Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Thoughts on the healer class
Koltrane
Member UncommonPosts: 1,049
In a fantasy-themed MMORPG, you have players whose primary job it is to heal, they pray to the various gods and bring down healing powers on themselves and other players. They are generally called Clerics.
In a science fiction-themed MMORPG, you also have players whose raison d'etre is healing. They carry medicines and syringes and high tech instruments which can patch up a players. They are generally called Doctors.
In a war themed online game, there are players who have the ability to heal players and repair vehicles in the field. They carry tools and a med kit and are usually referred to as Medics or Engineers.
Each of the above works.
But how MISERABLE would it be to be a superhero whose entire range of powers existed to heal other superheroes? How thoroughly sad would that guy be? "Faster than Ibuprofen! More powerful than Zantac 75! Able to remove a stuck bandage in a single pull! It's NURSEMAN!"
I'm having a little fun with this, but this is something I discussed with other testers during the closed beta of City of Heroes. It doesn't seem to me that a healer class lends itself to a superhero game, especially since superheroes are supposed to be pretty tough characters. I mean, what self respecting superguy would want to team up with him? "Hey, Green Lantern! I see you're headed out the door with Nursie! Are things getting a widdle tough for ya, Gweenie?" It'd be worse than having to drag Aquaman along!
Has any CoH player chosen to be a healer? If so, do you regularly get pwn3d by a bunch of entry level clockworks while the other superheroes laugh at you? Just curious 
-----
There are 10 types of people in this world...those who understand binary, and those who don't.
MMORPG.com Staff
-----
Old timer.
Comments
Koltrane, you just hit upon something that has bothered the living begeezus outta me since I started gaming in the online community. Forget about the super hero genre. EVERY genre seems to require some form of healing class if you want to be successful and reach the high end game. Personally, I absolutely hate the fact that you can't do some of the really cool things in most games without a nurse maid along for the ride. I always believed what made the fantasy genre into a high adventure was the heroic struggle of the lone wolf or even just a small band of heros working against overwhelming odds. I mean, seriously, what the hell is so heroic about getting beat down by a buncha mobs that you could easily handle if there were a healer to support you?
I understand the desire to encourage gamers to group and have classes that compliment one another or fill a niche within a the group. But I feel that they have placed an unusually large emphasis on the healing classes. Warriors and Wizards might be a dime a dozen, but the minute a healer comes along, let us all bow down and start kissing their asses or we won't be able to level or go into that high level dungeon. And the thing that really steams my melon is that many people choose to play these classes simply for the deference and preferential treatment they receive.
Conan didn't need any stinking nurse maid. Solomon Kane never screamed "Medic" when he was down. Hell, even Boromir went down kickin ass and blowin his horn. Where are the heroics in these Heroic Fantasy Games? It makes an old man wonder about the future of the male species.
Grym Goblinsbane
(My son speaking to his Japanese Grandmother) " Sorry Obaba, I don't speak Japanese, I only speak human."
i was wodnering why coh had a healing class lol
i cant remember one cartoon with a super-medic guy healing ppl in battle
no relavence
My husband plays a cleric because that's what he always does, back to the P&P RPGs. And if you asked clerics in EQ (above a certain level), they would say they don't get treated better than other classes. They are also expected to show up for everything, no matter what else is going on. No matter what you wanted to do, when you are needed (and you are ALWAYS needed), people expect you to be there.
And people will frequently demand free heals, buffs, and resses, and then get nasty if they are refused. My husband's answer to them is "Group with a cleric!"... to which they invariably respond, "No, I am soloing!" His response to that is "Then solo yourself a heal." And let's face it-- a cleric's soloing opportunities in EQ are pretty limited. In many games, a healer needs a group as badly as the group needs a healer. When groups are hard to find, healers are the ones kissing butt to get into a group.
My husband got sick of it enough that he's recently switched to playing a mage (EQ's nuking pet class...) full time. Now he occasionally gets asked to summon something, but, for the most part, he doesn't get asked for anything. He shows up on the raids he wants to go on, and noone cares. It's all good.
~*~
neschria
Bludgeoner of Bunnies
...
This is where I draw the line: __________________.
Conan didn't need any stinking nurse maid.
dang right, but those "maids" are there partly to allow others to take on monsters they normally could not have by healing them when they get the snot beat out of them. I, personally, believe there's nothing wrong with the healer class. If someone wants to use a healer to get ahead in exp then that's their choice.
"Put your foot where your mouth is." - Wisdom from my grandfather
"Paper or plastic? ... because I'm afraid I'll have to suffocate you unless you put this bag on your head..." - Ethnitrek
AC1: Wierding from Harvestgain
Nothing. It would be nice to see a MMOG completely eliminate healers (except in a town or something where you could retire after a tough fight).
