Nobody – that I know of – has tagged me, but I figured this post that’s been going around would be a nice springboard to get me back into blogging. I’m actually looking at a couple of the questions and I have ideas on whole posts about the topics therein. I doubt I’ll ever write those posts. But here’s to hoping.

Without Further ado, The Survey!

 1. What is the name, class, and spec of your primary healer?

Maerdred, Restoration Druid

2. What is your primary group healing environment?

25-man Raids in the Progression tier.

3. What is your favorite healing spell for your class and why? 

Lifebloom has always been my favorite, well since they added it in. It ticks for a not-insignificant amount and if allowed to bloom it packs quite a punch. As a tank healer it’s my main staple. The fact that 3 of my other heals can and will refresh the stacks on it make it very powerful indeed.

4. What healing spell do you use least for your class and why? 

The one with a three minute cooldown? Nope. I use that whenever it’s available and needed. I’d say I ignore Healing Touch most often. Nourish has the same cast time and is such a cheaper spell for the mana I default to Nourish over HT.

5. What do you feel is the biggest strength of your healing class and why? 

Obviously the Hots are a huge strength. The constant ticking of out heals make it feel like damage is mitigated by instantly being healed. I’d say, however the biggest strength is the ability to move while healing. In both PVE and PVP this is a huge thing. I can cast instant HoTs on the run and keep people alive without being rooted in place. If I pop Tree I can even throw instant Regrowths on the run which is even bigger.

6. What do you feel is the biggest weakness of your healing class and why?

Our biggest weakness is our greatest asset. The Hots. In a raid healing environment, my heals get sniped by other healers direct heals. If WG and Chain heal hit the same people, Chain heal will do all the work, and WG will just sit there, ticking away. If I hit someone with Rejuv, and a priest hits them with whatever it is that they have to heal, then my Rejuv gets overridden and counts for nothing but wasted mana.

7. In a 25 man raiding environment, what do you feel, in general, is the best healing assignment for you? 

My personal preferences aside, I’d have to say that Druids excel at raid healing, with a focus on one of the tanks. Lifebloom the tank, and keep rejuv up, while healing the raid. It’s a fairly straightforward healing style. Even with the hots being overridden by others’ direct heals, it’s a great way to help keep the raid alive. With WG, Efflorescence and Tranquility we have multiple tools for the job.

8. What healing class do you enjoy healing with most and why? 

The question, the way it’s worded could mean to things. “Healing with” could be read as “healing as” or “healing alongside”. I read it as “healing as” and so my answer is obviously the Druid. This is why it is my main. If we move to “healing alongside” I’d have to say Disc Priests. Their style and ours mesh together well.

9. What healing class do you enjoy healing with least and why? 

Again, Read that two ways. I’m not a big fan of healing on my Paladin, but I’d like to try it more so I can become more versatile and perhaps grow to like it. As for whom I dislike healing alongside? I’d say Paladins, since they always steal my Tank healing assignments. Though when the tank needs multiple healers, I love that it’s a paladin doing it with me.

10. What is your worst habit as a healer?

Not popping Tree Form every fight.

11. What is your biggest pet peeve in a group environment while healing?

DPS calling for heals. I mean, do you think the healers can’t see your health dropping? We probably knew you needed heals before you did. Shut the heck up!

12. Do you feel that your class/spec is well balanced with other healers for PvE healing?

I think so we have our job and they have theirs. They all mesh together in some way. It helps that Druids are fairly versatile.

13. What tools do you use to evaluate your own performance as a healer?

I generally review Recount logs after each pull to see where I may have done something poorly. Comparing my heals used with other Druids heals used and also checking the overheal numbers. Hots overheal a ton, we know this but if I see a spike, I know I did something wrong.

14. What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about your healing class?

That we’re only raid healers. I’ve been disproving that one for years.

15. What do you feel is the most difficult thing for new healers of your class to learn? 

Probably the same things as other healers. Efficiently using our mana. It is a balance that comes with practice and time spent.

16. If someone were to try to evaluate your performance as a healer via recount, what sort of patterns would they see (i.e. lots of overhealing, low healing output, etc)? 

They’d see that I tend to focus on one of the tanks, even if assigned to raid heal. It’s not my fault Lifebloom does so much healing! One of the tanks is always my most healed target, but if I am raid healing the only things you’ll see on him are lifebloom, rejuv, and AOE splash heals.

17. Haste or Crit and why? 

Haste allows me to get more ticks of my heals into the same amount of time. That means more healing done. I like more healing done. Even though hots can now crit, I think the benefits of haste outweigh the crits in the long run.

18. What healing class do you feel you understand least? 

I’d have to say Disc Priests. I know they work well with me, but if you asked me how they work I’d look at you like you just asked me to explain string theory to a 4 year old.

19. What add-ons or macros do you use, if any, to aid you in healing?

I use mouse hover macros for all of my heals as well as using Grid raid frames to make it easy to see what’s going on. Beyond those, I have tidy plates for times when I have to be looking at something other than grid. I use decursive for dispelling. I also use Power Auras to tell me when cooldowns are available.

20. Do you strive primarily for balance between your healing stats, or do you stack some much higher than others, and why?

I would value Spirit > Haste > Mastery > Crit. In practice, I’m not at a place where I have multiple items to choose from, so I generally wear what is available.

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