healing

Recommended Requirements for Naxxramas (Normal and Heroic)

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Your requests have been heard and I am here to deliver. I’ve received repeated emails for minimum Naxx requirements for both 10s and 25s. Unlike the Kara or ZA guides I wrote, this one will be much more brief. I won’t be able to give precise numbers for stats or anything like before due to radical buff changes in raiding. I spent a lot of time writing, re-writing and scrapping this post repeatedly because it’s extremely difficult to pen this. Here’s what you should shoot for.

Before you even read the numbers, you should consult Anna’s blog: Am I Ready to Heal Naxx?

Note: These numbers are good for both Naxx 10 and 25.

Note 2: Your mileage may very. Experiment with different raid combinations to find out what works best.

Tanks

Health: 25000 unbuffed
Defense: 540 (Crit immunity)

Note: Druids will have a higher health pool. 30000 health is a good number to aim for.

Melee DPS

Hit: 9%
DPS output on average: 2000 DPS

Obviously the more the merrier.

Caster DPS

Hit: 17%
DPS output on average: 2000 DPS

Note: Both percentages assume you are completely naked and lacking in hit-increasing buffs. You can find your hit percentage by mousing over the hit rating on your character screen.

Healers

Spellpower: 1550
Mana regeneration: 700 (is what I was able to get away with)

Paladins mana regeneration: around 200 with 25% crit is a good start

Shamans may have slightly lower mana regen.

Treat these as guidelines! Use your discretion. If you can handle a few heroics under your belt, then you’re ready to give Naxx a shot! Don’t expect to be killing Kel’Thuzad or anything right away. Know your limits.

Discipline without Penance – Can It Work?

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penance

This is a guest post from Wistoovern, a Discipline Priest who takes a closer look at Penance to see if it’s really all that

There are some instances in World of Warcraft where individuals who take a role proceed to redefine it into "non-traditional" role. For example, there is the player that decided to level without killing anything, or the hunter that decided not to level ranged weapons at all, but instead maxed out melee. These people are proof that your characters are flexible, unique, and can fill roles that others would not immediately think of.

Along these same lines are character builds that involve or ignore talents and spells that others find key. I’m speaking specifically of the new Penance spell that all of the Discipline priests that I have met so far are just ga-ga over. However, while it might be an efficient spell depending on how you use it, I beg to differ when it is said that a Discipline priest must have it in order to be a viable party/raid healer.

My initial thought to the spell was, "Why? Priest spells have a certain ‘flow’ to them; a spell like this is only going to throw everything out of whack." Well, imagine my surprise when so many Discipline priests started extolling its virtues. Personally, I am still unmoved. I do not believe that this spell is key to Disc healing – after all, we did without it for so long. But shall I go into specifics as to why it is not so as important as others might think?

  • Stop Assuming you need it – Yeah, it’s a 51-point spell. But do ALL Beast Mastery Hunters use Beast Mastery? It’s not too long ago that Lightwell was at the top of the Holy Priest’s tree, but did anyone actually use it? Taking a talent without making sure that you will use it efficiently is useless.
  • Dual Tasking? – Let’s be honest – priests are not hybrid classes. We’re not meant to do both healing and damage at the same time. We really get to pick one or the other. We do a good job at either one (nice shadow priests, GOOD shadow priests…), but both at the same time is impractical or inefficient. So a spell that can either do heals or DPS depending on who is targeted? This can be a big problem.
  • I Mean Really, Dual Tasking? – There are only two other spells that we have that works like this: Holy Nova and Dispel Magic. However, the priest that considers Holy Nova a crucial part of his healing spells needs a reality check, and Dispel Magic (and Mass Dispel, fine) is not going to be an issue if it’s cast on the wrong target (unless you REALLY had to dispel a DoT or effect off of a player and you miss).
  • Did I Do That? YES! – Let us not forget Mr. Urkel and his occasional mistakes with such horrible results. Imagine that you go to heal someone in your party, without realizing that you have a mob targeted that has not yet been pulled. Oops…not only are you making new friends FAST, but your tank probably won’t have time to pull it off of you. Any other heal, and this would not be a problem – in fact, the inability to use healing spells on enemies can help you.
  • The Hell Does That Mean? – Well, here’s a trick that I used to use in Hyjal and Kara. Target a mob that you have to Shackle, and after they’re Shackled, leave them targeted. When you click your keyboard buttons for heals, the system will TRY to heal your target. Oops, you have an enemy targeted, so it will instead give you the "grayed-out finger" pointer. Then, just click on your healing target. Sounds bulky? It’s not! It’s a click tap-click to healing someone. Advantages: no need to use a focus, and you can still pick up the shack quickly if it breaks. Disadvantages: slightly slower than normal, takes a little getting used to, will not work with Dispel Magic…or Penance.
  • What He Giveth With One Hand... – When the GMs build spells, they do it with careful consideration to effect intensity, cooldown, casting time, mana cost, and reagent cost. If they did not, you’d see Instant 50,000 damage spells that cost 100 mana with a .5 second cooldown. No, every spell that they give is balanced through the various aspects. High effect? It will have a high casting time or casting cost. Instant effect? High mana cost or cooldown. Low mana cost? Reagent cost. And when it comes to pure healing spells, cooldowns can be death (literally). Waiting for a heal to be available – or, rather, a heal that so many people think is just "so awesome" is a crapshoot. If a six-second cooldown can kill Circle of Healing, how is Penance so great with a TEN-second cooldown?

