Tidal Waves suggestion

[whyabadi]

Tidal Waves
When you cast Riptide, you gain the Tidal Waves effect, which reduces the cast time of your Healing Wave and Greater Healing Wave spells by 30%, increases the critical effect chance of your Healing Surge spell by 30%, and increases the distance your Chain Heal spell jumps by 100%. 2 charges.

[Imnick]

Isn't there a glyph that does that already

[whyabadi]

Isn't there a glyph that does that already

Yes. But it adds a 4 second cooldown on Chain Heal. I am attempting to find a more interesting way of balancing it.

[Wataurenyew]

Tidal Waves
When you cast Riptide, you gain the Tidal Waves effect, which reduces the cast time of your Healing Wave and Greater Healing Wave spells by 30%, increases the critical effect chance of your Healing Surge spell by 30%, and increases the distance your Chain Heal spell jumps by 100%. 2 charges.

What you are purposing would be more like this:

Tidal Waves
When you cast Chain Heal or Riptide, you gain the Tidal Waves effect, which reduces the cast time of your Healing Wave and Greater Healing Wave spells by 30% and increases the critical effect chance of your Healing Surge spell by 30%, and increases the distance your Chain Heal spell jumps by 100%. 2 charges.

I'm not sure how I'd feel about losing the tidal waves effect from chain heal. Though many of the tidal waves procs do go to waste, it is very useful to have a 30% faster GHW when a tank takes big damage during an AOE healing phase.

[Taalyn]

Yes. But it adds a 4 second cooldown on Chain Heal. I am attempting to find a more interesting way of balancing it.

Cast Chain Heal, use HW/GHW/HS to consume Tidal Waves procs, Cast Chain Heal, use HW or GHW to consume Tidal Waves procs, rinse and repeat.

If you have time between the second HW/GHW/HS cast before Chain Heal comes off CD, cast another HW/GHW/HS or Lightning Bolt.

[Chimaera]

Considering how riptide is sought to be used on cd for raid healing just as much as single target now, I personally would like to see chain heal buffed by tidal waves rather than produce it. With greater healing wave under tidal waves having higher hpct than chain heal, the only reason to cast chain heal over greater healing wave when they both are fully effective is mana limitation.

[Volitar]

I'm sort of baffled on why chain heal still has a range limitation when every other similar aoe heal does not.

They can just keep the neat animation and make it work like a normal heal.

[Chimaera]

I'm sort of baffled on why chain heal still has a range limitation when every other similar aoe heal does not.

They can just keep the neat animation and make it work like a normal heal.

I suspect the answer is that because the range is only a big concern for 10 player on encounters with significant spread healing phases, they felt like throwing it in as a glyph now that they have overcome the coding limitation to go with the situational choice approach that is the idea of glyphs and talents in mop.

The counter point being that chain heal could have infinite jump range and still would not be overpowered. The fact of the matter is that resto shaman are far more dependent on healing rain being effective than chain heal.

[takolin]

Cast Chain Heal, use HW/GHW/HS to consume Tidal Waves procs, Cast Chain Heal, use HW or GHW to consume Tidal Waves procs, rinse and repeat.

If you have time between the second HW/GHW/HS cast before Chain Heal comes off CD, cast another HW/GHW/HS or Lightning Bolt.

And you can weave in riptides (with or without a CD depending on the glyph) for extra CH healing.

[Wataurenyew]

Considering how riptide is sought to be used on cd for raid healing just as much as single target now, I personally would like to see chain heal buffed by tidal waves rather than produce it. With greater healing wave under tidal waves having higher hpct than chain heal, the only reason to cast chain heal over greater healing wave when they both are fully effective is mana limitation.

I personally wasn't using RT on CD during AOE phases.
I'd keep RT up on the Tank and maybe cast another if somebody took some spike damage.
In DS I used RT a bit more in AOE phases because it would proc the mace quite a bit.
Though now that CH no longer eats RT I can see me putting up RT more often for more CH buffing targets.

For me the nice thing about tidal waves coming from CH is that it makes the transition for AOE healing to single target healing easier.
If CH was eating TW procs instead of creating them that could mean you wouldn't have TW up when you needed to switch over to single target quickly.
Though I suppose that's what HS could be used for now that it's been buffed to being a good heal to cast again.

---------- Post added 2012-07-01 at 12:58 AM ----------

I'm sort of baffled on why chain heal still has a range limitation when every other similar aoe heal does not.

They can just keep the neat animation and make it work like a normal heal.

I don't particularly have an issue with the spell having a jump range, but I do find it annoying that it won't jump to people with full health.

[SpaceJam]

I'm sort of baffled on why chain heal still has a range limitation when every other similar aoe heal does not.

They can just keep the neat animation and make it work like a normal heal.

Because all those stupid abilities have cooldowns, and some are quite long. Chain Heal despite all it's shortcomings is a great spell because it doesn't have a CD. In the 25 man raiding environment it is the "King of the Mountain" AoE healing ability.

I do also think this is a better way to deal Chain Heal. However I think it would need to be like 50% perhaps because it would be a sizable buff with no offsetting disadvantages. Either that or have it consume both charges, that would be good. It also brings up a big problem like not having Tidal Waves when you need it as someone already pointed out.

