The idea of Holy DPS has been around for a good while now and there are plenty of posts written on the subject that will be more well thought out than this one but I contend that 90% of the fun of this game is puzzle solving. Use this approved strat, AMR your gear, follows these rules...that's not my style.
I will concede that it is a good idea to review these commonly accepted "right" ways to play if for no other reason than much of the theorycrafting ground work and testing will have been done for you and provides a good way to see ideas that turned out to be absolute rubbish.
So...our group is working on Garry 10N. Now the accepted approach is 1 tank 2 heals, 1 tank 1 heal, 2 tanks 1 heal, or 2 tanks 2 heals. 2 tanks 3 heals is viewed as pure insanity and I can see why. Phase 2 and the dream phases need fast execution in order to minimize the nasty mechanics which they can produce. Short dream and phase 2 fights are highly successful.
But damit if we simply wanted to follow everyone elses advice we would join cookie cutter guild and be done with it. Now I will admit that we had/have some serious flaws in general play but current scrutiny from community eyes has encouraged people to shape up. Tonight we saw multiple P3s and had a low teens wipe as well. In the spirit of embracing my RLs desire to have a nice healing pad but also put out some nice DPS...and have fun while doing it I have forgone Disc and looked into the Holy toolbox for something I can enjoy playing and still achieve our goals. Is it optimal? Hell no. Are we making it harder than it should be? Hell yes. Do we care? Only if our current playstyle will deny us a kill and tonight we saw that better handling of P3, speeding up of dream phases and P2, and pushing ourselves just a bit further will definitely lead to a kill.
And so here I am, tinkering with the Red Mage.
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Monday, July 14, 2014
Thinking about Healing
One of the lessons that has come to me as I have begun to actually begin healing conscientiously is one that is so obvious that even when it is talked about it bears little weight...because its so damn simple on paper:
Each Heal has a certain amount of health loss for which it is good for.
For example, a heal that gives back 100 points of health is overkill (or overheal) for a player with a only 10 points of damage. This is such a simply and logical idea that I'm not sure it sunk in with me until I began to actively work at being a more efficient healer and I'm not certain how well my healing guild mates understand the topic in practice even though I'm sure they would all recognize its value in conversation.
What got me was trying to come up with a way to tell what size heal to use on players of varying health pools as my raid frames are normalized to size. Half a bar for a tank is bit larger of a health loss than for a mage. I finally settled on showing health deficit within the frame and have come to understand in general how much my various spells hit for.
Each Heal has a certain amount of health loss for which it is good for.
For example, a heal that gives back 100 points of health is overkill (or overheal) for a player with a only 10 points of damage. This is such a simply and logical idea that I'm not sure it sunk in with me until I began to actively work at being a more efficient healer and I'm not certain how well my healing guild mates understand the topic in practice even though I'm sure they would all recognize its value in conversation.
What got me was trying to come up with a way to tell what size heal to use on players of varying health pools as my raid frames are normalized to size. Half a bar for a tank is bit larger of a health loss than for a mage. I finally settled on showing health deficit within the frame and have come to understand in general how much my various spells hit for.
Saturday, July 12, 2014
A small homework assignment for theorycrafting Holy
With the coming of Warlords and a paradigm shift in the healing will work I've been leveling up a new priest to sit atop my character selection screen as my main. And while the impetus of change was borne out of a desire to play...well...not a panda I've rolled up a cute little goblin to take Airibear's place. This has also given me the excuse to level as Holy and see healing as Holy outside of the SoO environment.
I'm closing in on level 34 and with it one of my favorite spells, Serendipity.
As serendipity changes the efficiency of Greater Heal it is worth examining the numbers behind the various spells involved if only as an exercise in healicrafting.
Methodology:
We will examine the use of Heal, Greater Heal, and Flash Heal for a level 34 Holy Priest to determine the ideal heal per mana and heal per second for using these spells. Stats will be taken from my character as she is in her level 32 form even though level 34 is required for these tests.
Stats:
Int - 177
SP - 230 (253 with IF)
Base Mana - 1400
Spi - 90
Haste - 8.08%
Crit - 13.88%
Combat Regen - 78 MP5 (15.6MP1)
Our Spells:
Heal - [620+(253*1.024]*[1.1388] = avg 1001
Cast - [2.5/1.0808] = 2.31s
Cost - [1400*0.019] = 26.6 (Mana +)
Flash Heal - [803+(253*1.314)]*[1.1388] = avg 1293
Cast - [1.5/1.0808] = 1.38s
Cost - [1400*0.059] = 82.6 (Mana -)
Greater Heal - [1323+(253*2.19)]*[1.1388] = avg 2137
Cast Time - [2.5/1.0808] = 2.31s
Cost - [1400*0.059] = 82.6 (Mana -)
Serendipity stacks after a cast of Flash Heal and take up to 2 stacks. We will examine what things look like after each stack. Each stack reduce cast time by 20% and mana cost by 20%. No Glyphs or Talents are applicable at this level (FDCL at level 45 changes things dramatically).
