Maining Healers, Any Tips?

[GennGreymane]

Any links to good videos or sites to learn the healers?

Currently know Mercy very well. Shes my main. I am currently learning Lucio.

[ati87]

Lucio is better in my opinion, he can hold his own while healing and you really don't have to do much then getting into LOS.

Mercy is strong with her rezz but tbh I find her a easy target overall because she needs to have a babysitter.

Other then that just play, combat can go so fast sometimes so you just need to get a feeling for the game.

[Deleted]

There is lucio and then there is everyone else.

If you're running 1 healer you will pick lucio as he's just the best. In ranked you will have 2 healers most of the time and then its lucio + one more.

[willtron]

Lucio is top dog for healing. Just stay near your tank and keep moving, learn to wallride, there are some great tutorials out there. Utilise the knockback, it's a short CD and good for disrupting flankers. Save his ult for any ults coming your way or if they're spent, use it for a big push - but that's if you don't have a Zenyatta for whatever reason.

[Shaiandra]

I'd have to second everyone above with prioritizing Lúcio. Zenyatta is also really strong at the moment (less consistent healing, but Orb of Discord helps shred priority targets), so it may not hurt to learn him too, but if there's any one healer I think is worth picking up, Lúcio all the way.

40% of my total competitive playtime is spent on Lúcio alone... but I have around 60% win rate with him, so I'm actually climbing in competitive while solo queuing!.. I've only a 44% win rate with my (distant) second most-played character, Mercy...

His kit's quite straight forward to use, and only game experience can tell you when to speed boost vs heal, when to stay back or dance around the objective, or things like that. I think the only possibly noteworthy details about his kit are:
- His knockback uses 4 ammo. If you think you'll need it soon, don't empty/reload your clip.
- When you use Amp It Up, you can freely switch between amped heal and amped speed as needed (the Amp It Up bonus doesn't stick to only the current song when you activated the ability).
- Your Sound Barrier Ult doesn't go off until you land. It will always have a delay, but jumping can make that delay longer.
- You cannot wall ride on the same straight wall twice in a row. You can reuse walls if you alternate between 2+ though. So for climbing out of certain pits, you may have to slalom at the corners where walls intersect.

Ooh, I found a place in the Training Grounds where you can practice said wallriding, just left outside the spawn room.
http://i.imgur.com/pCrGUTx.jpg
The red path I drew might not be exact, but try it out and see how you can jump to the next wall and turn around and jump to the previous wall.

(Note that climbing out of Ilios' circular Well is easy, you can just face one direction and refresh the wall ride every so often.)

[Naxere]

If you're solo queuing, you'd better learn to be able to save your own ass and not rely on your teammates to peel for you.

[GennGreymane]

Thanks guys

I've been using Lucio and I am doing a lot better in randoms. I am still using Mercy for when I tag team with my tank friend who uses Reinhardt

[Pendulous]

Any wallriding tips here? I've found it to be really not useful.

[wowaccounttom]

lets see...

tips...

dont let others die and dont die... that right there is the entirety of the game...

[ati87]

Thanks guys

I've been using Lucio and I am doing a lot better in randoms. I am still using Mercy for when I tag team with my tank friend who uses Reinhardt

Just stick with Lucio, overall having somebody that can kill during combat is a huge plus and if that somebody doesn't need a babysitter means that you're group has 1 less thing to worry about.

[Graeham]

Any wallriding tips here? I've found it to be really not useful.

Make a custom game with a friend and take the time to explore the maps peacefully to get a feel for how it works and where it can be used and where it can't be. Pay special attention to the areas around objectives and the more heavily contested regions of each map. For the authentic experience you can even encourage your friend to shoot at you.

[Zelendria]

There is lucio and then there is everyone else.

Well if you go by pick rate in high level competitive there is Zenyatta, then Lucio, then everyone else.

If you want to main healer you should have Zen, Lucio and Mercy under your belt. Predominantly the first two, which is ironic given that their biggest strengths aren't actually heals.

[Temp name]

Well if you go by pick rate in high level competitive there is Zenyatta, then Lucio, then everyone else.

If you want to main healer you should have Zen, Lucio and Mercy under your belt. Predominantly the first two, which is ironic given that their biggest strengths aren't actually heals.

