Guild Wars: How to treat your healer well

A good healer is hard to find. So once you have one in your party and are looking to do a mission or two, here are some things to keep in mind to keep them happy and keep you healty:

1) Be aware of their position. With my E/Mo, I go into a mission with zero offensive skills. That means if I draw aggro, I'm soaking up damage without any way to get them off of me. This further means that I am using all my mana to heal myself. If I'm being attacked, your #1 priority is to get mobs off of me.

2) Stay in the same area with everyone else. I know you really, really want to chase down that troll that ran 50 feet away, but there's no way I can heal people if they're scattered. Stick with the main group.

3) Likewise, I can't heal when I'm out of mana, so don't run madly from mob to mob as soon as you take them out. When I ctrl-click my mana bar to let you know I have 3 of 52 mana, I'm not doing it for the novelty or fun of it. It's because I need a few seconds to recover my mana so I can heal your low-armor having, damage-absorbing ass.

4) Rangers. I hate your pets. Their life bars go down as fast as I can pump health into them. This sucks for the rest of the group. So: your pets are your responsibility. I'll heal them if everyone else is doing ok and I have extra mana, but expect them to die, especially if you're toting a level 12 wildebeast around in an area with level 18 mobs.

5) Other healers. If a group is lucky enough to have 2 people focusing on healing, communicate! So much mana gets wasted by both of us casting Heal Other at the same time on someone. One person should take the top half of the party screen and one the bottom half, helping out when obviously needed.

6) Healers are the unheralded heroes. That mission you couldn't get past the last 5 times because you didn't have a dedicated healer? Guess why you beat it this time ... probably had something to do with me. Saying "Nice job healing, bipolar" at the end of a mission makes our day. Try it out sometime.

Do the above and you'll have a healer that *wants* to party up with you for the next mission.

This holds for pretty much any MMO. Players have roles on a team that they need to actually fill, rather than expecting that they can mindlessly solo & have the rest of the team keep them alive.

The cardinal rule is "If the healer's out of mana, you're dead".

I haven't really grouped much in GW, and I'm sure that PvP and multi-classing changes these dynamics, and it's nice that all classes have heals available, but the general MMO group is :

* Tank : Warriors, Fighters and the like stand up front. They're primarily there to -take- damage and hold aggro, rather than dish it out. This is generally accomplished through 2 methods : being the first into combat and having skills that draw in aggro (taunts). Generally, the tank also gets MA (Main Assist) - everyone on the team focuses attacks his target.

* DD/DPS (Direct Damage/Damage Per Second) : Rangers, Mages, Rogues, etc. These guys have a simple job - do as much damage to the mob as quickly as possible without drawing aggro away from the tank.

* Crowd Control : Mesmers, Enchanters, etc. These guys aren't really critical until you get to higher levels where there are more mobs than you can actually handle at which point they become essential - they get the mind-control spells to put 'extra' mobs to sleep while you focus on the rest of the group.

* Healer : If everything is going according to plan, the healer should be able to focus on keeping the tank alive. If things get pear-shaped, he should be the first one to run, 'cuz he's the one that's going to resurrect everyone else.

i dont consider a e/mo a healer.

and i'm sure you could of soloed that misson without your warrior or other classes too.

get over yourslef. healers heal thats your job dont expect people to kiss your ass for doig a your job.

ameoba said:

This holds for pretty much any MMO. Players have roles on a team that they need to actually fill, rather than expecting that they can mindlessly solo & have the rest of the team keep them alive.

The cardinal rule is "If the healer's out of mana, you're dead".

I haven't really grouped much in GW, and I'm sure that PvP and multi-classing changes these dynamics, and it's nice that all classes have heals available, but the general MMO group is :

* Tank : Warriors, Fighters and the like stand up front. They're primarily there to -take- damage and hold aggro, rather than dish it out. This is generally accomplished through 2 methods : being the first into combat and having skills that draw in aggro (taunts). Generally, the tank also gets MA (Main Assist) - everyone on the team focuses attacks his target.

