How not to start a career in healing

My shadow priest Jools has been slacking a little lately, not been getting around much. On a whim, I decided to go holy!

Jools has actually been shadow only for a short time, from about half of 67 to 70. Before that she was heavily into the discipline tree - luuuv that reflective shield! When doing the very rare boost for some low lvl friend I used to put on the shield and then just run through the mobs - they killed themselves getting their own damage reflected back at them ;P

Also the mana regen in a heavy disc spec was pretty amazing, hardly ever needed to sit down for a drink (this was very nifty since Jools been a little of my grind-bot, grinding rep for those sweet enchanting and jewelcrafting recipes, timbermaws anyone?)

Had a very brief stunt rearranging my talent points in the mid-60's, getting that angel talent for the spirit buff, which buffed the mana regen even more. It was about this time that I agreed to come heal in Auchenai for some pug.

I told them I was disc and not very used to healing and it was ok with them. Maybe not the most efficient group, a few of them got killed some times in the pulls in the first room, and then I got killed too. Woosh, the angel shape hovers above the rest of the valiant fighters and I watch them die.

When running back, one of them kindly asked me "You do know that you can heal in angel form, don't you?" Eeh right, had totally forgotten about that *blush*.

Anyways, we kept going but after I while it was painfully obvious that I was way too unexperienced for taking on healing in a pretty chaotic group. Changing healing targets, getting the right heals off, it was just too much for me to keep up so I told them I was sorry but they were probably better off with another healer. They agreed.

(On a side note, maybe I wasn't that bad because one of the party members have asked me to come heal some more times, but I have respectfully declined. Or maybe he was just desperate :-)

So now I respecced to full holy with a small dabble in discipline. Holy Nova (this spell I have actually had in shadow spec too - hihihi when aoeing those ballroom packs in Kara), the Lightwell and the Circle of Light - instant (instant!) spell that heal the target and his party members for about 450. Not that mana heavy either, and it scales with bonus healing.

Equipped my healing gear and blushed. Blushed for 2 reasons - why does some gear look like its designed for table dancing or other dubious activities? The dev's at Blizz definitely need to go out and get some fresh air occasionally. 2nd reason - about 1100 healing bonus, half of my gear greens of the prophet or of the physician. (Actually have a pair of sweet epic healing gloves, the [Gloves of Saintly Blessings] that my guildies forced upon me on an earlier Kara run when all of the present healers had better.)


Jools in her K-mart healing gear. Note the fishnet sleeves, the daring deep v-cut top, the pants that somehow lack the parts between the knees and the hips and the huge turqoise musceteer boots.

So the raid time came and we all went off to Karazhan to start decimating the number of its denizens. Three healers, me, a resto shaman and one of our shadow priests healing as well.

The rest of the nights raid were pretty well geared, having been there many times and I suddenly understood why some of our healers are complaining when I am tanking with my pretty bear - I had nothing to do! The damn tanks hardly got damaged!

(On a related side note, some of our healers are known to go pull more mobs when this happens just to avoid falling to sleep due to inactivity. I was thinking about doing this but decided against it, I'll pull when I am in bear gear but not when I am in my fragile glass outfit ;P)

Wohoo, 100 hp's lost, let me give you a renew!

Someone in the melee getting damaged - ooo let me try my instant group heal!

Hmm maybe I should throw the tank a frisbee, just on the off chance he gets damaged.

Prayer of healing, now this is a nice one, maybe I should use it pre-emptively just in case some unforeseen aoe damage happens!

The night ended after 4 hours of raiding, Huntsman, Moroes, Maiden, Opera, Aran and the Chess Event all cleared without a wipe, 4 new shinies for Jools shadow outfit but none for her healing.

So why is this not a good way to start your healing career you ask? Well, how am I to learn how to handle aggro management, chaotic multiple pulls and such like when we raid like a well-oiled machine?

Hmm I guess I am never happy unless I have something to whine about ;P