Which healer should I play? (Playstyle in here)

[Rizlaa]

Hi guys!

So I've dabbled in RoR once before and played a Shaman and had an absolute blast in scenarios healing people and essentially solo carrying the matches, which I loved!

I'm looking to return and back to my healing roots, I've noted Shamans currently have DPS builds and tend to perform in roaming / solo scenarios. However, my main preference is healing scenarios or large scale groups, potentially smaller teams. I hate soloing so I have no ambition to play a DPS build on any character I pick.

I was suggested the Runepriest but it actually looks extremely complex and difficult to pick up.

I love AoE heals / heals over time / backline traditional healing.

What would you suggest?

EDIT: I feel I should I add I don't think I've made it past level 15 on any character ever in Warhammer. So I'm completely noob, please go easy on acronyms etc.

[Panodil]

Zealot or Runepriest. They are good in all kind of groups, not good solo.
Also easy to learn.

[Toggle]

All of the healers in RoR are viable. Play all 3 types (Mage-Shammy, Zealot-Rune Priest, Disciple of Khaine-Warrior Priest) and decide which you like the best. If you’re thinking traditional MMO healer is your thing, then you’re looking at either a Zealot or Rune Priest.

[Haskr]

Runepriest / Zealot:
-are rather easy to play, you have no career mechanic to keep an eye on, just your action points.
- very strong single target heal/burst heal (also with tactics that further strengthen heal value or give your target a shield on heal crit)
- are needed in warbands as well as smallscale
- they can stagger an enemy for up to 6 seconds (breaks on dmg), can be crucial in fights if you get a stagger on the enemy healer etc etc.
- Career gimmick: Runes/Marks and Runes/Rituals: Can buff fellow groupmates with runes/mark to buff their initiative, mainstat, resists, thoughness etc, can put runes/rituals on the ground that buff the group (ap on ability activation, heal every 3 seconds and so on)
- very mobile healer, very cheap flash heal that can be cast on the move and procs a lot of your tactics
- can rez themselves/groupmates after death with a rune/mark
- aoe dps runepriest/zealot can debuff enemies armor etc (some warbands run them)

Warrior Priest / Disciple of Khaine:
- Aoe grouphealer: spammable group heal, group heal over time, group shield (with that spec he is a traditional backline healer)
- Healing backbone of any warband or smallscale party
- Has a career ressource (Righteous Fury / Soul Essence) to watch over.
- Weak single target heals (not that you can't be a solo healer in a 3 man roam, its just a bit more difficult than with runepriest/zealot lets say)
- Career gimmick: 3 Auras (armor (doesn't stack with armor pot!), damage, healing)
- can be a bit static to play in comparison to the others, not much healing on the move
- Medium armor: can become rather hard to kill
- can go melee healer (shield and 1 hand) and dps (2hand melee)
- Group heal is level 20!, group hot, group shield need higher mastery points, so you won't feel powerfull untill like level 25+, but then it starts getting better really really fast.

Shaman / Archmage:
- Mediocre healing abilities, fun dps spec (can still be a great healer though, and some heal is better than no heal, like always)
- can pump their groupmates with morale points
- tactic for instant rez
- career mechanic: uuuuuuhhhhmmm
- archmage: bathrobes
- shaman: green and smells
- healing shamans/archmages are a rare gem, so most people will think you are dps and watch you die with pleasure!

[Rizlaa]

Thanks for your responses guys.

I've picked up the Rune Priest and I'm enjoying it so far, I'd like more diversity than just spamming the one heal but I'm only level 7 so can't complain haha!

Will test them all out in due course and see which fits me.

[Fey]

From my perspective far too many healers ignore their offensive capabilities. Runepriest/Zealot for example have an incredibly potent cc ability on a short cool-down that should be utilized to the fullest. Of course your first responsibility is healing, but you must make use of your stagger and your silence for that matter. If you are able to coordinate your stagger with your group's assist burst congratulations you're god mode. Any pug can pre-hot and spam flash heal.

I usually target Runepriests and AM's, heal or dps, for stagger on my zealot. Six seconds of a staggered healer is a good start to securing a kill. Six seconds of a staggered dps AM will annoy the hell out of them. Stagger them twice and they will get distracted and target you instead of a proper target. Detaunt cleanse ap drain and lol at them wasting their time.

