Is Healing ward working "as intended"?

maboleth · April 2016

When I had a Steadfast ward on my resto staff, it was fine. But once I morphed it into the Healing ward, sometimes it won't work when I need it the most.
I activate that ability but sometimes I don't see the purple buffer zone in my health bar. I quickly check the stats with "C" and see no Healing ward activated. I press it several more times and finally I start seeing it buffering my health bar.
This only happens while in combat or when severely hit and damaged. Currently, I have tested it in PVP only. When I had the steadfast ward it was all good and always buffering my health bar when I was down.

Am I missing something here? Can anyone else confirm this?

Tryxus · April 2016

Did the Ward go to someone else?

DannyLV702 · April 2016

It's because healing Ward only goes on the person with the lowest health. So if there's an ally near you with lower health, they get the Ward and not you

TARAFRAKA · April 2016

Yeah you can't control where it goes. If someone near you has lower health than you its auto casts on them. Extremely likely in pvp.

maboleth · April 2016

Thanks everyone. That's probably the case... and a bummer. :-) I'll pay attention to that in the future. Quite strange I didn't notice when I had Steadfast word. Probably just a coincidence.

imapogostick · April 2016

Try using the other morph this automatically gives you and an ally a shield

Autolycus · April 2016

imapogostick wrote: »

Try using the other morph this automatically gives you and an ally a shield

Agreed. Steadfast is best for pvp. Healing Ward is a pve clutch.

emily3989 · April 2016

Ward Ally is the better choice in pretty much all situations IMO, as you are guaranteed 100% of the time to ward yourself.

Autolycus · April 2016

emily3989 wrote: »

Ward Ally is the better choice in pretty much all pvp situations, as you are guaranteed 100% of the time to ward yourself.

Corrected for accuracy.

wayfarerx · April 2016

Autolycus wrote: »

emily3989 wrote: »

Ward Ally is the better choice in pretty much all pvp situations, as you are guaranteed 100% of the time to ward yourself.

Corrected for accuracy.

This. In PvE the heal from healing ward is huge for non-templars in the healer role. The guaranteed self-shield is pretty useless since you should be able to keep your own health up 24/7.

myrrrorb14_ESO · April 2016

Also if you switch bars too fast it cancels the ability before it is aplied.

emily3989 · April 2016

wayfarerx wrote: »

Autolycus wrote: »

emily3989 wrote: »

Ward Ally is the better choice in pretty much all pvp situations, as you are guaranteed 100% of the time to ward yourself.

Corrected for accuracy.

This. In PvE the heal from healing ward is huge for non-templars in the healer role. The guaranteed self-shield is pretty useless since you should be able to keep your own health up 24/7.

Disagree. at least in the case I am correct, but I believe that the regular ward goes on anyone near you, whether you are grouped or not, so you could accidently stick it on someone next to you, say, in a public dungeon, thus not getting any ward yourself.

I have used both, for solo pve, Ward Ally works just as good as the other one, it has never given me "not enough protection", so therefore I see no reason at all to even consider the other one.

Just based on my experiences.

QuebraRegra · April 2016

emily3989 wrote: »

Ward Ally is the better choice in pretty much all situations IMO, as you are guaranteed 100% of the time to ward yourself.

I thought the shield protection it offered was almost worthless?

Autolycus · April 2016

emily3989 wrote: »

wayfarerx wrote: »

Autolycus wrote: »

emily3989 wrote: »

Ward Ally is the better choice in pretty much all pvp situations, as you are guaranteed 100% of the time to ward yourself.

Corrected for accuracy.

This. In PvE the heal from healing ward is huge for non-templars in the healer role. The guaranteed self-shield is pretty useless since you should be able to keep your own health up 24/7.

Disagree. at least in the case I am correct, but I believe that the regular ward goes on anyone near you, whether you are grouped or not, so you could accidently stick it on someone next to you, say, in a public dungeon, thus not getting any ward yourself.

I have used both, for solo pve, Ward Ally works just as good as the other one, it has never given me "not enough protection", so therefore I see no reason at all to even consider the other one.

Just based on my experiences.

