New to WoW- healing in pvp viable?

[mender of bad soles]

first let me begin by saying this: I am completely new to WoW.

Is true pure healing(and possibly some disc spells) viable in pvp at high levels? I have played healer in the pvp of many games similar to this, and am comfortable with: having to react in 1/2 of a second to spikes, being the main target of directed pressure and kiting effectively, drawing melee into an overextend in larger battles, etc.

From what i have read, burst damage in the main goal of a pvper. I know the counters to burst damage are either out dps them, or heal the player thru the damage making the burst useless.

So my noob question: is pure healing effective for high level pvp?

[Your Average WoW Player]

By pure healing I think you're implying that you JUST heal. Nothing else, nothing more. Not really. Unless you're a pally or shammie, but most people will get a little picky if the shammie is JUST healing as shammies have some very good attacks, and pallies are quite useful in some situations.

If you're a priest, then no, pure healing really isn't that viable. If the other side notices that you (a priest) is doing a lot of healing, they will rip you apart in under 10 seconds. Almost every class as some way to stop you from moving, and priests are quite frail.

[ghazghull]

You can heal in high-lvl PvP all you like, you just won't get any honour points.
Everyone will love you though, thats good right?

[Findariel]

You can heal in high-lvl PvP all you like, you just won't get any honour points.
Everyone will love you though, thats good right?
That's not true, really, don't try to scare people!!
From the official site (http://www.wow-europe.com/en/info/basics/honor/honor-system-faq.html):

What if I do less damage than the rest of my group, say through healing, damage over time, or area-of-effect spells? Do I still get the same amount of honor as my group?
Yes. Players who are grouped in a party equally split the honor they earn. The Priest who heals will receive an equal share of points as the Warrior who is swinging away at the target.

Will one class have an advantage over the others? Some classes seem to be better equipped for gaining honor than others; was that taken into consideration?
During our testing we did not come across any one class that had a distinct advantage over the others. Each class has an equal chance of gaining Honor Points depending on how it is played.

Healing in WoW is a bit different than many other games because in WoW spells take a long time to cast.
Not like for example Guildwars where monk spells are cast in a split second, the priests Prayer of Healing/Greater Heal takes a full 3 seconds to cast and (less effective) Flash heal 1.5 seconds. Heal spells from other classes have similar casting times.

You'll find that a full healer/healer-only doesn't really exist because you won't have a lot to do, sometimes. Characters have a lot of hp and it may take some time before they're so far down that it's time to heal them.

[galzohar]

Healing is extremely powerful though. My priest is not as geared as my mage, and my mage can throw out 1.5k fireballs non-crit every 3 seconds while my priest can throw a 1200 flash heal every 1.5 seconds. And healing uses less mana per point of HP compared to damage spells too, so if you don't get killed faster than you can cast a heal (as in get silenced/counterespelled/stunned/etc), just healing yourself will get the mage oom then you can melee him to death if you'd like.

[ghazghull]

Sad but true. PvP is just to fast for 3-second non-offensive spells. The only 3 second cast spell I use is aimed shot...

[Kodiax]

The new BG scoreboard tracks total damage dealt and healing performed. I don't know the detailed math behind how it materializes into points, but it's definitely in there and worth something.

In terms of winning the BG's, a few heals in the right spots can make a major difference.

[Findariel]

In terms of winning the BG's, a few heals in the right spots can make a major difference.
What I'd like is that the characters on the top left of your screen were not the predesignated "teammembers" but the 5 people closest to you. Would make life a lot easier for healers/buffers.

[FodderCannoned]

So my noob question: is pure healing effective for high level pvp?

yes, in premade PVP groups we have designated healers that only heal every time, if you heal in pvp you will greatly increase the chance of your team winning. All it takes is 1 healer to turn the tide.

Listen to kodiak, well timed heals make ALL the difference in the world.

[xyle]

I agree with the poster above me. I can't speak for the new patch since I don't really play anymore, but I've been a regular healer in a premade for a long time, and I was fully specced/geared/enchanted for healing. If your team mates look out for you, you won't die often at all, while you keep your friends alive.

Healing will give your team a huge advantage, as a small amount of players can survive against overwhelming odds with a good healer at their side. Anyway, I've also found healing in PvP to be a lot more effective and enjoyable than nuking people in shadow. I never try it in pugs though, it's frustrating getting zerged without anyone trying to look out for you.

[Chemm]

Yes healing alone is very viable from a priest if you are running with maybe a fury warrior that knows how to play, and keeps people off of you...

[Phelix]

Yes, if you get into a good and/or serious PvP-guild they will love you, and if you are good at healing you won't lose many BGs if you play with the right people (premades).

I really recommend shadow/feral/enchacnement for leveling up your character though.
Once you hit 60 you can respecc to holy/restoration and start healing people.

[SirBazturd]

I am all healing (shaman-41 pts in resto) and I am responsible for keeping people alive, purging enemies buffs, cleansing poisons, and silencing casters. It is much more fun to pvp heal than to pve heal b/c the situation changes every few seconds.


(I actually beat a hunter 1 on 1 last night after the rest of my group was dead. That hunter must have been TERRIBLE!! All I could here in my vent was my guildies laughing bcause they were /shocked!)