Healing Question...

Pushka · February 2015

I have played this game since Beta the entire time I have played a Sorcerer/Healer. Healing being my primary focus. I have always believed to be damn good at this. I have even felt that being a sorcerer I have an advantage over Templar because with Dark Deal I basically get unlimited magicka. And then I took a 3 month break...

I just came back and suddenly being anything but a templar healer is faupa (sp?) I've checked both skill lines and it doesn't seem like there has been any drastic change to make this so. The best skills for actual healing are still the ones on the staff. Yes Templar has buffs that a Sorcerer doesn't. But really, I don't get why people refuse to accept Sorcerer healers anymore. I mean I still think I am damn good at it.

So my question is... Is there something I am missing? I want to know if I should go ahead and make myself a Templar (I HATE questing, with a passion so I am putting it off). If it really is soo much better?

Cogo · February 2015

Any class can heal fine. Templar's edge is healing. The 3 other classes has their own edge.

newtinmpls · February 2015

Best is always going to be a matter of opinion.

If you like being what you are, then stick with it. I've had plenty of times where announcing "I've got both of the first two restoration staff abilities morphed" was enough to get accepted as a 'healer' in any given group dungeon/quest.

On the other hand, having just started a Templar (spent the night before last wandering around in Cold Harbor as a redguard Templar with my husband who was playing an orc Dragonknight), I note that the Templar class certainly has a lot more choices in terms of healing.

As a Battlemage, I have noted that being on the receiving end of the Templar thing that boosts my regen is really awesome.

Pushka · February 2015

Thanks... But is it worth it to switch from unlimited magicka for those extra skills? Will I be popping potions all the time?

Artemiisia · February 2015

I was a off healer in AA Hardmode last night, healed for 340.000 on last boss, as a sorcerer healer.

If there werent any templars to do the real heal we would had died.

so not saying sorcerers shouldnt heal, we needed the sorcerer spamming healing springs, there are just a time and a place to be either the main healer or the off heal.

There are lots of dungeons and places where sorcerers healers are perfectly fine, and places where it just impossible as a main healer.

DschiPeunt · February 2015

As a templar healer (VR14), that hasn't played a sorc yet, I'm going to try answer your question as best as possible:

I think that healing as a sorc won't work everywhere, but only in some "special" places. What i mean by special is, that the group can stick together pretty nice and you can spam healing springs and combat prayer all the time. This works fine in AA as an example and it's what i do in these places too.
BUT when it comes to places where your group splits, you want to have some nice ranged instant-heal like "Breath of Life". I did Veteran CoA today and often that would keep the group alive.

As a templar you will also have abilities like "Cleansing Ritual", which is essential in the Veteran BC Boss fight, or "Blazing Spear", which will make your tank quite happy.

Pushka wrote: »

Thanks... But is it worth it to switch from unlimited magicka for those extra skills? Will I be popping potions all the time?

For magicka regeneration i usually do heavy attacks with a restoration staff (passive ability gives magicka back), spell symmetry and some potions, but most of the time 1 or 2 normal magicka potions during a boss fight are enough, and are only used, when things are getting out of hand.

Summary:

Templars have healing skills, that aren't always needed, but sometimes you can't go without them
A good magicka management is part of being a good healer and can be done with a templar pretty easy
Potions often aren't needed
Professional healing business is templar business

cote-bmsb16_ESO · February 2015

After 1.6 sorcs can spam combat prayer for chunk healing.

Aeratus · February 2015

I play both sorc and templar, and have healed on both. I would say this:

First, there is no question that Templar is better than sorc at healing, because sorc has no burst heal. Templar also has an emergency out-of-magicka heal as the ultimate. The sorc's dark deal isn't a deal-changer, because a templar can simply hold down resto staff heavy attack. Also, if your strategy for using dark deal is to avoid using potions, this simply does not apply in endgame, where every magicka user is expected to use potions when necessary. Healers in vet DSA and Sanctum will not only use potions, but will use the expensive spell-crit potions that cost 10k per stack.

Second, there are very few places where a Templar healer is actually necessary. Templar is not needed in vet CoA. As dps, I do not even need a healer to survive the titan boss in CoA. Templar is not needed in vet BC, and is not needed for vet CoH. The cleansing ritual skill is not needed for vet BC, since you can simply use the pvp purge skill instead. Templar is not absolutely needed in vet DSA either, considering that the record on the NA server was held for some time by a group without a templar.

However, if you're doing one of those above places without a templar healer where people are spread out, like vet CoA, you need a group that is elite. A mediocre group will likely not be able to survive without a templar in those situations. Also, even if a templar is not necessary, I would still go with a templar if you need a no-death run in places like CoH or CoA.

AlienPrimate · February 2015

I have always played a templar healer. The biggest advantage that a templar has over a sorcerer IMO is the focused healing passive. If you always keep cleansing ritual active, you always have a 30% healing buff. They also have a passive that will give their allies up to a 30% critical strike bonus which is huge.

