This is a guest post by Lodur
Hello everybody! Lodur, resto shaman from Zul’jin here again. I was running heroic Violet Hold last night when a hiccup with a player and Zuramat the Obliterator almost caused the group to wipe (lag + lots of little adds = low health for everyone).
We were able to stave off a wipe, and as I was ressing the only casualty the tank sends me a tell: “;Lodur man, I have no clue how you can do it. That had to be way hectic”
The statement got me thinking about how I started healing and all the different types of healers there are. I then began wondering how they got into healing.
Mulling it over I’ve come up with a few archetypes that the healers you run into can usually be framed in.
The Archetypes
Average Gamer
This is the guy (or girl) who does it simply because he can, it’s part of the game. This gamer usually has a full roster of alts more then likely created at a time when someone made a statement like "wow, we’re short on healers, we should probably get more". This game is often very easy tempered, very slow to anger or excite and tends to enjoy all aspects of the game.
Signs
- Proficient for multiple classes and roles.
- Likeable
- Normally well read.
- Well known by guildies
- Always willing to help out in whichever capacity is needed
The Ex-Healer
This person started as a healer and has probably done more then their fair share of raids doing nothing but playing green bar whack-a-mole. Often times they are suffering from healer burn out and switch their class to DPS spec, or a new class all together, normally one that is not a hybrid and has no healing capability. These people tend to avoid healing like the plague. In extreme circumstances they may go back to their healer for a night’s raid or just long enough till a full time healer logs on, but will quickly return to DPS as soon as the opportunity is afforded them.
Signs
- Doesn’t want to heal
- May only heal for a raid or two
- History of healing
Reluctant Healer
Normally this falls to someone who happens to be playing a hybrid that can heal at a time when their guild needs to fill in gaps. Sometimes this person takes a liking to healing and decides to go healer full time. They tend to learn quickly and climb up to eventually be a solid healer a short time after their switch, but still tend to maintain a DPS or tank set "just in case". They tend to be willing to change their roles from healing back to DPS or tanking whenever offered until they can get a fix for the other walks of life, and then normally return to a healing spec afterwards. It should be noted that a reluctant healer that doesn’t fully enjoy healing but stays that way because it’s the only way they can raid, can suffer from healer’s burnout very quickly.
Signs
- Rolls on offset gear
- Doesn’t really like healing
- Spec flexibility
- Fast learner
Hero Complex
The Hero Complex is an inherent desire to help others. It is a compulsion to help make their world right. This healer-type loves their role with such enthusiasm that there is almost no other way for them to play the game. They immerse themselves in the world of min maxing and micro-management. Their true joy is saving the day, getting that tank to full from red line and stopping a wipe, or saving that dying DPS that only had 50hp left. If this person has an alt it will usually be a tank or tank type. After all, if you can’t heal them you might as well save them by taking the damage for them. They will jump at any opportunity to participate in any event and generally are very affable, active in raids / heroics and social events, and aren’t afraid to take on roles abnormal to their class. They often refuse praise and can be found exalting the deeds of others around them. They epitomize the team player.
Signs
- Really likes healing
- Active in raids and social events
- Definite team player
God Complex
A God complex is a state of mind in which a person believes that they have supernatural powers or god-like abilities. The person generally believes they are above the rules of society and should be given special consideration. These healers are bad news for raids and guilds. Like the definition suggests they often believe themselves above the rules set for everyone else and believe they should have special rights. They think that they are the best at their craft and refuse, rebuke and often times aggressively and openly oppose suggestions or criticism. In game terms they tend to condescend to other healers commenting often on how others need to step up or keep up. They openly exalt their own deeds with statements like "DUDE I’M AWESOME LOOK AT ME!", and when attempts are made to bring them back in line (or they are told an event or raid is going on that they don’t want to go to) they will often times try to hold the raid hostage until they are either given what they want or the raid fails and has to be cancelled.
