Dear Greater Heal, We're Over
Dear Greater Heal,

I've long been a staunch defender of you, heal-bomb.

I have held on to you and your friend, my dear sweet Divine Fury... from the 80 levels spent Holy as I quested and killed mobs, all the way to 10 man ICC. All the way through to Festergut...

Where my love for you wiped our group.

We have a very strict 11pm cut off time. We were stretching it for a couple of minutes to try and do a quickie Festergut to close out the night. Final inhale, and my eyes are squinted, my shoulders tense, as I weave my way through a very strict tank healing rotation. Tank is at full health, so I decide that at my next Borrowed Time buff, I'm going to squeeze you, Greater Heal, into my rotation. Raid buffed, even without Borrowed Time, I've got 35% haste. The cast time on you with Borrowed Time is approximately 1.6 seconds.

And you just weren't fast enough.

I don't know how much mitigation value was on the tank at the time. Pain Suppression had probably worn off, and during your precious 1.6 second cast, I'm sure any bubble (Power Word: Shield or Divine Aegis) he'd had was gone. But nothing makes me angrier than having my heal land a microsecond after the tank dies.

I'm livid. And I may be abandoning you from here on out, Greater Heal.

Granted, that was definitely not the best situation in which to use you, and I fully recognize that. But when my eyes are squinted and my shoulders hunched, sometimes my snap decisions aren't the best. It's the analysis I do afterwards that makes me a better healer.

Here's the thing. You're very powerful, Greater Heal, and I certainly can't deny that. You heal for somewhere between 11k and 17k, depending on whether or not you crit, stacks of Grace, etc. You're great for filling up the tank when he or she takes a big hit. So in general, to be effective, I prefer to use you when the tank is low on health (or when I expect him to be low on health by the time the heal hits). That generally means they are going to be below 50% health... which is where your arch enemy, Improved Flash Heal, kicks in. That extra bonus to crit means I have a 10% higher chance to proc that yummy Divine Aegis on the tank.

I was already planning on dumping you, Greater Heal, once I picked up the two piece t10 bonus but it looks like I may have to abandon you sooner. You may be more mana efficient... but I just can't rely on you. You just aren't dependable. You weren't there when I needed you, GHeal. How much crit have I sacrificed in your name? Five talents points that could make me a stronger, more independent Dwarf... and I have given them to help you be a Better Heal.

BUT NO MORE. We're done.

No love,
Jessabelle
16 Responses
  1. Sean Says:

    I feel your pain. GHeal was a priest staple till near the end of TBC. I healed in a similar style early WOTLK (GHeal cancel-cast).

    It took some painful wipes for me to finally stop me from casting GHeal. And to be honest, I was a much better healer after discarding the spell. I have no regrets but am sad as GHeal was one of my favourite spells.

    The only time I use GHeal would be with a full serendipity stack on a tank who's health has plummeted. But GHeal is a highly situational spell.


  2. Tam Says:

    Dear Miss Medicina

    I was never good enough for you. I've known it for a long time, but I was selfish and I couldn't let go of my glory days of being useful. I should by all rights be hanging out with lolwell.

    Yours
    Greater Heal


  3. Tiex Says:

    Poor GH!

    I swear that I still use it for burst healing (the famous Shield + Penance + GH) =P

    However, I do find myself madly spamming flash heal on Festergut and it makes me feel like a pally 0.o


  4. Kayeri Says:

    Heh, the healer lead in my new guild mentioned something about this the other day... and one day, when my baby priest is all grown up in her own shiny purples, I will understand the pain... :)

    I imagine it must be something like Kayeri's Healing Touch... Big and Beautiful, but just way the hell too long for it to land... unless we partner it with Nature's Swiftness...


  5. superwaddle Says:

    Ah, so we meet again, GHeal. You see, I know your dirty secret. Many people have incorrectly assumed that "G" meant "Greater", but I have always suspected (and now it is confirmed) that your name is indeed masking a subtle but insidious truth.... "G" actually stands for "Grandpa", a small but important difference.

    You aren't actually "greater" or better or superior than any other spell, are you? No, you're actually OLDER. And I'll take all those GHeal-centric talent points and use them for something better.

    You're like an old mafia Don, GHeal, and I believe your time has finally come. The feds are knocking at your door, and you and I both know that you are but a vestige of a long past traditionally family-run illegitimate business. We priests won't stand up for it any longer.
    (I'm respeccing.)


  6. Dristanel Says:

    Dear MM,

    Baby, don't do me like that. We can work it out. I promise I can change.

    Love,
    Greater Heal


  7. Unknown Says:

    Dear Ghetto heal,

    Flash heal made me feel so alive when he's around. He gives me just enough to keep me going so that I can keep the raid happy and the Boss on me. When you tried to step in and help out occasionally, it made me wet my armor when my health would dwindle dangeriously low. So next time you think that you can come over to my house & bring flowers to appolgize for your tardiness, I wont be taking you back.

    No love,

    The Tank smear on the floor.


  8. Anonymous Says:

    Ah, but the Healbomb has a perfect time and place - for the Huntard who can't seem to get it out of their head that purple on the floor is usually bad.

    Huntard: Heal, please
    Priest: Aye, on its way
    Huntard: Hunter down
    Priest: Sorry, just missed the cast getting off
    Huntard: Use a different spell next time! L2P noob!
    Priest: Your right. How silly of me. Perhaps it was just that I was transfixed by the purple colors you were standing in which clouded my judgment. Oops, so sorry, battle rez on cooldown, you'll have to watch this fight from the floor.

    SpiritusRex


  9. Anonymous Says:

    WTB edit button.

    *You're so right.

    Grrrr

    SpiritusRex


  10. Shayzani Says:

    Damn, the comment I was going to leave was already made by someone else thereby rendering this one useless. I have nothing to say other than WHAT IS THIS I DON'T EVEN

    Yeah, an internet meme. Sorry.


  11. Anonymous Says:

    Even when I set it up to show my serendipidy on my Powa Auras I keep forgetting to use it. Yes It's time to go Greater Heal.


  12. parallaxgaze Says:

    At first I was afraid, I was petrified. I kept thinking I could never live without you by my side....

    -G. Heal


  13. Liadel, Drood Healer Says:

    Greater Heal and Healing Touch need to go somewhere and learn how to be a part of the regular rotation.

    I have never, not once, used Healing touch in ICC. Not ICC10, not ICC 25, not with nature's swiftness, never.

    I will, occasionally, use it on myself, in Dalaran, just to see how much it can crit for. Although sometimes I also do that in Stormwind.

    Why would I use it when the combo of Rejuv + Glyph of nourish + Nourish heals for within 2k, and at over a second less? It's, unfortunately, useless.

    It makes me a sad tree.


  14. Anonymous Says:

    haha. took you that long to give up the ghost, eh? i've always been a flash guy myself.


  15. Auden Says:

    Dear Greater Heal,

    We'd take you. We love big slow heals. Although I don't know, you might always seem a little inadequate compared to Holy Light. But we could give it a try, see how it works out.

    Love, Paladins


  16. Anonymous Says:

    All this GHeal hate makes me a sad Disc Priest. Although I can understand your frustration. 900 haste is the sweet spot where GHeal becomes effective. At that haste rating, you should be able to rock a 1.7 sec GHeal cast with no buffs, under 1.4 with BT or PI up, and roughly 1.1 with both.

    C'mon GHeal, let's go grab a couple pints at the pub.

    Vess


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