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My little healer strategy-guide
ladymythos
Member, Neverwinter Knight of the Feywild Users Posts: 637 Bounty Hunter
Hi there. My name's Lady Mythos, and I'll be your guide today. 
Nah, just kidding. I've been a big fan of MMOs since I got my very first broadband a short while after WoW: Burning Crusade was out (yeah, I know... that's late...), and I've played tons of MMOs since then. If you can name it, I've probably played it. And in all these years and all these games, there's always been one thing that puzzled me: The healer.
Granted, I didn't really get into the healer-role until Lord of the Rings Online, and even then, it was a last choice after going through all the other Hobbit-classes. I liked each and every one of them, and yet, the Minstrel really got to me. I thought I was going to hate it, but I ended up really loving it. In fact, I loved playing it so much that I've done it in every MMO I've played since, and I fully intend on doing that for a long time to come. Wildstar? My first class will be a healer. Elder Scrolls Online? We can be just about anything (literally, the classes don't matter much), and I'll be focusing on healing. Secret World? Build your own class? Healer.
But because I focus so much on healing, I try to really get into the class and exploit the system as best I can, to be the best healer possible. And frankly, that scares me a bit. Not my own healing, but I often see different sides of it I don't really like much - or, in other words, other players trying to be healers and failing miserably. The excuses are as numerous as there are players. "I can't heal everyone", "The healing mechanics in this game sucks" and "We don't have insta-healing" are probably the most common excuses. I say BS to all of them. If you really get into the class and start to see how the developers were thinking, I have yet to find a single game with a bad healer-system. Even this one, despite we lack insta-healing. (true, I'm only a lvl 40 DC so far, but I think I know where this is going, based on lvl 60 DCs in my groups and their skills.)
So with all that said, I want to share a few tips on how I do my healing. This is by no means the only way, and probably not the best way. I'll even admit I was called a joke yesterday, and that's not even remotely close the worst thing I've been called over the years. Let's just say NSFW, hehe. So anyway, my few tips:
1. Never leave anyone. "Just focus on the tank" is something I hear often. Not to mention "I can't heal everyone". And again, I say that's BS. You can heal everyone, and everyone is equally important. If the tank dies, the DPS will be forced to become a new tank. That never works. If it did, the tank wouldn't have died in the first place. If the DPS dies, the tank will have to work overtime, and often in a fight that's challenging as it is. So everyone has to stay alive, but how is that possible? Especially when we have very few AoE healing spells? Mobility, my friends. And a very sharp eye. True, it was a lot easier in LotRO, as I could click their portrait and do the healing that way. But in Neverwinter? Always keep a sharp eye on the situation, always be on the lookout for incoming mobs, and always throw a healing-spell at whoever needs it.
However, "who needs it" isn't necessarlly everyone who doesn't have full health. Even if someone is down to 50% health, you can sometimes still ignore them. It all depends on what mobs they are fighting, how the fight is going, and how it is going to go. Meaning if there are more mobs incoming, heal the hurt player. But if he/she is doing fine and the mobs are nearly gone, you can usually safely focus on someone else.
2. Always know what you can and can't do. Going back to LotRO, it always annoyed me when a healer-player ran into a dungeon with War Speech active. WS is a great skill for solo play, as it increase the damage you do quite a lot. But it also cuts the healing you do in half, meaning it's beyond useless in groups. When you are in a group as a healer, leave the damage-dealing to the others. Your job is to heal them, not hurt the enemies. If you got that, you're already on the way to become a great healer.
However... and there's always a however... healing is two-fold: There's regular healing the hurt ones, and there's what I like to call pre-emptive healing. Basically, when a monster hit a player, you need to heal him. But you can sometimes do a little pre-emptive healing and kill the mob, so it won't be able to hurt the player. Or you can just knock it away, perhaps. Or send it running in fear. Or stun it. Anything like that. Healing isn't just curing wounds, but also making sure there won't be any wounds in the first place. Both are very important, though the regular healing is the most important. Leave the pre-emptive healing to the others, unless you are sure you can do it without cutting in on the normal healing. Using Neverwinter as an example, I love to use my Encounters to hurt mobs. But if I do, they go on a cooldown. Hurting mobs is fun, but I can't have Encounters on cooldown when I need to heal someone. So remember: Heal first, hurting later.
