1. #1

    Priest or Druid? healing

    What is looking like the healer to have in the expansion between these two?

    I am going to change my main to a healing class. I have these two in the 60's atm.

    The druid seems more "fun" to play but the priest does very well when I group with them for Heroic runs.

    I have been reading the forums but most of what you see is people complaining. I mean every single class got nerfed from all the posts lol

  2. #2

    Re: Priest or Druid? healing

    Priest = Damage Control, Direct Heals, AoE heals, Shields, OHSHIT Abilities

    Druid = HoTs, fruittree, more HoTs and even more HoTs, and even more more HoTs.

    It depends on your playstyle. Druid is a cozy tree, priest is a agressive healer.

  3. #3

    Re: Priest or Druid? healing

    Priests are the funnest healers, they have way more tools to work with. Although druid healers did get a few new spells that look interesting.

    Druids will be super versatile with dual specs, heal one fight, drop combat and respec to moonkin with the click of a button, and do pretty good dps in the exact same spellpower gear, on the next fight when more dps, less healing is needed.

    Although I suppose priests can do this too with shadow spec. Although they wont have a dual spec to tank or melee dps...


    TLDR version, both will be fun, and effective. Choose whichever you prefer for cosmetic, or nostalgic reasons, since class balance wont have an effect.

  4. #4

    Re: Priest or Druid? healing

    go with druid if you enjoy it more the best class is normally what you enjoy

  5. #5

    Re: Priest or Druid? healing

    Both will get raid and part slots. Neither is massively better than the other.

    Trees have a better dance, and with dual spec you can switch to moonkin dance at any time....

  6. #6
    iLive
    Guest

    Re: Priest or Druid? healing

    I also wanted to make a healing class for Wrath of the Lich King, and i also could not choose what class i wanted to play as a healer, but i was sure that i either wanted a Priest or a Druid. It was hard to decise, so i made a list, where i wrote down the class' healing spells. I thiought about whats a healers job was in a dungeon, then i wrote down different "to do"for healers: one target heal, AoE heal, aggro, buff, ressurection, mana and other cool stuff, and i remember that the Druids spells was best to most of these.

    Do the same, and you can choose wich playstyle you might like to play. But i choosed Druids.

  7. #7

    Re: Priest or Druid? healing

    Right treeboy, here's a good place to start then: http://web27190.web08.talkactive.net/media/l2ptree.jpg

  8. #8

    Re: Priest or Druid? healing

    I have more fun on my druid than i do my priest overall. But that's just a personal choice. Neither are dedicated healers but both off-heal well enough to be useful to have around. Especially the druid. But due to my gear the druid tends to run into a mana problem. I imagine gear stats being equal they'd be fairly similar.

  9. #9

    Re: Priest or Druid? healing

    Quote Originally Posted by Tocsin

    I have been reading the forums but most of what you see is people complaining. I mean every single class got nerfed from all the posts lol
    I dont complain with it... My druid gets any capabilities other classes have without loosing something. And the other healers became... Yes, nothing comparable.

    But Priest is still my main.

    To answer the question: its on you how you want to play. With my priest i am healing, with the druid i am hotting everything is in my reach, and dont escapes fast enough...

  10. #10

    Re: Priest or Druid? healing

    If your going to do BG's you might want to try a Druid. The first day after the patch went live I did an AV, and the top healers were Druids, a Horde Druid healed for over a million and a Ally Druid healed for over 750,000. I was third overall and only able to get to about 350,000. I didn't help in towers and stayed with the main group the whole match. I don't have tier 6 gear, but I do have all epic's. Before the patch I could lead or be close to the top if I didn't help take and guard towers. I don't have a druid and don't understand their class mechanics, but they got something new in the patch to move that far ahead of everyone else. Maybe someone can tell me what changed. Their healing was really impressive and I can't see anything I could have changed to get even close.

  11. #11

    Re: Priest or Druid? healing

    Quote Originally Posted by Tiredhealer
    [...]
    everyone else. Maybe someone can tell me what changed. Their healing was really impressive and I can't see anything I could have changed to get even close.
    A goup-healing-hot that heals double as much as CoH with same costs. More powerful hots at all. My druids Rejuvenation is ticking now with 1150... At least you dont have lifebloom... And never will get one. Its amazing how much this little baby can do.
    Dont even try to compare any healer with a druid now. You cant. My druid is buffed at any aspect i can think of. And a druid was at every time better in BG and arena than a priest.

