The new healing style. I normally never have to think too hard about how I heal. Back in wrath occasionally druids would ask me how I heal, or how to heal a specific boss fight. My response would normally be "uhhhh.... put hots on things..." or something to that effect. Sure, certain boss fights I had little ideas that came in handy, like the timing for lifebloom to heal infest on LK, or other things I've forgotten. Generally I just found healing natural and didn't need to think about what I cast because things just fell into place.
Now cataclysm has changed up this whole process. This has made me think, and since spells are so strict it makes how I heal quite obvious imo. I think the best place to start is what heals do we have?
Spells
Our Main healing spells
Lifebloom
7% - This is the cheapest thing we can do, but we can only cast it on one person. So we should keep it on that one person as often as possible. The spell also can heal for a lot if we let it fall off, but this should only be done if the burst is needed for a specific boss mechanic and you have time to put it up again.
Nourish
10% - The second cheapest heal, refreshes lifebloom, and longest cast time. If the lifebloom target isn't at full hp near the 3 second left mark, and they aren't nearer to half hp, cast this. Also can be used to top others off when a rejuv won't be quite enough and there is no other immediate threat to anyone.
Rejuvination
26% - a huge cost jump between this and our other heals, but worth it whenever someone isn't going to be healed by someone else to full, or you want to get your mastery bonus on another spell. Also combining this after wild growth for raid healing works well.
Healing Touch
30% - Our biggest heal, same cast time as nourish, so if you have an OOC proc, use this if at all possible ever! If anyone is dropping faster than your hots, or needs a big heal and you feel okay on mana, also use this.
Regrowth
35% - Some people love this spell, I can not understand that. As our most expensive heal, with almost no hot, hits for half a healing touch only when it crits, and doesn't refresh lifebloom I don't see any real use for this. Sure talents bump the crit up to 80%(counting my own gear), but if you rely on that it could just as easily fail. If a dps is dropping so fast that you need to cast this as a faster heal in order to save them, generally they've done something wrong and you shouldn't be needing this to save them. Yes, you should use it in that one circumstance, but if it keeps happening you might want to ask them why, after you go oom and wipe.
With the Natures Grace talent, this can help bump your haste for your heals temporarily. This can come in handy for certain areas of fights, and should be used for them. Just try to time it with an OOC proc. Personally if I know when I need the haste beforehand I'll save a GCD for insect swarm which has the same effect and does a bit of damage for a lot less mana. There can be a lot more discussion about this with Living Seeds and other things, but when I look at it I just see a huge mana dump.
Cooldowns
I list these seperately even though most have short cooldowns it affects their overall use
Swiftmend
10% - same price as nourish! instant cast, heals for more, pretty crits, and drops Efflorescense! Use it as often as you can to the best of it's awesomeness. Always benifits from mastery :D
Efflorescense
0% - This is our little group heal when people are stacked up. It comes from a swiftmend, so taking note of where people are before you go casting swiftmend on the lowest hp target can make this much more useful. Generally best used on fights where you are stacking up, but most fights have you spread such that 2-3 people might be able to stand in this depending on the abilities in that encounter.
Wild Growth
27% - Mildly costly for a rather small amount healed. Using this in conjunction with rejuv can give some nice healing, but it's rather slow healing. Use it when aoe healing is needed, at least it will stack up with other healer's similar aoe abilities to get the raid back up.
Tranquility
32% - Our class defining spell, reworked and better than ever. Wild growth before casting this makes it even better since it has a huge hot, and wild growth after for those heavy aoe situations. Only downside is that it's such a long cooldown.
Tree of Life
6% - healing buff, plus modifies a number of our spells. Lifebloom is allowed on multiple targets. Use the lifeblooms to get more OOC procs in order to cast the now instant cast Regrowth. And wild growth affect an additional target now. This is an amazing aoe healing cooldown. As well as single target if you keep up a few lifeblooms for extra OOC procs. Personally I avoid using this, unless there is a need to use it. The cooldown is rather short, so twice in a fight can be done. Lately I've been popping it with hero, or during a burn phase to throw some dps at the boss. 20-30k wrath from a healer O.o
Extras:
- Lifebloom from tree of life can continue to be refreshed after the form ends.
- Glyph of regrowth... is interesting. Perhaps on Chimaeron.
Patch
The upcoming patch. Makes some minor adjustments to healing. For whatever reason people tell me these few changes will fix aoe healing. I'm skeptical, as always, and am writing this mainly as a way to put my ideas together in preparation for this patch. The changes are few, and rather minor.
- Lifeblooms can no longer exist on more than one target when tree of life ends :( it was fun and difficult while it lasted
- Rejuv mana cost reduction
- Regrowth refreshes lifebloom
- Tree of life duration decreased
- When rejuv is on 3 or more targets, Nourish cast time reduced by 30%
- Wild growth healing increased by 30%
- Wild growth cooldown reduced
- Glyph of regrowth now refreshes while under 50% HP
- Omen of clarity no longer procs from spells unless talented for lifebloom only
The general sense of these changes show that tree of life was too powerful. Aoe healing has been improved, with wild growth buff, rejuv buff, and nourish buff. Regrowth has been made more useful, but I still don't see it as the go to for OOC especially since there is a reduced proc rate. However, glyph of regrowth seems really interesting for Chimaeron and I shall be trying that out.
One thing extra that I'll be testing is weather wacking the boss for 100 damage from my staff... will be procing OOC. I used to do this in molten core... oh memories. I also can't wait to hear the RL yell at me to get out of melee! But... but, omen procs ;_;