It's only a question of when before Mercy comes back into the meta as a main healer though. The nerf to her ress was rather severe, but if either Lucio or Zen sees a nerf of any kind, Mercy will likely be back in

[Tharkkun]

Most of the top comps are using Lucio and Zen. Lucio for the passive aoe healing and Zen for the spot heals + priority target marker. So learning both is a plus.

[Raetary]

Most of the top comps are using Lucio and Zen. Lucio for the passive aoe healing and Zen for the spot heals + priority target marker. So learning both is a plus.

and for their ult stopping ults.
genji:"Ryujin no ken wo kurae!"
lucio/zeni:"too bad!"

[Temp name]

and for their ult stopping ults.
genji:"Ryujin no ken wo kurae!"
lucio/zeni:"too bad!"

Lucio ult just means the Genji takes longer to kill them, but he still can (I've gotten a couple potg with quads through Soundbarrier as Genji). He's more suited for things like D.Va/Junkrat ults that deal a large amount of damage upfront. Zen ult just laughs at Genji ults though. It's hilarious.

[Eapoe]

Tips for healing:
Never stick to one healer, judge by what comp you have as well as know them all in case someone locks one you like before you pick (same said for a backup damage or tank). Lucio is great on every map, but if you get a comp of (for example): Rein, Genji, Tracer, Pharah, McCree, "you," then you might be better off with Mercy than Lucio, as you will rarely be healing most/all of your team at the same time anyways, and mainly focusing the tank/McCree for most of the map. This example is countered though on things like KotH or cap maps because even then Lucio is more versatile than Mercy and your team will be on the cap or right near it most of the time.
Know when to heal, when to damage, and when to run away. As a for example, if it's you and your tank and you're behind Rein as Mercy, pull out your gun and start shooting, no point healing when they are capped or damage boosting a rein with his shield up. This isn't always the case, but a very basic example of knowing.
Train yourself to be globally aware. Try and always keep a basic idea of where everyone is. Unlike damage dealers or tanks, you have the responsibility of paying attention to just not what's in front of you, but where your team is at and who might need healing. There's plenty of times where a flanker might be pulling back to make it back to the group as a lure or just in over their heads, and there's times where you can make it to someone and keep them alive for the run while the people where you are currently at are fine.
Learn to aim. If you can hit your shots your Ult builds that much faster, and more Zen/Lucio Ults allows for more pushes/defenses than not.
Finally, stay behind your group as often as possible, just not so far back where you find yourself 1v1 or 1v? by a Winston and flankers. Many times I am on Lucio and I want to lead the charge and find myself over extended just to die and then my team has no heals. I'm much better at this now and hanging back, but I still do it time to time. I get greedy and chase a low health off just like many other players, but if you find yourself the same type of player, break yourself of the habit. At the very least, learn when to back the **** off and get back to your team. Some chases are worth it and can pay off, but your death is never worth it if you leave your team high and dry.

[Endus]

Lucio is top dog for healing. Just stay near your tank and keep moving, learn to wallride, there are some great tutorials out there.

Yeah, don't stay "near your tank", unless MAYBE it's Reinhardt and you're hiding behind his shield.

Lucio's healing is an aura that works off LoS, and it has a huge range; 30 meters. To give you an idea, D.va's mech's explosion radius is only 20 meters. Mercy's Guardian Angel has a similar 30m range, so think of it that way; if you could Guardian Angel to them if you were Mercy, they're getting healed if you're Lucio.

In most cases, this means you can be across the room from the tank, so you're not eating splash damage. The only reason to be near them is if you're using their body to block fire because you have no other options.

Utilise the knockback, it's a short CD and good for disrupting flankers. Save his ult for any ults coming your way or if they're spent, use it for a big push - but that's if you don't have a Zenyatta for whatever reason.

Bear in mind that Soundwave applies the shield, which starts to decay pretty quickly. It's not a set amount that sticks around. So if there's a big hit coming, you want to get it off as close to the hit as possible, but not after (obviously). Time it right, and your team can survive a Riptire. Fire it when you hear Junkrat fire it up, though, and iit might decay enough that it's still a teamkill.

Any wallriding tips here? I've found it to be really not useful.

A few;
1> Once you "catch" the wall, holding space means you'll wall-ride. You can freely look anywhere with your camera while you're wallriding; you don't have to keep looking in the direction you want to be traveling. It basically puts you "on rails" until the wall/duration runs out.

