Looking for Priestly Assistance

[Chefjayman]

Hello everyone in the priest forums!

I've recently returned to the game after a seven or so month hiatus, and decided I wanted to run a priest since I really enjoy healing. Currently I'm level 39 (troll and levelling as holy) and mostly do random dungeons to level. As I get further up the xp ladder and gain more spells I find I have to adjust healing to compensate for the...shall we say..potential problems that arise from doing random dungeons. Doing these adjustments over time have forced me to consider some things that I'd like to get opinions or advice from those who have been priest far longer than myself.

1) Since i'm mostly doing levels via dungeons, I don't have to worry so much about questing and/or soloing so my spec can reflect a healer heavy edge. All the people I come across in these forums or in game that I check armoury on have end game raiding specs, so they're tailored to that end. Is there a specific spec I should follow while I level? Is Spirit tap necessry for levelling in dungeons or can I put those points to use elsewhere to help me better handle the "holy shit!" moments of random 5 mans? and are there glyphs better suited to levelling I should focus on until I hit 80 and switch to a raid spec? Every levelling guide I've come across is usually outdated and very plainly states that leveling anything but shadow is fail, so I've been left to my own devices and have been putting points in things based on other peoples armoury specs and my own ideas on what I believe works to better my healing output.

2) What are the really great mods I need to look at getting to help my 5 mans? I downloaded mods such as Healbot and Clique and Grid and Vuhdu to check them out (not at the same time though! I enable and disable them frequently to test them out), but i must say I have a hard time understanding them and how they work, so I wonder if I even need them at all, since I've done the majority of my 39 levels without any of thjose mods working for any length of time. And if mods such as Healbot etc are so truly required, is there a wiki somewhere that will help me to better undertsnd them?

3) Is there a mod out there that will allow me to change my action bars/buttons from a soloing/questing setup (such as when I can dual spec) to a healing setup? Basically I'd like to reduce my unused buttons during 5 mans to streamline my setup to make myself more efficient, but switch back when I'm running around Azeroths non instanced areas.

Thats all I could remember off the top of my head. I had more to ask but my retention isn't as good today. Any useful advice is very much appreciated. thanks in advance.

[Magnett]

1) If you're not soloing, just pick a cookie cutter Disc or Holy (depending on preference) 80 healing spec, figure out the order you want your talents, and go from there. Spirit Tap is useless for instances as it only procs if you get the killing blow, which you probably won't as the healer. Here is what I guess is an okay spec for your level if you want to go Disc. You can go with the Flash Heal and PW:S major glyphs, and swap one of those to Penance when you hit 60. I haven't been Holy since very early TBC since I don't PvE much, so you'll need to check a sticky or ask someone else for that.

2) Use Grid+Clique, I haven't tried Vuhdu but personally I've found Healbot to be much less versatile. All Grid really is is a way to display your groupmates in a more condensed way, so you can see only the important buffs and debuffs. Also at 80, it will display your whole raid, so you won't need Blizzard's silly raid frames. Clique allows you to set your spells to mouseover, that is, cast a helpful spell on a group member without having to change targets. There's an indepth list of benefits to this, but for now just know that it's incredibly useful for at least multishielding or renewing. You can go from there based on personal preferences.

3) Probably, but I don't use bar mods, those are for clickers! So I can't help you there. But you can change your "main" action bar, that is, the very bottom one and the only one that shows by default.

Also, you went Troll instead of Blood Elf female or some other stupid crap, so you're cool.

[Chefjayman]

Also, you went Troll instead of Blood Elf female or some other stupid crap, so you're cool.

Awwww shucks, now I feel all tingly! :-)

At one time I admit I was a troll hater (shudder), but I am reformed. I love my orange haired voodoo loving behemoth!

Thanks for the info as well, much appreciated.

[hoot80]

In regards to the issue of using Healbot/Grid+Clique/Vuhdo I say use whichever you like, but please do use one of them. Some say that certain ones have more overhead and thus more lag so that extra .2 seconds could kill the tank, but if .2 seconds is killing the tank in random 5 mans at level 39 you probably weren't going to keep him up anyway.