I can’t deny that a lot of the numbers for Penance look really good. But assuming that this spell is going to be a Discipline priest’s best friend is like assuming that all druids have feral sets (they don’t) or that all Warriors have Titan’s Grip. I’m not saying don’t use it – just don’t be so surprised if your Discipline priest starts laying down the heals without Penance. It can be done. Really.

Five Reasons You Want To Heal My Pet

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In this post, Amava of Amava Knows Aggro looks at the often underhealed Hunter pet and why they should be extended heals.

Hello, my name is Amava. I’m a raiding Hunter who transferred to the Ner’Zhul server to join Conquest shortly after WotLK was released. As a damage-dealing player, I’ve been a long time reader of World of Matticus because knowledge of the whole spectrum of specialties and roles helps build the foundation for a successful raid. When Matt put out his Guidelines for Guest Posters, and specifically called out a Hunter post as "lets not go there", I just had to plead my case to the healing community.

top5pet

Awareness of your fellow raiders’ strengths, weaknesses, needs, and desires helps make you a better member of your team. Over the next few minutes, I’ll hopefully convince you that any mana and GCD’s that you can spare for a Hunter’s pet directly helps the raid succeed. Let’s explore five reasons you want to keep an eye on those critters…

Say it with me: D. P. S.

If you raid, I’m willing to bet you enjoy dead bosses. There’s a million and one factors that go into killing a boss, and one that stands out very visibly is the need for enough damage per second to bring the mobs health to zero before the Enrage Timer dings. The pet of a Hunter of any spec brings a solid chunk of DPS to the raid. If the Hunter is a Beast Master, even more so. WWS reports show BM pets doing 45-50% of the Hunter’s total damage. Take for example a recent Conquest raid on Patchwerk in Heroic Naxxramas. Two BM Hunters. Two kitties. Two Thousand DPS. Each. Actually, closer to 2.2k each, but that didn’t fit nicely with my Two-Two-Two structure. Bottom line: Hunter pets bring massive DPS to your raid. Please help keep them alive.

Buffs and Debuffs

One of the most important parts of raiding is having a solid Raid Composition. There is a plethora of raid buffs and boss debuffs that all work together to boost the performance of your raid of 25 unbuffed toons to the equivalent of 28-29 toons. Ghostcrawler says, "Bring the player, not the toon." Blizzard has given a variety of options for fulfilling each of the buff/debuff categories which is outstanding from the perspective of a Raid Leader trying to get a team together, and Hunter pets only serve to increase the flexibility. I’d like to modify GC’s statement, "Bring the player [and the pet], not the toon." Since patch 3.0.2, there are a number of options for a Hunter to bring if your raid is lacking a particular capability. Some examples are a boost to the Attack Power of nearby players, a reduction in the armor level of the boss, or make the boss miss its next attack (tanks and healers should love this one). Dead pets bring no buffs or debuffs, so please help keep our pets alive. Communication is the key to a successful team, so I encourage you to discuss with your Hunters to see what special abilities their pets are bringing to the raid.

Cuddly

Everybody loves animals. Even animal haters, deep down inside, love animals. The haters are probably just harboring spite from a single bad encounter, and are irrationally prejudiced against the whole Animal Kingdom. I mean, even the Grinch has a dog. But I digress. It’s something primal; something instinctual from our roots. We love animals. There’s a subtle and subconscious benefit to your raid. It boosts morale seeing those fuzzy wuzzy pets charging off to battle, or just yawning and fidgeting while they patiently wait for everybody to stop going /afk. They’re also cute as hell when they accidentally go off and aggro the next pack of mobs or two. Blame the Hunter, not the pet.