2> You can't wall-ride on the same plane twice in a row. But you can chain wall-rides across an infinite number of different planes, and that means you can bounce back and forth between two walls in a corner to "ride" upwards. This can get you out of certain pits. There's also the well on Ilios, which as a circle means you can wall-ride continuously, basically, as long as you jump occasionally to reset the duration. I've hopped in there on purpose to avoid a Junkrat tire, and then popped back out to hold the point. You can also pull crazy shenanigans on certain maps; plenty of Google examples.





On a completely unrelated note, people are IMO underestimating Ana. I think her lack of presence in pro circuits is more that she's new, and thus an unknown factor, and they haven 't had enough chance to practice with her. Her single-target healing potential is way higher than ANY other healer. If she misses 2/3 shots, she's still providing more HPS than Mercy, and that's before we consider Biotic Grenade's AoE burst or it's doubled healing effect. Sleep Dart shuts down certain ults in ways no other healer can, and provides a solid self-defense tool. Her ult isn't healing, but with your high HPS throughput, can make a tank nearly impossible to kill, even with enemy focus fire. I've gotten quad kills by slapping it on a Reinhardt Charging the enemy point solo and then slamming healing darts into his backside as the entire enemy team tries to kill him.

Ana's skill quotient IS way higher than Lucio/Mercy, arguably higher than Zenyatta (who still has to aim for his damaging shots, at least). But her potential output is pretty spectacular, IMO. And in pro circuits, that skill quotient will be less of a factor.

[Dundebuns]

I find healers pretty good at taking out turrets, since their fire is very accurate and their damage doesn't suffer that much drop off over range.

[BearyWatch]

Yeah, don't stay "near your tank", unless MAYBE it's Reinhardt and you're hiding behind his shield.

Lucio's healing is an aura that works off LoS, and it has a huge range; 30 meters. To give you an idea, D.va's mech's explosion radius is only 20 meters. Mercy's Guardian Angel has a similar 30m range, so think of it that way; if you could Guardian Angel to them if you were Mercy, they're getting healed if you're Lucio.

In most cases, this means you can be across the room from the tank, so you're not eating splash damage. The only reason to be near them is if you're using their body to block fire because you have no other options.



Bear in mind that Soundwave applies the shield, which starts to decay pretty quickly. It's not a set amount that sticks around. So if there's a big hit coming, you want to get it off as close to the hit as possible, but not after (obviously). Time it right, and your team can survive a Riptire. Fire it when you hear Junkrat fire it up, though, and iit might decay enough that it's still a teamkill.



A few;
1> Once you "catch" the wall, holding space means you'll wall-ride. You can freely look anywhere with your camera while you're wallriding; you don't have to keep looking in the direction you want to be traveling. It basically puts you "on rails" until the wall/duration runs out.

2> You can't wall-ride on the same plane twice in a row. But you can chain wall-rides across an infinite number of different planes, and that means you can bounce back and forth between two walls in a corner to "ride" upwards. This can get you out of certain pits. There's also the well on Ilios, which as a circle means you can wall-ride continuously, basically, as long as you jump occasionally to reset the duration. I've hopped in there on purpose to avoid a Junkrat tire, and then popped back out to hold the point. You can also pull crazy shenanigans on certain maps; plenty of Google examples.





On a completely unrelated note, people are IMO underestimating Ana. I think her lack of presence in pro circuits is more that she's new, and thus an unknown factor, and they haven 't had enough chance to practice with her. Her single-target healing potential is way higher than ANY other healer. If she misses 2/3 shots, she's still providing more HPS than Mercy, and that's before we consider Biotic Grenade's AoE burst or it's doubled healing effect. Sleep Dart shuts down certain ults in ways no other healer can, and provides a solid self-defense tool. Her ult isn't healing, but with your high HPS throughput, can make a tank nearly impossible to kill, even with enemy focus fire. I've gotten quad kills by slapping it on a Reinhardt Charging the enemy point solo and then slamming healing darts into his backside as the entire enemy team tries to kill him.

Ana's skill quotient IS way higher than Lucio/Mercy, arguably higher than Zenyatta (who still has to aim for his damaging shots, at least). But her potential output is pretty spectacular, IMO. And in pro circuits, that skill quotient will be less of a factor.

I think this covers most of the things! You just need to remember one thing, Once you pick a healer you need to fulfill that role even if you are not getting and defensive help. Stick to your team!