MW Healing - I hate it, can you change that?

[Crovyn]

I wrote a bit in another thread, but I decided to ask for your help / opinion:

I play wow since early 2006. I played every healer so far. They all feel different, which is good of course, but I never had problems with any of them. I enjoy them for different reasons. also so far I always adapted quite fast to the different healing styles. I am no hardcore raider but I am far from being a noob.

anyway, along came the Monk. Wow, I thought, this could be the perfect class for me. A bit of a (combat) rogue feeling, tanking AND a new healing style.

Well, I loved WW and BM leveling when I switched to MW I was "insecure" at first but then 5 man healing became really easy with fistweaving. What kinda concerned me was the mana problems when onyl healing from range (and YES I used mana tea). but then I though that this might only be because of gear.. it will get better.


Here is the thing:

I geared my monk and started raiding, LFR at first and then normal. I am 2nd in healing most of the time so I am not too concerned about my output but every fight is a struggle for two reasons:

1.) Mana
2.) control over WHAT I am healing

I won't say much about mana, even though I use mana tea whenever possible I am always almost oom later in a fight. And no, I do not spam surging mist. In fact I barly dare to use it at all. Yes it's like Flash of Light or Flash Heal, but when I use those on my Pala/Priest I don't go oom immediately (well that's how it feels on MW)

That being said, even if there were no mana issues I hate how little control I have over what I am really healing. So much is random with this class. (statue, renewing mist/uplift, getting chi...). Beside the channel the only real direct heal is surging mist, but like mentioned above, it can't be used anyway unless you are desperate and want to go oom. Yeah there is cocoon and chi wave but on a cooldown. That leaves healing sphere - is that our main direct heal?

I WANT to like MW healing but even if I am successfull on the meters after every fight I feel not accomplished but frustrated and annoyed.

I feel like everyone who is writing how much fun MW is, is only doing 5 mans, never played disc attonement healing or is a masochist.

What am I doing wrong? Especially aobut the random heal thing... mana I might be able to fix with more spirit... I guess.

[Nootz]

1) If you're going OOM then you are spamming too much. Unless you're spamming Jab (Fistweaving) or SCK when AoE healing, your mana shouldn't be a real concern unless you're only sitting at 8k Spirit or something. You have to take the big heals in moderation. In between Soothing, SCK, or Jabs make sure you're using Renewing Mists and Expel Harm on cooldown. It's a break from spamming which gives you a little more control over your mana and they give you 1 Chi each. If there is AoE raid damage, use Chi Torpedo as well when you can, really helps on keeping your mana and output high.

2) The randomness of the spec is something you're going to have to get used to. Our main 2 healing spells, Renewing Mists and Uplift, are going to be random. On fights where there is consistent raid damage we will excel at, but when it's sporadic spread out damage on just a few targets it's going to be harder to pull off. It's still very doable, though. Renewing Mists prioritizes lowest HP targets that don't have the HoT and just kinda jumps around from there. That's just something you're going to have to get used to. It sucks sometimes, but that's just how the spec is. Make sure you're saving Thunder Focus Tea for high incoming raid damage when you can predict it; if you can't predict the damage very well then at least use it on cooldown. Healing Sphere isn't really used at all. While it's our most efficient heal, it won't give any Chi and won't be able to put out the amount of healing SCK and Uplift will.

[Deleted]

Healing Sphere isn't really used at all. While it's our most efficient heal, it won't give any Chi and won't be able to put out the amount of healing SCK and Uplift will.

It's really not.

[Pipostylor]

Just speaking for mistweaving (never did fistweaving in raids):

1) Using spirit gems and a spirit flask you shouldn't have mana problems even with bad gear, so I don't really know why you are going oom. You use RM on cd, channel SM on a tank and use your chi for either aoe heal Uplist or single heal EM. Inbetween you use Chi Torpedo for aoe healing. You never use Surging Mist, not even with Thunder Focus Tea. Thunder Focu Tea you use for RM refreshs and for tank burst heal you use Healing Spheres.

2) I don't really think mistweaving is too random. The heal of Healing Spheres, SM, EM and Chi Torpedo you control directly. Statue is random, but it really isn't a big portion of you healing. RM/Uplift seems to be random, but effectively it kinda isn't. 1 of 3 charges you control, so you can put them on the tanks or whoever pleases you and the other 2 charges are random, but it doesn't really matter which targets get them. In raids you have all sorts of aoe damage so the whole raid takes damage so for you it doesn't really matter which players get RM. It only counts that you keep it up on as many as possible. And if you want to single heal anyone other than the tanks just target it with SM/EM.
So for me personally the only real random heal is our mastery, but since you don't have to do anything for it to proc it doesn't really matter either.

[Nootz]

It's really not.

In terms of mana cost and healing output, it is. Since it doesn't generate chi, though, it's useless.

[Nanaboostme]

So most healers work in a similar pattern and they usually have a small quick heal, fast strong heal, and slow conservative strong heal, etc
In terms of monks it would be like this:

Minor Healing: Crackling Jade Lightning
Heal: Soothing Mists or Jab w/ BOK or TP depending on mana and distance
Flash Heal: Surging Mists
Greater Heal: Enveloping Mists
Expensive AOE Heal: Spinning Crane Kick
Cheap AOE Heal: Uplift
HoT - Renewing Mists

[Deleted]

So most healers work in a similar pattern and they usually have a small quick heal, fast strong heal, and slow conservative strong heal, etc
In terms of monks it would be like this:

Minor Healing: Crackling Jade Lightning
Heal: Soothing Mists or Jab w/ BOK or TP depending on mana and distance
Flash Heal: Surging Mists
Greater Heal: Enveloping Mists
Expensive AOE Heal: Spinning Crane Kick
Cheap AOE Heal: Uplift
HoT - Renewing Mists

CJL? No.... just... no...

[apepi]

CJL? No.... just... no...

No, no, no!(hehehehe)

If anything Healing spheres would be what you would call minor but they are not really not that minor hps when it just has the gcd of .5 seconds,

[nukethetuna]

CJL? No.... just... no...

CJL actually does more healing (almost twice as much, and costs ~75% more mana) than Soothing Mists, albeit in a 20 yard range from you and your statue. It's also a smart heal per tick though, so... in general, it's a more effective heal if you're really just doing filler healing. You're less prepared to drop an emergency Surging or Enveloping as opposed to Soothing the tank, though... and it generates like the old Soothing Mists.

[Deleted]

CJL actually does more healing (almost twice as much, and costs ~75% more mana) than Soothing Mists, albeit in a 20 yard range from you and your statue. It's also a smart heal per tick though, so... in general, it's a more effective heal if you're really just doing filler healing. You're less prepared to drop an emergency Surging or Enveloping as opposed to Soothing the tank, though... and it generates like the old Soothing Mists.

CJL does about 25% more HPS for 75% more mana and a worse off chi generation rate. It's not really what I'd call a fair trade off and it's certainly not something I'd consider for "minor healing."