Advice from a healer to DPS players
Jimbru
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Over the last 20something years, I have mained healers in many MMOs, from EQ to WoW and GW2 to ESO. In ESO, almost every one of my characters has a healer build, and I have ran dungeons as a healer for years. Based on that experience, I would like to offer the following advice about how to help your healers in ESO.
- First, healing in ESO is mechanically different than many other MMOs. Other MMOs, such as WoW, emphasize watching health bars and direct healing. ESO isn't like that. In ESO, most healing and buffing is AOE and heal over time (HoT). Therefore, healers in ESO have a rotation to keep HoT and buffs ticking on the group and debuffs ticking on the boss, along with doing damage when we can and handling emergencies as they arise.
- As a healer, my first priority in a boss fight is always the tank, because the tank is what keeps the boss from running amok and one-shotting everyone.
- What those two things mean for DPS is that much of the time, the heals and buffs you get are an AOE side effect of me keeping up my rotation on the tank. If the DPS spread out to max range on opposite sides of the room, then somebody's probably not getting healed, and that's not my fault. So stay in range of myself and the tank if you want heals and buffs.
- The ideal group positioning for most bosses is tank > boss < DPS < healer. Positioned this way, the big boss damage is pointed away from the group, and I can heal and buff everybody in a cone in front of me.
- Please kill the adds and stop standing in crap. Thanks.
Hope that helps somebody.
- First, healing in ESO is mechanically different than many other MMOs. Other MMOs, such as WoW, emphasize watching health bars and direct healing. ESO isn't like that. In ESO, most healing and buffing is AOE and heal over time (HoT). Therefore, healers in ESO have a rotation to keep HoT and buffs ticking on the group and debuffs ticking on the boss, along with doing damage when we can and handling emergencies as they arise.
- As a healer, my first priority in a boss fight is always the tank, because the tank is what keeps the boss from running amok and one-shotting everyone.
- What those two things mean for DPS is that much of the time, the heals and buffs you get are an AOE side effect of me keeping up my rotation on the tank. If the DPS spread out to max range on opposite sides of the room, then somebody's probably not getting healed, and that's not my fault. So stay in range of myself and the tank if you want heals and buffs.
- The ideal group positioning for most bosses is tank > boss < DPS < healer. Positioned this way, the big boss damage is pointed away from the group, and I can heal and buff everybody in a cone in front of me.
- Please kill the adds and stop standing in crap. Thanks.
Hope that helps somebody.
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freespirit✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭Also as a DPS player I always run a heal even on my one bar set-ups.
Now this is mainly because I play solo with a companion who likes to play dead!!
However over the years those heals have saved groups from wipes more times than I can count.
When people say to me........
"You're going to regret that in the morning"
I sleep until midday cos I'm a problem solver!3 -
Jimbru✭✭✭✭freespirit wrote: »Also as a DPS player I always run a heal even on my one bar set-ups.
Now this is mainly because I play solo with a companion who likes to play dead!!
However over the years those heals have saved groups from wipes more times than I can count.
DPS running an extra heal like Echoing Vigor or Extended Ritual is always helpful.
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Lixiviant✭✭✭✭Appreciate this post. As a long time player that has always wanted to try as a healer, these starting points will help me set up my rotation. I always thought I had to watch health bars; I see the AOE skills are what does it.
This will also help me just be a better DPS player when the healer is trying to do their job.1