World of Warcraft, Healing The New Damage
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple of weeks then you should be fully aware of the big change coming in patch 2.3, +healing will now also give +33% of that healing back to the player in +damage. Certainly one of the most game changing buffs to ever be introduced though it seems to be somewhat down played compared to other potential changes.
This has been a long awaited change for many healers who have been complaining for ages that they were simply useless outside of raids. Without any damage gear they were confronted with no way to farm, quest, or really even PvP without the aid of another person or group of players.
Completely forget the fact that healers can now kill monsters at least semi-effectively, the global changes to how arena will be played are going to be huge. Since most healers have around 1500 healing in their PvP healing gear they will now also get at least 500 damage. Doesn’t sound like much, but consider the effect this will have on a 2.5 healer team. These teams are amazing because it’s so difficult to burn one single target, they can all heal each other, and come patch 2.3 they will all be able to do a reasonable amount of damage.
Of course don’t overestimate it either, obviously a single shadow word: pain isn’t going to make or break team, though it sure can’t hurt. It’s additional damage that will certainly add up over the long haul of a fight. I’m interested to see what sort of talent specializations might become options come 2.3 due to these changes.
The priest that plays on my 5v5 team is already considering a potential tri-spec as holy come 2.3. Now of course his primary role is still going to be as a healer, though the extra DoT damage, mind flays, and shadow word: death damage certainly won’t hurt.
Even in the most simplistic form the change will have an effect on how you get a kill to secure a win. When 2.3 goes live you’ll actually feel that holy shock that won the game, or the earthshock that crit you for 1200, the shadow word: death that was just that extra bit of damage you needed, or hell even the wrath bomb amidst the cyclone spams of the druid.
The very basics of arena are going to change forever, and I’ve got to be honest I’m looking forward to it. It opens up a wide variety of new specs for all healing classes. In addition the buffs to hunters should bring the class as whole into a whole new light, for once you might actually bring a hunter into an arena! With so many new and inventive changes it’s easy to get excited. A well designed 10 man dungeon, additional content for casual players, new gear, season 3, game changing mechanics for all healers, rejuvenated hunters, and a whole bunch more before it hits live. I can’t wait!
About the Author:
Hello, I am Derek “Zuggy” Hales and I am a professional World of Warcraft player. I’ve written a great deal on PvP, PvE, arena, World of Warcraft Gold farming, and much much more! It’s my greatest desire that I’ve helped you improve! Click here to get your own unique version of this article.
