Thoughts on the Healing Staff

RenhardtESO

So all of my characters are pretty much healers. I love playing a healer. One thing I think would be really awesome with the healing staff, is if when aimed at another player, it would give them a bit of a heal instead of just your character pointlessly spinning it in the air with some useless sparks coming out of it. And if you hit them with a heavy attack/heal, it would also replenish some magica like it does when you hit an enemy with it.

Am I wrong in thinking this? And if it isn't pointed at anyone, then it will give you a bit of a heal while you are spinning it around in the air.

Thoughts?

Soulshine

Restrostaves do damage; you cannot aim it a player to heal them; the skills from the weapon are what heal. So you are asking for the entire way in which the staff works to be changed? o.O

RSram

I haven't really used the healing staff much, but I'd like to see it drain either health, magic, or stamina (depending on it's enchantment) when pointed at an enemy, and when pointed at a friendly (When in combat) restore the same. Or maybe have an mana drain skill that takes energy from the enemy and gives it to the closes ally to the enemy.

RenhardtESO

No it would work the same. But if you target another player, it would give them a little bit of a heal. Obviously not as much as the skills that come along with the resto staff. But just when it's pointed at a friendly, it does a little bit of healing instead of sparkling.

DuelWieldingCheesyPoofs

I agree it would be nice

Dekkameron

Would it also give back magicka like a normal Healing staff heavy attack?

RenhardtESO

Yup! It would act the same as if hitting an enemy with it, but heal the player and you would regain a little bit of magica from your heavy attack I think that would make a proper healing staff

Soulshine

Seanathen wrote: »

No it would work the same. But if you target another player, it would give them a little bit of a heal. Obviously not as much as the skills that come along with the resto staff. But just when it's pointed at a friendly, it does a little bit of healing instead of sparkling.

The sparkling you are referring to happens with a heavy attack, and more specifically when you are still holding down the heavy attack with the mouse but no longer aiming it at a target or the target is out of range yet you are still holding down the mouse button. So you are asking for an animation change when it is within your means already to address that - take you finger off the mouse or pay more attention to where you are aiming. Also it would not work the same since you are asking for this weapon to now distinguish between friendly vs non-friendlt targets and offer different functions - no weapon in the game does this.

RenhardtESO

THAT's been my issue this whole time!? I've been forgetting to let go of my mouse button!?..... Anyway, I still think it would be a cool added function of the healing staff.

Digiman

Doubt it because its an attack it isn't governed by a resource to make it balanced. It would be to effective in topping of health for most players without spending magicka.

But really the whole purpose for the weapon is to allow you to DPS while you heal so you not sitting there being forced to look at health bars of party members.

RenhardtESO

And that's just it. I mean it would have to be very little healing done, but something at least. It does very little DPS, why not have it do just a little bit of healing if pointed at a player? And yes I understand where you guys are coming from who are against it. But can't say it wouldn't be a little cool to have that added to it's functionality being that it IS a healing staff.

Soulshine

In theory yes... but consider what you are implying here is that it would effectively change the way in which healing is done in the game since even a minimal direct heal from the staff would change the totalitly of healing dynamics dramatically. It would also alter your role in supporting dps for a group as well, as Digiman suggested.

As far as the amount of direct dps from the staff alone, it does more dmg than a destrostaff alone since there is a passive dmg bonus on the staff which the destrostaff lacks - another reason why coupled with the magicka return, the restrostaff is hands down the popular choice in many situations not just healing.

It sounds to me like what you want is the ability to cast a direct heal at someone when they need it which alas, you do not have reactive healing in this game but rather preemptive and proactive healing, which personally - now that I am long since use to it in ESO I find it much more interesting that the old ways I used to heal in other games. I see no reason it should change.

Digiman

Well technically the staff attacks do heal other players when you kill the target. So there's a plus. Maybe and spell ability that turns allows you to heal players with a heavy attack for a limited time?

RenhardtESO

Yeah I totally get what you are saying Soulshine. And yeah you are right about the damage it can do. Now that I am thinking of it, I even use a healing staff for my one Sorc instead of a Destro Staff.

I love the healing mechanics of this game and think they are just about perfect in my opinion. But just thought it would be interesting to have that ability to be able to do some healing on another player when they are targeted and using a heavy attack on them. Not a change that I think "needs" to be made. But could make healing even more fun.

Soulshine

The essence drain trait on the staff is a passive which basically provides this already off a heavy attack and there is no duratiion limiting it; only your ability to manage the use of heavy attacks vs light weaving ones. Again I think if the issue is that ppl, just want an ability to apply a direct heal to a specific player you are effectively asking to change the entire way in which all heals work in this game, since even Templar heals do not do this.

RenhardtESO

Yeah Digi, there is that one passive that heals nearby allies when doing a heavy attack on an enemy.