Return of the Healing Questionnaire

It’s interesting to go back and read what I wrote, although it’s mostly my writing style that gets me.  (My writing seems to have gotten more formal since then, probably due to writing about theory all the time.)  Here are my responses to Saunder’s questions and the extra questions that Jess tagged on.

1. Reread your original answers to the questions. With the benefit of hindsight, score your own work in terms of its cringeworthiness.

Well, my writing style made me cringe, that’s for sure.  None of my answers make me roll my eyes or anything, though.  I still generally feel the same about the things I wrote about.

2. Has your class’s healing improved in the area you identified as its weakest?

Actually, yes.  “Running fights” are still my bane, but the changes to Divine Sacrifice have made them much easier.  The shorter cooldown and the protection against death allows me to pop it whenever I have to run away, giving the entire raid a damage reduction cooldown during those moments where I can’t heal.  It’s incredibly useful.

3. Have you changed your “least favoured class to heal with”?

This has also changed for me, mostly because I’ve gotten the chance to work closely with two incredibly Resto. shaman now and have been impressed by the pure flexibility of the class.  My least favorite to heal with is now Holy priests, which I know is absolutely sad.  They are good AoE healers, but they have no ability to support any sort of heavy tank damage.  Also, to best utilize their abilities, I have to make sure to carefully assign them.  It makes me a little nuts.  Perhaps this is why it is so difficult to find good Holy priests these days!

4. Did you read the entries from others in the webring, especially your class?

I read many, many responses.  Dare I say that I probably read all the ones Jess linked?

5. If Yes to #4, did you learn anything that made you a better healer?

Hrm, I’m not sure if it made me a better healer, but perhaps a better healing lead.  I was able to see how other healers think about their classes and about healing with others, which can help to make healing assignments smoother and reduce drama.

6. What tools/resources or information do you think you would need to improve as a healer and how could that help the community at large?

More discussion would be the way to go, I think.  At least for me personally, I find there to be a lack of real substance to the healing discussion, which I’d like to see more of.  Many bloggers post strategies for various bosses, but I don’t see much in the way of meaty discussions on, say, using Hand of Sacrifice to its maximum potential.  Even what is said regarding “Flash of Light vs. Holy Light builds” is so general and very… politically correct, if you understand my meaning.  In general, the healing community seems to try to avoid stepping on toes, which makes in-depth discussion much more difficult.

7. What did you identify as your worst habit as a healer? Have you improved in this area?

I said I was too reactive in my healing, which I’ve made great strides on correcting, at least on the correct fights.  I’m not ashamed to say that I tend to “heal bomb” during difficult encounters.

8. What did you list as your favorite healing spell and your least used healing spell for your class? Are these answers still true? If they have changed, what caused the change (i.e. patch fix, different healing environment, etc)?

I said it was Holy Shock and I think it still is Holy Shock.  Blizzard tried to make it a more useful spell with the 4-piece T10 bonus, but truly failed.  I’ll never use it in any sort of “rotation,” simply because the HPM is so low and it is hampered by the GCD.  I still use it while running around, but that is the only time I do so.

—

Less wordy this time.  Good, good.