Many claim Holy is God in PVP, what am I missing?

[666pluto]

EDIT

again, I want to thank everyone for their comments, but eventually I'm leaving my paladin for the build i like & play from the start= protection.
as for healing, I picked up my shaman today from level 85, went resto & I'm half way in level 86 at the moment, mostly from BGs! I never had that much fun, I like it's play style & I actually changed some BGs outcome to winning from the way i supported my group.
I'm sure holy is fun as well, it just doesn't fit my play style i guess.

this Isn't a QQ thread, please be serious
Started with a long post, but I won't bother everyone with it, so will make it short.


I'm a protection style player, both PVP & PVE. can't stand Ret, didn't play holy much.
thought i would make Holy off space, mainly for BGs (maybe just a little 2v2).
I'm not skilled in holy, I know. but the general play style, having most healing spells on 1-3 seconds cast=non stop interrupts=can't heal shit.

So, I'm not coming to complain, or to ask for holy changes, won't bother with this. I'm here to ask, what am i doing wrong? how come so many praise holy for it's superb healing in pvp, both BGs & arena, yet i find it suck so much? read many guides, nothing help.
it looks like a basic class fu** ** to me, how can you heal if your main healing spells get interrupted right away?

[Revvo]

Gotta juke bro.

[Alfirin]

Holy was definitely better in 5.0 / 5.1, but as a 5.2 HPaladin you need to be hyper-aware of what's going on at all times. We don't have Grounding Totem or Fade, so you need to know what could happen 2 steps ahead. All of your Hand spells are tools that you need to use at the most appropriate time. Prediction is key; don't waste them, learn to use them to counter your opponent's cools.

And as Revvo said, juke hard. If learning to fake cast is new to you, just practice. Don't be a stuttering idiot 'cause that's predictable, but know when you can and can not get your heals off and plan accordingly.

Edit: also use Holy Shock on cooldown to heal, as well as Holy Prism. HP gives almost as much healing as a Flash of Light, so if you're having trouble free-casting try to weave your instant spells in first.

[Freia]

Pretty sure holy lost some of its pvp edge with the patch. There were some nerfs to holy but I think it is more that classes that have more synergy with other healers are dominating arena and classes that worked well with holy paladins saw nerfs. Holy is still wanted in RBGs.

[Vash The Stampede]

As a healer, you tend to stay away from the fray. Pillar hump, and learn how to "juke casting", or fake out interrupters. It also helps to know how to be a mobile healer as well. Learn to sometimes go offensive with Repentance, Blinding Light, and Hammer of Justice. When applicable, Denounce.

Having a good UI and using mouse over macros will also go a long way. How I know this as a Ret Pally? Cause I have to fight them.

[Revvo]

Still have to fake cast as a ret pally!

[666pluto]

thanks everyone for clearing things up :-).
I guess my play style was the problem, as i just stood there like an idiot mostly, just looking at pitbull and healing that.
I will practice the mobility, fake casting and everything you suggested and give it a try. forgot to mention I'm only level 88 at the moment, so will wait until i hit 90, craft starter pvp gear. if i still find the healing style of pala not to my liking, i think i will roll a druid and leave the paladin only for tanking.

thanks again :-)

[Psilar]

Pretty much every good Holy Paladin I face uses Repentence and Denounce to maximum effect. If you're not using these appropriately you will never be great. A well-timed denounce or two when a DPS is training your partner is crucial. Denounce a mage during a deep freeze or a warrior during recklessness....brutallllll

[Theholypally]

Pretty much every good Holy Paladin I face uses Repentence and Denounce to maximum effect. If you're not using these appropriately you will never be great. A well-timed denounce or two when a DPS is training your partner is crucial. Denounce a mage during a deep freeze or a warrior during recklessness....brutallllll

Then get counter spelled and locked out of all your abilities.

[laughtrey]

Then get counter spelled and locked out of all your abilities.

Well if you're careful enough and don't do it in melee range or wait for CS to be on cooldown, it'll help greatly.


For the most part though, you're right. But the dps you do when a healer is CC'd and you don't need to heal can be the difference between win and loss.

[mmmmmmmBacon]

Well if you're careful enough and don't do it in melee range or wait for CS to be on cooldown, it'll help greatly.


For the most part though, you're right. But the dps you do when a healer is CC'd and you don't need to heal can be the difference between win and loss.

It's not the damage of denounce, but the debuff. Hitting a warrior who just popped reck or a mage right before he casts Deep Freeze with a denounce will go miles ahead of any healing you can do to slow the output of damage the enemy team is putting out. And aggressively, using denounce on a healer who is getting attacked by your partners stops any of his heals from being criticals, which can be a huge part of their survivability: particularly against priests and enemy holy paladins. The damage helps, but the crit reduction is the real threat to Denounce.

[laughtrey]

It's not the damage of denounce, but the debuff. Hitting a warrior who just popped reck or a mage right before he casts Deep Freeze with a denounce will go miles ahead of any healing you can do to slow the output of damage the enemy team is putting out. And aggressively, using denounce on a healer who is getting attacked by your partners stops any of his heals from being criticals, which can be a huge part of their survivability: particularly against priests and enemy holy paladins. The damage helps, but the crit reduction is the real threat to Denounce.

Well I usually go through all my bops and sacs before I start denouncing warriors, and just dispell deep freeze.

[Deleted]

Fake cast and you win.

[mcbubble]

We're REALLY strong in rated BGs. In 3's, we are honestly pretty weak.
Don't get me wrong, in the right comp, we're okay.
I asked Cdew to rank healers for 3s this season. He ranked them as follows: Rshammy, RDruid/Disc, MW Monk/Holy Paladin.
So he places it in 3 brackets with HPalies tied for last.
Granted exceptional and experienced players will do well, and comp definitely helps. I pvp on both a HPaly and RShammy, and I can tell you, the RShammy toolkit is FAR superior.

[666pluto]

again, I want to thank everyone for their comments, but eventually I'm leaving my paladin for the build i like & play from the start= protection.
as for healing, I picked up my shaman today from level 85, went resto & I'm half way in level 86 at the moment, mostly from BGs! I never had that much fun, I like it's play style & I actually changed some BGs outcome to winning from the way i supported my group.
I'm sure holy is fun as well, it just doesn't fit my play style i guess.