Off-Tanking

Ever since patch 3.0.2, some Hunter pets make outstanding tanks. There are a whole slew of options, but most notable ones are Gorillas, Bears, and Rhinos. Before WotLK’s release, at level 70 there were reports of pets main tanking Gruul. At level 80, I’ve used my Gorilla to solo Utgarde Keep and nearly all of The Nexus. They are quite sturdy, can be spec’ed to resist lots of magical damage, and generate a respectable level of threat. In a raid environment, if you need to occupy the attention of a mob or two, a Hunter’s tanking pet brings some fantastic flexibility to your team. Just like the official tanks, our pets are going to need some love from the Healers. Do keep in mind that a tanking pet won’t deliver as much DPS as a ferocity pet, and I’m unaware of any reasonable way to make my pet uncrittable, but they do provide more options to your Raid Leader, which can be priceless in a pinch.

Spirit Bond

Here’s one that should really hit home for a Healer who wants to boost her numbers and top the healing meters. Mid-way through the Beast Master talent tree is a talent called Spirit Bond. Putting 1/2 points in this talent boost all healing that both the Hunter and the Pet receive by 5/10%. On the surface, it does not really look like a raiding talent, because it doesn’t directly boost DPS at all. However, the BM tree is a little messed up, and Hunters often find themselves with one or two points that really have no nice home, but need to go somewhere to allow access to the sweet and juicy talents deeper in the tree. Any mana you invest into a Hunter’s Pet will boost your individual return by 10% if that Hunter goes 2/2 in Spirit Bond. Communication is the key to a successful team, so I encourage you to discuss with your Hunters to see where they put their points.

Wrap Up

This is my top five reasons you want to heal my pet. Whether its raw numbers-based action or the softer side of a cuddly belly to pet between wipes, we all win when you keep our pets alive. What other reasons are there for keeping our furry friends alive? Or are you one of the haters who’d rather sit outside the FSR for just one more cooldown than lift a finger to help a kitty out?

Image courtesy of clix

World of Matticus: 2008 Retrospective and Highlights

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Another year has gone by! Soon we shall say goodbye to 2008 and hello to 2009!

2008 was a big year for World of Matticus. This year we saw a new and fresh look for the blog. 2 talented bloggers also joined the crew! In today’s post, we’re going to look at highlight events that have taken place on World of Matticus over the past year.

A big thank you to all the supporters, friends, readers, lurkers, Twitterati, forum goers, moderators, guild members, and so forth! This blog would not be what it is today without you! A lot of insight and inspiration is gleaned from the public.

Last week, I noted that I was selected by One Among Many to take part in her meme where she asks the following question:

Go back to your first few posts. Who was the first person to ever comment on your blog?

Among active bloggers, it would have to be Kestrel. It was a comment to the classic level 70 Priest gear post. It has the most views on this blog of all time.

OMGooses! Exactly what I’ve been looking for, all in one place.

Now all I need to do is run the instances to get some of this stuff to drop! (Have my Primal Mooncloth Belt, though!)

First ever WoW related comment would have to be from Pasco:

I do not like the fact everybody will get Fear Ward, would be nicer to remove this spell from the whole game (no I am not a warlock) for balancing issues.

Allow me to start another meme of my own and let’s see if this takes off.

To the bloggerati: I think your readers would love a look back at your favourite posts and activities of 2008. Would you not agree?

Here’s a look back at some of my favourite posts and highlight events over the past year!

And, it shall be written in the third person.

January

This was the start of a new year. Matt started an interview series on the blog interviewing other bloggers. The first blogger on the pedestal? Phaelia of Resto4Life. Not only that, but the time was right for Phae to launch Blog Azeroth and it seemed like a number of blogs sprung up overnight! The community continues to serve veteran and new bloggers alike to this day. Time constraints on his part has led to the never ending series to be placed on hiatus. But it’ll come back soon enough.

blog-azeroth

One of the most popular posts during this month involved a spotlight being shone on a guild leader’s support staff. He showcased 10+3 personalities that every guild leader needs to have around. A lot of readers got a kick out it and even suggested several that he had missed! A resolution was made where he vowed that he would never pug a 25 man again. A year later, Matt’s still pugging 25s because he would never allow himself to bring his own undergeared character to guild runs. Many readers found the post on pvp battleground preform leaders revealed to be insightful and somewhat accurate in how they view their own ideal battleground leaders.

personalities

February

Matt reached out to as many bloggers as possible via email in the hopes of enlisting their own contribution on the first of many collaborative blog posts. The end result was 7+2 healing haikus! It’s still fun to read now as it was a pleasure then. 

