Priest Healing Tips

[Ashton]

Hey guys, I'm about to hit 70 and i was wondering if anyone had any tips on the best ways to heal 5 mans, 10 and 25mans?

Thanks.

[Fifth]

5 Anyway you want really, Doesn't matter. Hit the tank with a PoM before he goes in, Then again when the CD is up and start healing for real. Don't put a renew on him before he goes in; you'll be one of the countless priests who overheal too much and pull aggro.
10 make sure GH1,2 are on your bar. I use FH5 for quick healing (heals for about 1000+, the amount people normally take from splash damage.) PoM, renew, ect.
25 Same as 10, but for trash FH5 is gonna be your best friend. You can outheal everyone and be the lowest on overhealing. For example: In my 25 mans I'm tied for 1st with a shammy (damn chain heal) but for overhealing, Im 8th...out of 7 healers. Pretty fantastic.

Healbot is your best friend, I recommend downloading it and playing with the settings and spells. (Dont just get the mod and not mess around with the settings at all u_u), Grid is good too.
And of course!... Spec. Its wise not to go to CoH till you hit SSC/TK. Urks me when I see priests in greens doing 5 mans with CoH...

Also if you need a recommendation on spec, Ill be happy to give it


PS: Of course all this downranking will be useless in Wrath. Love it while you can... I'm sure going to miss it...

[Ashton]

SNIP

Damn, i really appreciate the post. Very informative.

Can i ask why do you have GH (greater heal?) rank 1 and 2 on your bars? And why should you not take CoH before SSC/TK?

[dsmet]

ive always played a shadow priest (been healing while leveling in instances ofc, i know the basic tactics), but im interested, might change to healing in WOTLK...can u pls explain what the "5 second rule" is?

thank you

cheers

[Athili]

For 5 seconds after you finish casting a spell (or start casting a channelled spell), your mana will regenerate at the "mana regenerated in combat" value
After these 5 seconds, your regen will revert to your full value.
Mp5 as a stat isnt affected by the 5sr (so you can cast as much as you like and it wont be affected)
Spirit is a different story, hence talents like meditation (allows 30% spirit based regen while casting)

Edit: And gogogo CoH, a huge must for 25mans and very useful in most contexts.
DS, contrary to popular opinion, is just a great way to ruin your spec.

[dsmet]

oh..ok..i got it..kinda...so how does this apply to healing??...i mean how does the 5 sec rule affect healing?? how do you use this rule when healing?

[richcricketz]

oh..ok..i got it..kinda...so how does this apply to healing??...i mean how does the 5 sec rule affect healing?? how do you use this rule when healing?

Some players will actually cycle in the 5ec rule to there healing cycle when healing. personally i would never do that because im a druid, i just keep stacking lifeblooms and have innervate in an extreme emergency.

but, if you are a healer having issues with mana and dont have a safety net like innervate, you might have to cycle in this rule. ive never healed as a priest so i don't know exactly how it is done, but like druids priests stack a lot of Spirit, and this is what you are taking advantage of. you stop casting (Hots, and any spell). and wait 5sec before your full out of combat mana regin will begin, then wait as long as you safely wish before healing again. it will be a matter of experience, skill and knowledge that guide you on how long to wait.

[Neeklus]

I always found heroics to be much harder to heal as a priest in kara and lower gear. The mobs and bosses hit MUCH harder than the 10 man content, so you're pretty much throwing out heals constantly. Only til I hit about 1800 healing could I sail through them (although my group and my tank had also significantly upgraded by then too).

PoM on the tank before he goes in. Try to keep this up along with renew. In raids I'd be spamming Gheal 2 during bosses, max rank it for the big spikey damage. During mobs I'd just use max rank gheal or flash heal. Mana never tended to be a problem.

[Nogi]

oh..ok..i got it..kinda...so how does this apply to healing??...i mean how does the 5 sec rule affect healing?? how do you use this rule when healing?

http://files.wowace.com/sw-n.html

NabuFiveSec

[Xs]

theres also a plug-in for the 5 sec rule in Pitbull

[Proffessor]

PS: Of course all this downranking will be useless in Wrath. Love it while you can... I'm sure going to miss it...

I've already started to get into the max rank habbit. Seems to me, that fights aren't going to be about endurance(there may still be a few), in wrath, but a more overall power down, which is sweet. I've always been a bit bothered by the need to downrank, just to survive. Why have a max rank at all then IMO.

