Idea for a Healer's Test Dummy

Lorabella

As far as I am aware, heals in ESO are just negative damage (ie. they still scale of max mag and spell damage), so why can't the Devs create a training dummy which operates in reverse?

The training dummy could start at zero health, and then the timer could see how long it takes the healer to heal the test dummy back to full health, and then give a HPS rating at the end. Wearing different sets and applying different buffs to the target dummy would affect your HPS result.

The training dummy could possibly also have a default damage DOT applied 100% of the time, so that if you use a shield or a buff on the target dummy to increase its resistance, the DOT would do less damage and heals would be more efficient. Different difficulty target dummies could have weaker or stronger DOTs on them too, to simulate Normal vs Vet vs Vet HM.

It obviously wouldn't simulate end-game trials which involve mechanics, group dynamics, and spacial awareness, but it would be a starting point for new healers and would at least set a baseline. It would also give healers a way to practice their skills/rotations and see which skill combinations bring a higher HPS score.

I would love to see this in game.

idk

A heal dummy as suggested, and has seen short lived suggestions previously, really offers nothing to help a healer. Even OP has not suggested any benefit other than having one for the heck of it.

In every game I have healed in I have never found a use or want for a heal dummy. I have always found I can play around with my heals pretty much anywhere. In ESO it is even easier.

LadyNalcarya

Thing is, healing in eso is not about hps. Healers are mostly just buff/resource machines, and the healing part is usually done just by spamming one skill (healing springs). You can reach enough hps just by spamming that skill, even in situations like vHoF execute phase or Serpent's poison phase. A few springs, a combat player, a few orbs, rinse and repeat.
Having a dummy that requires you to spam heals will just give new healers a wrong idea. Unlike dps, high hps numbers dont do anything, and boosting them by spamming heals all the time (even when your group isnt taking damage) or using healing ulties instead of warhorn wont help your group.
ZOS nerfed sustain so using suport skills is nessesary. Pure heal spam, on the other hand, isnt really needed, people already do dlc dungeons with no healers. Even in pugs, its better to either buff dds (if dps is decent) or do dps (if group dps is low).

So, in short: healing springs spam is your baseline, and it doenst require any training.

Yakidafi

I test the heal on the dummies in my group.

Lorabella

idk wrote: »

A heal dummy as suggested, and has seen short lived suggestions previously, really offers nothing to help a healer. Even OP has not suggested any benefit other than having one for the heck of it.

In every game I have healed in I have never found a use or want for a heal dummy. I have always found I can play around with my heals pretty much anywhere. In ESO it is even easier.

Thanks for your feedback. I only suggested it because people have asked why there isn't one - and I was trying to point out that it could be possible. Maybe not useful to you, but definitely possible.

Personally, I think it could benefit new healers. Some new players may not be confident playing around with their heals 'anywhere' in Tamriel, and perhaps using a training dummy in the safety of player housing might appeal to some.

For me, its pure curiosity to see if they actually release this.

LadyNalcarya

Lorabella wrote: »

Personally, I think it could benefit new healers. Some new players may not be confident playing around with their heals 'anywhere' in Tamriel, and perhaps using a training dummy in the safety of player housing might appeal to some.

If they have a healing staff with healing springs slotted and have a magicka setup, their heals are technically strong enough (and I'm pretty sure that skill advisor already suggests using that skill). For most situations, even a nightblade dd with funnel health is enough.
On the other hand, with all those sustain nerfs support is important, especially in more difficult content. Basically healers "skill" is an ability to maintain high uptimes of buffs and debuffs and help your teammates with resourse sustain, while healing them.

mocap

you could use yourself as a test dummy ) Cast some Equilibrium, then heal yourself.

Feanor

The game is designed in a way that the healer practically over heals most time. SPC is even made with that condition. So a dummy really wouldn’t help. What would be great is a tutorial that teaches a healer how to keep buffs up and how to feed resources to the group.

RobbieRocket

Lorabella wrote: »

As far as I am aware, heals in ESO are just negative damage (ie. they still scale of max mag and spell damage), so why can't the Devs create a training dummy which operates in reverse?

The training dummy could start at zero health, and then the timer could see how long it takes the healer to heal the test dummy back to full health, and then give a HPS rating at the end. Wearing different sets and applying different buffs to the target dummy would affect your HPS result.

The training dummy could possibly also have a default damage DOT applied 100% of the time, so that if you use a shield or a buff on the target dummy to increase its resistance, the DOT would do less damage and heals would be more efficient. Different difficulty target dummies could have weaker or stronger DOTs on them too, to simulate Normal vs Vet vs Vet HM.

It obviously wouldn't simulate end-game trials which involve mechanics, group dynamics, and spacial awareness, but it would be a starting point for new healers and would at least set a baseline. It would also give healers a way to practice their skills/rotations and see which skill combinations bring a higher HPS score.

I would love to see this in game.

You thought this out and it's a winner! Well done. Now, will anyone with power make it happen.....?

Armatesz

I've always thought it was weird I got more healing done with spell damage versus healing done. But as for healers jobs they can include besides just healing as debuffing enemies, cleansing allies and providing resources and resource managing as well as buffing allies and providing barriers as need be.

LeagueTroll

It’s easy to get nuf hps. A dummy will only filter out bottom 10% at most.

josiahva

HPS is a worthless number unless your group is bad enough they are constantly taking massive amounts of damage. Healing is more of a burst skill like DPS in PvP, aside from a low-grade constant heal on the tank.

jrgray93

Neat idea but heals per second isn't a valuable metric. Heals are a reactive thing and once you heal enough, you're just wasting effort that could be spent on damage.

kargen27

I would rather see a more comprehensive report once the dummy is down. It should include how long buffs and shields are active among other things. Allow a healer to group with a DPS and have the end report show the time the heal over time and other things a healer does are active. The healer would have to throw in some heals that might not be tracked to best test their rotation but that shouldn't be a problem if you really want to know how your rotation works. The DPS and the healer could then both see the report and know where they need to improve. A tank could also join in to have the buffs and taunts he/she applies tracked. Accurate numbers would rely on the players not short cutting their rotations because no damage to themselves is being done. Could be made even better if the report somehow tracked when a skill was applied early for instance the tank throwing out a taunt two seconds before the previous taunt wears off.

wayfarerx

Have to agree with most of the comments here, heals-per-second is not a particularly useful metric to evaluate the effectiveness of a healer. Healing is a reactive role: you need to be anticipating boss mechanics, keeping buffs up, keeping resources topped off for your team mates, monitoring positioning, etc. All of that would be very difficult to simulate with a dummy.

Tannus15

I thought PUGs were heal dummys. I mean, if you want a bunch of low health people to stand in red and make your life interesting, just jump on the group finder.

AcadianPaladin

What my healer used to train up on was WBs and dolmens. Not grouped, just gaggles of players to practice heals/buffs. I found each (dolmens and WBs) exposed my healer to a variety of reactive situations, which, as mentioned above is the key to a good healer imo.

If I can keep HoTs up, then see/react and drop the right heal in time it doesn't make much diff if my burst heal is for 9K or 12K - or even 7K. Unlike bosses, other players of course don't tote that many HPs - except tanks and the beauty of tanks is that when they do start to go down, it is slow/controlled enough that it is easy to react to with a couple springs and making sure rapid regen is up. Very diff than supporting a 16K dps who gets hit for 15K and requires an instant omgBol response. Lol.