WP is not as good an option as a disrupt will trigger Exaulted Defenses. If I'm staggering one of the WP's that put up insane healing numbers I always have silence ready as a backup. You won't have this problem as DoKs don't have an equivalent tactic, so it's just a disrupt. Rdps is also a good option. SW and Engie are fine, but BW intelligence will up the disrupt rate obviously. However if you can interrupt any BW rotation you've mitigated a bunch of damage and that is equivalent to healing damage.

Stagger on a WL pet is great as you can prevent a Fetch. Stagger tanks that get punted away from their guarded target. Stagger (or knockback) WH that pops on a fellow healer or nearby rpds.

Buffhead is an absolute must to monitor enemy immunities. If you stagger an immune target, you're going to have a bad time.

Finally and most importantly you will want to toggle on your Rune of Breaking before you cast your stagger. It's on a 20 second cool-down, as is Rune of Binding. It has its own cool-down irrespective of other abilities, so you don't need to eat up a global cool-down to increase your intelligence by five or six hundred. This is the only way you're going to land an offensive spell because otherwise your intelligence is around 200, aka garbage. Typically I toggle Harbinger, the Zealot equivalent, stagger, and toggle off Harbinger in one global cool-down. If I'm lucky or in the zone I'll have a silence target ready as well. Toggle Rune of Breaking, stagger a Zealot, silence a Magus, toggle off Harbinger and continue healing.

IMO: WP/DoK for straight up bulk healing. If you like seeing 500k healing in a Gromril Crossing that's your class.

Zealot/RP for potent single heals, very solid buffs, great single target cc. Absorb tactic, armor tactic, and increased heal tactic are all gravy.

Shaman/AM are for high skill ceiling players who can AP drain, puddle, range knock-back, heal debuff, and still effectively heal. These two are the most offensive when heal specced as you'll need to cover your AP drain or heal debuff so they don't get cleansed. Worse for shamans specifically because of cauterize on BW.

I wrote this from the Destro perspective, but you can figure out the specifics for classes that you'll face.

Hope this all helps!

[Goermsi]

Can this be a serious question?
Of course you have to play a shaman!

The Shaman has a running proc, a super puddle for CC, decent hots, 2 times detaunt, can buff toughness and resistance and in total becomes a small, green lightning fast healer who can pull whole warbands behind him.
Only the Runi can compete with him, not in speed and CC - but in armor. Well played Runis (also Sigis) can really develop a hard shell. But what is the use of a hard shell if you can't get away

So, get a shaman and make Gork&Mork proud.
Green are the best.

[Kwatchi]

As an apparently rare healing AM (I know far more AM heals than dps oddly enough), I would recommend the Rune Priest over Archmage for a few reasons.

1. While the AM/Shaman slow puddle is quite useful and funnily annoying, that 6 sec stagger is the bane of existence. I’d almost rather be jumped by a WElf than dealing with that cc out of the blue. Truly an awesome skill to have.

2. The Elf model is tall while Dwarf is short. In a big rvr kerfuffle, that ends up with me getting targeted for Marauder yanks/rdps far more than my RP compatriots simply because I stand out more. An rp can stay under the radar and sneak up a bit closer to the front.

3. The on-the-run flash heal is far more useful than my on-the-run hots. And as a healer, you will end up moving a lot thanks to the flying circus of melee Squigs. (Occasionally a dumb derp ‘dps’ tank will annoy you; use detaunt and enjoy the massage).

4. Dwarfs get the best /special in the game!

5. As the AM mechanic requires throwing occasional dps out to boost your heals, over reaching Rambos will flip out if they see it while spamming for a rez and accuse you of the sin of being a selfish dps. While amusingly ironic, it ends up with your ignore list getting pretty full.

Only drawbacks to RP are the dumb looking hats you are stuck with and a craptastic helicopter back pack mount.

Regardless of what you end up choosing, enjoy the painful roller coaster ride that is healing in this game.

My 2 coins.

[Haskr]

Only drawbacks to RP are the dumb looking hats

hey!