* DD/DPS (Direct Damage/Damage Per Second) : Rangers, Mages, Rogues, etc. These guys have a simple job - do as much damage to the mob as quickly as possible without drawing aggro away from the tank.

* Crowd Control : Mesmers, Enchanters, etc. These guys aren't really critical until you get to higher levels where there are more mobs than you can actually handle at which point they become essential - they get the mind-control spells to put 'extra' mobs to sleep while you focus on the rest of the group.

* Healer : If everything is going according to plan, the healer should be able to focus on keeping the tank alive. If things get pear-shaped, he should be the first one to run, 'cuz he's the one that's going to resurrect everyone else.

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The only difference in GW is that aggro works differently and is apparently not based on who is going the most damage. Monks seems to be targeted specifically. The upside is that mobs can't "run through" players to target another -- if a warrior gets in the way of a creature that is trying to get to the monk, that's how they draw the aggro. More reason why warriors need to be on their toes and aware of the situation.

Filter said:

i dont consider a e/mo a healer.

and i'm sure you could of soloed that misson without your warrior or other classes too.

get over yourslef. healers heal thats your job dont expect people to kiss your ass for doig a your job.

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E/Mo is the most effective healer in the game. Energy Storage Monk -- loads of mana and can keep myself alive with just one spell (can't remember the name, but the one that gives me health every time I use mana). You *do* realize that healing effectiveness is based on how many points you have into Healing Prayers, as opposed to which is your primary and which is your secondary class, right?

Filter said:

i dont consider a e/mo a healer.

and i'm sure you could of soloed that misson without your warrior or other classes too.

get over yourslef. healers heal thats your job dont expect people to kiss your ass for doig a your job.

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Missions without a tank are a breeze compared to missions without a healer...

bipolar said:

4) Rangers. I hate your pets. Their life bars go down as fast as I can pump health into them. This sucks for the rest of the group. So: your pets are your responsibility. I'll heal them if everyone else is doing ok and I have extra mana, but expect them to die, especially if you're toting a level 12 wildebeast around in an area with level 18 mobs.

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pets are there to take damage and deal out a small bit I know mine ( Lvl19 Stalker named appropriatlly "Meat Sheild ) has saved me more than a few times by giving me time to recharge and nuke the mob. if he dies meh after mobs dead and i have extra 10 mana I'll use comfort animal. the only thing I hate is when rangers don't bring a spell to revive their pet.

that said if i'm in a group with a healer that does beyond what he should then I'll tell him good job

this thread should be changed to "How to shut up and know your role in this game, and stop whinning like a *****".

Really... healers don't deserve jack. In all honestly, all you healers out there, if it makes you feel any better. Don't heal me. As long as i don't have to read whiney little posts like this. Its an even playing field out there. Everyone is just as important. Healers are nothing without casters and warriors. Warriors are nothing without healers andcasters. Rangers are nothing without warriors/casters/healers/pet/dog/cat/4 leaf clover/lucky Horseshoe/Bible/Necklace of Garlic/mom/dad/neighbor across the street/and Frodo. Casters are nothing without healers and... nevermind i guess it isn't even. But yes, i guess tanks do come in handy at times. Not needed. Rangers... honestly seem like a waste of time. They die way to fast and arent really needed. So really, if anyone has the right to post a whine post it should be the rangers, not you.

My name is Sarlaiel Gangrelore 20 Nec/War online in case you want to look me up and not heal me or "protect me".

Edit: Spelling error. oh yea, and bipolar. Please don't expect a thank you from me or anyone for healing in case the message didn't get across well. How about you thank me for everytime i cast a spell and i might consider telling you to shut up because thats what i'm suppose to do. Its not like its some big ordeal.

as a tank in WoW, i know it's prolly different than guild wars, but other than that it's probably much the same. i always work on making sure the healer is never aggro'd, beyond that i like a back up healer who's only job is to heal the healer, in case shit happens.

Tygerwoody said:

this thread should be changed to "How to shut up and know your role in this game, and stop whinning like a *****".

