Druid as main healer

Discussion in 'Priests' started by ElectricSheep, Feb 13, 2017.

  1. ElectricSheep Journeyman

    Forgive me if this has been asked, there is a lot of information on these forums and I searched best I could.

    In a nutshell, my basic question is can Druids handle being the main (and only) healer for doing group progression or does that need to be filled by a cleric? Heck, I've seen Shaman healing that was amazing. I know a lot of it is player skill, but let's assume assume I am pretty competent. Do Druids have the tools needed to fill the role?

    I'm returning after a long absence to my Druid in hopes of filling the role of healer. Are they in a good state as main healer for a group or should I transfer my cleric over from another server? The cleric would require more work, but I don't want to ask my friends (and waste their time since they are very kindly welcoming me back after disappearing) to help me with some of the progression, leveling and gearing if a Druid just won't cut it as the only healer in a full six man group of players.

    I'm of course trying my best to level fast and do what I can on my own - I have two other accounts I can box with to help level him - but already have needed needed help occasionally, and know how frustrating it can be to backtrack sometimes to help someone. I'd rather take longer and level a cleric if it would make a better healer.

    When I last played the Druid as a main around OoW days, I healed along with a shaman in my regular group while doing utility stuff like snaring, cc rooting, and adding debuts and dots. I vaguely remember a time when I *could* heal, but it was a strain at times and got very hairy. I never was very well geared either, though.

    This time I have a really solid regular group, no one with raid gear or anything though. Also, my group and I both roll with the "play what you want" mantra, but I miss healing and have an opportunity to step into a needed spot and leave a class I had less fun with when I last played. I look forward to catching up to them so I can be healer, but want to make sure my class can do it efficiently.

    Thanks in advance.
    IblisTheMage likes this.
  2. Borias New Member

    I think the way they have balanced healing in the game druids and shamans make excellent healers for group content.
    moogs and ElectricSheep like this.
  3. ElectricSheep Journeyman

    Thank you very much. I know it may sound like a silly question, but in the past I had heard that cleric were really needed for serious progression - or a Druid would need back up. I also briefly played a cleric on another server and liked the unique tools they had. Can't wait to level and see what I can do with my druid.
  4. Brohg Augur

    Yes, they (and you) absolutely can.

    Survival of the Seredipitous (0.5s cast super group heal, 90s cooldown)
    Resurgence (0.5s / 12s)
    Adrenaline Torrent (1.8s / 15s)
    Panavida (2.2s (which is pretty slow) but no cooldown)
    Lunasoothe

    plus
    Dichotomic Winds (2s large nuke with big heal, 1 min cooldown)
    Remote Sunflash (1s nuke with heal, 16s cooldown)
    and if your group isn't killing super fast, Moonbright Frost (1.5s cast great debuff with a moderate heal)
    moogs and ElectricSheep like this.
  5. ElectricSheep Journeyman

    Awesome, thank you for the details.
  6. Obiwon Elder

    I also like using the reptile buff line. not as great as it once was, but proc heals on the tank and lasts about 8 minutes or 72 hits. in harder content the couple buff heals help out for sure,(reptile, regen, mysterious ways (I just returned to game so short on 101-105 spells). my 103 druid has had no problem healing in EOK even though I don't play to MH. Had I wanted to be a main healer i'ld have been a Ceric. Still shamans and druids have plenty of healing tools to handle most of the content. It's dps / other utility we have been lacking.
    moogs likes this.
  7. Brohg Augur

    Druid dps has been thoroughly respectable for quite a while. Keep Black Wolf on yourself (group & personal don't share timer so it's full uptime), keep Frost aura on. Search Illa's posts for a good multibind on nukes. There are likely changes to make, since the posts don't include EOK or patch updates, but good place to start and represent the right thinking at the very least.

    Other utility… dunno what you mean there. Ports, invises? Druids already have the best melee debuff besides enchanter 10 minute AA thing, beam root & punt root… what are you looking for here?
  8. ElectricSheep Journeyman

    So I guess this emphasizes my question possibly better than I vocalized it. If I *do* want my focus to be main healer, should I play a cleric instead?
  9. Brohg Augur

    A cleric's power to counter mob damage is sometimes frequently almost always serious overkill versus group content with a tank participating.
  10. Clarisa Augur

    You can definitely fill the role of main healer in group content as a druid. The devs have done a great job of bringing both druid and shaman healing up to the point that clerics are never really required, which was the main reason cleric mercs were introduced and for the healing revamp several years ago. Clerics have a few more fast heals, an extra "oh crap" ability, a great HP aura, and a few more tools but Brohg is right in that it is overkill for most group content. Unless some part of your group is deficient (undergeared tank, bad DPS) or the mob is crazy hard (which is not often the case) you will never need the extra survivability the cleric provides. The cleric merc is also the most popular merc around, so you will often have help (often when you don't ask for it!) that while not as good as an actual player will provide you with more than enough healing support to handle anything healing-wise as a druid.

    A druid can also DPS well when not healing. I don't mean to insult my DPS-loving cleric friends, but our DPS (outside of a single insane undead nuke) is pretty pathetic compared to what a druid can do. Yes, we can contribute in a DPS role, but it requires a lot of effort for very minimal results when compared to any other class. You might not want to DPS in groups, but when healing needs are light you might wish you had the option to contribute more significantly in that role.

    That said, if you love to only heal in groups like I do (I really do not like to DPS), then cleric is really the best class for it. You will have more tools than a druid does, meaning you can heal more aggressively when required and can cover bad judgements a lot easier. You will never find yourself wishing you had an extra healing tool that some other class has (except maybe the Paladin Purification ability...) I just find ways to challenge myself when healing needs are light like playing with spell sequences/rotations or just try to be more efficient with my healing. Some clerics also like the challenge of DPS'ing, pulling, and even tanking and while the tools we have to do those secondary things are minimal, there is some satisfaction to be gained from doing something the class wasn't really meant to do well.

    All of this changes if you plan to raid in the future, though. You can certainly heal as a druid in raids, but you will be put in DPS groups most of the time and will be expected (in fast progression guilds, at least) to DPS as well as heal. So you will only be able to experience the "pure healer" role (at least most of the time) in a raid situation as a cleric. That is not to say healing DPS isn't important (it is!) or doesn't provide its own challenges, but it is the not the same as being directly/mostly responsible for keeping the raid boss tank alive and doing all the other things clerics do on raids.
    Slippry and ElectricSheep like this.
  11. ElectricSheep Journeyman

    Thank you, Clarisa that is very helpful. All of you have been most helpful. I'm honestly torn - i want to play an important role and have always enjoyed the responsibility of healing. The Druid was my very first character back in 2000 so it would be great to bring him up to level cap and play him. I did enjoy the extra healing tools the cleric had but honestly my main concern is my friends who will help me get to where I can be effective - as in certain progression, gearing up, etc. so that I can be an effective party member. True friends, they have of course assured me that they will support whatever I do. On one hand, Druids as I've learned can heal in today's group game, and they have ton of utility (ports are nice and evac can save wipes!). But I do like the PURE healer tools of the cleric, and he is lower level and has much worse gear. I know...first world problems.

    Thank you all for the excellent input.