GH(S1) - Cast Time - 1.848 Mana - 66.08 (Mana -)
GH(S2) - Cast Time - 1.386 Mana - 49.56 (Mana -)
Before we begin to examine throughput and efficiency it is worth noting that Heal is our only mana positive choice at this level and thus would be the go to spell to top up players who have slipped under our Renew's ability to sustain them. Health pools are also small enough that the 2 FHs needed to build 2 stacks would be more than enough to top almost anyone off. Whether or not players could sustain enough damage to allow not only for two FHs to be used but then to require a GH is questionable in the 20s allotted by our Serenity buff. That said, GH(S2) essentially becomes a cheaper 2xFH with a cast time of only 1 FH making it a wonderful choice if ever in a situation where fast heavy healing is useful.
On to HPM and HPS:
Heal - 37.63 HPM 433.33 HPS
FH - 15.65 HPM 936.96 HPS
GH - 25.87 HPM 925.11 HPS
GHS1 - 32.34 HPM 1156.39 HPS
GHS2 - 43.12 HPM 1541.85 HPS
Finally I want to look at a rotation for each stack verse simply Heal spam.
FHGHS1 - Time 3.228s Mana 148.68 aHP+ 3430 HPM 23.07 HPS 1062.58
FHx2GHS2 - Time 4.146s Mana 214.76 aHP+ 4723 HPM 21.99 HPS 1139.17
Both of these rotations complete their casts before the second Heal in a Heal spam rotation would have begun.
Interestingly GHS2 is our most efficient casting choice looked at on its own yet slips below FHGHS1 when rotation is considered. Throughput remains high even after rotation is considered.
I believe the conclusion to be drawn from this is that casting Flash Heal's as a rotational choice with the desire to build to GHS2 is inefficient and should be avoided but certainly over the course of a fight if a third FH is needed it is better to cast GHS2 or the timing of the buff wearing off, fight coming to a close, or other factor favor's it then a GHS1 is a better option than a second Flash Heal.
Interesting stuff that becomes even more interesting once FDCL changes the balance of power at level 45.
We will reexamine then =)
I'm closing in on level 34 and with it one of my favorite spells, Serendipity.
As serendipity changes the efficiency of Greater Heal it is worth examining the numbers behind the various spells involved if only as an exercise in healicrafting.
Methodology:
We will examine the use of Heal, Greater Heal, and Flash Heal for a level 34 Holy Priest to determine the ideal heal per mana and heal per second for using these spells. Stats will be taken from my character as she is in her level 32 form even though level 34 is required for these tests.
Stats:
Int - 177
SP - 230 (253 with IF)
Base Mana - 1400
Spi - 90
Haste - 8.08%
Crit - 13.88%
Combat Regen - 78 MP5 (15.6MP1)
Our Spells:
Heal - [620+(253*1.024]*[1.1388] = avg 1001
Cast - [2.5/1.0808] = 2.31s
Cost - [1400*0.019] = 26.6 (Mana +)
Flash Heal - [803+(253*1.314)]*[1.1388] = avg 1293
Cast - [1.5/1.0808] = 1.38s
Cost - [1400*0.059] = 82.6 (Mana -)
Greater Heal - [1323+(253*2.19)]*[1.1388] = avg 2137
Cast Time - [2.5/1.0808] = 2.31s
Cost - [1400*0.059] = 82.6 (Mana -)
Serendipity stacks after a cast of Flash Heal and take up to 2 stacks. We will examine what things look like after each stack. Each stack reduce cast time by 20% and mana cost by 20%. No Glyphs or Talents are applicable at this level (FDCL at level 45 changes things dramatically).
GH(S1) - Cast Time - 1.848 Mana - 66.08 (Mana -)
GH(S2) - Cast Time - 1.386 Mana - 49.56 (Mana -)
Before we begin to examine throughput and efficiency it is worth noting that Heal is our only mana positive choice at this level and thus would be the go to spell to top up players who have slipped under our Renew's ability to sustain them. Health pools are also small enough that the 2 FHs needed to build 2 stacks would be more than enough to top almost anyone off. Whether or not players could sustain enough damage to allow not only for two FHs to be used but then to require a GH is questionable in the 20s allotted by our Serenity buff. That said, GH(S2) essentially becomes a cheaper 2xFH with a cast time of only 1 FH making it a wonderful choice if ever in a situation where fast heavy healing is useful.