Signs
- Aggressive
- Stubborn
- Condescending
- Holds raids hostage
Optional:
- May or may not have their own World on the internet
Lodur’s Tale
Thinking over all of this I went back and thought about how I became a healer. When I rolled Lodur, the goal for her was to throw lightning and melt faces. I had been playing a hunter for the vast majority of Vanilla WoW and wanted a change of scenery. Shortly after hitting 70 our guild leader hits me up because they need another healer for Karazhan. I had never healed before but said sure. I did inform him though that I’d rather be DPSing. I grabbed what meager healing gear I had available to me, respecced to good old 0/5/56 and headed in.
Two full kara runs later and I was hooked. Healing was amazing fun and gave me a fresh new look on the game. I still kept my DPS gear (just in case ;] ) but made the decision to stick with healing from then on. I grew to hate speccing out of Restoration and whenever I had to for arena matches I would go back as soon as possible.
I poured over blogs and sites like Elitist Jerks learning everything I could about the ins and outs of my class and the math behind it. Every chance I got I would go healing to learn more about how to be better at my class.
One night I decided no heroic shall be refused my healing! (I paid for that statement dearly when Magister’s Terrace was released) I started out as the Reluctant Healer, but have since moved on to Hero Complex. Lodur is "Resto4Life!" and I don’t think I’ll ever want to spec a different tree, oh, and for the record my main alt is a DK tank =)
So time for you guys to share. What got you into healing? And What archetype do you fall into?
I’ve only recently started becoming a healer. I had tried before in the past, with a paladin, but it wasn’t anything I felt skilled at or confident in. I would call myself Average Gamer, my main is a protection warrior.
And then I saw a video of SK-Gaming’s world-first of Kil’jaeden. Full of resto shamans doing that awesome thing with the sexy golden chains of healing. That’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to be the orc lady with the chains that people love.
I leveled as enhancement, switched to elemental as 60 and then to resto at 73. I have been hooked ever since. I am starting to get a serious Hero Complex. Those golden chains are as awesome as they looked in that video, and pouring water over people’s heads with Riptide is equally addictive.
Kadomis last blog post..Mission started
I’ve always healed. In every game I’ve ever played, I’ve always healed.
Star Wars Galaxies: Medic. City of Heroes: Defender. And now, I’ve played each of the healing classes in WoW. I’m actively healing with a shaman and paladin.
As a paladin, I loved that I could bomb Holy Lights and essentially keep tanks going all by my lonesome, but now, like Kadomi, I’m learning to love splashing water on the raid to put out the fires (har har) and shoot Jesus Beams like the raid’s life depends on it (and in some situations, I guess it does.)
I’d definitely fall into the Hero Complex archetype. Killing stuff with fireballs and swords is boring. Forget that, I’ll HEAL the boss to death. π
Conspiracys last blog post..Get Your Eyes Out of Your Addons
I started as a Reluctant Gamer, and rolled my priest because we were in sad need of healers. After my first real string of instances and raids, I fell in love and would often be sad if asked to come as DPS on my hunter.
After Lich I have turned completely and wholeheartedly into the Hero Complex category. Heaven help me!
Hmm…I’m somewhere in between Average and Hero: I have a lot of alts, and my first love is my BM Hunter. But I rolled a holy priest because everyone said you couldn’t level 1-60 (then 70) as Holy. (Yes, you can, and quite easily.)
I turn down more Heroics than I accept, even within the guild. But I am the first healer invited for every raid, and nothing gets my juices flowing more than healing through what should have been a wipe.
Kestrels last blog post..Naxx-25, Take Two: Good, Bad, and Ugly
I think you forgot a type:
6) Play-God healer:
This healer loves the ability to decide who lives and who dies. He isn’t above “lagging out” a bit to make things a little more exciting, or “not having the GCD” to heal up Stabity before the dots finish him off. This healer is always looking for a challenge, and loathes running less difficult content. Things are always the best when everyone’s life is somewhere between empty and full.
Ex-Healer… Maybe there is a reason I apped on my Warrior and my priest is still 71?
I have always loved being a healer if a game offered a healer type class that is what I played…starting with table top D&D. Anyhow no doubt I fall squarely in the hero complex type. I do however have many alts…2 of them are other healer classes. My heart and soul belongs to healing. I like soling as dps, but in a group….I want to heal.
