Best weapon for healer?

I'm a relatively new player that's spent about a month at lvl 30 and gotten a 104 CR with 91 SP. I've been testing out different weapons and their WM attacks the last few days. My questions is, based on the mechanics of each weapon type, which is the best for healers?

For example, I've noticed that Brawling doesn't require as many combo points as Handblaster to progress through levels/tiers. I've also noticed that some of the WM animations and bars seem to move faster than others, so its much harder to correctly time when to use your powers.

It really seems like it should be based off the WM combo attacks, how long it takes each weapon type to progress through the combo levels/tiers and the available window for WM attacks to get the bonus. In my testing, I have *really* enjoyed Brawling on my healer because:

• The two ranged WM attacks are simple combos, (tap triangle, hold triangle) and (hold triangle, hold triangle)
• One of the WM ranged attacks builds combo points very quickly
• Brawling seems to require fewer hits than other attacks to progress through the combo point levels/tiers
• The animations are not fast and it has been pretty easy to execute heals during WM combos

I really have no preference for which weapon I use, I just want it to be the one that has the best game mechanics. Thanks in advance for your feedback!

I use the very popular tap-hold Brawling into Martial-arts-combo for healing. (don't know the exact name now, need to check when I'm back in the game)
It's very fast, so your combo doesn't interrupt your heals too long, and your SC-regen is fast with it.

Yup anything fast is best for healer. Almost every weapon has ranged attacks now with WM, but a good quick one will save your party more than anything else. Long combo's that you can't clip w/o stopping the dmg counter is bad. You don't have to use brawling to be a good healer, it just helps in those bad pug group situations where there is no troll at all, or just a bad one.

You can use duel wield, two handed, shields etc to your hearts content and many do to feel like their doing more dmg with better combo's. There are other advantages of course. Generally speaking the longer combo's have better WM modifiers for support roles. I believe brawling into shuriken storm is only a 10-15% power reduction when clipping while something like Home Run mastery from 2h is 25 to 30% or so.

Though in my experience while brawling does less power reduction on it's own, it's a quick 8 hit combo that takes maybe 2 seconds to go off, you get more power back from the combo counter and higher possible chance of your power return weapon mod than other higher combo's would give.

Brawling hands down for Healer or Troll, it's the Tap, Hold combo. Little tricky to hit the WM b/c it's quick, but you'll get it after using it for a while.

Side note, not only b/c it's quick but it builds the hit counter incredibly fast. I can be at 20-25 in no time.

I personally use staff on my sorcery healer rocking the whole wizardly style the staff is fitting and its 2 button multi hit aoe

I have used 2H and Staff. With lower SP, some weapons will yield overall better stats for healers. Check out Remanders guide in Oracles Database

i use a bow on my healer, but that's about to change after viewing this thread. I HAAAATE bow.... it's suuuuuch a boring weapon.

the Hammer Throw - > Arrow Storm combo is a very quick 2H WM combo (hold rage, hold range) - two buttons, five hits, the Hammer Throw hit can spike fairly high on a crit so damage-wise, it's got a decent output, plus it leaves you with the awesome canned buttwhup of a two-hander for Melee (though as a Healer you shouldn't be front line). Hands down my favorite DPS weapon but it covers both long and short range, single and multiple targets decently well. I've stayed away from using it as my Healer role weapon for that character because of the perception that SC regen will be slow, and to prevent people from doing the whole 'WHY ARE YOU USING A SWORD?!' thing.

I was actually going to say bow or shield. It really depends on your power. Celestial healing is very different than Nature healing. Sorcery healing is also very different. And then there is Electric healing. I have a MA Nature healer and a Rifle Nature healer. I have a Staff Electric healer and a MA electric healer. I have a Sorcery Shield healer. I also have a Staff Celestial healer. Many people here are saying a weapon with fast combos like brawling for Weapon Mastery. But suppose you want to stay back while the other members of the group attack? Shield and Rifle have good range. Also, suppose you want to run in and out, a DCUO version of stick and move? Martial Arts and Hand Blast are excellent with that. It really depends on your power and your attack style.

nod... that's just it, i'm comfortable with the 2h weapon, i was rocking the bow initially, literally because i saw other healers doing it but i hate the damage output and i miss being able to kill stuff in 3 hits with the giant sword.

With WM almost any weapon is viable in some way or another. What ever your most comfortable with, and can hit the WM window's is usually best. Honestly try them out with how often 93 weapons drop you can try nearly any weapon type with ease without really committing anything. If you don't want to bother respecting all the time to get the new WM just run the T6 raids that give the artifact weapons and be sure to pick them up. They automatically give you access to all the skills available to that weapon.

Honestly the only weapon I find I really hate is duel pistols lol but I've used just about anything else when the weapon drops in necro or artifacts.

That's what I was going to state, go with different weapons try them out and play around. Everyone's style is different. Some in my league swear by Hand Blasters, Currently my healer has a Rifle, cause that was the best weapon to drop at this moment. Before that I was Martial Arts, Shield, Dual Pistols, One Handed ( didn't like), Dual Wield.. You see the point. After level 30, you get so many weapons dropped, just play them all.. shortly after you get one, if you don't like it.. Another will drop!

IMO Weapon mastery combos as a healer is a waste, I always go with either Handblasters or Dual pistols. Bow works for some people, I don't particularly like it very much. But if you're dead-set on using WM as a healer (Which I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend that you DON'T), Staff is the way to go.

Interested in why you don't like WM as a healer.. ? Is it because you should be spending time healing and not hitting the WM combos needed?

Well that is the whole point of suggesting a fast weapon over one that does dmg in general. Brawling tap hold move takes less than a second or two to go off, builds up SC and power plus hitting the crit lowers the power cost of your heal. If you can't spare a second or two every once in a while to do an attack like that you need to rethink your healing methods or get a group that's not wearing PVP gear in PVE instances.

I use Brawl-MA, but sometimes DW-Bow.

The problem with wm as a healer is people tend to get caught up in finishing the combo before throwing a heal. Sometimes that combo gets people killed

With Nature, I love the timing of Staff and it works well for keeping a constant flow of Savage Growth or Metabolism active without being locked into a long combo. You won't be building much of a weapon combo counter (low power regeneration) but that is offset by the WM Combo power discounts. The other short side of that is the low weapon combo counter means that you won't build supercharge as often but that's offset by the added damage you'll be doing.

Any weapon you want works just fine. However Brawling is the quickest on power regen. I like to keep it OS with HB.