  12. #12

    Re: Priest or Druid? healing

    If i were you i would make two spec for priest so disc/shadow or holy/shadow and boomkin/feral for druid..and with two toons you cover heals/dps/tank ;D ;D
    boomkins will be huge dps surprize, same as sprists

  13. #13

    Re: Priest or Druid? healing

    Just some info for if you actually are still reading to help make a decision for healing.

    Tank Healing -
    Druids - Can keep multiple HoTs on tank(s), and balance out spikes with nourish,regrowth, or healing touch
    Priests - Can prepare better if a known large attack will land with PoM, PW:Shield, greater heal spam (cancel casting) provides a slightly more risky healing

    AoE Healing -
    Priests - Holy priests have Circle of Healing and Prayer of Mending. They also have Prayer of Healing and Holy Nova for their own group healing. @80 will have Divine Hymn, a powerful 10 target HoT + 10 target 20s CC.
    Druids - Have Wild Growth, which is more efficient than Circle, but cannot be spammed, tranquility for your own group healing.

    CC -
    Priests -
    Shackle Undead - Standard CC, undead only, but will be plenty of targets in LK
    Mind Control - Humanoid Only, limited targets, incapacitates priest for duration
    Psychic Scream - 5 targets, fear for 8s, 30s cooldown
    Hymn of Hope - 10 targets, 20s incapacitate, 6 minute cooldown + triggers psychic scream cooldown.
    Druids -
    Hibernate - Standard CC, Beasts + Dragons
    Entangling Roots - Stops target, but target can still attack and cast spells
    Cyclone - VERY short duration banish

    Mana Regen -
    Druids - Innervate, can be glyphed to provide you 20% bonus whenever cast, either allowing you to innervate others, or use a more powerful innervate on yourself
    Priests - Shadowfiend, now provides a % mana per second alive (ignoring damage dealt) can be glyphed to provide 5% mana if it is killed. Hymn of Hope, 5 minute cooldown, 8 second channel, restore 8% mana to you and party.

    Ohh Crap buttons -
    Druids - Swiftmend, Natures Swiftness, Rebirth
    Priests - PW:Shield, Guardian Spirit

    What will you likely be doing in a raid?
    Druid - Keeping 2 tanks fully hotted and thowing occasional wild growths out
    Priest - Spamming CoH and topping off dps

    What else can you do with your healing gear?
    Priest - Go Shadowpriest
    Druid - Go Moonkin

    Other benefits?
    Priest - Mind soothe got a bit of a buff, it can almost be used as stealth for your group, levitate minor glyph makes it so you do not require a reagent meaning you should never die from falling, and traveling over water should be faster.
    Druids - Can swap to cat and stealth, can gather resources in flight form. Flight form should prevent death in flyable areas from falling, and walrus form is faster water travel


    I personally play a priest, my buddy who I raid with plays a druid. Altho some aspects of the druid healing are attractive the RP/lore of being a dwarven priest is so much higher than being a nightelf druid they would have to be horribly unbalanced for me to want to be a druid full time.

  14. #14

    Re: Priest or Druid? healing

    Quote Originally Posted by Nezoia
    Right treeboy, here's a good place to start then: http://web27190.web08.talkactive.net/media/l2ptree.jpg
    I love that comic... though its wrong n ow, you CAN cast it in treeform.

  15. #15

    Re: Priest or Druid? healing

    But HT is still fail

  16. #16

    Re: Priest or Druid? healing

    Quote Originally Posted by Nezoia
    Right treeboy, here's a good place to start then: http://web27190.web08.talkactive.net/media/l2ptree.jpg
    funny pic, loved it since i first saw it

    but now you can cast t3h ht in treeform, so any discussion about tree weaknesses is a MOO point tbh. but as always they rely heavily on heal over time abilities.

    priests have everything, look across other healing classes, priests have everything they have, not as many variety in hots, single target (FoL, holy light) single target + secondary (CH) but they do have it all.

    in the separate departments other classes can be better than priests, but overall, we have it all, a complete package, mitigation, smooth healing, a hot, longevity.

    as others said, in the end its about personal taste, but i couldnt be happier with my new penance (and shadowdance on rogue, but thats beside the point). :-*

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