Really... healers don't deserve jack. In all honestly, all you healers out there, if it makes you feel any better. Don't heal me. As long as i don't have to read whiney little posts like this. Its an even playing field out there. Everyone is just as important. Healers are nothing without casters and warriors. Warriors are nothing without healers andcasters. Rangers are nothing without warriors/casters/healers/pet/dog/cat/4 leaf clover/lucky Horseshoe/Bible/Necklace of Garlic/mom/dad/neighbor across the street/and Frodo. Casters are nothing without healers and... nevermind i guess it isn't even. But yes, i guess tanks do come in handy at times. Not needed. Rangers... honestly seem like a waste of time. They die way to fast and arent really needed. So really, if anyone has the right to post a whine post it should be the rangers, not you.

My name is Sarlaiel Gangrelore 20 Nec/War online in case you want to look me up and not heal me or "protect me".

Edit: Spelling error. oh yea, and bipolar. Please don't expect a thank you from me or anyone for healing in case the message didn't get across well. How about you thank me for everytime i cast a spell and i might consider telling you to shut up because thats what i'm suppose to do. Its not like its some big ordeal.

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One day, I aspire to pass legislation barring 14 year olds from the internet.

Tygerwoody said:

this thread should be changed to "How to shut up and know your role in this game, and stop whinning like a *****".

Really... healers don't deserve jack. In all honestly, all you healers out there, if it makes you feel any better. Don't heal me. As long as i don't have to read whiney little posts like this. Its an even playing field out there. Everyone is just as important. Healers are nothing without casters and warriors. Warriors are nothing without healers andcasters. Rangers are nothing without warriors/casters/healers/pet/dog/cat/4 leaf clover/lucky Horseshoe/Bible/Necklace of Garlic/mom/dad/neighbor across the street/and Frodo. Casters are nothing without healers and... nevermind i guess it isn't even. But yes, i guess tanks do come in handy at times. Not needed. Rangers... honestly seem like a waste of time. They die way to fast and arent really needed. So really, if anyone has the right to post a whine post it should be the rangers, not you.

My name is Sarlaiel Gangrelore 20 Nec/War online in case you want to look me up and not heal me or "protect me".

Edit: Spelling error. oh yea, and bipolar. Please don't expect a thank you from me or anyone for healing in case the message didn't get across well. How about you thank me for everytime i cast a spell and i might consider telling you to shut up because thats what i'm suppose to do. Its not like its some big ordeal.

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a bunch of people are gonna go and e-kickyourass now.

Another thing that helps healers is if the warrior properly calls out targets for the party to attack. It helps the party get through the enemies more easily, requiring everyone to do less work. Most of the time, the warriors dont' know that Left Ctrl is a communication device.

I've got two characters I mainly play with if anyone's interested.
Eliriah Jozuret (Necro/Mesmer 20)
Andrea Silverstone (Monk/Warrior 14)

And join my guild! lol

posts like this make my weiner get soft.

Rangers may not be noticed, yet they are quite powerful in thier orwn right if you know what you're doing.

Seriously, you should respect every character, no matter what their profession.

bipolar said:

E/Mo is the most effective healer in the game. Energy Storage Monk -- loads of mana and can keep myself alive with just one spell (can't remember the name, but the one that gives me health every time I use mana). You *do* realize that healing effectiveness is based on how many points you have into Healing Prayers, as opposed to which is your primary and which is your secondary class, right?

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i totally disagaree about e/mo being the most effective. i play a monk and i really never get low on man to begin with to even use energy storage would rather have divne prayer. heals me when i cast monk spells that way dont have to worry about healing myself.

GTPoompt said:

Rangers may not be noticed, yet they are quite powerful in thier orwn right if you know what you're doing.

Seriously, you should respect every character, no matter what their profession.

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Yeap. Just need to meet the right ranger *looking in mirror*

All depends on what they pack in there little bar with them. much like any profession. They all need each other. No one class is better than the other.

Filter said:

i totally disagaree about e/mo being the most effective. i play a monk and i really never get low on man to begin with to even use energy storage would rather have divne prayer. heals me when i cast monk spells that way dont have to worry about healing myself.