Ward Ally is all but a wasted skill for a pve healer. There is no use in shielding yourself in pve, because in very few situations will you be focused by anything, assuming the tank is doing their job and dps is burning trash down. Healing ward is not only a substantially better heal, but in 4-man content it is almost guaranteed to go to whomever needs it. I've had healing wards crit for as high as 52k. I will take that over ward ally (which I've never, not once, needed in pve).

Healing Ward is almost never going to be used by a Templar, because BoL. This means you have Sorcs, DKs, and NBs who will use it. Sorcs have a shield that is far superior than Healing Ward to protect themselves. DKs, which I have a great deal of personal experience with, don't even need it anymore post-TG (due to the addition of Cauterize), but prior to TG it was the absolute best clutch heal for pve. It couples very nicely with Igneous Shield, which is roughly an 8k shield in pve, plus grants Major Mending, which buffs Healing Ward.

You can completely replace BoL just by keeping rapid regen (or mutagen) active and popping healing wards when someone takes a large hit. NBs get their healing buffed by every siphoning ability slotted, which makes Healing Ward even better. Never, not once, in any pve scenario in the last two years, have I ever found a need for steadfast ward in pve.

wayfarerx · April 2016

emily3989 wrote: »

wayfarerx wrote: »

Autolycus wrote: »

emily3989 wrote: »

Ward Ally is the better choice in pretty much all pvp situations, as you are guaranteed 100% of the time to ward yourself.

Corrected for accuracy.

This. In PvE the heal from healing ward is huge for non-templars in the healer role. The guaranteed self-shield is pretty useless since you should be able to keep your own health up 24/7.

Disagree. at least in the case I am correct, but I believe that the regular ward goes on anyone near you, whether you are grouped or not, so you could accidently stick it on someone next to you, say, in a public dungeon, thus not getting any ward yourself.

I have used both, for solo pve, Ward Ally works just as good as the other one, it has never given me "not enough protection", so therefore I see no reason at all to even consider the other one.

Just based on my experiences.

I was referring to 4-man instanced dungeons rather than public dungeons. Sure in public dungeons or delves or whatnot you could probably get by with healing ritual and quick siphon. In instanced content the healer needs an OH-S**T button, particularly in PUGs, and for non-templars healing ward is the best available.

emily3989 · April 2016

Sorry, did not consider group healing, don't do it.

maboleth · April 2016

Wow, thanks!

Well, I'm a sorceress but I still don't have the super duper deadric shield, so steadfast ward is my healing of choice. Do you still think I should go with Ward ally instead of Healing ward? I kind of got used to it, I pay attention when I heal myself and my allies.

wayfarerx · April 2016

maboleth wrote: »

Wow, thanks!

Well, I'm a sorceress but I still don't have the super duper deadric shield, so steadfast ward is my healing of choice. Do you still think I should go with Ward ally instead of Healing ward? I kind of got used to it, I pay attention when I heal myself and my allies.

Are you soloing in public areas or playing PvP and depend on the shield? Ward ally.
Are you healing in 4-man instanced dungeons? Healing ward.

But your best bet is loading your bars up with daedric summoning and getting your sorcerer ward ASAP, it's probably the best defensive skill in the game.

Totalitarian · April 2016

In my opinion, Healing Ward makes a good replacement for Healing Springs in AOE boss fights.

By this I mean the Ash Titan or Bogdan the Nightflame, where standing in place is dangerous. That also means that Healing Springs is rather ineffective. Healing Ward works well in these situations.

Autolycus · April 2016

Totalitarian wrote: »

In my opinion, Healing Ward makes a good replacement for Healing Springs in AOE boss fights.

By this I mean the Ash Titan or Bogdan the Nightflame, where standing in place is dangerous. That also means that Healing Springs is rather ineffective. Healing Ward works well in these situations.

Healing spring is the most effective healing skill in this game, as it pertains to pve. So many people have troubles pointing and dropping the springs where people are standing unless it's right on top of them. A good healer will do it anyway. How do you think every non-Templar healer in this game managed until TG released? There was no major mending, no cauterize, no twilight. Virtually every non-Templar healer was (and still is, in most cases) loading their bar with mutagen (or rapid regen), springs, and healing ward. Since TG, healing ward has been largely replaced by the twilight and by cauterize, but NBs still rely on it to a large extent.

