First, change every cleric heal to heal target or ToT like paladin heals. Add stances. 1h/shield all dmg heals group. 2h all dmg heals tot. Cleric damage isn't great so the overall healing isn't game changing. If it's all damage, turn undead can turn into a large burst/sustain heal.
I've been playing a shaman rather than my main cleric in a group setting. So much versatility! I'm not even sure I want to play cleric anymore...
The only place I'm willing to play a cleric main after mercenaries go live is- Raids. In group game they're too easily replaced by classes with better utility and dps and Aego line is merc fodder.
My cleric has a heal proc weapon with a heal proc aug. My ranger dual wields heal proc weapons (so they proc on weapon swing AND dd spell casting). My SK has a heal proc aug with sword and board and when using a 2-hander, and of course the healing recourse from taps. Outside of missions (mainly because of mechanics), there isn't any group content that I can't keep the tank alive on the heal procs alone...other than the random damage spike here and there. It's easier to throw in a patch heal with the ranger since his heals work on target/target's target. Clerics are completely irrelevant outside of (some) missions and raids. The only reason I keep playing him now is because I've got to level that stupid cloak.
LOL I like to run a cleric, shaman and druid 3 box, 3 rogue mercs and all three priests with group heal recourse setups. It's mad fun! I raid main a cleric since SoF and a druid. even at raid level utility and flexibility is warranted. the druid was by guild request. Also Agnarr is a wonderful place to be a decent cleric. Annual TLPs groups are fun until mercs come out, then raid there too. Last was Ragefire. Now Mischief inc. Almost there.
I think most clerics enjoy their raid roles. Shamans putting out big meter numbers might make some clerics sad, and remedy might represent more casts than some would like, but overall I think generally clerics are fine in raids. Their deep toolkit of group and emergency heals find plenty of use. It's solo/group situations where clerics feel bad. I find most of the problems to be a matter of numbers and content design, and not so much class design. Playing a cleric actively (meleeing, healing mostly with inters/contras/procs, etc) is honestly plenty of fun. I certainly don't find it any less mechanically interesting than many of the DPS classes I play. The problem is that is doesn't really feel impactful, because the numbers just aren't there. Meanwhile, playing a cleric from a pure healing perspective feels bad, because group content just isn't designed around needing cleric levels of healing in almost all situations. Usually the best you can hope for is to sort of "make your own fun" and find a tank actually willing to push the envelope and load up that ex tar.
Again, if you are going to be the best at something (healing) you have to sacrifice in other areas. Its how life is, its how the game is. If this is a problem, go roll a shaman.
I don't think anybody disagrees with this. The issue is with the degree to which these things exist. Clerics are sacrificing more in all other areas relative to what they gain in healing. It is a problem and many Clerics have, in fact, rolled a Shaman.
The problem is that in a group setting, you don't need "the best" healing, except maybe for missions (before you learn the strats and everyone gets geared up). You only need "enough" healing, because healing doesn't stack like DPS. A full group in current content, even moderately geared, can survive with a druid or shaman or (if you're REALLY hard up for a healer) a merc. Again, I'm talking group situations here, not raid. So when a cleric's healing is 100% overkill (overheal?), you what...swing your litle hammer and go "whoosh" a lot? Even if you go all out and try to maximize your DPS as much as you possibly can, it's still pathetic and so far behind the other priests that I actually feel silly doing it.
Did all the hunters in TOV, COV, TOL, NOS with an sk, bard, and 4 non-healing casters (all group gear). The group game is very unwelcoming for clerics after TBL. Bring em out for one day for missions and then hide them away for another year. Would anyone complain if their dps was brought up to match druid and shaman? The shaman and druid still bring valuable adps. What If they did half a wizard worth? Something similar to paladin vs undead? Clerics stand out as needing class balance attention way more than any other class right now.
No, but thanks. This would drastically change the nature of the game. As long as players can move faster than monsters (or take advantage of poor pathing) all combat would revert to kiting, circling or leash-summon yo-yo-ing. Clerics would be invincible and Carpal-Tunnel-inducing to control, like Bards during a certain era. The fact that cleric spells get interrupted by push or voluntary movement is a foundational mechanic of the game. You don't want to mess with that any more than you would want to make a major change to the math calculations of combat.
I was thinking about replacing my healer merc with a real cleric for quite awhile, what held me back was thinking I wouldn’t be able to effectively heal while boxing, I was wrong A real cleric just casting group heals and group HoT’s is way better than a merc… and real cleric can even do some DPS
Lol I didn’t say massive DPS, but way more than a healer merc But the DPS isn’t really important, the point is if you were thinking the way I did, thinking it’s too hard to heal a box with a real cleric you’re wrong, everyone is being healed, cured, even if they don’t need it, helps on some named or missions… and a real cleric can take more punishment if they get agro
I think they should massively increase cleric DPS WHILE they are healing. The intervention line of spells is a step in the right direction, but is limited by the 30s recast and the lack of direct damage scaling. It would be nice to have clerics able to do their thing AND add some DPS to the group/raid
Give clerics a couple high dmg, but very inefficient (and high agro?) nukes. Make them short recasts so they can spam when theres nothing else for them to do.