I’m definately an Ex-Healer. Honorshammer was a good little Holy Paladin through his Zul’Gurub and Molten Core days. During some of our 20 man runs I was the only Holy Paladin in the raid. Really in those days, if you wanted to raid as a Paladin, there wasn’t much other choice. I was still relatively new to the game so I didn’t really know any better.
After a couple of months, I came to dread raid nights. I wasn’t having fun. Something about wearing plate that never got hit didn’t seem right to me. I felt like I belong upfront with the Tanks (all Warriors during those days). I started my Warrior.
Then Blizzard announced the changes to the Protection Tree, and to make this long story just a little shorter, the rest if history. Prot fit me like a glove. I now actively avoid healing gear and I vendored every piece I receive.
Honorshammers last blog post..Heroic Double Dip
lol i started out as a mage, tried a priest for something new, and from lvl 14 onwards it was hero complex, levelled all the way to 70 and then 80 doing instances to level, sure it was slow but it was so much more fun. priest4lyfe and btw DK frost tank is my primary alt lol.
nice categorising btw
I have a Hero Complex http://tinyurl.com/8rpoum
This is a test. (74)
Hero Complex
Priest / Warrior here
Always have had a healer/tank combo, cant DPS for crap!
Hudsons last blog post..ThatΓΒ’Γ’β¬ÒβΒ’s a lot of questsΓΒ’Γ’βΒ¬ΓΒ¦
I must be between average gamer and hero complex.
I started with my boomkin druid and refused to ever go resto on her because I swore I hated healing and was meant for dps.
Then the guild needed healers, and I rolled a priest, leveled her to 53 as shadow (hated and still hate shadow, and will never go shadow again), from 53 to 70 and then 70 to 80 as disc/holy and have always been holy for raiding. And I was wrong…I LOVE HEALING. I don’t mind going back to dps’ing on my druid for raids if needed, but, I’d rather heal. I’d rather save people. π
I’m an “average gamer” mixed in with a bit of “reluctant healer” right now. I have tank alts as well, but that was more out of frustration with bad tanks than a further hero complex!
It is nice to be important, though…
Interesting take on things!
Ambrosines last blog post..So You Rolled A Priest…
@jaxxo This is a test. This tweet is now supposed to be translated into English by a human translator.
Rolled a priest back at the end of vanilla because my friends who got me into the game all played tank or dps. With no healers among them, I thought I’d try to fill the role.
I started leveling and found shadow to be the fastest way for me to meet my friends at 60, so I started the famous face-melting grind. By the time I got Shadowform… I was hooked. After making it to 62 (I took some time off for school and BC was released before I hit 60) I was getting tired of the repetition of dot, dot, MB, Flay Flay, wand and decided to give healing a try.
I’d off-healed a little as shadow and absolutely hated doing it, but really didn’t want to level a new toon. Figured why not try Holy DPS (yep, lolsmite) and see how I can do with some better heals. Leveled the rest of the way to 70, respecced to IDS Holy, and absolutely LOVED it.
I was starting to get to the CoH is effective threshold when LK released. When I saw the new Disc tree, I was immediately intrigued. Here we have what seems to be the most thought intensive priest tree yet. It’s uncharted territory, I can figure things out for myself without worrying about others cookie-cuttering it for me. Why not give it a try.
a month of being 80… I’m still Disc, and I’m loving it more each day. I’ve gone shadow for a raid or two when we needed more dps and had an abundance of healers (disc gear lets you do that ^_^) and IMMEDIATELY switch back to my healer build as soon as possible.
For Archetype, I’m probably a Reformed Reluctant with a Hero Complex.
I guess IΓβΓΒ΄ve gone from “Average Gamer” to “Hero Complex”.
At first I rerolled my priest because we “needed” someone to heal instances back in vanilla WoW. With the months going by and the release of BC I found myself healing more and more and only playing my alts when there was no instance group set up.
By now… I just L.O.V.E. to heal. My guild has to force me to bring my deathknight to an instance run when someone else wants to heal *g*
I originally refused to play a healer because it was too much of a stereotypical girl thing to do (the boys play the tanks, the girls play the healers…), so I raided on a hunter, then a mage… then rolled a paladin because of the lack of healers around. Now I love healing and can’t believe I didn’t do it earlier π
Although I do hate people calling it whack-a-mole… there’s so much more to our role than just reacting fast.
