World of Warcraft®

While I think about it, (slow day at work!) healbot/grid/vuh'do etc. also provide you a means to view the states of those you are looking after.

You may be able to click someones frame, and then press a button as fast as the next guy, but if the raid member in group 5 needed the heal more, your efficiency at clicking is wasted.

Having a good coherent view of the battlefield helps your triage, you don't have to wear the nurses uniform every raid night, but you do need to get into the mood ... hmmm, don't know where that came from ....

What I would suggest, is try them all, give them a chance to show you what they offer, and then decide - no one can tell you which will work best for you, if indeed any do, like most of WoW, try it for yourself, and make your own choice.

What's the worst that could happen :)

[You have been kicked from the raid]

14/05/2012 04:31Posted by Anaioon

Personal preference I guess, but I'm getting annoyed at the "*gasp* you don't use any addon?!"-comments that I've come across a few times over vent or in chat. As if I desperately need an addon to be able to heal at all. What works for me works for me. I know a lot of healers who seem to enjoy healbot, grid and such though if you do wish to take use of any addons :)

People are likely gasping because no addons holds you back as a healer if you want to min-max. If you take min-maxxing out of the equation however, then whatever you feel is most comfortable is completely fine as it shouldn't pose much of a problem until your guild reaches difficult progression bosses where healers are struggling to maximize throughput or keep up with the damage.

It pretty much sums up as this; Addons will always be superior (if you customize them well enough to your personal style instead of trying to copy other ui's) but Blizzard UI still has enough functionality to make it work without major problems.

I used to use Grid in wotlk but i ended up gettin rid of it and now i dont really use any healing addons at all and i do fine

14/05/2012 04:31Posted by Anaioon

I don't use addons at all to healing. Personal preference I guess, but I'm getting annoyed at the "*gasp* you don't use any addon?!"-comments that I've come across a few times over vent or in chat. As if I desperately need an addon to be able to heal at all. What works for me works for me. I know a lot of healers who seem to enjoy healbot, grid and such though if you do wish to take use of any addons :)

And i can say for 100% certainty that your dispells and 2ndary actions will not be as quick as other healers. That's what add-ons are for more than pure healing. While Blizzard UI is doing its job, sure, but question is on more detailed information and reacting. I.e. I would never ever dare to do mass dispelling (as in constant needed single dispelling like on Spine HC) without addon, that would allow me just "point and shoot". Also those addons show range which Blizzard UI does not show on manner i'd like to.

Healing without addons is not a sin, and i do not care how healers heal as long as they get job done, but for me healing addons are better display of needed information. Even with add-ons majority of healers use mouseovers.

I started with Healbot (TBC times iirc) but in WotLK I changed to Grid+Clique and enjoyed for a long time, even in Cata I kept use them, but more recently a freind talked me about Healium, I tried it and I found it to be very good when healing on 5-man or Arenas, for larger groups I kept Grid+Clik combo.
I have tried without addons but I am so used to them that I didn't manage to heal without them (apart of 2v2 arenas maybe).

14/05/2012 17:06Posted by Kenjai

People are likely gasping because no addons holds you back as a healer if you want to min-max. If you take min-maxxing out of the equation however, then whatever you feel is most comfortable is completely fine as it shouldn't pose much of a problem until your guild reaches difficult progression bosses where healers are struggling to maximize throughput or keep up with the damage.

Really now? I'll keep that in mind next time I outheal everyone on HC Morchok or HC Yor'sahj. There is absolutely nothing wrong with using standard blizzard UI for heroic raiding if you want to.

And i can say for 100% certainty that your dispells and 2ndary actions will not be as quick as other healers. That's what add-ons are for more than pure healing. While Blizzard UI is doing its job, sure, but question is on more detailed information and reacting. I.e. I would never ever dare to do mass dispelling (as in constant needed single dispelling like on Spine HC) without addon, that would allow me just "point and shoot". Also those addons show range which Blizzard UI does not show on manner i'd like to.

I can't say much for HC Spine, as my raid leader seems to be content with 3/8HC, but I'd say knowing your keybinds perfectly helps a lot. As for the showing range, I have no issues with it, so it's probably a thing of being used to a certain raid frame.

In the end I say, as I did earlier, it doesn't matter if you use an add-on or not, it's just what you're used to. And before people start whining about not having tried, I have tried Vuh-do and Healbot, and I didn't like either of them.

22/05/2012 07:21Posted by Atrineas

In the end I say, as I did earlier, it doesn't matter if you use an add-on or not, it's just what you're used to. And before people start whining about not having tried, I have tried Vuh-do and Healbot, and I didn't like either of them.

Agreed, though having someone new get himself a good raiding set-up (as healer) is really hard in the WoW default UI. Installing an addon makes it a lot easier to set it all up.
Some people prefer mouse clicking only in which case I'd have to say addons are going to beat the default UI by far.

