A Study Of N00bs

[Kevin]

*They wear leather and thus take hits better.
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Having a L55 druid who is pretty much a main healer, this is just something I have to comment on because it is something that I see a lot.

The leather isn't that much of an advantage. Inner Fire, while only lasting for 3 minutes overwhelms the armor difference. Full Devout (just for example) 491 armor. Full Wildheart 978. Rank 6 Inner Fire 930 armor. Priest is actually less squishy with Inner Fire and the armor difference without it is not that big of a deal. Priests can also put something in the wand spot to help with stamina if they want. Druids can't. Other leather vs cloth items are going to be the same basic level of protection.

Now I realize Inner Fire isn't up all the time, and it takes mana to put up as well, but it is an instant cast and it makes you have better armor than a druid, plus you can bubble to help you get a heal off on yourself or the tank, druids will get stuttered on their casting and they only have a HoT instant cast heal. Pretty much if I get aggro it means I pretty much have to burn my Nature Swiftness to keep myself alive, but that also makes it that much harder for aggro to be shed.

Now onto some other general druid points, not specifically in response to Hillary.

I also see the argument of "drop into bear form". Generally with how careful I am with my heals and how much I rely on the two HoT's that I have, if I have aggro it means someone, generally the tank, is getting pummeled. Without anything but a 3.5 second cast healing touch or 2.0 second front loaded HoT (the least mana efficient heal a druid has as well) I don't have the time to stop healing them. I pretty much am healing with a greater heal all the time. And dropping 55% of my mana pool to go into bear form means not a lot of mana when I pop back out. Most of the instances I have healed I have been it for the healer too. No paladin, no priest, maybe someone with jumper cables for a rez. There are some situations where I can drop into bear form for a bit, but it isn't usually a real option. Being the only takes away my option of letting someone else die in some cases becuase I can't rez them after the fight either, but that isn't really part of the argument on squishy. :)

Similar argument about drop into cat and cower (cower only works on the mob you have targeted as well, just FYI). Though I have done that to a single mob peel on rare occasion as well, but the mana hit generally isn't worth it.

Now I'm not arguing for a non battle rez for the druid, I haven't given it a lot of thought as to class balance really. But it isn't the only reason a priest is a better primary healer, though druids are damn good healers and regrowth, my front loaded HoT is awesome, if mana innefficient. :) Innervate is awesome and Natures Swiftness is awesome. MotW is a better buff as well. Battle rez can save wipes but you better not have anyone die again for 30 more minutes. Thorns helps a tank keep aggro on multiple mobs. I can regrowth and rejuvinate and run two HoT's on a person. We do have advantages.

However I miss flash heal (1.5 second cast heal, yummy! mana efficient too! Wow). I miss not being able to bubble someone to stop interruptions or give a little more time for another heal to go off. I miss being able to do ranged damage without chewing the heck out of my mana pool (no wands, no other ranged weapons). My DoT, while nice, is front loaded and more of an aggro problem. I don't have a good AoE heal (heck I forget I even have tranquility sometimes because if you use that 10 minute cooldown skill you are only healing with that for 10 seconds). I don't have fade (which while not perfect is very helpful). I have a Stealthblade that I found in Sunken Temple. It casts a weak version of fade and I start poking mobs with it as soon as I get aggro or even if I don't have aggro. It isn't reliable but it has shed aggro for me a couple of times. I don't have any really useful crowd control (it can help on Maraudon princess runs and if you are high enough level on some of the dragonkin in Sunken Temple and BRS), I can't scout ahead with mind vision, I can't mind control, and I have seen the tactic used very well. Mind control the medics on the way to Bael Gar. You can heal your party and take a few mobs out of combat.

So yes, the druid does have some advantages as a healer, but there are a lot of things a priest can do that just makes them better to have as a healer, regardless of being able to rez.

A druid as offtank or 2nd healer is fantasic though. Even as the primary healer I will start the battle as a cat sometimes and do a some good damage that way and pop mid fight to heal. But that all depends on the mobs. I've gone bear and off tanked when I was the only healer as well. But most of the druid action that I have seen where they weren't primary healer, I wasn't the druid. :)