Lexxypwns · April 2016

Healing ward is by far the best choice for competitve Pvp and pve. Ward ally is trash

maboleth · April 2016

I remorphed my character to have a Ward ally and tested it in Cyrodiil. And well, while it's good to have a guaranteed shield, I miss my big healing ability. Ward ally is more like what Steadfast ward used to be. I'll continue to use it though, but I imagine I'll switch to Healing ward when I get a proper deadric shield.

Lord_Wrath · April 2016

My ward lags a lot along with bar swapping. I swear its about 50% reasons i die, also cant beat the last boss of VMA, many times i respawn and THEN cast ward...

CasNation · April 2016

I think some people are forgetting that while ward ally guarantees a shield on you, it doesn't actually HEAL you. Only Healing ward does that. So, for both PvE, that is your burst heal. And for pvp, you need to go healing ward to heal, or otherwise run additional healing skills to top you off.

maboleth · April 2016

^ This is my main remark/difference between the Healing ward / Ward ally. Sometimes you need strong healing buff, even though the healing can "miss" you when in group. However, Ward ally can save your life because it's a nice barrier/buffer to your, otherwise, low health.

For now I'll continue to use Ward ally until I get Conjured ward, then I'll probably return to Healing ward.

SPEEDYxG8594 · April 2016

I use healing ward on my sorc but I only cast it when I take significant damage that surpasses my hardened ward and harness magicka. It is nice to recoup some of the health loss. It tends to always cast to me at that point.

code65536 · April 2016

Autolycus wrote: »

emily3989 wrote: »

wayfarerx wrote: »

Autolycus wrote: »

emily3989 wrote: »

Ward Ally is the better choice in pretty much all pvp situations, as you are guaranteed 100% of the time to ward yourself.

Corrected for accuracy.

This. In PvE the heal from healing ward is huge for non-templars in the healer role. The guaranteed self-shield is pretty useless since you should be able to keep your own health up 24/7.

Disagree. at least in the case I am correct, but I believe that the regular ward goes on anyone near you, whether you are grouped or not, so you could accidently stick it on someone next to you, say, in a public dungeon, thus not getting any ward yourself.

I have used both, for solo pve, Ward Ally works just as good as the other one, it has never given me "not enough protection", so therefore I see no reason at all to even consider the other one.

Just based on my experiences.

Ward Ally is all but a wasted skill for a pve healer. There is no use in shielding yourself in pve, because in very few situations will you be focused by anything, assuming the tank is doing their job and dps is burning trash down. Healing ward is not only a substantially better heal, but in 4-man content it is almost guaranteed to go to whomever needs it. I've had healing wards crit for as high as 52k. I will take that over ward ally (which I've never, not once, needed in pve).

Healing Ward is almost never going to be used by a Templar, because BoL. This means you have Sorcs, DKs, and NBs who will use it. Sorcs have a shield that is far superior than Healing Ward to protect themselves. DKs, which I have a great deal of personal experience with, don't even need it anymore post-TG (due to the addition of Cauterize), but prior to TG it was the absolute best clutch heal for pve. It couples very nicely with Igneous Shield, which is roughly an 8k shield in pve, plus grants Major Mending, which buffs Healing Ward.

You can completely replace BoL just by keeping rapid regen (or mutagen) active and popping healing wards when someone takes a large hit. NBs get their healing buffed by every siphoning ability slotted, which makes Healing Ward even better. Never, not once, in any pve scenario in the last two years, have I ever found a need for steadfast ward in pve.

Well, Healing Ward is the obvious choice when soloing (vMA).

As for group play, Ward Ally isn't as bad of a choice as you make it out to be. I wouldn't use it as a Templar (BoL > Ward) or as a sorc (you have a good self-ward). For DKs, I have no idea why you would even mention Cauterize or how that junk skill is relevant. It doesn't self-heal, and it's not really on-demand. I have mixed feelings about HW vs. WA on a DK healer, though I'd lean towards Healing Ward.