3. Resource managment. Mana, spirit, energy, you name it. While we don't have it in Neverwinter, we do have the three charges (forgot what they are called, sorry). These are crucial in a difficult fight, and should never, ever be wasted. As I said earlier, it's crucial to know what you can and can not do. This also means you need to know what your skills will do, both normally and when you hit Tab. I've lost count on how many people I see healing with that blue beam you get when you press the Tab-key. Personally, I cringe every time. The beam might seem fun at first, but it drains the three charges rapidly, so you won't have them when you need them.
The way I do is it I use three encounters: one that sends a blast all around you (Sunburst? Sorry, forgot the names as I don't have the game in front of me.) There's one that does a little bit of heal-over-time, and a lightning strike. The lightning strike does some decent damage, but is rather useless in a group - normally, at least. As for the blast, it hurts the enemies around me, and heals every player it hits. Nothing major, and mostly for solo. Or is it? If I press Tab, the burst will now knock every enemy around me away, giving me some breathing-space. This can be a lifesaver in a hectic combat situation, and even knock enemies off ledges or into spike pits. As for the lightning strike, it's even more useful: When I press Tab, it will hurt the enemies it hits, and intantly heal every player near the target quite a bit. Quite a handy skill, and requires those three charges. So blue beam with minimal healing, or instantly heal a lot of players? I know what I'd pick.
Again, this isn't exactly the only way to do it. This is just how I do it. And after going through Throne of Idris without a single death, chances are I'm doing something right. Despite being called a joke.
4. Learn the healing mechanics, and embrace them. Possibly the most important part. A lot of games have a lot of healing mechanics, and a lot of players have complained about many of them. But after some studies with lots of healing mechanics in different games, I'm always left with the same conclusion: They might be weird, but they work. They just might not work the way you think they do. Again, take Neverwinter as an example. The healing mechanics here might seem a bit weird, and the cleric focus more on combat than healing. So does that mean we lack a good healer-class? Far from it. None of you would bother read this if you didn't enjoy the game, and if you enjoy the game, it means they are doing something right. But if they do things right, how can they screw up the healing mechanics so badly? Answer: They didn't. What many people need to do is stop thinking about other games' healing mechanics, and embrace the healing mechanics in this game. This is the one you're playing, after all. Read up on the various skills to see what they do, and pick the ones that suits you the best. A cookie-cutter build might be great, but "great" isn't always the same as "fun". And would you rather have a bored player with a great class he can't play, or a player having fun and really learning to play a slightly less good build? You'd be surprised what people can accompish with less, if they set their mind to it. I saw a youtube-video of a paratrooper a while ago. He had hurt his back so badly over the years that everyone, even himselv, gave up on him and said he could never walk unassisted again in his entire life. Only one guy believed him and forced him to not give up. Today, the paratrooper is running unassisted. If there's will, there's a way. Even with strange builds in MMOs. If you're having fun, you're doing it right.
Nah, just kidding. I've been a big fan of MMOs since I got my very first broadband a short while after WoW: Burning Crusade was out (yeah, I know... that's late...), and I've played tons of MMOs since then. If you can name it, I've probably played it. And in all these years and all these games, there's always been one thing that puzzled me: The healer.Granted, I didn't really get into the healer-role until Lord of the Rings Online, and even then, it was a last choice after going through all the other Hobbit-classes. I liked each and every one of them, and yet, the Minstrel really got to me. I thought I was going to hate it, but I ended up really loving it. In fact, I loved playing it so much that I've done it in every MMO I've played since, and I fully intend on doing that for a long time to come. Wildstar? My first class will be a healer. Elder Scrolls Online? We can be just about anything (literally, the classes don't matter much), and I'll be focusing on healing. Secret World? Build your own class? Healer.
But because I focus so much on healing, I try to really get into the class and exploit the system as best I can, to be the best healer possible. And frankly, that scares me a bit. Not my own healing, but I often see different sides of it I don't really like much - or, in other words, other players trying to be healers and failing miserably. The excuses are as numerous as there are players. "I can't heal everyone", "The healing mechanics in this game sucks" and "We don't have insta-healing" are probably the most common excuses. I say BS to all of them. If you really get into the class and start to see how the developers were thinking, I have yet to find a single game with a bad healer-system. Even this one, despite we lack insta-healing. (true, I'm only a lvl 40 DC so far, but I think I know where this is going, based on lvl 60 DCs in my groups and their skills.)
