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MMORPGs great for healer specs?
I'm a formerly active MMORPG player who has become quite a casual player in the last few years. I used to play Guild Wars a lot, then EverQuest 2, and when I couldn't concentrate on gaming as much, I'd play City of Heroes. What's common with all these games was that I really enjoyed playing healer classes and builds - restoration Ritualist in GW, Mystic in EQ2 and empathy Defender in CoH.
I probably wouldn't be looking for a new game if CoH hadn't been shut down. I'm playing EverQuest 2 at the moment, but the game community is so incredibly top-heavy that as a casual player who last had anything resembling a high-end toon sometime in 2011, I've found fairly little group play. What I always enjoyed the most was playing the healer (or support with heals) in a group (of human players too). Easy to find a group is a must!
There seems to be some kind of a trend regarding the so-called holy trinity (tank nuke heal) that everything becomes DPS and pure tanks and healers are not viable or don't even exist. I'm looking for a MMORPG, preferably with a community that isn't moribund, where I would be able to play a healer class in various group settings even if I can't afford to play more than 10-20 hours a week. I prefer the fantasy/magic/superpower setting, so mostly scifi stuff isn't my cup of tea.
If you can think of anything you'd like to recommend me, I'd be very happy!
Ps. When it comes to the actual act of healing, I don't mind Guild Wars' whac-a-mole kind of healing style at all (lots of incoming damage, big and fast heals), and I find it preferable to very slow-paced healing styles (very long casts with relatively small heals). It's better when you have to react quickly in the right way rather than premeditate overmuch. But I though healing in EQ2 was very nice. CoH was also cool except for one thing - most situations didn't require a pure healer spec. Most people would be at high health most of the time since every character could get self-heals in the form of looted items. However, when things turned really sour, one hybrid specced healer wouldn't be nearly enough unless he/she had very good gear relative to the circumstances.
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A great list of free games (mostly MMORPGs): http://www.mytop10games.com/
Thanks for all the replies!
I have some small experience of playing WoW as a holy Priest back in the day, but I haven't bothered with the game for a very long time. The last I tried it, I found the graphics too clunky, the colours overly saccharine and the gameplay quite dull (until you get to higher level PvP, where it's really hectic! I just wasn't quite skilled enough to compete, heh). The game seems to have changed considerably since TBC, so perhaps it's time to give it another try - I did like the game when I really got into it.
I did also consider FFXIV, but I watched some gameplay video of a White Mage playing in a group, and the guy only used one spell to heal. What I liked to most about healing in Guild Wars, for example, was the variety of healing spells. As a Ritualist, I could alternate between a powerful heal that had a life sacrifice if certain condition wasn't met, a moderate heal with a conditional cure, a very powerful life sacrificing heal, a small mana-restoring heal etc, etc. An additional thrill was that you had to make the right picks - while you had access to a very, very large number of different spells (more than in most MMORPGs I'd say), you could only pick 8 different ones that you could use at a time. EQ2, too, has at least some variety - besides single-target and group heals, a Shaman can shield against damage, and a Cleric can cast buffs that tick heals on incoming damage. In City of Heroes, the empathy powerset featured three different healing spells only, but it had several nice buffs, and you could bring nice variety to the game by choosing the secondary powerset for a Defender, as there were several choices.
Regarding healer DPS in EQ2, the focus lately seems to be very much on healers also contributing to DPS, as someone mentioned. My current plan is to play a Templar, since that's the purest possible healer in the game with the least focus on DPS. Since the game provides that, literally my only problem is that the low and mid-level areas aren't vibrant with players. Particularly healer classes are a bore to solo.
What server do you play EQ2 on?
I would recommend moving to either Freeport or Antonia Bayle if you want low level grouping in EQ2. All other servers only use that low level content for powerleveling.
Also if you want a pure heal spammer, go with Warden, it does decent passive DPS as it heals and tbh is a better healer at the moment. Templars are a lot less forgiving to heal with as you level (long cast big heals as opposed to heals over time).
Personally I love Fury, but they work the opposite way to what you are after, all their heals are passive through DPS haha.
You might be pleasantly surprised with WoW, if you had an account previously you should have a free trial of Mists of Pandaria to try out, just log into your account page. Most healers have to switch between low output heals and burst healing, as well as ae heals and cures. Also theres enough variation in the way the different healers work for you to find something you like. Given your preference for Shaman / Ritualist, I would say a discipline priest, mistweaver monk or holy paladin would be your style.
Rift is great fun for healer.
The fun thing about that is you can unlock many different styles of heals and find a perfect balance. Being able to switch to different healing styles is the strong point of this game and you will not be very bored.
Also the Druid healer in both World or Warcraft and the Original EQ were great fun. The druid in WoW can also switch rolls
I play on Splitpaw, which is the only remaining EU server. I'm usually not able to play when most Americans are online, so at least in the past this has been the best alternative for me. At the moment, the server is looking sadly quite empty aside from a few guilds that have been there forever.
I'll go for the free trial and see if I can get over the whole panda thing. I'll probably roll a Priest, since I'm somewhat familiar with that class, so disc it is then - thanks for the heads up
. When it comes to WoW healers, the cloth/caster thing is the most appealing to me.
Rift also seems like a game that's worth giving a try, though I got the impression that the vast majority of that game is visually quite dreary. I like variety in the aesthetics, even if it gets a little generic.