I agree, especially in advanced games where there is no possible way to get to the higher mobs without wholesale healing. Would you go on a Plane of Growth raid without a single healer in the group? Of course not! Not because you're a wimp, but because the game dynamics are such that IT CAN'T BE DONE without a bunch of healers.
The healer class has more than its share of primadonnas, that's for certain. However, it seems to me that every game has one or two classes that are in high demand and for which people are always screaming (clerics and chanters in EQ, bards in DAoC Hib, etc.) Certain personality types tend to gravitate towards those classes specifically for the attention they get from other players. It doesn't always make for a pretty picture.
You, me and this guy, too. When I hear a man talking about how upset he is that "Friends" is going off the air, I know who is playing the healer superhero.
Let it be known, however, that I think the healer works in most other genres. While it may not be as heroic for a fantasy team to bring along a healer, she certainly has her place. I just can't picture a superhero who spends all his time patching up the guys who are doing the real work. Who would buy a comic book about THAT?
-----
There are 10 types of people in this world...those who understand binary, and those who don't.
MMORPG.com Staff
-----
Old timer.
The healer class is there to allow people to take on more than they are allowed to handle.
Conan did have a healer, because that old wizard guy brought him back to life with that girls help.
These games are designed so that you can kill a certain amount of creatures alone, but you simply arent meant to become a dragonslayer and you should need help doing so.
This may mean taking a small army of fighters, or a healer. Its not heroic, but then no true hero would wander to his death on his own.
The games are about roleplaying, and not about being so Uber that you can kill anything on your own.
4 stars sucks
i want my 5 stars back!
MUAHAHAHAHAHA
When all else fails, Poke 'em in the eye with a good sharp stick.
When all else fails, Poke 'em in the eye with a good sharp stick.
"I can tell you with no ego, this is my finest sword. If, on your journey, you should encounter God. . .
. . . God will be cut."
- Quentin Tarantino, Kill Bill
EQII
Requiiem, Templar
Neriak
It's far better to play a healer than to look for one.
The problem with MMORPG, they are based around healing.. well, at least they used to be. It was a required role. If you didn't have healing you didn't have anything.
I always play healer classes, I've learned the fine join of always being wanted in a group, but never being able to solo, and never getting any money or loot since I was just a dumb healing class I didn't need that stuff (I was told that once in EQ)
On the good side I love being being a healer, my worth is obvious to anyone. I'm not social at all, so it means the groups come to me. I don't have find them, because I won't.
There is a fine art of timing heals, and knowing how could take punishment a bit longer than others so you could time things out vs your manna regen to keep alive.
On the other side, not being able to solo is lame. Being a one trick pony is lame. Good mmorpg's give healers a range of abilities that will make it a thinking man's class. Well, at least if you want to be good at it. That's cool, giving a single big heal, that is always the only heal you need is bad. That makes healers a bot class with is bad for everyone.
Feeling guilty because you want to watch a movie instead of playing one night, and costing 65 other people to not raid, is bad.
In short healers are a fun and worthy class to play if:
They can solo adequately
They have more abilities than just healing
They have lot's of buttons to push. Pushing buttons is far more fun than not.
The game isn't tilted around them. They should add value, but they should never be required. All classes should be able to heal somewhat/someway.
Monks in DAoC, or GW are good examples of fun healing classes to play. Confessors in SB rocked. (unless they have been nurfed since I played last)
EQ clerics are the example of how sucky it can become to be a healer. I pitty the fools that are stuck as one in EQ's high end game.
No comment on CoH as I have not played it yet.
By the way, don't piss off your healers. It's never a good idea to make someone that mad that is responsible for keeping you alive.
Let it be known, however, that I think the healer works in most other genres. While it may not be as heroic for a fantasy team to bring along a healer, she certainly has her place. I just can't picture a superhero who spends all his time patching up the guys who are doing the real work. Who would buy a comic book about THAT?
Good point, to funny.
"In the next Issue, NurseNan save the life of a another Super Hero, see blood, see guts, and the see Super Hero thank NurseMan and leave to fight crime, witch won't be included in the next issue."
"NurseMan! the guy that make so others can do the stuff you want to read about."
Buy 2 NurseMans get a MechanicMan for free! He fixes the machines of the superhero's so they can keep doing the things you want to read about!
If NurseMan and MancanicMan got in a fight who would win? If NurseMan did would he be obligated to heal MechanicMan?