If however people are used to keybinds they very often manage to do just fine in Hc's if not just as good as anyone else :) (Problem is most casual raiders don't use keybinds, mostly comes from players who played pvp for a while to start using those)

Fact stays though that default UI is made to give all players a good clear view of their raiding while addons are specificly designed for a purpose (like healing) therefore making it easier with them. (Easier, not better.)

Whether addons are necessary or not is down to what the individual is wanting to get out of it. If you're going for Heroic bosses and cutting-edge content, yes, you do need them, because in those situations half a second can mean the difference between a wipe and a win. Addons can and will give you that half a second once you get used to them.

I personally am not doing heroics, and have never used healing addons. I do normal fun raiding, and my philosophy is "is everyone alive? Yes? Then I did my job correctly". In this environment I'm trying to be the best healer I can be without addons, because that's how I like to play. If I was gonna go heroic, though, I absolutely would take addons.

Another thing that hasn't been mentioned much, and really needs to be addressed, is healing addons do not automatically make you a good healer. Healing addons are the equivalent to one gem - an addition to the overall skill you have, and the effort you've put in to learning your class. If you know your class inside out, and have taken the time to learn, study, and try things out, healing addons will help you get that extra half-a-percent. If you kinda suck at your class, healing addons won't instantly make you into a brilliant, heroic-level healer; only long hours of study and practise, practise, practise will do that.

Personally i use Vuhdo. But i know people who use both healbot and clique+grid aswell, all is what u prefer urself.

But tbh. I don´t think i know a single healer with higher endtier progression who heal without either mouseover macros or click-2-cast. Not a single one, just becouse the fact it takes to long time.

People who is like "a good healer dont use addons" or "am doing fine without any addon", I would suggest to type it from their endtier healer.

I wouldnt even try a boss like Spine Heroic on 25man mode without a addon to shows the debuff, andI would like to see that healer who can manage Spine HC and the dispelling without any heal addon to show the debuffs and mouseovermacro/click-2-cast. Just manage to dispel in time without macro/click-2-cast would be close to impossible...

Instead of WoW and healingaddon the discussion could be: "do a pro cardriver change the seats position when it´s uncomfortable or does he let it be in orginal position becouse he is pro", ofc he change it so it be comfotable for his driving, and it is the same with your healing UI, dosnt it fit you you change it! How good you are as a healer is only dependning on one thing: your skill. Addons is a tool for make your job easier and in endtier evry help you can get is needed in some situations. For 99% of all healers who do endtier bosses addons is a needed tool. BUT, the use of addons dosnt say you are pro or bad. Same about the cardriving example above. A good driver can drive with the seat in a uncomfotable postion, but why should he, when he can move it forward/backward and get a hole different experience and can optimice his driving instead of thinking "hell, this is a pain in my !@#!".

You isnt a imba player becouse you use addons, and you isnt a imba player if u not use addons becouse it dont fit you. BUT: if u dont use addon, not becouse it dont work for you, more becouse you think it´s bad, or that you think you are pro if you not use them, then you is a bad player. For 99% off all endtier healers it is a real effective tool and it make it a hell easier to do. If u dont use an addon becouse you think you are better then the rest of the world, then you is a fool. You should allways make the best out of your capasity, you should allways use all the tools you can for down a boss, this inludes addons.

WoW is a addon game, WoW is a game there your performence is depended on what information you get from your UI and WoW is a game in endtier there evry bit of extra help for optimice your performence is needed. If a addon is needed for you to optimice your performence, use it!. It´s your duty to your guild to allways be at the top, if addons is needed for that, use the damn addons.

We say you is Spine HC and you should dispel people. And the debuff explode, becouse you dont use any addon "becouse you are soooo pro" and becouse of that you wipe your raid, how good is ur "pro" tactic then? Do you think your guild would like it?

Not becouse I think many healers who has done Spine HC ever would enter that fight without any addon but...

I can't say much for HC Spine, as my raid leader seems to be content with 3/8HC, but I'd say knowing your keybinds perfectly helps a lot. As for the showing range, I have no issues with it, so it's probably a thing of being used to a certain raid frame.

In the end I say, as I did earlier, it doesn't matter if you use an add-on or not, it's just what you're used to. And before people start whining about not having tried, I have tried Vuh-do and Healbot, and I didn't like either of them.

But heroic spine is the prime and main example how add-ons shouldn't be treated as something that takes skill away. I tell you what HC spine means (to those, who never done it). You have debuff called Blood Corruption: Death (and Earth) and one is good, other is bad. The bad one lasts 16 seconds. If it is not dispelled your raid gets one shot. So during encounter, grips, tendons, whatever is up, you got to dispel. Dispel, dispel, dispel, dispel, and when your dispeller gets gripped, hymns, smite spamms tendon, other healer has to watch the dispel - in case. So they dispel, dispel, dispel, and do not dispel the good one.