So with all that said, I want to share a few tips on how I do my healing. This is by no means the only way, and probably not the best way. I'll even admit I was called a joke yesterday, and that's not even remotely close the worst thing I've been called over the years. Let's just say NSFW, hehe. So anyway, my few tips:
1. Never leave anyone. "Just focus on the tank" is something I hear often. Not to mention "I can't heal everyone". And again, I say that's BS. You can heal everyone, and everyone is equally important. If the tank dies, the DPS will be forced to become a new tank. That never works. If it did, the tank wouldn't have died in the first place. If the DPS dies, the tank will have to work overtime, and often in a fight that's challenging as it is. So everyone has to stay alive, but how is that possible? Especially when we have very few AoE healing spells? Mobility, my friends. And a very sharp eye. True, it was a lot easier in LotRO, as I could click their portrait and do the healing that way. But in Neverwinter? Always keep a sharp eye on the situation, always be on the lookout for incoming mobs, and always throw a healing-spell at whoever needs it.
However, "who needs it" isn't necessarlly everyone who doesn't have full health. Even if someone is down to 50% health, you can sometimes still ignore them. It all depends on what mobs they are fighting, how the fight is going, and how it is going to go. Meaning if there are more mobs incoming, heal the hurt player. But if he/she is doing fine and the mobs are nearly gone, you can usually safely focus on someone else.
2. Always know what you can and can't do. Going back to LotRO, it always annoyed me when a healer-player ran into a dungeon with War Speech active. WS is a great skill for solo play, as it increase the damage you do quite a lot. But it also cuts the healing you do in half, meaning it's beyond useless in groups. When you are in a group as a healer, leave the damage-dealing to the others. Your job is to heal them, not hurt the enemies. If you got that, you're already on the way to become a great healer.
However... and there's always a however... healing is two-fold: There's regular healing the hurt ones, and there's what I like to call pre-emptive healing. Basically, when a monster hit a player, you need to heal him. But you can sometimes do a little pre-emptive healing and kill the mob, so it won't be able to hurt the player. Or you can just knock it away, perhaps. Or send it running in fear. Or stun it. Anything like that. Healing isn't just curing wounds, but also making sure there won't be any wounds in the first place. Both are very important, though the regular healing is the most important. Leave the pre-emptive healing to the others, unless you are sure you can do it without cutting in on the normal healing. Using Neverwinter as an example, I love to use my Encounters to hurt mobs. But if I do, they go on a cooldown. Hurting mobs is fun, but I can't have Encounters on cooldown when I need to heal someone. So remember: Heal first, hurting later.
3. Resource managment. Mana, spirit, energy, you name it. While we don't have it in Neverwinter, we do have the three charges (forgot what they are called, sorry). These are crucial in a difficult fight, and should never, ever be wasted. As I said earlier, it's crucial to know what you can and can not do. This also means you need to know what your skills will do, both normally and when you hit Tab. I've lost count on how many people I see healing with that blue beam you get when you press the Tab-key. Personally, I cringe every time. The beam might seem fun at first, but it drains the three charges rapidly, so you won't have them when you need them.
The way I do is it I use three encounters: one that sends a blast all around you (Sunburst? Sorry, forgot the names as I don't have the game in front of me.) There's one that does a little bit of heal-over-time, and a lightning strike. The lightning strike does some decent damage, but is rather useless in a group - normally, at least. As for the blast, it hurts the enemies around me, and heals every player it hits. Nothing major, and mostly for solo. Or is it? If I press Tab, the burst will now knock every enemy around me away, giving me some breathing-space. This can be a lifesaver in a hectic combat situation, and even knock enemies off ledges or into spike pits. As for the lightning strike, it's even more useful: When I press Tab, it will hurt the enemies it hits, and intantly heal every player near the target quite a bit. Quite a handy skill, and requires those three charges. So blue beam with minimal healing, or instantly heal a lot of players? I know what I'd pick.
Again, this isn't exactly the only way to do it. This is just how I do it. And after going through Throne of Idris without a single death, chances are I'm doing something right. Despite being called a joke.
