Siphon Spirit vs Elemental Drain as a healer

Jorotarr

So I know Siphon Spirit and the other morph, Quick Siphon, are generally disliked and regarded as a weak skill. I'm tempted to slot it on my healer, though, instead of Elemental Drain. To me it makes sense. Elemental Drain provides Minor Magickasteal and Major Breach. But since tanks provide Major Breach and Major Fracture, it's really only a skill for resource return. So why wouldn't I use Siphon Spirit instead, which not only heals but also gives back magicka? I know it doesn't heal for a lot - only about 900 per tic, or 1.5k on a crit (my crit is 70% so that's more often than not) - but especially when paired with Spell Power Cure and Troll King, using Siphon Spirit just makes sense to me despite the 1.5 sec cast time. Thoughts?

Rohamad_Ali

1.5 seconds feels like forever when you need those heals and resources yesterday .

Shanjijri

Elemental Drain is also free to cast.

Parrot1986

Rohamad_Ali wrote: »

1.5 seconds feels like forever when you need those heals and resources yesterday .

^^^ this for me. If it was instacast I'd use it but the cast time feels like an age and is quite clunky if you need to bar swap after it as well

Illurian

The cast time is the only bad part about Siphon Spirit. I use it in some trials though, as the minor lifesteal helps with SPC uptime.

AcadianPaladin

I use Elemental Drain for the reasons above (free, no cast time) and another. As a magplar healer, I have tons of healing and I generally don't run with formal groups. The Major Breach, therefore, is way more valuable to me than minor lifesteal.

The only think I don't like about Elemental Drain is that it is a destr staff skill. I would much prefer if it were a resto staff skill since my longer timed buffs/debuffs/heals are on my resto bar and my shorter timed skills are on my destro bar.

Tasear

Siphon spirit is good... maybe as you are leveling up or taking on endurance fights. I would assume it would be used by more DPS inclined Healer.

Now quick siphon it's very useful since the cast time is realistic. I can see this being a lot of fun.

Element drain in theory should be a dps skill.. but didn't work out that way.