Role Switching - Part One

One of my guildies and super DPS monster Mage Adlib told me she has a Druid alt she's been working on with the intention of being a healer at max-level. She asks:

Could you at least enlighten me as how different healing is than dps? I'm not sure what to expect, and you seem like a good source, having experience that way, being thrown into the deep end of the healing pool.

STORYTIME!


I wasn't always a Druid. I cut my teeth raiding in WoW as a Mage. From KZ (I didn't start playing until after BC) all the way up to BT and Hyjal, I was the sole stubborn Frost Mage*. We Mages were a tight bunch, always joking and having an ongoing QQ session with the Warlocks to put up CoE for us elementalists plzzz. (Now they're forced to buff Mages with CoE, HAHAHAHA.)

On the side I had been leveling a Priest, and began to be interested in my first MMO love: healing. I originally started out as a Priest and rerolled Mage because I wanted to get away from healing. But there I was, really wanting to. Unfortunately we were quite full on Priests and even with the advent of T6 badge gear, I wouldn't be able to catch up.

As it happened, our one and only Tree was experiencing RL difficulty and had to leave the game. I took in his Druid as to 'keep the Wood alive', but I hadn't thought about making him my main. Then it came down to if I ever wanted to heal, it would be on this Druid, and my very first experience raid healing as a Druid would be Najentus, the first boss in BT.

Deep end of the pool, indeed.

Making The Switch:
I don't recommend anyone do what I did. Unless you're someone who's used to healing mechanics on a base level, I imagine that sort of situation would seem stressful and impossible to most people.

If you're someone who's never played a healer like Adlib and leveling up your healing class in the DPS tree, I would suggest a few simple things before taking the plunge.

Research, research, research! Healing is far from 'new', there is TONS of information out there on specs, methods, and gear. It can seem overwhelming at first, but try and break it down so it's comfortable to you. Maybe start examining your healing spells first, and how people use them. Then move on to specs, or maybe gear.

Talk with other healers! Whether it be in your own guild or on such forums like Light Natured or Plus Heal. Though some won't act like it, everyone had to start somewhere. They'll remember what it was like to be a Sapling.

Practice makes perfect. This applies specifically to Druids. You don't have to be Restoration specced to use your HoTs, or learn how to roll them. The first thing I did when Jivethelle came into my possession was make my partner stand there for what seemed like forever and learnt to roll Lifeblooms on myself and her.

You'll feel like a dumbass emptying a mana bar on yourself or a friend, but try it anyways. As a class with mostly all instants, you will come to know your average latency well. Learning how to work with it and learn your 'rolling rhythm' before ever trying it in a group setting can only help, not harm.

Try and make it as painless as possible. When you finally feel ready to go and eat that respec and regear cost, don't make it hard on yourself. Gather four buddies and pick an instance that you all know like the back of your hand. Be honest with your comfort level. Don't try a Heroic if you know you're not ready for it.

You could even be sneakier. Those KZ Badge runs everyone loves? Bum a spot as the third healer. The point is to make yourself as comfortable as possible. It might turn out you might not even like healing, but don't give yourself an excuse to hate it right off.


Keep an open mind. It might not work the first time you try it. Everyone has a healing style. What works for thousands of other Druids might be boring for you. My healing style is radically different in five mans and in raids. Realise that your goal is to be an efficient healer and find out what works best for you.

So you've switched, how will you WoW-life change? Different part altogether.

* Almost immediately after I switched most of them started to try various Frost Specs. Go figure.