-=-=-=-=-
"We're a game that's focused on grouping and on solo play, you know, more group oriented, more solo play..."
John Blakely Senior lead for EQ2. Link
Bartle: A: 93% E: 55% S:3% K: 50% The Test. Learn what it means here.
-=-=-=-=-
Achievers realise that killers as a concept are necessary in order to make achievement meaningful and worthwhile (there being no way to "lose" the game if any fool can "win" just by plodding slowly unchallenged). -bartle
Bartle: A: 93% E: 55% S:3% K: 50% The Test. Learn what it means here.
I agree that healers should be valuable add on to big parties but not "must have" for any group. In my opinion all classes should have limited healing options and healer should not be limited to healing only, clerks should be quite good with blunts in close combat, not so good as warriors, but not completly useless. Same with healers, they should give buffs too not only healing and buffs shouldnt be overpowered as this make healer "must have" for a group... balance is needed in short words...
Healers in CoH? Yeah supernurse... bad idea...
Yes in a pure RPG sense it seems funny to have a healer for a superhero.However,healers are the bread and butter of a mmorpg.In CoH you would be much slower and many missions would not be done without one.So a healer is like all mmorpg always welcomed.
As for soloing in CoH.It all depends on your combo.If you make a controller and take mind control and empathy espically making you a enchanter/cleric kind of combo you would not be able to solo much because you took 2 support speciality.However a controller thats a illusion/empathy can and does solo quite well simply because one is an offensive skill.yes you can fall into a gimped crowd controller and a healer when grouped.
So really it would not be fair for a character to be a good crowd controller and a healer at same time and be able to solo pretty well would it?
Ok to the defender now the other healer(better one since its his primary power not a secondary as in controller).Soloing is easy because i have soloed so far to 18 and only group when bored.I went empathy/radiation.I can heal extrmely well and can solo easy espically since i have a high dmg spell and a sniper like spell.So have no trouble.
Some classes can solo better then some others like the AR/device combo which is almost too good .But generally all players should be able to solo easy unless u picked 2 support powers and for that you should expect to lose soloing.
I think the healers work that way generally speaking:
- The bigger the group, the better and more wanted they are as a design role.
A healer is someone that like to SUPPORT a group of fellows players rather then be a front liner. The very reason of existence of the healers is others.
I love to be a healer in a group. But mostly, I dont LOVE to be a healer, I love to be seeked and desired heavily by fellow players, I rather be doing the *little more boring thing* then actually be making the groups, I dont stand making group...
This is the *I am a healer gimme a group* attitude, this is basically why I LOOOOVE chanters in EQ.
Just face it, as long as the healer is very desired and less *fun* in the point of view of a wizard or a melee, yet very needed, I will LOOOVE them! (I cant stand playing a bard, everyone have it limits)
EQ chanters have some CC to replace healing, and very powerfull buffs, but they are in the same type of mind, and if you plan to make me group, you need such class, I wont be building groups!
- "Coercing? No no, I assure you, they are willing to bring my bags and pay public transportation just to help me, it is true!''
- "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren
My favorite character is a healer in CoH. She's a Mind Controller/Empath.
At first I soloed her to level 10 - no easy task with a controller
. Then I realized that she was more of a support/grouping character than one to solo and have been focusing more on the healing than the mind control.
Yes, I die a LOT. I mean a LOT. In fact, when I went to the Crey Industries fan site to register this character, I put a blurb in about how she's easy to kill, but tries her best to keep other heroes alive.
in grouping situations, however, she is the least likely to die, simply because she doesn't aggro, she just stays on the sidelines holding villains and healing heroes.
No heroes laugh or mock my little elf. She is too important to even random heroes for them to do so. Drive-by healings are a lot of fun. I enjoy standing behind a scrapper or blaster and auto-healing them as they fight. In a group, I'm wanted for (at the very least) the Recall Friend/Resurrection combo.
To play a healer effectively in CoH, you have to know that you're a support character. You *can* solo, but chances are you'll die more often than other archetypes/powersets.
I built my entire character around an origin and for her to be a healer only makes sense. She can hold her own to a very limited extent, but she is invaluable to groups and is invited to teams more often than I'd really like (espeically if I'm in combat
)
Now, if you want condesention or a mommy, I suggest you find Big Mama, a mother who moonlights as a superhero. She'll give you the sympathy and care you want in chat while she kicks serious ass as her bad scrapper self. Healer and sympathy do not go hand in hand. My elf will heal you, but she's not going to kiss your boo boos. All she'll do is set you up to go back into battle and continue to keep her from dying.
I guess my healer is a bit selfish that way.
~FG };^>