you need to cancel in your maintained window, macroing this can save you precious seconds you may not be able to lose.  This is something that may not be so useful anymore as healers don't have abilities that root, stun, or stifle anymore.  Before SF, I had this command macroed to Tortoise Shell and Heirophantic Genesis.
 * 2) Every second counts. So, make sure you can quickly and easily use the spells and abilities you need.  Pay close attention to the raid window.  Make sure it is up at all times.  Keep on top of detrimentals.
 * 3) To maximise my efficiency, I have one of my hotbars bound to my Num-lock keys. This hotbar, for me, contains my damage spells and temps.  This is a great way to have more important stuff available at the push of a button.
 * 4) Know what it is you should be focusing on. EQ2Flames has excellent resources for every healer about how to spec AA, how to choose gear, and other tips and tricks.  Do your research and know your class.
 * 5) Find a mentor. It's very helpful to find someone to guide you through the ins and outs of healing on raids.  Find someone of your class who has shown skill and success as a healer and ask them questions.  No question is too dumb.  Every healer had to start somewhere and we all asked those same questions.
 * 6) Every little bit helps. When it comes right down to it, 3% crit may not seem like much, but it really adds up.  Adorn your gear as best you can. Again, EQ2Flames can help with that.  Keep some "Elixer of Second Sight" (4% crit for 15 minutes) and "Sathirian Scroll of Benediction" on hand.  Especially for tough fights, the combined 7% heal crit may make the difference.  Pick up relics you may need, such as those that prevent stuns, stifles, or roots.  Nothing more frustrating than being stifled when your tank is going down.
 * 7) Power Management is key. Uldtimately, it's up to you to manage your own power.  Enchanters are great, but you simply can't always count on one being available.  Purchase power pots and power regen items.  Find Manawell and other personal power proc items and use them, or at least keep them on hand for critical fights.  On long, drawn out fights, you may have to sacrifice some nice gear in order to make sure you have the ability to last the fight.  I'm sure there's others far better to comment on this than I, but conserving you own power is critical, unless you think the wardens in raid can handle the second half of the fight on their own. (That was a joke, don't even think you can get out of warding that easy! lol)
 * 8) Parse means almost NOTHING. I say almost because it can be useful to an extent to measure your OWN ability.  However, unlike DPSers, it is not so clear cut for us.  Wards are ALWAYS counted first, reactives second, regen (HoT) third.  If you are a shaman and you are not easily topping the parse, you do need to consider your character more.  However, just because the fury always hugs the bottom, does not mean he is bad.
 * 9) Remember your priorities. This is most important.  As a healer, when we have half a million things thrown at us, it can be difficult to prioritize.  Always, Always, ALWAYS, heal/cure the tank first.  HE's the one keeping the big bad monsters from eating you.  Next, take care of yourself and your fellow healers.  You and your commrades can't keep anyone alive if you are dead.  DPSers have to come last.  Obviously, in the heat of battle, there's so many variables.  What about the tank who needs a cure when the MT dirge is in the red?  Or what about when you have the choice between healing your main tank or rezzing the other healer to take some of the load off you?  These are situations that you have to deal with as a raiding healer.  Ideally, healers should not need to rez people, as the dirges or necros can do just that and leave you to your healing, but this isn't a perfect world soemtimes.  Accept that, as far as priorities go, you will learn that through mistakes.  It is the best way to learn.

Oh, and lest I forget, YOU ARE A HEALER, not a Warlock. DPS is all well and good, but it is not our job. If you do not need to heal, go for it, lob a few fireballs at that mob. But your healing should never take a back seat to your DPS. I don't care if you CAN parse more than that wizzy, put your e-peen back in your pants and get to work doing what you intended to do when you rolled that toon (ok....I'm done ranting).

Healers are certainly not the easiest to play, but they can be the most rewarding. It takes a special breed to play so demanding a class. Because we have so many demands on our time, and every keystroke counts, it's important to prioritize and make our lives easier whenever possible. If you have anything to add to this, please, feel free. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

DISCLAIMER
Nothing in this post was directed at anyone in particular. It's merely my own outlook on healing and my perspective on what is important. It is an effort to help others by providing information they may not have or realize the importance of. If you took this post personally, go take a long walk on a short pier. lol Written 3/19/10