And I would always take Ward Ally as a nightblade healer because the Funnel HoT is so potent that the healing component of Healing Ward was almost always just a redundant overheal. I used Ward Ally to ensure that I would always get the ward if I'm in trouble (or that I would not steal the ward from someone else who also needs it) (and since the nightblade's class group heals--Path, Funnel, Sap--all do damage, we get a lot more aggro than other healers), and the lack of a healing component is irrelevant since the few seconds of bubbling that it provides is more than enough for my HoTs to tick someone back to full.

exeeter702 · April 2016

code65536 wrote: »

Autolycus wrote: »

emily3989 wrote: »

wayfarerx wrote: »

Autolycus wrote: »

emily3989 wrote: »

Ward Ally is the better choice in pretty much all pvp situations, as you are guaranteed 100% of the time to ward yourself.

Corrected for accuracy.

This. In PvE the heal from healing ward is huge for non-templars in the healer role. The guaranteed self-shield is pretty useless since you should be able to keep your own health up 24/7.

Disagree. at least in the case I am correct, but I believe that the regular ward goes on anyone near you, whether you are grouped or not, so you could accidently stick it on someone next to you, say, in a public dungeon, thus not getting any ward yourself.

I have used both, for solo pve, Ward Ally works just as good as the other one, it has never given me "not enough protection", so therefore I see no reason at all to even consider the other one.

Just based on my experiences.

Ward Ally is all but a wasted skill for a pve healer. There is no use in shielding yourself in pve, because in very few situations will you be focused by anything, assuming the tank is doing their job and dps is burning trash down. Healing ward is not only a substantially better heal, but in 4-man content it is almost guaranteed to go to whomever needs it. I've had healing wards crit for as high as 52k. I will take that over ward ally (which I've never, not once, needed in pve).

Healing Ward is almost never going to be used by a Templar, because BoL. This means you have Sorcs, DKs, and NBs who will use it. Sorcs have a shield that is far superior than Healing Ward to protect themselves. DKs, which I have a great deal of personal experience with, don't even need it anymore post-TG (due to the addition of Cauterize), but prior to TG it was the absolute best clutch heal for pve. It couples very nicely with Igneous Shield, which is roughly an 8k shield in pve, plus grants Major Mending, which buffs Healing Ward.

You can completely replace BoL just by keeping rapid regen (or mutagen) active and popping healing wards when someone takes a large hit. NBs get their healing buffed by every siphoning ability slotted, which makes Healing Ward even better. Never, not once, in any pve scenario in the last two years, have I ever found a need for steadfast ward in pve.

Well, Healing Ward is the obvious choice when soloing (vMA).

As for group play, Ward Ally isn't as bad of a choice as you make it out to be. I wouldn't use it as a Templar (BoL > Ward) or as a sorc (you have a good self-ward). For DKs, I have no idea why you would even mention Cauterize or how that junk skill is relevant. It doesn't self-heal, and it's not really on-demand. I have mixed feelings about HW vs. WA on a DK healer, though I'd lean towards Healing Ward.

And I would always take Ward Ally as a nightblade healer because the Funnel HoT is so potent that the healing component of Healing Ward was almost always just a redundant overheal. I used Ward Ally to ensure that I would always get the ward if I'm in trouble (or that I would not steal the ward from someone else who also needs it) (and since the nightblade's class group heals--Path, Funnel, Sap--all do damage, we get a lot more aggro than other healers), and the lack of a healing component is irrelevant since the few seconds of bubbling that it provides is more than enough for my HoTs to tick someone back to full.

Idk man, not having an oh *** button outside of an ultimate on a nb healer is a little iffy to me.

code65536 · April 2016

exeeter702 wrote: »

code65536 wrote: »

Autolycus wrote: »

emily3989 wrote: »

wayfarerx wrote: »

Autolycus wrote: »

emily3989 wrote: »

Ward Ally is the better choice in pretty much all pvp situations, as you are guaranteed 100% of the time to ward yourself.