On to HPM and HPS:
Heal - 37.63 HPM 433.33 HPS
FH - 15.65 HPM 936.96 HPS
GH - 25.87 HPM 925.11 HPS
GHS1 - 32.34 HPM 1156.39 HPS
GHS2 - 43.12 HPM 1541.85 HPS
Finally I want to look at a rotation for each stack verse simply Heal spam.
FHGHS1 - Time 3.228s Mana 148.68 aHP+ 3430 HPM 23.07 HPS 1062.58
FHx2GHS2 - Time 4.146s Mana 214.76 aHP+ 4723 HPM 21.99 HPS 1139.17
Both of these rotations complete their casts before the second Heal in a Heal spam rotation would have begun.
Interestingly GHS2 is our most efficient casting choice looked at on its own yet slips below FHGHS1 when rotation is considered. Throughput remains high even after rotation is considered.
I believe the conclusion to be drawn from this is that casting Flash Heal's as a rotational choice with the desire to build to GHS2 is inefficient and should be avoided but certainly over the course of a fight if a third FH is needed it is better to cast GHS2 or the timing of the buff wearing off, fight coming to a close, or other factor favor's it then a GHS1 is a better option than a second Flash Heal.
Interesting stuff that becomes even more interesting once FDCL changes the balance of power at level 45.
We will reexamine then =)
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
A new UI....again....and then an emergency
I can't help it I love fiddling with my UI.
To celebrate our forthcoming Garry kill I plan to redo my UI.
http://youtu.be/zEGLrwwV70o
When I wrote this a few days ago I had planned for this to be a long term project that allowed me to reconnect with the default UI while spending time with each addon as it came along.
Then my computer had a small stroke and I lost all my weak auras. This was a few minutes before one of our tanks was going to form a Garrosh group.
With my crippled UI I limped in and realized that almost half of my output is handled by my UI.
Some might say learn to play without the UI noob. To them I respond, would you ask me to learn to see without my glasses?
The items in my UI are mostly not for show or because they are cool. Instead I use addons like glasses to compensate for something I know I have a deficit with.
My UI breaking would be like my glasses breaking.
For now I have that ugly pair of emergency glasses ready to get me through Garrosh but I will be speading up my revamp.
For warlords I will learn to see again until my new glasses have all been updated and are ready for the world....of warcraft
To celebrate our forthcoming Garry kill I plan to redo my UI.
http://youtu.be/zEGLrwwV70o
When I wrote this a few days ago I had planned for this to be a long term project that allowed me to reconnect with the default UI while spending time with each addon as it came along.
Then my computer had a small stroke and I lost all my weak auras. This was a few minutes before one of our tanks was going to form a Garrosh group.
With my crippled UI I limped in and realized that almost half of my output is handled by my UI.
Some might say learn to play without the UI noob. To them I respond, would you ask me to learn to see without my glasses?
The items in my UI are mostly not for show or because they are cool. Instead I use addons like glasses to compensate for something I know I have a deficit with.
My UI breaking would be like my glasses breaking.
For now I have that ugly pair of emergency glasses ready to get me through Garrosh but I will be speading up my revamp.
For warlords I will learn to see again until my new glasses have all been updated and are ready for the world....of warcraft
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Twitting WoD
Thanks to SHA-RANTOSAURUS REX @ShaofHappiness and Dayani @healiocentric
I'm beginning to get a picture of what holy priest healing will look like as we ding 100.
So a stripped down pandaren priest will have:
5% crit, 784 spirit, 1093 spell power (and though I didn't get Int my guess is these are the same), 3200 combat regen, and 6431 out of combat regen. confirmed int and sp are = here
With some gear on :
14.08 crit, 5.29 haste, 0 mast, 784 spirit, 4854 spell power, regen is unchanged. Also I think this is pvp gear from the mekkator beta server. int is 3589 here
Thanks Sha!!!!
So what does this tell us? Well very little if you are looking for specifics but if you want rough numbers then this is a gold mine. From wowhead we can use the spell power values to get a low heal estimate. Secondary stats will improve this low estimate as we gain them but its nice to know a starting point.
I'm beginning to get a picture of what holy priest healing will look like as we ding 100.
So a stripped down pandaren priest will have:
5% crit, 784 spirit, 1093 spell power (and though I didn't get Int my guess is these are the same), 3200 combat regen, and 6431 out of combat regen. confirmed int and sp are = here
With some gear on :
14.08 crit, 5.29 haste, 0 mast, 784 spirit, 4854 spell power, regen is unchanged. Also I think this is pvp gear from the mekkator beta server. int is 3589 here
Thanks Sha!!!!
So what does this tell us? Well very little if you are looking for specifics but if you want rough numbers then this is a gold mine. From wowhead we can use the spell power values to get a low heal estimate. Secondary stats will improve this low estimate as we gain them but its nice to know a starting point.
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