Yesterday, Johannah the Smite Priest looked at the five best smite priest loots in 3.3 5-man dungeons; today, I’m going to stay in the realm of the ICC 5-man dungeons but instead change my perspective over to the other Holy tree, priest heals. We’ll look at how these items affect Discipline healing too, though the list admittedly won’t differ.

Note that these items are friendly to healing priests and, as such, will not have any hit rating. Smite and Shadow priests definitely need hit rating, so it’s better to check the previous list for the pews!

1. Chest. Mord’rethar Robes. Devourer of Souls, Forge of Souls. Spirit for Holy — crit rating for Discipline! And it’s not like Discipline shies away from Spirit or Holy loathes crit rating either. Need I say more? This robe is just “wow” without having to blow emblems or go to a raid.
2. Waist. Braid of Salt and Fire. Ick, Pit of Saron. Haste saves lives, and spirit gives mana to save lives. This is a solid belt. There are boots in Pit of Saron too that make the trip more worthwhile: Prelate’s Shoes.
3. Off-hand Frill. The Shriveled Heart. The Captain’s Chest, Halls of Reflection. I listed this yesterday, and I’m listing it again. You’re going to need an off-hand when you get your hilt weapon, and this is simply the best one around without stepping into a raid.
4. Gloves. Suspiciously Soft Gloves. Marwyn, Halls of Reflection. I also listed these yesterday for smite spec, and for the same reason; crit rating and spirit. While Holy priests often don’t rely on crit as much (but, if you read my Lvl 80 Holy Priest Guide, you know I’m a fan of Surge of Light), I still think these are a solid set of gloves and are worthy of your top 5 items to grab for your healing set. These will alternate between Holy and Discipline fairly well.
5. Trinket. Ephemeral Snowflake. Marwyn, Halls of Reflection. Whether you’re a Holy or Discipline priest, this trinket has some uses for you. I’ll explain how it works in my post tomorrow and how you can maximize it’s output; for now, go run Halls of Reflection and try to grab yourself one!

Halls of Reflection is the winner again, but there’s something in all three instances to explore. By the time you get all the smite and healing items, you should have your very own Battered Hilt.

For the past few weeks, everyone’s enjoyed patch 3.3 and the first ICC wing. We soak it up during our eager World of Warcraft breaks in the middle of the Holiday conundrum, knowing it will be awhile before the next wing is released. For my guild, the experience known as Saurfang (and informally known as this) came to fruition last night, thankfully after hot soup and a sandwich to ease my twitching nervous system.

At first, like many deceptive fights in progression raids, I thought Blizzard had once again made things too easy. And then, with very little warning (I think our raid leader read tidbits from WoWWiki at some point, but it’s difficult for me to listen to something that sounds like the mother from Peanuts), everyone dies and I think, “Progression raid is progressing!”

Happens every time.

I’m sure in another 3 weeks, I’ll have guild members complaining they made things too easy anyway, but for now, this kind of sharp learning curve spawns all kinds of hilarious and bountiful whispers. At some point, I told another one of the guildies through the pink text, “I’m Penancing Under Duress.” I will henceforth refer to this as iPud.

The question is: in 3.3, is it better to heal Holy, or to heal iPud?

Healing Discipline: Why your raid can benefit from your very own iPud

Here are three reasons iPud is the successful way to heal in 3.3:

1. For the bubbles! Taken from WoWWiki’s entry on Saurfang: Saurfang will cast Boiling Blood on random raid members. This can simply be healed through, though every tick grants blood power. While you can not dispel or normally remove this debuff, immunity abilities like Ice Block and Divine Shield will stop it ticking while active, as will a Priest’s Power Word: Shield. This can greatly reduce the amount of Blood Power Saurfang receives. Power Word: Shield procs Borrowed Time for faster Penance to deal with Mark of the Fallen Champion so that Saurfang doesn’t heal 5% of his total health. PW:S is also an excellent way to help with Bonestorm while running around (insta-cast + running = FTW!) and, provided you have Rapture, will help your raid maintain high mana/energy/rage throughout these extended fights.
2. You still have a Prayer of Healing strategy. One of the big arguments against Discipline is that it is ineffective for raid healing (even though I just mentioned that Penance is a great fix for Mark of the Fallen Champion.) While it’s true that Discipline is not as effective as Holy, you’re not nearly as gimped at raid heals as you might think, or people might make you out to be. Try procing Borrowed Time before Prayer of Healing; it won’t feel as fast as Serendipity 3, but you can get Borrowed Time faster than Serendipity 3, which means you can potentially pump out Prayer of Healing faster in the long haul.
3. Mana, mana, mana. I mentioned in a previous post how I had switched from Healbot to Grid healing. I heal faster that way. Healing faster meant running out of mana quicker, and when my 1400+ Spirit with my Darkmoon Card: Greatness could no longer keep my mana up, I switched from Holy to Discipline in a desperate attempt to fix mana issues I got tired of fighting. With that in mind, a higher Spirit (and Int too, but the delicate process of DMC:G is that Spirit > Int at all times for the proc) could fix Holy.