4. Learn the healing mechanics, and embrace them. Possibly the most important part. A lot of games have a lot of healing mechanics, and a lot of players have complained about many of them. But after some studies with lots of healing mechanics in different games, I'm always left with the same conclusion: They might be weird, but they work. They just might not work the way you think they do. Again, take Neverwinter as an example. The healing mechanics here might seem a bit weird, and the cleric focus more on combat than healing. So does that mean we lack a good healer-class? Far from it. None of you would bother read this if you didn't enjoy the game, and if you enjoy the game, it means they are doing something right. But if they do things right, how can they screw up the healing mechanics so badly? Answer: They didn't. What many people need to do is stop thinking about other games' healing mechanics, and embrace the healing mechanics in this game. This is the one you're playing, after all. Read up on the various skills to see what they do, and pick the ones that suits you the best. A cookie-cutter build might be great, but "great" isn't always the same as "fun". And would you rather have a bored player with a great class he can't play, or a player having fun and really learning to play a slightly less good build? You'd be surprised what people can accompish with less, if they set their mind to it. I saw a youtube-video of a paratrooper a while ago. He had hurt his back so badly over the years that everyone, even himselv, gave up on him and said he could never walk unassisted again in his entire life. Only one guy believed him and forced him to not give up. Today, the paratrooper is running unassisted. If there's will, there's a way. Even with strange builds in MMOs. If you're having fun, you're doing it right.
Post edited by ladymythos on
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So as far as not leaving anyone, it's usually not an issue. Throw AShield where the melees are fighting, tag everything with ASeal and then start debuffing. If you don't have melees or they aren't taking a lot of damage, throw the shield on the ranged DPS instead. As you say, Soothing Light is wasteful, but sometimes you need it for emergencies. This has worked for me in every dungeon up through Karru. Of course this works best with a good party. You may have to work harder with a more average one and there are some groups you can't do anything with.
Plus, there's the choice of spells or skills. Where's the fun in looking up a cookie-cutter build online and sticking to it? We have so many choices in how we build our characters, that it's important to find one that suits you, not one that suits everyone else. You are the one who will play it, after all. So even if you pick a weaker spell, you can learn to perfect it, and do more healing with that than a better spell you don't like. It's in many ways the same way you as a GWF can sacrifice a bit defense for more power, or sacrifice power for defense. Which one is the best? Defense or power? It depends on your playstyle. More power means you'll end the fight quicker, but have a higher chance of dying. More defense means the fights will last longer, but you have a better chance of surviving. Which one you pick is up to you. That's why my rogue sacrifice power for critical hits. She won't do as much overal damage, but when she crits, she can do a lot more damage than usual.
Yes, definitely. And this was actually in my first point. "Mobility, my friend." I see it wasn't as clear as I thought, and I apologize for that. But what I mean is that it's vital to keep a sharp eye on the battlefield at all times. Maybe more as a healer than any other class. You are right. If I am too far forward, I can't heal the people in the back. And if I am too far back, I can't heal the ones in the front. But what you are missing is the "if" I should heal them - even if they are taking damage.
Take the tank, for instance. He will be in the front, fighting the boss. That means he will take damage. So should I stick to him and heal him all the time? Yes... and no. Yes, it is very important that he stays alive. He might even be more important than the DPSers, though they are very important too. But if they die, I can in theory still heal the tank long enough for him to take down both the boss and the adds. But if the tank falls, it's much harder to heal the DPSers until they have taken down the boss and adds. But that said, a lot of things counts here: How much damage is the tank taking? How much damage is the boss taking? How much heal do the tank have? How much health does the boss have? If the tank isn't taking much damage, it doesn't matter if both he and the boss has a lot of health left. I can safely heal the DPSers instead for a while. If the tank has a lot of health and the boss very little, I can probably ignore th tank for a while. But if the tank is taking a lot of damage and the boss has a lot of health left, I need to stay on the tank.
The same goes for hte DPSers, of course. So as a healer, I constantly need to judge both the tank and the DPSers chance of surviving the next five to ten seconds. Misjudge even a few seconds, and the whole group can end up wiping. I know this sounds tiresomme, and trust me, it is. There have been times I've been exhausted after a long dungeon, simply because there was so much going on all the time. But that's also the beauty of it. It's ridiculously exhausting at times, but oh so rewarding, too. If you are a DPSer, you can basically just sit back and shoot at anything that moves. If you are a tank, you can stick to the biggest enemy you can find, and ignore the rest. But if you are a healer, you really have your work cut out for you. But take pride in keeping everyone alive, and you'll end with a big grin when you're done Or is that just me?