The point is that these tools are incredibly helpful by allowing you to simply bind all your helpful spells (or at least the most often used ones) to mouse clicks or modifiers + mouse clicks (i.e. Shift + Left Click = Renew, etc) and then simply move your mouse over the person taking damage and cast the appropriate spell for the level of damage they are taking. These addons are pretty much a necessity once you get to level 80 raiding because there are so many things going on that it would be almost impossible to click on people in the normal bliz raid frames and then press a button or (even worse) click on a button to heal them. The same can basically be accomplished through clever use of macros, but these addons supply some very nice functionality as well. One of the big ones is the fact that they can show you any buffs/debuffs that you want to show on each person, or you can set them up to only show debuffs that you can cure/dispel.

So to sum up, please use some type of raid frames addon. It may take a little while to set them up and then figure out how to really get into the details and set them up right, but it is very much worth it and your group/raid will thank you when you become a more efficient healer.

[MushroomBomb]

I'd like to add to what is said by saying that while a raid frame addon is essentially required for end-game content, addons that allow you to bind spells to your mouse aren't necessarily required. Yes, they can often help. But at the same time, it's not something you should be using if you feel uncomfortable with it. I've seen fantastic healers healing simply via the oldschool click on target+use spell, healing with mouseover macros and healing with addons such as Clique. They're all viable, though perhaps the first one it slightly less so for stuff like hard-modes.

Also, in regards to raid frames, here's a quote from another thread:

Grid. (http://wow.curse.com/downloads/wow-a...ails/grid.aspx)
Grid Configuration Tutorial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWKFm_z3o0s
More: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAOkRWSV6ok

Vudho (http://wow.curse.com/downloads/wow-a...ils/vuhdo.aspx)
VudHo Configure Tutorial:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDUTtRXCwUE

Both of these are great options.
If you don't really want something complicated, might I suggest using Shadowed Unit Frames (http://wow.curse.com/downloads/wow-a...it-frames.aspx)

Their raid frames are pretty simple.

[Chefjayman]

Also, in regards to raid frames, here's a quote from another thread:

Ahhh yes, I did notice that thread just after I sent mine in for scrutiny, and I kicked myself for not reading it first. I'm reading it at this very moment in fact lol. thanks for the quote though, theres some great stuff in there to mull over.

Thanks to all the replies thus far, you've all been a great help.

[Lysdexic]

I've always found grid to be the most intuitive, you just click a frame and then hit your keybind, be it F, G, 1, shift+7 or whatever.

Vudho/Healbot amount to making "right clicking" somebody's frame flash heal, or shift+alt+leftclick prayer of mending or what have you.

Grid also has the plus side of being incredibly space efficient

[Ynna]

1) If you're levelling purely by running dungeons there's no point in getting Spirit Tap. Not matter your spec your first talents will probably be best spent in the Discipline tree so you can get meditation.
2) I personally use Grid and mouseover macro's. This allows me to heal without actually having to target, which is the point of these type of add-ons (that and seeing all the information you want/need to see).
3) You can scroll trough action bars using shift and the arrows on your keyboard. It's not a perfect solution, but it does work.

[Parthanon]

In terms of Healing Addons, here are my observations:
Healbot is the easiest to get going. It's got predefined configs for each healing class/spec, and you can pretty much plug and play, although I do believe it's preconfiged for lvl 80 spells, so you may not have a lot of the configured ones.
VuhDo is also fairly good, but when I last tried it, it just felt more bloated (perhaps offered more) than Healbot. Also has a pre-configured set.
Grid I've only tried sparingly, but you have to install 2 (Grid & Clique) addons, and configure them independantly.

Apart from mouse-over (which is clique as far as I know), I have yet to see Grid do something that Healbot cannot.

I suppose one thing to consider with the Grid/Healbot/VuhDo decision, is whether you move with your mouse, or you keyboard. I tend to use the Keyboard more than the mouse, so Healbot makes more sense, as my left hand is mostly available to move, jump etc... If you use your mouse to move, then Grid might make more sense, as your left hand is essentially idle when you're moving.

