Heal Yourself, Nub!

I was going to post this as a comment on P0tSh0t, but it wouldn't post for some reason, so I’ve expanded it into a post here.  Potshot posted a commentary on why healers will always be a part of the standard MMO experience.  I don't disagree.  However, I think that every class should have a flash heal.  Here's the comment I wanted to post on the subject...

There is another option, one which was employed in AC2 to good use, in my opinion.  In AC2, every class had the option of choosing a flash heal in their talent trees.  I love this idea.  As a solo player, there are obvious benefits to possessing a decent flash heal.  This “flash heal” (don’t recall what mine was actually called) skill was planted deep enough into one of the trees that you had to consciously decide you wanted it, and spec accordingly.

Providing everyone with the opportunity to flash heal takes some of the onus off the healer and allows players a bit of responsibility for the results of their actions in battle.  Over twitchy rogues, casters who don’t manage aggro, warriors who charge forward while the healer is drinking, looting or generally not yet prepared, can heal themselves for a few seconds.

I’ve been in too many PUGs where people feel like they can behave in any manner and it’s the healer’s problem to keep them alive.  Sometimes admonishing them several times doesn’t even cure them of their reckless behavior, leaving the healer to either abandon the group (so now they’ve my wasted time), let them die a.k.a. jeopardize the success of the whole group, kick them from the group (now they’ve wasted everyone’s time) or suck it up until it’s over.  None of these are pleasant for the healer.

If everyone had a flash heal, these people could heal themselves every so often.  They would also drain their own damn mana and taste a bit of how it feels.  If they don’t and die, well then, then can’t blame it all on the healer.  Instead of healers reading stupid macros saying, “HEAL ME!”  We can shout, “HEAL YOURSELF, NUB!”

Comments

[wolfgangdoom]

Oh how I would love to see that added to WOW. Until I rolled a healer-lvl 57 and counting- I had no idea what it was like to keep momo's alive who deserved to die. My main is a rogue, and as I rogue I quickly learned that my place in the group was to dish out damage after the tank established aggro, and remain unseen so to speak.

Now that I have healing experience, I have found that playing a priest is the most thankless and stressful group position. I love being able to find a group for any instance, but I shudder everytime I find out the warrior is fury spec, and the rogue doesn't have improved sap. I'm all for giving every class some form of heal just to give them a taste of what rolling a priest feels like, if only for a second.

[p@tsh@t]

Sorry about the comment problem, but a great idea. Makes soloing more viable AND affords an opportunity for players to learn a little self reliance which they will hopefully bring to a group.

I'm encouraged because LotRO has almost implemented something like this where most classes (all but champion, I believe) have some limited healing ability. As a WoW healer, I always liked grouping with a good pally because they would always hit their heal first if they were in trouble before begging for a heal leaving me to concentrate on healing the tank, or conserving mana for a long fight (spirit FTW!) or shackling, doting, etc. They learned to play that way because they had the ability early on and it became part of their normal bag of tricks.

Since I stopped doing PUGs in WoW, I no longer have the opportunity to use it, but every time I saw a "HEAL" macro, I'd fire off a "FIGHT" macro... Why would anyone assume that a healer needs to be told how to do his job? Our job is to have total situational awareness to be effective and decide who gets the priority heal. I'm always amazed when a tank or rogue goes down with an unpopped potion-- "I didn't even notice my health was dropping..."

Spreading some of that love around is a good idea in my book.

[JoBildo]

Actually, the Champ has heals as well. It's later on we get it, but it's an in-combat healing ability. Can't recall the level, or how it works (Monday carried over into Tuesday I suppose) but it's there.

It's really perfect, actually. They're not such great heals that they can be "main healers", as anyone who's played with a Minstrel can tell you, but that added benefit of each class having a sort of heal to help themselves out really makes the stress of a Healer less, and also opens the solo-play a bit more, which is something Turbine's always fostered in their Traditional MMOs (AC1, AC2, and now LotRO).

I love it.

[Saylah]

Ok, I was having a stressful day until I read these comments which made me laugh out loud @ "healing momos" "FIGHT!" macro. Too funny! /e wipes tears from her eyes

To me the AC2 heals were as JoBildo said, "Just right" strength. They weren't enough to replace a healer - at all, just enough to give the healer breathing room and let you solo a bit more if you preferred.

In AC2 and EQ2 all I ever did was PUG. I mean, after level 40 or so in AC2 we did have guild runs on Sat evening and Sun morning, but everything else was PUG. Yet I never had the drama I've witnessed in WOW PUGs. It's like the collective I.Q. dropped significantly. And I'm not a gaming snob but the rudeness and lack of consideration some of these players exhibit is quite astounding.

Just the other day I made the mistake of leaving Feralas - left armpit of hell, to join a PUG in Ulda. How does a 5-man with 2 Pallys, Warrior, Priest and Warlock go south??? Honest to God, how? Easy - three of the five want to do WTF they wanna do. Level 43 Paladin wants to be tank so he pulls his own GROUP of mobs while the Warrior is pulling a group of mobs. Healer can't heal them both and the Paladin is too fucking stupid to heal himself. I'm trying to get aggro off the Priest cuz the Warrior she's healing can't hold aggro, and I'm healing her, the Warrior and the dumb Paladin.

Finally, I decided screw healing him. If he wants to pull his own group he can heal himself. We do this for like 20 minutes. Each time the priest and the warrior go down do less than 25% health and I'm healing them. The priest gets mad and mouths off to the pair which were friends and in same guild, so they get mad and curse at her so she leaves.

The Warlock summons in a Rogue and I'm like, I'm not healing you two I'll tell you that right now. Either just the warrior pulls or I'm out. They say fine then proceed to do as before so I leave. My HS is on cooldown and now I have to waste my time traveling all the way back to Feralas. On my way out I announced, "You two are exactly why I solo."

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