Healing Holy: Why iPud might not be the thing for you

Here are three reasons Holy may be the better option than Discipline in 3.3:

1. Speed demon bubble. Just because you’re not spec’d for a cheap, high-absorption bubble doesn’t mean that PW:S is useless. If you spec’d into Body and Soul like I recommended in my Lvl 80 Holy Priest Raiding Guide, you can utilize PW:S to help run from Bonestorm, help raid members stay away from blood beasts, and run back to the ledge during the airship event. Careful, though; Holy is a mana sink to begin with, and using too much PW:S is only going to make it worse.
2. Raid spreading out + Circle of Healing smart heal. Several bosses, yet again, require the raid to spread out. Chain Heal, even increased from an 8 to 10 yard jump, can’t cut it in several scenarios where the raid just needs to stay away from each other; this is where the Holy priest’s Circle of Healing really shines. If your raid needs a smart heal to take care of the raid damage, a Holy priest definitely brings a friendlier smart heal than the Restoration shaman. Going Discipline won’t give the priest this smart heal advantage.
3. Strategic Lightwell. Lightwell is actually rather useful in several of these fights. For instance, those with Mark of the Champion can stack on another HoT simply by making a pit stop at the nearest Lightwell location.

Why I prefer iPud over Holy in 3.3

I am a Holy priest at heart, whether it’s pewing or healing; but in 3.3, at least in ICC’s first wing, Discipline priests are definitely getting the spotlight. So many fights benefit from the improved PW:S and so many of them are mana intensive, requiring the spec that is more friendly to your mana pool and sustainability. Not only that, but there is a vast difference in the ease of healing the new 5-mans between the two specs; Halls of Reflection in Discipline is peachy, and in Holy, is like a flashback to the nightmare runs through a Heroic TK instance in green and blue gear. While Holy still has it’s clear advantages (like Circle of Healing), the disparity of them is too wide for it to hold a candle to Discipline.

The first time I get an opportunity to wriggle my way into an ICC raid as Smite, I’ll provide a compare-contrast on how our fair Smite spec is doing versus the new-and-improved Shadow spec. Until then, Happy Holidays!

I’m participating in a healing quiz floating around the blog-o-sphere. I discovered this questionnaire on A Night in the Day of a Night Elf Druid and thought I’d give it a go. I stumbled upon the blog while doing research yesterday for DoT and HoT clipping is bad!