In terms of build, I would suggest looking at the high end guys, BUT I would also look at the talents offered, and decide for yourself which is best. Raiding and 5-man dungeons/heroics are very different. eg, as Holy, you are almost never a tank healer in a raid, but in 5-mans you are ALWAYS a tank healer. Things like flash heal and greater heal are comonly used.

In terms of keeping your action bars clear, with things like VuhDo and Healbot, it's all in the addon, so your action bars can have things like your offensive spells instead of your healing spells. I have all my spells spread out across many action bars, but only to see cooldowns etc (again, this can probably be handled by another addon), and the occasional DC, where you come back in combat, and your raid frames are missing (All of the aforementioned addons do this - can be resolved by typing "/reload ui" - if you have time).

[Zeuq]

The VuhDo vs Grid vs Healbot argument has been done to death in other threads, so I don't want to hit on it too much other than saying that I prefer VuhDo the most and Healbot the least based on overall functionality. However, for a beginner, as Parthanon says, Healbot is probably the most intuitive, but with the tutorials out there for VuhDo and Grid, there really isn't a good reason not to pick up one of the two best options right from the start and use the leveling process to get used to it. Regardless, you really should get and become comfortable with some reputable healing frame because, while it may not be strictly necessary, it sure does make life a lot easier.


With regard to keeping your bars clean, I suggest an add-on like bartender which can change bars around based on your spec. Although, personally, I don't bother to switch them around because I have all of my heals bound to VuhDo. I still have them bound, but on more out of the way keys since I really only have to use them on Dreamwalker. So all the convenient keybinds are things like pots, cooldowns, and DPS spells.

I've always found grid to be the most intuitive, you just click a frame and then hit your keybind, be it F, G, 1, shift+7 or whatever.

Vudho/Healbot amount to making "right clicking" somebody's frame flash heal, or shift+alt+leftclick prayer of mending or what have you.

Grid also has the plus side of being incredibly space efficient

First, you can achieve the same functionality there with VuhDo or Healbot if you so desire; similarly, you can get click healing with Grid using Clique or mouseover macros. So that should not be why you choose one over another. More importantly, targetting then pressing a hot key is a bad habit to get into and I strongly advise against it. The reason that having heals bound to your mouse clicks is common is because it is much more efficient as you do the healing with the click and you don't have to follow up with a second button press. Further, it frees up your other hand for remaining mobile or hitting other hotkeys (pots, CDs, etc.). It also allows you to heal while keeping your target so you can more easily watch who the boss is targetting, watch it's castbar, or throw a few DoTs or whatnot. If you are against click-healing for whatever reason (perhaps you only have a 2-3 button mouse or are too lazy to relearn your binds) you can still have similar functionality using mouseover macros and, which will allow for the same efficiency and keeping your target.

Either of those options can easily cut a good .2-.3s off of your reaction time which can be a world of difference in a highly stressed healing situation.

[Chefjayman]

Thanks again for all the advice, you've given me alot to digest, although it seems my decisions have become tougher not easier to make. The Vuhdo/Healbot/Grid debate continues and I don't think I'll get an answer of preference until I try out each one. I've given Healbot a test but I'm not sure its for me as I'm a mouse turner. I haven't worked each addon against each other though to give me any definitive answer so I guess I'll have to do that before I choose.

A special thanks goes to Zeuq though for giving a response that actually taught me a different perspective about healing I was never aware of before. You've shown me a few things I can truly work on to improve my healing and become INCREDIBLY more efficient at it. Thanks so much!

I have to admit that I was (until reading Zeuqs post) a target/press hot key healer and now after looking back at my heals history I can see how inefficient it was. Pressing two buttons to heal a target can waste a potential .5 second on a throw which at the moment means little, but later on can be a monumental problem. Overall, lots to work on yet. Luckily at 39 I have lots of tiem to learn, and since I level in dungeons, I will get lots on practice.

Now I do have one more question to ask. Can someone give me direction or a short course in mouseover macros? This seems like a concept I'd like to investigate more but I've never been the best at macro writing, so any additional info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again