My Shammy's Chain Heal?

[akaTheDude]

First off I would like to say I am leveling my 4th healer, and at lvl 71 the shammy is BY FAR my favorite healer. Since Cata has came out I have leveled my warrior to 85 and have starting the gearing phase. While I am waiting for my guild to catch up, I was wanting to cont leveling my resto shammy. BUT I get on the forums and /2 chat, and hear how bad chain heal is now TBH that was one of the main reasons I loved my shammy. So long story short..has blizzard killed this ? I mean are shammys really using chain heal anymore ?? I know we get healing rain at 83 BUT i wish they would make chain heal good again, and they can keep healing rain, because in my mind the resto shammy is famous for the chain healz

[conscript]

CH seems extremely lackluster so far although I haven't raided at all and that has always been the only place CH truly shined. I think I have used it about twice in 5-man heroics and mostly it was for the lols. Situations where the group is tightly grouped up and CH can actually benefit from all of its bounces seem fairly rare in the new instances. There is probably a use for it in 25s and possibly 10s, but it isn't a staple of Shaman healing in any other environment anymore.

[Maeleena]

Chain heal in conjunction with Unleashed Elements is amazing. It heals every single target for 20% more, so that is basically 80% more healing if four targets are hit. It is awesome.

[xraid]

on the top of my head, i only use it for the first boss in blackrock caverns with chains of woe, thats about it.

[Endus]

Chain Heal is an AoE heal. People who say that it "sucks" are people who are used to it being our multi-purpose heal. If everyone is spread out or only 2-3 people have taken damage, of course Chain Heal is going to be inefficient and wasteful.

This is Cata healing. You need to use the right spell at the right time. This isn't TBC with its all-CH-all-the-time healing dynamic.

[Milesmilitus]

Healing Rain is what you will be using more. Chain heal even in better gear isn't all that good, but it still has some use. My four top heals right now; healing wave, greater healing wave, earth shield, healing surge. They make up 75% of my heals.

[Deleted]

This is Cata healing. You need to use the right spell at the right time. This isn't TBC with its all-CH-all-the-time healing dynamic.

Actually healing wave spam replaced CH spam so it hasn't really changed at all - instead of using Riptide/CH, we now use Riptide/HW. Of course I don't raid so I don't know if healing rain or CH actually gets used ever, I don't think I've used them apart from 2 places in the entire game.

It's really, really sad if you ask me.

[cohcheto]

Like conscript said the problem is now almost everybody is running 5-mans and also a lot of trash and bosses have abilities that require spreading. There are few occasions where you can hit all 4 people with CH so its not really worth to cast it most of the time. When we get into raids you can easily find 3-4 people standing close enough to warrant a Chain Heal and with UE its quite powerful. Also CH has always shined more in later tiers when healers have more haste to make up for the long cast time.

[Shammy-Valk]

Chain heal in conjunction with Unleashed Elements is amazing. It heals every single target for 20% more, so that is basically 80% more healing if four targets are hit. It is awesome.

Hm .. I did some math ...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chain heal without Unleashed Elements (4 targets are hit, 30% reduction per jump) :

10000+7000+4900+3430 = 25330

Chain heal with Unleashed Elements (4 targets are hit, 30% reduction per jump, effect of every heal is incerased by 20% after being reduced) :

12000+10080+8467,2+7112,48 = 38659,648

Chain heal with Unleashed Elements and elemental weapons (4 targets are hit, 30% reduction per jump, effect of every heal is incerased by 30% after being reduced) :

13000+11830+10765,3+9796,423= 45391,723
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So yeah, chain heal with unleashed elements and elemental weapons talent will do almost 80% more healing. But on the other note, chain heal cost @85 is 4404 mana, combined with its cast time and people requied to be grouped up (expecting no overhealing) is not likely to happen. Also you can use Unleash Elements only once every 15 secs, So at certain situvations it might help (Yet those situvations are not likely to happen, BQ days are over). So chain heal is pretty useless ability now.

[Maeleena]

So yeah, chain heal with unleashed elements and elemental weapons talent will do almost 80% more healing. But on the other note, chain heal cost @85 is 4404 mana, combined with its cast time and people requied to be grouped up (expecting no overhealing) is not likely to happen. Also you can use Unleash Elements only once every 15 secs, So at certain situvations it might help (Yet those situvations are not likely to happen, BQ days are over). So chain heal is pretty useless ability now.

RT then UE and then CH. I have a 1.83 second cast at 85. That is not a long cast to hit 4 targets. It is an amazing combo when in a group with a lot of melee, or when the party needs to group up during a boss ability.

[jfuze]

Chain heal is really bad. I never use it anymore.

Healing Rain for the occasional AOE healing in heroics so far.

[Zireael]

For heroics I found myself using Chain heal quite a bit - not for general healing, but if there are 2 melee, tank , i can very much use chain to get my Tidal waves buff, use fast HW HW and continue with another chain or riptide.

For situations like omega rays i go to melee, throw h. rain, chain tank/melee/myself, fast hw's for ranged. The similar for sun thingy (both in HoO).

Most of my healing is HW+Rip+ES, but i still use GHW, CH, HS (in that order) quite a bit.

[Maeleena]

For heroics I found myself using Chain heal quite a bit - not for general healing, but if there are 2 melee, tank , i can very much use chain to get my Tidal waves buff, use fast HW HW and continue with another chain or riptide.

For situations like omega rays i go to melee, throw h. rain, chain tank/melee/myself, fast hw's for ranged. The similar for sun thingy (both in HoO).

Most of my healing is HW+Rip+ES, but i still use GHW, CH, HS (in that order) quite a bit.

Please tell me you know you can use Unleashed Elements as well, and should on ever single CD.

[Zireael]

Its OT, but: I should redo my math then, because till now i thought i should use UE only before GHW and sometimes CH (- when time allows ).

[Shamygandof]

CH in of itself is worthless. On top of that in 5 mans its very rare that 4 people are close together. I find myself single target healing 90% of the time unfortunately. On those rare occasions where people are close together HR, UE, CH are awsome.

[Sabbie]

Riptide > Unleash Elements > Chain heal and you can see "Decent" healing. But to use so many GCD's and extra mana for that healing by then it isn't worth it.