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Where are you at in the game? Even with 60+ mana, there have been spots where my party was getting hurt as fast as I could pump health into them and I would run out of mana.

I want to treat the healer well but if I only party with him once I dont give him too much...now if I had a good healer who would want to go farming with me I would definately hook him/her up.

ryanrule said:

a bunch of people are gonna go and e-kickyourass now.

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You know there is probably a group of e-nerds just waiting for me to log on so they can e-kickmyass. sad....

almost as sad as someone posting on a website on how to "treat your healer well". Now that would be sad... wait.....

bipolar said:

Where are you at in the game? Even with 60+ mana, there have been spots where my party was getting hurt as fast as I could pump health into them and I would run out of mana.

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they probably weren't saying thank you fast enough.

Go somewhere else, hater. This thread obviously isn't for you. You've gotten your point across that you think we're all worthless, and I'm sure most of the rest here have made a similar conclusion about you. If you can tank it with no healer, go right ahead. More power to ya.

bipolar is absolutely right. I've posted in a couple different forums on this topic myself. If there is someone who doesn't understand what he's saying, create yourself a monk and go on a few missions with some pick up groups. You'll know a monks pain quick enough...

wtburnette said:

bipolar is absolutely right. I've posted in a couple different forums on this topic myself. If there is someone who doesn't understand what he's saying, create yourself a monk and go on a few missions with some pick up groups. You'll know a monks pain quick enough...

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We also all know the pain of protecting a monk. It goes back and forth.

Netrat33 said:

We also all know the pain of protecting a monk. It goes back and forth.

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I haven't been in a group yet that protected me...

Been in plenty that want to run from battle to battle though, like a bunch of noobs. Is it so hard to actually pay attention in this game? If the monk is clicking on their energy bar so that "My energy is at 2 out of 50" comes up a few times, just freakin wait for a minute for it to regen. The game is more then rushing from one thing to the next.

wtburnette said:

I haven't been in a group yet that protected me...

Been in plenty that want to run from battle to battle though, like a bunch of noobs. Is it so hard to actually pay attention in this game? If the monk is clicking on their energy bar so that "My energy is at 2 out of 50" comes up a few times, just freakin wait for a minute for it to regen. The game is more then rushing from one thing to the next.

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Heh! sorry about that then. You have been playing with asses!

Then again so I have. Somes (especially warriors I notice) like to just run ahead of the group..then die. Lot of times I just try supporting everyone hoping they support me.

Like the real world, sometimes you run across idiots.

this thread rules. being a lvl 10 ranger, this is my favorite line:

"Rangers are nothing without warriors/casters/healers/pet/dog/cat/4 leaf clover/lucky Horseshoe/Bible/Necklace of Garlic/mom/dad/neighbor across the street/and Frodo"

i don't take offense to this because it is so goddam funny. i can't wait to find the 4-Leaf lucky horseshoe of Garlic and see what it does.

Really though, we know healers are important, but so is everyone else. why make a thread demanding respect?

denaps said:

Really though, we know healers are important, but so is everyone else. why make a thread demanding respect?

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Gets my vote.

And if it makes any of you healer-types feel better, you're always the first ones I screw over in a PvP fight. Hell, I do it to the monsters' healers just the same.

denaps said:

Really though, we know healers are important, but so is everyone else. why make a thread demanding respect?

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I don't think it has as much to do with demanding respect as saying "if you don't listen I can't keep you healed and alive". This game is about skill and strategy, as well as having fun. An important (common sense type) strategy, more important then picking the right skills, is to rest up after battles and go into the next fully recharged in health and energy. That's not asking too much is it? Also, as originally posted, stay together in a group. Use the little compass thing in the corner to make sure you're staying with everyone else. If I'm with a group that splits up, I pick one and heal only them. The others normally die, but at least they usually end up learning. It's almost impossible to run between two groups and keep both alive. Lastly, I also agree that pets get healed last. If I have a choice between a party member and a pet, the pet gets healed last. If everyone else is doing well, I'll heal the pet. No animosity, but I feel party members are more important then the pets.