• What is the name, class, and spec of your primary healer? I have two healers: Johannah, Holy priest (who smites, never Discipline!); and Kourtnie, Restoration shaman
• What is your primary group healing environment? (i.e. raids, pvp, 5 mans) All of the above, but raiding takes the cake. Mostly 10-mans; 25-mans once in awhile. I do PvP as a healer too though in both battlegrounds and arenas, and who doesn’t do the heroic daily!?
• What is your favorite healing spell for your class and why?
  • Priest: Gotta be Guardian Spirit; glyph it up and you get 150% healing boosts really often! Circle of Healing and Divine Hymn are close seconds though.
  • Shaman: Earth Shield. I like to make a game out of seeing if a tank can get through a heroic with only Earth Shield and Riptide.
• What healing spell do you use least for your class and why?
  • Priest: Binding Heal, which is terrible, because it’s an excellent spell. It’s not that I don’t know it’s there, it’s that my health is usually the last thing on my mind. I think if I had to pick one to consciously forget, it’d be Greater Heal, because I’m much more focused on raid healing that trying to nab large chunks of damage off tanks. Our paladins do a dandy job on that.
  • Shaman: Chain Heal, and this is why I switched to Holy priest as my raider. I understand that 3.2 boosted Chain Heal significantly, but my play style just veers more towards fast-action spells and it’s undeniably slow to cast. Circle of Healing provides that nom-nom-nom smart heal goodness in an insta-cast form.
• What do you feel is the biggest strength of your healing class and why?
  • Priest: Holy priests are strong raid healers, and this is where my healing enjoyment truly lies. In a pinch though, I can tank heal, and this is definitely a plus for the class. Priests also have so many spells, so the fun factor for healing is always there.
  • Shaman: Totems, totems, totems! Who doesn’t love them? And your armor is significantly higher than those squishy priests, too. Unfortunately, the slow raid heal spell didn’t agree with me in a burst-damage expansion like Wrath of the Lich King.
• What do you feel is the biggest weakness of your healing class and why?
  • Priest: Real easy to die. This definitely shows in PvP situations, but even in PvE, if you don’t have Fade and that new OT is a menace, you’re done for. My shaman spoiled me with her ability to sustain herself by spamming Lesser Healing Wave and relying on heavy armor.
  • Shaman: Too slow.
• In a 25 man raiding environment, what do you feel, in general, is the best healing assignment for you? Raid healing in both situations, but a Restoration shaman does a better job at tank heals than a Holy priest does if there’s a lack in the tank heal department.
• What healing class do you enjoy healing with most and why?
  • Priest: I love me a paladin. Since Holy priests are so strong on raid heals, the paladin’s tank healing capabilities really compliment well.
  • Shaman: Druid. I cast burst heal all day with Lesser Healing Wave, so let’s get some slow and steady HoTs!
• What healing class do you enjoy healing with least and why?
  • Priest: In 10-mans, another Holy priest. We need another tank healer in there! In 25-mans, druids. They like to raid heal, but my Circle of Healing is going to eat up that damage they’re rolling HoTs over whether I want it to or not–smart heals are mean that way.
  • Shaman: Paladin. You’ve condemned me to raid heal service and I get you think Chain Heal is awesome, but I am actually a big fan of Lesser Healing Wave on top of my nifty Earth Shield.
• What is your worst habit as a healer? Freaking out. Seriously, never Prayer of Healing without Serendipity 3, and don’t rely on Chain Heal when bad things are happening. Any slow spell means dead man with WotLK’s ridiculous burst damage output.
• What is your biggest pet peeve in a group environment while healing? Don’t tell me you need healing. Especially don’t tell me if someone else needs healing. I see it. Promise.
• Do you feel that your class/spec is well balanced with other healers for PvE healing? Definitely. I’ve never thought any healing class was weaker than the other enough that it’s unbalanced, though.
• What tools do you use to evaluate your own performance as a healer? Meters. I know everyone likes to say that meters don’t tell the whole story, but if you use them right, they can help out a lot. Don’t just check how your heals were in the fight. Check these things too: Overheals; dispels; mana regeneration. Compare yourself to other members of your class/spec. See how you’re doing. It also lets you get an idea of the strengths/weaknesses of the other classes. For instance, paladins do great heals, but their overheals are something else!
• What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about your healing class?
  • Priest: When people don’t realize the wildly different mechanics between Discipline and Holy. Both specs can raid heal and tank heal. Both specs can bubble. Both specs can HoT. But one spec is better at one of those roles than the other, and people should be aware of those strengths and weaknesses.
  • Shaman: OMG, that we can’t tank heal. I Hate That. With capitals.
• What do you feel is the most difficult thing for new healers of your class to learn? Whether they should use Spirit or mp5, and how to balance their mana, haste, and spellpower. It’s not just priests and shamans, but every class. Druids and priests should use Spirit, shamans and paladins should use mp5. Simple as that. Also, if you never go below 90% mana, get yourself some haste. If you’re oom constantly, stop stacking haste and focus more on your regen stat.
• 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)? I am the lowest overheals! /flex. Seriously though, I’m always high heals output, and I’m always pretty low overheals output. I have a reputation for being a good healer, and I really believe that’s because I’ve been doing it since vanilla. It’s all practice. Classes are just flavor; it ultimately comes down to the player.
• Haste or Crit and why?
  • Priest: Both, please! In equal measure!
  • Shaman: Crit, crit, crit, crit! Did I mention crit? Crit gives mana back thanks to the WS talents, and you’ll get Focus Magic if you tell people you have a 50% crit rating.
• What healing class do you feel you understand least? Paladins, because I’ve never played them. I’ve even played druid heals in Wrath content, but I’m not good enough about it to warrant discussing it in detail! You must be a masta grasshoppa to offer advice to others.
• What add-ons or macros do you use, if any, to aid you in healing? I used to use HealBot. I recently switched to Grid and mouse-over heals after our uber paladin, Ariadnia, told me it’ll clip off half-second stalls on my healing. I use Bartender4 to manage my explosion of buttons.
• Do you strive primarily for balance between your healing stats, or do you stack some much higher than others, and why?
  • Priest: I gem Spirit even though I read I’m not supposed to. I have an obsession with Body and Soul and it’s ability to save people that are running behind with things like deep breath, and PW:S is a mana sink, so that’s how I try to counteract it. I also stack a little more crit than most Holy priests because I’m a Surge of Light fan. Part of what I love about priests is that they allow this kind of flexibility in stats.
  • Shaman: I have serious crit addiction.

Part of this is tagging two others to participate, so I’m going to choose these two bloggers:

1. The Unconventional Priest, which is now a smite priest blog! ZOMG, go read it, it’s going to be uber!
2. Unbearably HoT, because I’d like to learn more about druid healing; not to mention every entry is dripping with sexual hilarity and I’d love to instigate another potential post.

Check out the Circle of Healers to others that have participated in this questionnaire. This whole thing was started by Miss Medicina.