[Fifth]

Can i ask why do you have GH (greater heal?) rank 1 and 2 on your bars? And why should you not take CoH before SSC/TK?

Because my Flash heal heals for 2.7K+. GH 1 heals for 1.2K. Which is about the damage, every 2.5 seconds, my tanks are taking in 5-25 mans.
This saves me a BUNCH on mana and keeps my overhealing under dps...yes, the dps who you'd think do no overhealing.

And I prefer the Spirit buff before SSC/TK, where the AoE fights start getting introduced. If a priest relys on spamming CoH you're missing out on key experience. Plus! Pulling aggro every fight. = Not good.
Speaking about aggro... Bind fade to something close to your fingers (I have it on Num.Pad 0, close to the mouse) so you can make the mob turn around before it gets to you

[Fifth]

I've always been a bit bothered by the need to downrank, just to survive. Why have a max rank at all then IMO.

Well, Its how I proc inspiration on the tank before they go in for the boss, Or If I'm put on MT healing, which leads to better mitigation for them. Spam FH1 and you barely lose 200 mana. Now if you had to rely on this with a full rank FH... You couldnt do it. You'd actually have to rely on your crit%, which... For most holy priests I know, Is barely 15%.

But then again with wrath comes lots and lots of changes. The itemization might be more crit-centered so... It'll just be the waiting game for me.

[Proffessor]

/agree

I do exactly the same, but it all seems a bit pointless, and really not what they have in mind for these spells thus the changes. Ranks are a bit pointless, some classes have them, some don't. It is an uneven design, and is being fixed. Why do casters get ranks, and melee do not? I'd would probably use lower rank MS/Slam/WW's if I'm creepin' on threat, given the chance, but that just isn't possible. Doesn't makes sense overall when looking at other classes with ranks. One or the other I say.

I'm not saying I'll be happy to see them 'gone' at all, so to speak, but it will be refreshing to find a new play style!

Edit: Removed quote of previous post. Read the forum guidelines. Grimlor

[Leprodigy]

Good Advise fifth, I never really got into the down ranking, but I got mored of raiding ages ago, and missed out on allot of end game content. I used to take full advantage of the FSR, renew tank, prayer, wand. some times depending on the tank, I could get a good 10 seconds of regen.

[Ashton]

Wow some really awesome advice guys, thank you very much.

[Neeklus]

Depending on your set you could get even more. For example if you got clearcasting, this would not be deemed as a castable spell. So I would wait until the last second to cast the clearcasted spell, then pop Inner Focus and wait to cast a needed heal with this. You could get a full 15-30 seconds (depending on the fight) of proper mana regen.

In this case I'd stack spirit in favour of raw mp5. By the end of my time in TBC I could easily finish some bosses with almost full mana thanks to chain potting and the use of the 5 second rule. Coupled with a shaman and a spriest on bosses like the bear in ZA, and I'd never run out of mana.

[Nogi]

Good Advise fifth,

haven't seen any good advise on this lol thread on wotlk - priest forums, which should go to priest class forums which i believe is spamed with topics like this.

[Ashton]

haven't seen any good advise on this lol thread on wotlk - priest forums, which should go to priest class forums which i believe is spamed with topics like this.

Just because i didnt bite at your blatant attempt to troll me and others, doesnt give you the right to flame me in PM either.

(No subject)
« Sent to: Ashton on: September 02, 2008, 11:15:25 AM »

Hi, this is refering to you "teach me how to play a priest thread".
besides the fact you posted it on wotlk forums instead of normal forums, the fact that you got spamed here. but really - do you really expect to learn something from a bunch of morons and idiots that think end-gaming is kara and TK is to hard?
don't bother answering, just so you know - ppl that want advice and proper advice, hear about a good priest and ask him.
from my XP and i have alot - most priest are morons, idiots and dont know their class (hints for it is: flash heal, stack on spirit, mp5s is important, stack opn crit and more).
GL in the future, good to know another nab gets a priest to learn from other nabs how to play it ("oooo 5 man is so hard to heal GG).
don't bother replying, chance i will come to this forums again ever is really low. really seeing your post made me understand that the priests here are complete idiots and have no knowledge of their class. i have still not heard or seen here 1 normal decent priests. and tbh i doubt i will.
GL in the future where you'll most likely fail till you get the proper XP in playing a priest since advice is not something you got here: just pure bullshit

Will not be biting on this either.

[Curaja]

Overhealing doesn't generate aggro :