haiku

Carnage, Matt’s guild at the time, saw a few members leave. Those events nudged him to write a post on leaving the guild the right way. Another Cosmo inspired headline ended up with this tongue-in-cheek eye opener of a post that plays might not have been aware of. Healers spill: White lies we tell tanks all the time contains even more excuses from healers and non-healers alike who offered their own wild stories that they’ve heard (and used)! Of course, that community-centric post further inspires another community involving post. Raiding horror stories and the opportunity it brings helped non-raiders realize that for all of its rewards, raiding can still be a big pain in the butt!

whitelies

March

The subconcious trend towards guild topic continues as Matt highlighted 20 characteristics of a mature guild member. It even gets picked up by Massively at one point. The blogger also offered a glimpse into my blog reading habits that aren’t necessarily WoW related.

 matureguildmember

This was the month where he started his 5 part series that examined the 5 barriers of a raid healer. For those that were thinking about it, he offered 8 rules to forming your pickup raid. For another humourous story, take a look at the Matticus Hypothesis. It’s funny now just looking back on it. But man, was he pissed then.

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April

Matticus discovers that there are many tools for guild leaders but there isn’t a place that has all of them in one easy to reach place. 44 resources for the new guild leader is born! 5 Raid saving lessons from Dr House is penned after watching nothing but House reruns for a month.

house

Another step toward world domination is taken when Matticus signs on with the WoW Insider team. Healing Priests everywhere are delighted that a Priest presence has returned. Your responses to Matt’s first ever Cosmo Challenge and the objective of helping bloggers have fun with their writing is complete. How to improve players without coming across as a jerk rounds out the month as Matticus looks inward to resolve his own inner demons.

bear

May

Positive feedback from an avid reader leads to the start of a friendly relationship. Matticus starts corresponding more which leads to Wynthea being brought on board. She makes up the 1 person department at the blog known as “Quality Assurance”. 20 things I know at level 70 that I didn’t know at level 1. 9 Traditional WoW Blog posts. Raiders become more introspective as they  compare their love of their guild versus love for themselves. Quick, critical and improv thinking on the fly is a valuable skill that merits its own post.

Wynthea and Matticus draw the battlelines and debate whether players should care about healing meters or whether they shouldn’t care (Discipline Priests know what Matt’s preaching).

June

Matticus is invited to speak on the Twisted Nether blogcast. The world finally hears the voice behind the keyboard. Outsourcing your raid instance is a common tactic progressed guilds use to get what they need fast. Another inspiration strikes courtesy of the Monique from Girls Don’t Game which helps spark confessions of a current ‘core raider.

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13 things every WoW player should know how to do is a quick lesson primer for many beginning and intro-level gamers. The game is beaten when Matticus takes down Illidan.

July

The ambitious healing blogger continues to scheme. Matticus isn’t yet satisfied. He wanted to develop the community more and offer additional ways to make the blog useful. After much discussion and collaboration with other top bloggers in the community, the decision is made. The project is green lighted. Plusheal, the all healer and newbie friendly community is established. It continues to be a resource for all healers both veteran and junior alike. Over 1000 members share ideas and tips with each other.

plusheal

A post is written on AFKing with etiquette: 4 things to remember for those of us with seemingly oversized bladders. Wyn presents her perspective on why the attitude of it doesn’t matter as long as the boss dies is wrong and harmful to raiding guilds. Confessions of a Raid healer is shamelessly written followed by Murphy’s 13 laws of raiding. An important question is answered: What should I look for in joining a guild?

August

A blog expansion begins as Matticus decides to host a contest to search for another blogger to add to the team. Readers voiced their opinions and picked their sides when guest blogger Aylii wrote about the potential doomsday scenario that Wrath raiding brings. Were the fears justified or was it really nothing to worry about? August is also full of guest bloggers who are anxious at a shot of being the 3rd blogger.

sytycb

7 points for a stress free raid helps to calm down irritated and temper flaring raiders. Matticus gets selected to participate in the Wrath beta test and over the next few weeks provides much wanted information for readers who wanted more information. A first look at the WoW achievement system is published .

September

After several technical difficulties, the blog receives an emergency visual overhaul. Reception is positive and information becomes even more streamlined. Font sizes for blog posts increase to the delight of eyesore WoW players everywhere.

womss1

An easy process in how to be a World of Warcraft God in 5 steps is laid out for those with deity-like aspirations. As one of the few bloggers and healers with access to a WoW beta account, Matt takes a realistic look at level 80 raid healing. The third blogger is chosen to help round out the World of Matticus editorial team. Sydera, SYTYCB winner, continues to lend her wisdom in building a guild. Saresa attempts to seduce Matticus with reasons why Warlocks make the best lovers after he aptly states Warlocks aren’t his type. He counters with 12 Reasons why priests don’t make the best lovers.

