Paladin as main healer for non-raid content?

Whitescale · 12-06-2008, 01:03 PM

This may be a stupid question, but what makes the priest classes better healers than heal-specced paladins? I'm a more casual player so I'm looking mostly for information relevant to regular group content with non-uber gear rather than the hard raid zones. Can a paladin do the job as the only healer for plain old heroic content, if they aren't busy being the group's main tank?

If I'm missing something here, please tell me:

I play a mystic now, so I've been using mystics for comparison. Considering the paladin's heal crit and healing enhancement AAs, it looks to me like they could be just as power-efficient as a mystic, with better cast times and as a result better spike healing and better ability to get heals off if they've got something hitting them. Sustained HPS doesn't seem too terribly tilted in the mystic's favor, mostly due to the long cast times on the mystic's heals.

I know paladins can never cure remotely as well as a mystic, and I know that the new Shadow tree AAs would certainly tilt things in the mystic's favor. I'm assuming those aren't the only things making the difference, though.

So, in short, please tell me why I am wrong (which I assume I am). Tell me what I'm missing that makes paladins unable to act as main healers.

Avaela · 12-06-2008, 01:04 PM

You're wrong and extremely dumb.

boli · 12-06-2008, 02:52 PM

Tramua , curse, buffs, debuffs; need I go on?

Mahgnus · 12-06-2008, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boli

Tramua , curse, buffs, debuffs; need I go on?

Not to mention the number of aa that it requires. Also you would need some sort of constant power feeds also. You'd basically make yourself a gimp healer that offers nothin to the group.You'd have the spot heals at lower lvl of some healers but you wont have any type of main ability, i.e. reatives/hots. You would have your ward but it no where near the amount of a st ward and group ward for a Shaman.

Mezelline · 12-06-2008, 03:24 PM

I don't think its a stupid question.

The biggest problem I had trying to MH with my paladin was that all we had were direct heals (except for the one single-target ward). To get an idea what it would be like, trying going through an instance without using any wards at all; only direct heals. I think you'll find that although its fine for sustained dps situations, for names with spikes its much more difficult. And also that direct heals eat up a ton more mana vs. specials.

Add onto that only one group heal, and its tough to keep an entire group alive against anything that has a significant AE.

But yeah, if the mob does sustained damage to only the tank -- paladins can MH just fine. Its just that if a paladin can't heal vs. one named in the instance...well it doesn't matter if they can heal the other 95% of the mobs just fine.

Tharinor · 12-06-2008, 08:15 PM

Your group won't be able to use their chokers and shit. You're group heals are too slow and too small. :P

Aerofae · 12-06-2008, 09:57 PM

If you want to be a healer, then a roll a real healer.

Rakos · 12-06-2008, 10:59 PM

Basically, a paladin has some level of healing ability but thats about it, they are mainly fighters/tanks.

Antrig · 12-07-2008, 07:56 AM

About 1/10 to 1/3 of a real priest is my rule of thumb in terms of healing ability. Where 1/3 is a so so PUG fury, and 1/10 would be my raid geared templar ;)

Its the wrong question though - how hard a content can you tank while self-healing? is a better one, and one that I'd like Sony to think of, next time they throw a useless heal spell at us in leiu of tanking/survivabiliy tools

Or another related question - how much worse can the group be / harder the zone, before a paladin needs a 2nd priest, vs other tanks. Sadly I'm pretty sure I know the answer to that one.

Fantas · 12-07-2008, 09:55 AM

The largest problem your going to face if you attempt this is that Pallies are purely reactive healers. You would have to wait for the tank to take damage before your heals are worth anything. I know we have prayer that wards for 1700-2225 (with myth).

Anything that is worthy of forming a group for at lvl 80 is gonna eat through your wards in 1-2 hits, and our heals are enough to sustain over a short period but the mobs typically hit harder then our heals/wards can heal for.

I have no issues with me healing as a paladin.... I just don't want to be the main one doing it. I have more important shit to do.... Like keep the group from getting whooped on.