And while I do not mind people using whatever they want to use, but I sure recall how I did deeeeeeeeeep sigh, when our dispeller managed to get us wiped. If dispel fails at hagara, big deal someone gets killed. Boohoo. Fail it on Spine, we all get killed. :>

Fail it on Spine, we all get killed. :>

That fight, while on progress, was not good for my nerves. I still dread dispelling on it - thanks god our druid got pretty stellar with the job, I only had to deal with it few times when he wasn't online.

Regarding the OP - lets face it, its a matter of personal opinion. Everybody in this thread stated why >they< would or would not use these things and in the end its all down to how each of us is wired. I'll say it straight, I'm much more efficient with click casting. Not needing to focus on more than 6-7 keybinds takes my attention from other things like moving (like any 25 man healer, I'm used to move from keyboard while spamming instants with my mouse), buffs/debuffs and even tossing some dps. I do have mouseover macros and keybinds, but I'm not feeling comfortable with more than 6-7 of them.

But that's how >I< am feeling comfortable, others swear by keybinds. If it gets the job done, then all good. Just make sure you are aware of real reasons to choose one or another. As somebody said above, if the reason is because you think you show less skill if you use an addon or if the reason is that you think you're more pro without them, then obviously you care more about imagined good opinions on you than for actually improving yourself.

23/05/2012 14:11Posted by Azriyel

You have debuff called Blood Corruption: Death (and Earth) and one is good, other is bad. The bad one lasts 16 seconds. If it is not dispelled your raid gets one shot.

And we shouldnt forget the part that it isnt just ONE dispel to do on eatch debuff (then it would be to easy), it just tranfer to another player in the raid when you dispel it, with same amount of time left (does this a different number of time before it mutated to the good one) So you need to dispel several players until it mutated, else it will explode. If you do that without any addon who shows who has the debuff, and u dont use click-2-cast/mouseover, it will take very long time.

And several people can have the red debuff on same time, eatch with different countdowns (atlest on 25 man mode) so you need to dispel as a hell, but for that you cant use any massdispel, becouse someone in the raid mabe also got the good buff!

But you should also be aware of that you whant to dispel the good one too sometimes, becouse you whant the buff it give on another person then who has it atm.

I would like too see someone of those "pro without addons" players make Spine HC and say that it is easy to play without healingaddons.

blizz frames show the debuff on spine - what are you guys talking about? though i still recommend mouse over macros

24/05/2012 02:09Posted by Coulter

blizz frames show the debuff on spine - what are you guys talking about? though i still recommend mouse over macros

Yeah Blizz ui shows many things .. and nothing and has clunky design. I for one do not want raid frames be half across my screen. TRy healing 25 man raid with blizz frames. not it only has inefficient data, it also has bad skin that takes more space than my donut on my plate.

26/05/2012 08:35Posted by Clumsie

The click to heal addons remove your eye from the game... I think it really brings one down, just my opinion. Friendly Unit Health Bars and Focus setups, F1, F2, F3 etc.

Hum, never noticed I had F1...F25 on my keyboard, and even F40 for that odd alterac valley.
Should check.

26/05/2012 08:35Posted by Clumsie

The click to heal addons remove your eye from the game... I think it really brings one down, just my opinion. Friendly Unit Health Bars and Focus setups, F1, F2, F3 etc.

So you suggest to use F-keys? Sounds you is a real experienced 25 man raider.

26/05/2012 19:05Posted by Orremagic

The click to heal addons remove your eye from the game... I think it really brings one down, just my opinion. Friendly Unit Health Bars and Focus setups, F1, F2, F3 etc.

So you suggest to use F-keys? Sounds you is a real experienced 25 man raider.

Don't be mean, it's an excellent option when you disconnect in the middle of a 5-man group and addons don't work when you manage to log back in :D

Or if your mouse cursor suddenly disappears and won't come back.

Or if you're on a beta server where addons and/or macros don't actually work...

... though I'll admit it's less stellar if you're in anything with more than 5 people, or habitually bind the function keys to other things ;)

All sarcasm aside, as a healer you're playing whack-a-mole with some kind of box filled with health-bars no matter what addons you're using (or NOT using), so don't give me that crap about removing your eye from the game.

26/05/2012 20:57Posted by Lessiel

Or if you're on a beta server where addons and/or macros don't actually work...

You can copy your UI from live to beta and it works still (with errors on 1st load, but work). Or there are already MoP addons out there.

You can copy your UI from live to beta and it works still (with errors on 1st load, but work). Or there are already MoP addons out there.

:P back when I had time to play MoP beta you still couldn't use addons