(WoW) Guide: Holy... Paladin!
Recent thoughts have made me wonder if I went the wrong way when dual-speccing Sashayla as Retribution. Ret is a DPS build, and reasonably fun to be - killing things so much faster than I'm used to as Protection - but DPS classes are (no offense guys) common. In the guild, we primarily want for healers. And I find that healing as Reya, while that was sort of the intent, is not as satisfying for me because anything gained from a particular run is not going to my main character. Also, we seem to forget that while dual-specs exist, and make it easy to swap, there's really little reason we can't use the older re-spec feature to open up more than two specs for a character.
So it seems time to take a look at the paladins' healer build. In some ways, it's the complete opposite of what I'm used to.
Build
My "own" class, but a talent tree I'm almost totally unfamiliar with...
Something along the lines of this. It's possible to favor Divinity's straight bonus to healing over Sanctity of Battle's crit bonus, though critical heals seem fairly big. Also, advanced pallies might be able to drop some crit to go deeper into Protection for Divine Sacrifice/Divine Guardian, but that appears to be more an Ulduar 25-ish level approach.
- Illumination: Interesting source of mana regen/return via critting.
- Divine Favor: Allows you to guarantee the next spell is a crit, which sounds nice on paper, but may be tricky to know when to use.
- Divine Illumination: 15 seconds of half mana cost on spells... interesting.
- Judgements of the Pure: Gives you a 1 minute, 15% increase in casting/melee haste when you Judge.
- Infusion of Light: Gives Holy Shock crits the side effect of granting your next Flash of Light instant speed, or increased crit on Holy Light.
- Beacon of Light:This is the big bit of bizarreness in Holy Paladin healing. You put this on the tank, and anytime you heal someone else within 60 yards of them, the tank gets healed for just as much. That's... counterintuitive.
Gear
Stats of import include Spell Power (naturally), Intellect (increased mana pool and crit), Critical Strike (in addition to critting on heals, spells that crit return some mana via the Illumination talent, making it a mana regent trait), Haste, with mp5 and Stamina being low priority.
Glyphs: Holy Light, Seal of Wisdom, Flash of Light, of the Wise, Lay on Hands, Blessing of Wisdom - probably. Possibly Seal of Light instead of Wisdom if mana and overhealing aren't issues.
Sample Pre-Naxx Gear
If I do switch specs, this might be an issue. Some things can be made fairly readily, and I'm good on rep, but I'm not sure I'd look forward to running instances for epic drops at this level again. Any Emblem gear is especially annoying to have to get. I could see myself running a lot of Trial of the Champion. @.@
Head: Helm of Purified Thoughts (Argent Crusade exalted) seems a good place to start or Helm of the Bested Gallant (normal ToC)
Neck: Probably a Titanium Spellshock Necklace (jewelcrafting)
- ToC heroic: Symbol of Redemption
Shoulders: I think I have the Ferocious Pauldrons of the Rhino (heroic UP) still, though they aren't epic.
Cloak: Deathchill Cloak/Wispcloak maybe (tailored)
Chest: Ornamented Plate Regalia (heroic UP) probably works, and I may have it.
Wrist: Bands of Fading Light (BOE, heroic UP) to start with
Legs: The heroic-drop choice is from the end of Oculus, so possibly something else from Drak'Tharon or Halls of Stone
- ToC heroic: Legplates of the Argent Armistice
Waist: Sjonnir's Girdle (heroic Halls of Stone)
- ToC heroic: Trueheart Girdle
Hands: Probably Web Winder Gloves (BOE, Ahn'Kahet trash)
- ToC heroic: Gauntlets of Revelation
Feet: Poignant Sabatons (BOE, Naxx drop) hopefully Or Greaves of the Grand Paladin (ToC normal)
Weapon: Titansteel Guardian (blacksmith) or War Mace of Unrequited Love (heroic Nexus) maybe
- ToC heroic: Mariel's Sorrow
Shield: Uhhh... Protective Barricade of the Light (35 EoH) or Zom's Crackling Bulwark (BOE world drop)
Libram: Libram of Renewal (15 EoH)
Rings: Signet of Hopeful Light (exalted AC), and probably a Titanium Spellshock Ring (jewelcrafting)
Trinkets: The Int version of Darkmoon Card Greatness ranks up there. Tears of the Vanquished (normal ToC) too.
Rotation
Situational and reactionary. You're healing, after all.
- Flash of Light is the quick (1.5 sec base), efficient heal. With Sacred Shield is also gives a HoT effect. Unlike just about everything else, the HoT is not copied by Beacon of Light.
- Holy Light is the big (2.5 sec base) heal. Glyphed, it heals others around the target for a potion.
- Holy Shock can actually do damage to enemies, but it heals, too. It's instant-cast and (via talents) synergizes your other heals
- Sacred Shield is a little bubble for your target, absorbing some damage as well as (while active) increasing your FoL crit chance on them and giving a secondary HoT.
- Beacon of Light I talked about already, but... oy. Still would take some getting used to to use.