Templars have two abilities that can restore their allies stamina and one of them has a morph to also restore magicka. A sorcerer has no support skills other than what is from the staff. Against enemies with hard hitting spells like the wraith that uses soul strike in VoM, a sorcerer has no way to keep their targeted ally alive. I am going to guess that your targeted group member dies nearly every time during that fight if you are the healer as a sorcerer.

Lastly, on magicka management, I am a VR6 woodelf templar and have no problems with ever running out of magicka. Even with no racial passives or skills to help with magicka sustain, I have never had a problem. I have 19 points in magicka and 35 points in health with all enchantments on health. Here is how I sustain my magicka:

Currently I have 6 light 1 heavy for armor with 5 seducer and 3 spectre's eye for the extra armor. All of my armor has the divines enchantment and I use the atronach stone which gives me 32 regeneration. I use all reduce cost on my jewelry. With these items not using food, my magicka stats are 1596 magicka, 132 regeneration, 30% spell cost reduction, and 54 flat spell cost reduction. If you are in a decent group with these stats as a healer, you will almost never be oom. If I really wanted to, I could switch embrace of shadows to magnus' gift and soft cap my magicka regeneration and switch my heavy legs to light for another 3% cost reduction.

likewow777 · February 2015

I don't think you necessarily have to create a new Templar healer, unless you really can't get groups to accept you. I'm not a primary healer, and when I do heal, I know that someone who knows their stuff would do much better than I do. To me, the summary of healing is:

-If you want to be a good healer, be a Templar who can heal, but doesn't do it primarily.

-If you want to be a great healer, pick any class, get yourself a resto staff, and work at it til you're amazing.

-If you want to be the best healer in the game, be a Templar, and work at it til you're amazing.

I'm sure there is an argument for why non-Templars are just as good as Templars, but I believe it really comes down to choice. More skills means more options, which means more ways to do what you do. Some of the Templar healing skills aren't necessarily the best, but I'd rather be spoiled for choice than struggling to make ends meet.

Robbmrp · February 2015

DschiPeunt wrote: »

Summary:
Templars have healing skills, that aren't always needed, but sometimes you can't go without them

I couldn't agree more with this. On my main, a Templar Healer, there are situations that call for a burst heal. Breath of Life has in my experience kept a group alive that was almost wiped out. In 2-3 casts it can take an entire group at 30% health back to full health. You just can't do that with Resto staff spells.

Morshire · February 2015

So I play a VR11 Templar, and most recently (VR6) swapped from HA/tanking to LA heals. Here is what I have learned from people in the guild helping me learn "healing"...First and foremost, BOL is the OH *** button that should be used only when necessary. Most of the skills I rely on are from the Restro Staff line. I can, most of the time, get through dungeons without ever hitting BOL. To say that you "have" to be a Temp healer is doubtful. Two of the people I asked for help run the Sorc healer, and they are damn good at their "jobs". In fact, partially due to my inexperience, they are preferred over me and some of the other Temp healers in our guild. Honestly, IMO, if you are a good keyboard jokey and you know your class, you will be fine. You may have to "prove" to people that you can carry the group, but I doubt you have to change classes just to be effective. I firmly stand by that, because if you "cannot" be an effective healer as a Sorc, then I will never have a hope of being an effective tank as a Temp.

Here is my Healing bar and why, if you can find the skills that can do the same, then you should be okay:

BOL - as stated, the Oh *** button
Healing Springs
Combat Prayer
Purifying ritual - Cleanses negative effects
Luminous Shards - Stamina and magicka regen synergy

ULTI -
Nova Morph Solar Prism - 30% less damage from enemies

I do not use my second bar for heals, yet, as I keep offensive skills there for the what if moments. Now as a Sorc, you have some of these skills, or you have similar skills. Just find the equivalent. Other choices are there and I do swap some skills, but you mainly see what I have. Of course, this is PVE build. I rely heavily on my Temp skills when I PVP. So we won't compare. I think the "reliance" on the Temp has more to do with the group mechanics. Having a Temp healer allows for "riskier" groups. But any good group can easily maintain itself without a Temp.

TLDR - No you do not need to reroll a Temp to be a good healer.

Lord Xanhorn · February 2015

My healing templar should not only heal which its the best at but also buff. As mentioned before, temps have some great buffs. These should be sprikled into your normal healing rotation.

1. Purifying Light. I cast this almost non stop on boss fights in vet dungeons
2. Luminous shards so the tank can continue blocking and taunting
3. Cleansing ritual. Buffs and cleanses
4. Restoring Aura or Repentance. I prefer repentance as it helps move trash along much faster as its 100% health and stam after every pull
5. Circle of protection. Increase armor and spell resistance (I know its not a temp ability but I wanted to mention it anyways)

All things temps are great at besides just BOL.

newtinmpls · February 2015

One of the characters I play is a Battlemage (Sorcerer Orc with heavy armor who basically functions as a tank), and his partner is a Breton Templar Healer. They are both 25th level & she has just worked up the Templar skill that allows him to synergy in order to remove negative effects (slowed, confused and all that crap). Oh my goodness it's wonderful!!