October

Syd voices her love and hate for the newly added achievement system. More guild problems happen and I have to help resolve it.

In anticipation of Naxxramas, Matticus begins blogging about healing and boss strategies. NaNoWriMo is almost here and 7 ideas to jump start your WoW related novel are born. Healing became more fun with the addition of Surge of Light and Holy Concentration proccing abilities. Matt surmises Priests may not be sure which spell to use under what situation. Result? Order of Operations for Surge of Light, Clearcasting, and Improved Holy Concentration.

barack-obama

Also, this guy takes the internet and the world by storm.

November

The blogopshere took a minor hit in productivity this month due to some minor expansion being released. Matticus took a rare several days off during this period of time. Several days later, he’s back with a ding being the first in Conquest to do so. A list of tips is written for those who want to fast track themselves to 80.

wrath

In this same month, Matticus departs for free agency and works with fellow blogger Sydera to form Conquest. Bars are set and expectations remain high. No one knows how this project will turn out. The Twitterati, ever so supportive, offer a list of advice to GM-to-be Matticus in his transition from officer to executive. The Matticus doctrine is written out which continues to be the centerpiece of the guild. A guide for fresh 80 Holy Priests is written up on pre-raid gear selections.

conq-splash

December

The Wrath expansion is well under way and Matticus offers up some advice for guilds that have recently formed: 11 reasons guild masters fail and deciding between normal and heroic raids. Several bloggers and Twitterati ask the Conquest loot system prompting a blog post about loot council. 

gavel

Guild and raid efficiency continues to be a main concern that’s addressed in 7 ways to cut the crap out of guild bureaucracy. A reputation guide is written for Priests who are making their way into Northrend. It’s even applicable for casters. More guest posts are added and the process is streamlined with these posting guidelines for guest submissions.

2009: World of Matticus

The blog continues to grow and evolve in an accelerated pace. But we wouldn’t be here without you readers. We want to hear it from you: How can World of Matticus change for the upcoming year? What other topics would you like to read about? Your opinion can change the blog and make it that much more relevant to yourself, your guild, and your friends.

Feel free to leave a comment below or use the contact form.

Creativity and delivery is the heart and soul of Matticus. We want you to keep coming back. Our standards continue to go up every month. We’ll keep coming up with new blog posts and ideas to keep World of Matticus fresh for everyone.

We’ll be listening. 

10 Tips for the New Discipline Priest

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Last week, I surveyed the Plus Heal forums (Priest regiment) for any quick advice they’d like to offer for any Priests that had just turned Discipline (like me). This is what they came up with:

The Tips

Remember the four Ps, and use them! Penance, Power Word: Shield, Pain Suppression, and Power Infusion.

– Joveta

It’s not your job to top the healing charts; you’re there to prevent crisis moments.

– Wistoovern

Play to your strengths; don’t be afraid to chain cast. If it’s truly warranted, you are at your strongest. Penance does not consume Borrowed Time yet still benefits from it

– Arcady

Your job is about damage mitigation, and speed healing.

– Melchizedeck

Power Word: Shield does so many things for you. If you’re not keeping that up consistently on your tank, you might be missing out on some emergency opportunities!

– Kitts

During fights that you know involve AoE damage, I’ve found it very helpful to use my spare time to toss PW:S on the DPS. They end up being protected if they get hit by something, and you really get to abuse Borrowed Time.

– Juzaba

As far as the AoE damage is concerned, I’ve found that PW:S on myself plus a Holy Nova followed immediately by a nice Prayer of Healing really did wonders for everyone’s health box.

– Seriah

You benefit more from MP5 than spirit. It goes against everything you have learned as a holy priest, but because you chain cast there is no chance to cheat the five second rule with Clearcasting (you don’t even get this) and Inner Focus.

– Takka

With the threat generation being made easier for tanks, any tank crying about the bubble should scare you and make you think twice about healing them in a group or raid.

– Beanne

You can also use Renew & PoM without consuming Borrowed Time, if you still want to save it for a Flash or Greater Heal.

– dunia

I turned Discipline for the weekend and had a lot of fun with it PvPing. It took me a while to get used to it at first, but I really freakin’ enjoyed it! I hope these tips from the more experienced Discipline Priests will benefit you as it did for me. I’ll definitely be tapping their minds in the future for more advice.

Don’t forget to read more about Discipline healing from guest writer Seriah that went up earlier!