This is a test. http://ow.ly/3NK
Sad face, I don’t think I’m any of them…
Kittss last blog post..Disney World
I was a Hero Complex resto shaman during TBC. Then with the launch of WotLK I became a reluctant healer because I grew bored with chain heal spam.
Know what caused the boredom? Speccing my primary alt (a priest) from a rofl-smite dps build to deep Discipline healing! Going from chain heal spam to deep discipline healing was like going from black & white to full color.
After that I wasted no time in speccing my shaman elemental permanently. Well, somewhat permanently. When a regular healer can’t make it to raid, I reluctantly respec back to resto… like tomorrow night. /sigh.
I would easily fit into the hero complex. I just love it when I say, pop guardian spirit 2 secs before the tank dies, or, when a pull goes wonderfully wrong and somehow, just somehow you manage to pull it off in between all the crazy healing.
That said, I can spec to dps if needed, and I don’t mind. But my preferred role is as a healer, and it always will be.
I was an Ex-Healer when I started WoW having been a cleric through all of EQ *twitches* After raiding Vanilla wow as a warrior and bc with a hunter it was time to give in to that urge. That little party of me that loved making bars fill up. I will admit to sticking with shadow all through 80. But I was never the type to say I wouldn’t heal. Just warn you…often what you were getting if you asked. 80 = holy, too many holy in a 10man = disc, these days I’m more Hero, but…I’m flexible. I loved shadow deeeeeeply. I like healing its fun, I like disc healing even more.
I think of it all as phases. There is my trying to tank raids as arms phase, my I just want to be good at killing things fast phase, and now my I wanna heal stuff phase.
Pookies last blog post..Holy Priest Healing Mantras and MusingsΓΒ’Γ’βΒ¬ΓΒ¦
I would say that I fit into the average gamer one.
I rolled a priest in the first place because my guild needed healers, I have far too many alts even though I can never get them past 40, and I help out in the guild whenever at all possible.
However, I burned out on healing right around patch 2.4.3 time, so I changed into an Ex-Healer, playing as shadow mainly, but I went back to holy for a couple Hyjal runs.
Now, in Wrath, I’m somewhere between average gamer and hero complex. I still have all of the symptoms of an average gamer, but, after playing shadow for so long, I have a renewed love of healing. Also, I discovered that I like tanking. π
Bacclors last blog post..Patch 3.0.8 Tomorrow? Possibly?
This is a test.
Hello, I’m a healer… and you’re all my tank and dps bitches!
Guess which archetype I am.
Flickr upload — Portrait of my grandfather: sdhar23 posted a photo:
Made this last year. This is a test.
New Yahoo CEO Deciding Whether to ΓΒ’Γ’βˆ βHoldΓΒ’Γ’βΒ¬ΓΒ or ΓΒ’Γ’βˆ βFoldΓΒ’Γ’βΒ¬ΓΒ Search Business – This is a test.
Warner makes Bollywood debut with kung fu comedy – This is a test.
I’m certainly a Hero Complex healer. With maybe (regrettably) a little God Complex. I tend to not take criticism well. I don’t respond with and angry stream of curses and insults or anything. My typical response to criticism is a somewhat harsh strings of text describing my reasoning behind my play-style with numbers, blog links, and other basically random information in /s, /p, /g, etc. I’m pretty defensive about my glyph, talent, and gear choices– this is because I put a lot of thought into everything. I generally refute criticism unless I’m 100% sure I’m wrong.
Though I learn from other players, because I love healing. Unfortunately, I’m only willing to learn when I ask another player their opinion– I don’t like to hear their Gospel of Druid Healing for no reason.
I started my druid when my warlock was struggling though gearing up at 70. My friends shaman rolled restoration and got geared up for 25 mans in about two weeks and I wanted in on that. I choose druid because I ran a Kara with this super nice druid healer on my server (who is now a tank. lame.).