Corrected for accuracy.

This. In PvE the heal from healing ward is huge for non-templars in the healer role. The guaranteed self-shield is pretty useless since you should be able to keep your own health up 24/7.

Disagree. at least in the case I am correct, but I believe that the regular ward goes on anyone near you, whether you are grouped or not, so you could accidently stick it on someone next to you, say, in a public dungeon, thus not getting any ward yourself.

I have used both, for solo pve, Ward Ally works just as good as the other one, it has never given me "not enough protection", so therefore I see no reason at all to even consider the other one.

Just based on my experiences.

Ward Ally is all but a wasted skill for a pve healer. There is no use in shielding yourself in pve, because in very few situations will you be focused by anything, assuming the tank is doing their job and dps is burning trash down. Healing ward is not only a substantially better heal, but in 4-man content it is almost guaranteed to go to whomever needs it. I've had healing wards crit for as high as 52k. I will take that over ward ally (which I've never, not once, needed in pve).

Healing Ward is almost never going to be used by a Templar, because BoL. This means you have Sorcs, DKs, and NBs who will use it. Sorcs have a shield that is far superior than Healing Ward to protect themselves. DKs, which I have a great deal of personal experience with, don't even need it anymore post-TG (due to the addition of Cauterize), but prior to TG it was the absolute best clutch heal for pve. It couples very nicely with Igneous Shield, which is roughly an 8k shield in pve, plus grants Major Mending, which buffs Healing Ward.

You can completely replace BoL just by keeping rapid regen (or mutagen) active and popping healing wards when someone takes a large hit. NBs get their healing buffed by every siphoning ability slotted, which makes Healing Ward even better. Never, not once, in any pve scenario in the last two years, have I ever found a need for steadfast ward in pve.

Well, Healing Ward is the obvious choice when soloing (vMA).

As for group play, Ward Ally isn't as bad of a choice as you make it out to be. I wouldn't use it as a Templar (BoL > Ward) or as a sorc (you have a good self-ward). For DKs, I have no idea why you would even mention Cauterize or how that junk skill is relevant. It doesn't self-heal, and it's not really on-demand. I have mixed feelings about HW vs. WA on a DK healer, though I'd lean towards Healing Ward.

And I would always take Ward Ally as a nightblade healer because the Funnel HoT is so potent that the healing component of Healing Ward was almost always just a redundant overheal. I used Ward Ally to ensure that I would always get the ward if I'm in trouble (or that I would not steal the ward from someone else who also needs it) (and since the nightblade's class group heals--Path, Funnel, Sap--all do damage, we get a lot more aggro than other healers), and the lack of a healing component is irrelevant since the few seconds of bubbling that it provides is more than enough for my HoTs to tick someone back to full.

Idk man, not having an oh *** button outside of an ultimate on a nb healer is a little iffy to me.

Erm, Ward Ally is your "oh ***" button. Except that you're guaranteed to always get it if the "oh ***" is for you, and if it was for someone else, you won't steal it from them if you happen to be at low health too.

The healing component of Healing Ward isn't what makes it a good panic button. The scaling of the ward strength up if the person is at low health is what makes is a good panic button. If you are rolling HoTs--which you should as a nightblade--it takes just a few seconds to make up the difference in the lack of the healing component. The ward strength is still the same, and the more reliable application of the ward is, IMHO, worth the loss of that healing component.

Toc de Malsvi · May 2016

My NB healer uses Ward Ally just for that reason, take Molag Kena for example, s**t hits the fan and you get stunned by a laggy falling atronarch and take significant damage from a rotating wall, at the same time your tank takes significant damage from the boss. Ward Ally is your instant buffer for both you and your tank than allows time for you to get other heals off, healing ward would end up choosing one of you and letting the other die. I don't need Healing ward to keep anyone up but Ward Ally protects myself and one ally at the very least.

UltimaJoe777 · May 2016

Steadfast Ward definitely needs better control. I was just trying to cast it on a Lv10 while in Elden Root and it would NOT target him at all. It kept targeting others in the area that were way higher leveled.

Please give us a way to control who we cast this on...