Resources/Further Reading:
http://ferarro.blogspot.com/2008/11/holy-holy-batman.html
http://ferarro.blogspot.com/2009/02/how-to-healing-5-mans.html
http://www.holypaladin.net/index.php/holy-paladin-healing-in-patch-32
http://www.theholypaladin.com/
So... I don't know. Someone else can probably fill in tanking. Is it worth me trying a "new" role?
So it seems time to take a look at the paladins' healer build. In some ways, it's the complete opposite of what I'm used to.
Build
My "own" class, but a talent tree I'm almost totally unfamiliar with...
Something along the lines of this. It's possible to favor Divinity's straight bonus to healing over Sanctity of Battle's crit bonus, though critical heals seem fairly big. Also, advanced pallies might be able to drop some crit to go deeper into Protection for Divine Sacrifice/Divine Guardian, but that appears to be more an Ulduar 25-ish level approach.
- Illumination: Interesting source of mana regen/return via critting.
- Divine Favor: Allows you to guarantee the next spell is a crit, which sounds nice on paper, but may be tricky to know when to use.
- Divine Illumination: 15 seconds of half mana cost on spells... interesting.
- Judgements of the Pure: Gives you a 1 minute, 15% increase in casting/melee haste when you Judge.
- Infusion of Light: Gives Holy Shock crits the side effect of granting your next Flash of Light instant speed, or increased crit on Holy Light.
- Beacon of Light:This is the big bit of bizarreness in Holy Paladin healing. You put this on the tank, and anytime you heal someone else within 60 yards of them, the tank gets healed for just as much. That's... counterintuitive.
Gear
Stats of import include Spell Power (naturally), Intellect (increased mana pool and crit), Critical Strike (in addition to critting on heals, spells that crit return some mana via the Illumination talent, making it a mana regent trait), Haste, with mp5 and Stamina being low priority.
Glyphs: Holy Light, Seal of Wisdom, Flash of Light, of the Wise, Lay on Hands, Blessing of Wisdom - probably. Possibly Seal of Light instead of Wisdom if mana and overhealing aren't issues.
Sample Pre-Naxx Gear
If I do switch specs, this might be an issue. Some things can be made fairly readily, and I'm good on rep, but I'm not sure I'd look forward to running instances for epic drops at this level again. Any Emblem gear is especially annoying to have to get. I could see myself running a lot of Trial of the Champion. @.@
Head: Helm of Purified Thoughts (Argent Crusade exalted) seems a good place to start or Helm of the Bested Gallant (normal ToC)
Neck: Probably a Titanium Spellshock Necklace (jewelcrafting)
- ToC heroic: Symbol of Redemption
Shoulders: I think I have the Ferocious Pauldrons of the Rhino (heroic UP) still, though they aren't epic.
Cloak: Deathchill Cloak/Wispcloak maybe (tailored)
Chest: Ornamented Plate Regalia (heroic UP) probably works, and I may have it.
Wrist: Bands of Fading Light (BOE, heroic UP) to start with
Legs: The heroic-drop choice is from the end of Oculus, so possibly something else from Drak'Tharon or Halls of Stone
- ToC heroic: Legplates of the Argent Armistice
Waist: Sjonnir's Girdle (heroic Halls of Stone)
- ToC heroic: Trueheart Girdle
Hands: Probably Web Winder Gloves (BOE, Ahn'Kahet trash)
- ToC heroic: Gauntlets of Revelation
Feet: Poignant Sabatons (BOE, Naxx drop) hopefully Or Greaves of the Grand Paladin (ToC normal)
Weapon: Titansteel Guardian (blacksmith) or War Mace of Unrequited Love (heroic Nexus) maybe
- ToC heroic: Mariel's Sorrow
Shield: Uhhh... Protective Barricade of the Light (35 EoH) or Zom's Crackling Bulwark (BOE world drop)
Libram: Libram of Renewal (15 EoH)
Rings: Signet of Hopeful Light (exalted AC), and probably a Titanium Spellshock Ring (jewelcrafting)
Trinkets: The Int version of Darkmoon Card Greatness ranks up there. Tears of the Vanquished (normal ToC) too.
Rotation
Situational and reactionary. You're healing, after all.
- Flash of Light is the quick (1.5 sec base), efficient heal. With Sacred Shield is also gives a HoT effect. Unlike just about everything else, the HoT is not copied by Beacon of Light.
- Holy Light is the big (2.5 sec base) heal. Glyphed, it heals others around the target for a potion.
- Holy Shock can actually do damage to enemies, but it heals, too. It's instant-cast and (via talents) synergizes your other heals
- Sacred Shield is a little bubble for your target, absorbing some damage as well as (while active) increasing your FoL crit chance on them and giving a secondary HoT.
- Beacon of Light I talked about already, but... oy. Still would take some getting used to to use.
Resources/Further Reading:
http://ferarro.blogspot.com/2008/11/holy-holy-batman.html
http://ferarro.blogspot.com/2009/02/how-to-healing-5-mans.html
http://www.holypaladin.net/index.php/holy-paladin-healing-in-patch-32
http://www.theholypaladin.com/
So... I don't know. Someone else can probably fill in tanking. Is it worth me trying a "new" role?
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