I really just like healing. I love that I get to interact with the whole raid. Healing is kind of social. Instead of just DPS’ing an NPC, I’ve got to know all the raid members and their strengths. That way, if I can only save one, I know who needs to live. I’m always quick to complement good DPS because I was never very good at it.
anyone else getting inundated with ‘This is a test.” tweetbacks on their blog?
do me a favor please? see if ‘my blog page video’ loads in your web browsers fast, thx @max247 π This is a test.
Heh, seems I’m stuck with the Hero Complex. π
Having played a healer for over 3 years straight, I just switched mains, back to my druid for WotLK. However she is now doing the bear thing and my priest is relaxing a bit. I’m surely not suffering fom burnout – I just really like tanking, I suppose. ^^
Very nice write up, btw. π
Dark Spot in the Corners last blog post..Wrath?
@nofb RT @regravity anyone else getting inundated with ‘This is a test.” tweetbacks on their blog? || Yep. Been deleting them, but PITA
I am Hero Complex definitely π !
It was a kind of freak read this:
‘If this person has an alt it will usually be a tank or tank type.’
’cause yesterday I decided to level up my baby paladin just to see how is tanking π
wowgirls last blog post..Guia Lunar Festival – To Honor One’s Elders
Hm… my druid has been resto from her first talent point, leveled her from 10-80 that way. I do love healing and I’m part of an excellent heal team consisting of a holy priest, a resto shammie, and me for our guild’s 10-man runs. I have a herd of alts that I play when my druid isnt herbing or making pots.
I suppose I fall between the average gamer and the hero… although I’m not comfortable with either term… only because average implies your skills arent good and I’ve never been comfortable with being hailed as a hero, either.
What can I say… I just like healing. π And for the record, I do not have a tank in the alt herd. lol
I’d have to say I’m a Hero Complex with very strong God Complex tendencies…
coming from a small guild of local RL friends, and being one of only 2 full time healers – I tend to run a lot of runs, since healers are in short supply (leading the runs too I might add). As such, since I’ve run most of the 5-mans ad nauseum, I sometimes find it hard to cut people slack, since I don’t get anything out of them anymore (whereas other folks may still need xp/gear from them) and I’d rather be raiding. BUT, I do realize that I’m taking an active part in customizing my eventual raid group by helping to develop them… it’s a Catch-22 that I guess I have to live with! π
I liked that “Play-God Healer” that Laidela mentioned… it rang true a liittle for me… >.> as I also have a well-known pattern of letting DPS die when they are stupid… since I have a lot of locks in my guild who Seed their way to the top of the aggro list and are Lifetap addicts (and usually at very bad times) and lots of hunters who love Volley… >.<
I originally started out as a hero complex type healer, i rolled me priest with the sole intent of healing and played as Disc spec until level 63.
I almost leveled completely with instances as the amount of quests i’ve done in kalimdor and eastern kingdom barely scratches the 100 mark.
I changed to Shadow at 63 in order to level faster but ended up stuck like that though TBC as nobody seemed to be wanting a healer, so i ended up being a mana-battery.
i’d like to think i became more adaptive from my time spent as DPS but still probably fall under the hero complex archtype. π
Koushirous last blog post..Question of Choices
I hope I’m the same category as you, maybe I’m bordering on the god complex type π
I’ve recently got the idea to level my second healer as an alt and leveling it restospecced through dungeons. I think to myself it’s stupid having two level 80 healers but nothing else really interrests me. Maybe tanking on my warrior is a little tempting though.
I’ve met the Reluctant healer, the ex healer and the average gamer. But I’m hoping the God complex-guy doesn’t exist. I’ve been lucky so far.
@ Laidela and Aldyn.
I was operating under the assumption that all healers play triage during a raid / group but maybe I’ll add play-god healer to the list =D
Lodurs last blog post..Appologies
Hero complex for me, with maybe a little less obsession π I love to heal and wouldn’t switch classes, but I like to ALSO play a dps every now and then. I hate tanking though.
Average and hero combined. I’ve got a herd of 70s, but my good friend is our MT and so it makes a lot of sense to run around together. I really like healing, especially boss fights, and I’m glad there aren’t hours worth of trash pull healing anymore (I served time as a resto druid in MC).