I agree that every character type is important and demands respect. All this thread is saying is "here is how to use your monk to their fullest advantage". Doing otherwise is not playing your best...

People like that are going to do more damage out of not knowing how to use their own character advantageously, more than not knowing how to work the life support system. Either way not someone I want in my group.

ashmedai said:

People like that are going to do more damage out of not knowing how to use their own character advantageously, more than not knowing how to work the life support system. Either way not someone I want in my group.

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People like what? Are you meaning the people running from battle to battle or saying that the monks don't know how to use their characters? Can't tell from this post...

denaps said:

this thread rules. being a lvl 10 ranger, this is my favorite line:

"Rangers are nothing without warriors/casters/healers/pet/dog/cat/4 leaf clover/lucky Horseshoe/Bible/Necklace of Garlic/mom/dad/neighbor across the street/and Frodo"

i don't take offense to this because it is so goddam funny. i can't wait to find the 4-Leaf lucky horseshoe of Garlic and see what it does.

Really though, we know healers are important, but so is everyone else. why make a thread demanding respect?

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I have an alt char that is a ranger. They are a fun class. And can put a hurting on someone. One on One they are probably one of the best PVP classes. But, however in groups, they drop like flys. My necro/war can still heal himself a hundred different ways if I'm low on health. My ranger is dead before i can cast anything. But, one the other side of the coin. My necro without pets is worthless. I rock the pets

If you want to heal, you really need monk primary. The extra mana you get from being a E does not make up for the better heals by having points in divine favor.

Mo/R is a good combo especially if you bring a pet.. Many will use them as appropriately named meatshields, expecially bears and wolves. Play it right and you can sometimes block attacking Warriors. When/IF you run out of mana, you can switch over to a bow and do at least a little bit of damage without requiring mana.

I am Ranger / Necro lvl 15 with a lvl 15 stalker currently.

I always bring my own comfort animal spell and res my own pet thanks. Being a necro i can suck the life force from an opponent and add it to my self or the group. I can do this from afar or even more effectively by touch up close. I always focus on the enemies healers or casters and take them out first, after all they are what is keeping the tanks alive. ypou can find me paying attention to the casters safety as much i possible and falling back to defend them once the opposing casters are down.

I am personally surprised at the level of damage this class combo R/N can dish out.

Pets are tanks in there own right. They can keep the enemy tanks at bay buying valuable time to take casters down. I personally disagree that Rangers are the weker class. But I am dedicated to this sole character at this point and being all I can be. I took a dude from Pimip Rig last night who was having trouble getting to Kryta and thrashed our way from Beacons to Kryta. Have I done that mission? Yes. Did I have to help him get to that point? No. Would I be willing to do it again for someone else to help them advance? Yes. It takes a small amout of effort to be helpful to your team in this game. Common sense helps to sort out your place in the group and experience in game helps you develop a plan to take down the baddies. Common coutesy can't hurt as well.

You can have the most bad ass character or group of bad asses but if they have no common sense, no comunication, no level of maturity and consideration for each other then they won't be going to far too fast.

No Tact said:

You can have the most bad ass character or group of bad asses but if they have no common sense, no comunication, no level of maturity and consideration for each other then they won't be going to far too fast.

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Thats why 95% of the time i use Henchmen for healing and at least one tanking. Caster henchman arent really that good. I can get by EASY anywhere with the 2 henchie healers 2 tanks 3 real casters and me. Honestly i can get by with all henchmen, but real players are definitely better if they know what they are doing.

BTW if you guys are sitting there, wondering how to treat a necro well. Look no further than this post!!! All of your dreams are here!!!

Guild Wars: How to treat your NECRO well.

Tygerwoody said:

I can get by EASY anywhere with the 2 henchie healers 2 tanks 3 real casters and me.

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Uhm, that's 8 and there is only one zone I know of that allows 8 in a party, granted I only ascended last night so maybe further ahead.

I can't believe it, I actually partied with a group last night that knew how to play...