[Sarevokcz]

Because all those stupid abilities have cooldowns, and some are quite long. Chain Heal despite all it's shortcomings is a great spell because it doesn't have a CD. In the 25 man raiding environment it is the "King of the Mountain" AoE healing ability.

I do also think this is a better way to deal Chain Heal. However I think it would need to be like 50% perhaps because it would be a sizable buff with no offsetting disadvantages. Either that or have it consume both charges, that would be good. It also brings up a big problem like not having Tidal Waves when you need it as someone already pointed out.

honestly, I think Chain heal is going to be even less used, especially in 10mans, since if you can chain heal, you can certainly use healing rain and if you can use healing rain, t14 setbonus + conductivity + hasted HW/GHWs sound like it will outperform chain heal pretty easily.

[Protoman]

I think CHL should have a baseline buff to range, something like 18yds from it's current 12..5 yds. Then the glyph only adds 7 yds to bring to a total of 25yds. Would be fair I think.

Your suggestion prob wouldn't work unless you make it something like "CHL range is increased by 50% as long as tidal waves is up".....cause if CHL consumes Tidal waves for more radius then that defeats the purpose of Tidal waves w/ CHL.....since CHL procs tidal waves which you are supposed to use to quickly single heal 2 people between CHL's when you need it.

Also, the Riptide glyph should nerf your tidal wave stacks so you only get 1 Tidal wave with Riptide if you use the glyph, which would prob still make the set bonus useful with or without the glyph.

[Seriss]

I've been testing chain heal in 5 man heroics on the beta server for the last few days. Today I put in the jump-range glyph that adds a 4s cd. My conclusion: I'm hardly feeling those 4 seconds, but I love the increase in jump range. This glyph is one that I'll probably keep.

[Endus]

I'm sort of baffled on why chain heal still has a range limitation when every other similar aoe heal does not.

There are no similar AoE heals. Every other example you'd bring up is significantly different in some way. It might have a cooldown, or a significantly heavier mana cost, or a completely different AoE mechanic like hitting everyone within a certain radius, etc.

If you mean other different AoE heals, sure, some of them have broader effects. Resto Shaman have different advantages. We don't need the exact same toolkit as everyone else, since that would mean each healer spec is basically identical and there's no difference, and that's not a good design choice really.

[Protoman]

I've been testing chain heal in 5 man heroics on the beta server for the last few days. Today I put in the jump-range glyph that adds a 4s cd. My conclusion: I'm hardly feeling those 4 seconds, but I love the increase in jump range. This glyph is one that I'll probably keep.

5mans prob aren't the best place to test CHL....esp in spam situations which is more raids during heavy aoe....although its not really spammed much anymore really....usually 1-2 in a row then use up some tidal wave procs and with conductance those tidal wave single target heals will help with aoe healing......we will have to see how many glyph for the chl range and can deal with the 4sec cd.

I really think a base buff to range should happen regardless, ATLEAST 15-16yds if not 18 from it's original 12.5.....it's long overdue imo.

[whyabadi]

Chain Heal can have two out of the following three to be balanced:
1- Big jump distance.
2- Spammable.
3- Efficient.
If it had all three then why use any other spell? If it had 1 and 2 then it would be a powerful less efficient heal that we use during high damage periods. If it had 1 and 3 then it would be used on cooldown which would be ok. If it had 2 and 3 then it would be powerful but situational.

[shell]

although its not really spammed much anymore really....

I think the people who have a better grasp on their healing mechanics probably don't spam chain heal so this is true for them. But I recently read a forum poster's response to the chain heal glyph: their response was that it was a slap in the face because they have to spam chain heal so that they can get that last person topped off and with the glyph they can't do that. Now...granted, I don't have that much experience healing, I've tried it out on other classes but it's not my thing, but that person's response left me scratching my head. Why would anyone heal like that? I could be wrong but wouldn't most people just use a single-target heal "to get that last person topped off," or is it because the spell is cheap that people end up spamming it?

[Deleted]

I think the people who have a better grasp on their healing mechanics probably don't spam chain heal so this is true for them. But I recently read a forum poster's response to the chain heal glyph: their response was that it was a slap in the face because they have to spam chain heal so that they can get that last person topped off and with the glyph they can't do that. Now...granted, I don't have that much experience healing, I've tried it out on other classes but it's not my thing, but that person's response left me scratching my head. Why would anyone heal like that? I could be wrong but wouldn't most people just use a single-target heal "to get that last person topped off," or is it because the spell is cheap that people end up spamming it?

It's because of the smart nature of chain heal -- it will automatically find the lowest health targets. So when the whole raid is stacked and almost topped off you would typically cast a chain heal on the tank, and even if the tank is at 100% hp when the cast is finished, chain heal will smartly bounce to anyone that isn't topped off yet. Single target healing is less effective in that type of situation, because it will end up overhealing more often and by larger amounts than a chain heal would. None of this is terribly important in the grand scheme of things of course, and it certainly wouldn't deter me from glyphing CH if an encounter would favour it.

[shell]

It's because of the smart nature of chain heal

aahh, i see, that clears it up for me, thanks.