I also heal because I’m pretty decent at it and get frustrated when I’m on a dps toon and we start having senseless deaths or wipes due to healing.
I have an 80 priest and druid, but I’m really happy with the priest right now. There are still some things to be fixed, but I feel like we have a pretty varied arsenal of healing tools, and we can be very, very adaptable. I’m holy because my numbers max that way with my current playstyle. If they make a few tweaks to disc, then I’ll be there in a heartbeat as it’s a bit more challenging (and fun) for me.
I’m a mix between average and hero.
Would there be an option for Ex-DPS in the future? lol!
Jays last blog post..Along the path to 80.
Definately Reluctant Healer. Who sometimes has a hero complex. I made my priest from start to finish — to be a shadow priest. It’s all I wanted to do. When circumstances made me go holy, I did. I kept waiting for a chance to go back. At the end of BC — I had an ‘offset’ that would make an entry shadow priest trying to gear up cry with envy. I so rarely got to use it though. Back into the vault it went though. These days — I just can’t seem to get my head back into DPSing .. and when I try I find myself ‘backseat healing’ entirely too much. It’s almost impossible to let go of the control and adreneline rush I get from healing when I save my group from an almost certian wipe.
But burn out — happens far too easily. I am ‘on’ too much when I heal. And it’s exhausting.
I just realized i have a hero complex, even though im not a healer per se. Im an elemental shaman. On a recent naxx 10 run, our priest healer on the live side of Gothik dies just before gothik descended. I immediately put earth living on my weapon and started healing the tank. And we lived and downed the boss. I also “tank” zeliek and Blaumeux along with a healing priest friend. I hate it whenever he throws heals on me during the fight even though i know its really helpful. Why? cause im an elemental shaman who gets mana back as he gets hit and also with earth living on my weapon i can’t really die.
I know it makes me sound egotistical(and i play off on this a lot during raids much to the chagrin of a couple of friends in my naxx group) but its really really fun. I love those high pressure situations where everything can go wrong and I know i can react to it immediately. I’m pretty sure my raid buddies appreciate it, but would probably appreciate it more if i would just shut up about it :).
Oh yeah and to top it off, and to confirm your thought about having a tank or tank type, i have a warrior that i mainly pvp with but am always willing to tank with too.
What if you go in reverse? My main started as a prot warrior (leveled as prot too), then i started leveling a priest alt who is now my main. He also was leveled holy and i have happily leveled essentially 75% or more of my leveling from 60-70 and then 70-80 by running instances over and over and over and well you get the point. I absolutely love healing on my priest and don’t see my self stopping anytime soon
I don’t fit into any of those archetypes, really. I have a priest. I started playing it after some initial dabbling with a paladin and a mage, but neither of those got much past level 20. Priest just “clicked” for me, it’s the only class so far that I love to play consistently.
I personally enjoy healing with my guild and competent PuGs. I just like it. Now, get me on solo PvE, and I hate my healing spec and either go play my DK or respec shadow for a day or two. Melting face is much more fun than shield, smite, smite, renew, shield, smite, drink.
Robbies last blog post..Music Monday
I would prolly be the Hero Complex healer,
i have a 80 paladin holy, a 70 holy priest
and a lvl 71 druid tank π
also lvled the paladin and priest healing…
i always help guildies when they need help with a quest or dungeon,
don’t know why but i just have an urge to help
healing is just the most responsible role you could have in world of warcraft i suppose π
I theorycraft like mad
I try to optimize my healing with every spell
The only alt I have managed to lvl up is a tank.
Damn … I want a second opinion.
I can easily say I have a hero complex… I tanked up to Sunwell pre-WOTLK on my prot warrior, I was a guildless for a bit and seeing that tanks weren’t needed as much I made my shammy a healer… and I LOVE it! I dunno if it’s just a change I needed but right now I prefer healing over tanking (honestly I think tanking is a lot easier now, healing can be much more complex). Plus I enjoy PVP much more on my healer.
A little late this comment, but couldnΓβΓΒ΄t be more true.