They brought two of us monks (in a party of 6 it really helps), 2 warriors, an elementalist and a ranger. After every battle, everyone would stop and we'd charge up health and energy and no one would take off unless everyone was ready. Also one of the only groups I've been with that kept together pretty much the entire time. Had a lot of fun playing with that group...

dargon said:

Uhm, that's 8 and there is only one zone I know of that allows 8 in a party, granted I only ascended last night so maybe further ahead.

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get to lvl 20 noob

Tygerwoody said:

dargon said:

Uhm, that's 8 and there is only one zone I know of that allows 8 in a party, granted I only ascended last night so maybe further ahead.

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get to lvl 20 noob

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He just did (emphasis added).

Hrmmm.... I think all he is saying is his frustration at most people no knowing HOW a healer does his job in GW. Many people just don't know how to group and expect other players to be like the henchmen with unlimited energy. This isn't just a healer problem as other pointed out. I played a necro as a main until I "beat" the game and I'm still out collecting skills and item with it. Once you get to the desert it is so hard from that point on even getting INTO a grou if you aren't a monk, warrior, or elementalist primary. They want tanks, healers and nukers first and foremost. They I meant the general gaming community of GW and not everyone.

As for Elmo's not making good monks that can heal.... hahaha. That's another fallacy. Pretty much ANYONE with monk as either primary or secondary can do a good job as a primary healer for the group. People just do it in different ways. When I tried my stint as a necro/monk I could have a single target heal that was bigger then ANY primary monk heal in the game. I was able to pump my health up to 1000 for over a minute and use infuse health. Can you say 700 hitpoint heals? Blah.

Then again, there are a ton of monks that suck at healing in this game as well. I was grouped with one last night that ONLY had heal party and just used that over and over. Not heal other, not healing breeze, not any other heal or heck even protection or smite for that matter. He just sat in the back and used heal party. Do you know how energy INefficient that is? Not to mention the MAJOR agro he generates from casting 8 x 80hp heals?

As for how agro works in this game, it's simple. Who ever is doing the most damage or the most heals gains some agro. Anyone close gains agro. Who ever is standing STILL gains agro. Who ever will take the most damage per hit and die the fastest gains the MOST agro.

This is why monks seem to be targeted over most other party members. They tend to stand in one spot, near the front line, with crap for armor, doing huge energy wasting heals. There is ways to shake agro really fast BEFORE it gets to you. As a healer, you need not only keep an eye on health bars but also the movement of the enemy as well. They didn't want healers in this game to be health bar watchers like in every other game. They want you also paying attention to the action as well. Which is wy there is no taunt skill and why enchantments don't last longer then a minute 30 seconds max.

How do you lose agro real fast? Watch for when monsters "break off" from the warriros on the front line. They run at you but usally not directly. If you take a couple steps backwards while hitting the strafe button left and right real fast you can literally "shake" the agro. This works almost every time and is in a few strategy guides if you don't believe me. Shaking is also how you dodge arrow attacks and other phsycial projectile attacks. I rarely as a caster gain agro unless I want it no matter what I'm doing. You also don't need to be humping your warriors in the butt to heal them either so stay far enough back to gain as little agro as possible and still heal.

As for the last subject of this post, if you want my opinion, an Elmo is the best out there. I have a certain build that has allowed me to solo just about anything. I mean SOLO with no henchies. I can also wipe the floor with opposing teams in pvp if they don't have a mesmir. Since I rather not have this nasty build get around just yet, I'm keeping it for myself and guildies.

Elmo is fine for PVE but its not as good for PVP, especially larger battles where people are actually smart enough to not bunch up that tightly. Smiting knockdown with aftershock is good, but we are no longer talking about healing then.

War/mo is great for 4vs4 arena random pvp, but much weaker 8vs8 guild.

Its just a matter of playstyles. IMO, if you really want to keep everyone alive (enemies included) two rangers alternating fertile seasons will almost always force a stalemate (+24 armor and extra health makes it really tough to kill anything at all) Which is good for king of the hill and hoh. I'm glad they nerfed it since beta, and the two hour fertile season stalemate matches, lol.

No monk skils got nerfed since beta, if anything they need to be a little stronger in some cases, but then again the matches are only supposed to be about 20 mins I guess.