Playing one of the most underpowered class in game atm, compared to Godladins of course, playing a shaman brought me a lot of feelings, and even arguments with officers about my role and why I am important to the raid before CoH nerf.
At that time having 4 priests were better then having 1 resto shaman, and God I felt under appreciated there.
Lodur , youΓβΓΒ΄re awesome man, keep up the good work, donΓβΓΒ΄t let nerfs scare you and bring me those new icons Blizzard, since is the only thing you are concerned about !
I guess I could say healing is in my mindset. When i start a game, first thing i look for is a cleric, priest, or medic type of character. Which is Ironic because I hate people in general and have a very low tolerance for tomfoolery and goofing off. Which in itself is also ironic, because it’s a game and that’s sort of why I’d play.
On the otherhand, DPS fills my inner competitive needs, because dps meters are much more accurate than healing meters, and what dps doesn’t love seeing themselves on top?
Being a healer fills me with a sense of usefulness, DPS are DPS, there are some good ones, there are some bad ones, with DPS it’s rotation and reaction, wheres the excitment, the thrill of the fight? With healing it’s a constant vigilant watch, your eyes darting from bar to bar, assessing life percentages, cast times, damage predictions, order of importance (cause let’s face it, if you see two dps near dead and you can only save one, you better save the one that hits more,( if there are no conditions that would otherwise give that player meaning) It’s a constant heart throbbing fingers flying calculation fest in your head as a healer for me, it’s such a rush.
I don’t know how other healers see it, maybe they just see a colored bar, and they press a button that makes it fill back up, but healing is special to me.
What a great post. I see parts of myself in several of the archetypes. My first character was a hunter (I came from EQ and the beastlord was my favorite class). Did a lot of vanilla WoW raiding with him.
Seemed like my guild was always short on something. When BC launched, I decided I wanted to give tanking a try, so I rolled up a warrior and painful as it was, I learned the role and found myself enjoying it a lot. Eventually the cry for healing came about, and I got my druid moving forward.
Same thing, I hit 70 and we needed a healer in Karazhan. I’d leveled up feral and really had only academic knowledge of druid healing at the time. I was scared to death, but I went resto, got my tree on, and just waded in. The first time was scary. The second time was WONDERFUL and I was hooked.
Then doing the level crawl, I specced out of resto because we had so many healers leveling up. Got to 80, went back, and it was… meh… burnout. I couldn’t identify what went wrong. I think I got a taste of the dps action and missed it.
So out comes the hunter and I’m jamming along. Summer lull sets in and a lot of healers are no longer signing up for raids. I get to play hunter one night and resto druid the next. I hadn’t healed in a LONG time, and I felt rusty, but it didn’t take long to start getting the groove back.
I noticed something else. With the hunter, seemed like my mind was wandering – a lot of my shot rotation stuff was second nature and I was able to do my job without stressing much at all. Going immediately the next day to the healer, the difference was made apparently clear. Healing, I have no time to let my mind wander. I’m watching health bars, trying to react, keep people up. More stress? Sure, but I found I was missing it.
My guild leader, a smart and perceptive person, offered to let me go back to my druid as my raid main for a few months (longer if I want of course) so that we could help with the shortage of heals and so I could find out if I just needed a break from healing.
Great post! Thank you.
Resto Shaman and DK tank here π
And, yes… Hero Complex. Definitely.
Not to resurrect an old thread, Tree/Bear druid here. I think I fit the Hero Complex bill.
Hero Complex (which is true in areas of RL as well). Without altruistic tendencies, why would we put up with all the crap?
i started out a Average Gamer. My first toone (and my main) was a frost mage and i quickly found out that my server was in need of healers so i rolled a preist as my first alt. she just kinda sat there untill my mage was geared and what not. But once I started healing I was hooked. Healing is a hole different game. I’m tottally a hero complex healer (I actully cheer out load when i save a group form a wipe :P)
while I do not have a tank, frost mages are pretty close right? lol
I would say I’m a combo between a hero complex and an average gamer. It’s kind of like a split personality thing. Sometimes I just love being the one who save the party but other times I love to make mobs suffer and die in shadow. But I’m a total priest!