Healer Vs Valkyrie

[Lurikhaun]

On this server, there are some very large similarities between Valkyries and Healers being that they are melee/healer hybrids, who must rely on melee lines, with healing supportive spells (However, Valks get an offensive spell line). They each get the same amount of spell lines (Heals, Buffs, & Other), melee lines, and D2 Abilities (AOE and Defensive).

Healers, are expected to be melee/healer hybrids on this server. Mending heals do not and are not as effective as abhorrents/heal potions, therefore, this line is largely a waste for healers as the heals do not provide enough incentive to spec in lieu of dealing damage. Pacification, is primarily CC, which is pretty much a waste on this server, and doesn't affect bosses at all, and the only semi useful abilities, are easily replaceable with in-game abilities (like sszarks leg or slam scroll). Augmentation is their only decent line (Being that Buffs are always good) they now are stuck with a line that every melee class has access to, which on this server is a support line for Melee classes. Given access to Twister and a Weapon line and Mana shield, allow them to do decent damage at Melee, but not being innately a melee class they are already at a disadvantage in regards to damage. Now lets look at their spec points...


Here are sample level 80 specs for both of the classes:
Valkyrie: 80 Zeal, 50 Mana Shield, 50 Spear, 50 Shield, 50 Mending, 50 Augmentation, 50 Odin's Will, 16 Parry
Healer: 80 Twister, 50 Mana Shield, 50 Staff, 39 Augmentation

Healers can't even spec in all of their buffing line, every melee class is able to spec 80 AOE, 50 Manahsield/Defense, 50 Weapon, 50 Buff without problem, apart from Healers. In fact most melee classes can train many other abilities besides this. I don't want healers to be very uber tanks, and I have many suggestions for improving their abilities, but their spec is a huge weakness, that I don't think any amount of boost to their spell lines could fix.

I would like Healer to be able to spec closer to this:
80 Twister, 50 Mana Shield, 50 Staff, 50 Augmentation, 50 Pacification, 30 Mending

That way they aren't given access to everything they have to make some choices, but most of their abilities are unlocked.

Another disparity between Valks and Healers are the usefulness of their abilities, Healers abilities should be primarily the same as what they are but made to be more useful.

Pacification:
1. CC Should affect bosses/mobs.
2. Haste Debuffs should have a radius of like 350 (Perhaps altered as D2 Debuffs to be more effective)
3. Wide Radius for All CC (Same for Bard/Sorc) Maybe 900.
4. If its possible, make creatures that are in combat mezzable/rootable.
5. Power Regen could be upped to 200 for highest level spell.
6. Increase Duration of CC on Mobs

Mending:
1. Castable Heals should be instant without recast so that they can be spammed on player or self (strongest ones still require targeting self/player). This is to counter being replaced by heal potion, basically turning a player into a heal spammer.
2. The Instant Heals that heal for 100% should have a 10second recast, that way if spaced apart you can have an instant 100% heal every 5 seconds.
3. Increase Delves by maybe 50-100%.
4. Make All Resurrection Instant Cast with 1sec recast.
5. Instant Cure Disease/Poison with 1sec recast

Augmentation:
1. Add a Dex/Quickness to this buff line (For the Healer Version and not one one on tanks).
2. Delve for Damage Add and Damage Shield should be raised, to roughly 100 as we do nearly 10x the damage on live.
3. Turn Defensive Heal Proc into Warden Attack for chance to heal Ability.

Healers really need love on this server, and I think some of these abilities would be a great way to do this and turn them into more healer-like than the current form. I also think more spec points are vital, as they must melee to do anything on this server.

[Millane]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that a Valkyrie is in no way a healer hybrid. Yes they have a mending line but all of it is useless. No offence here tola my valk wouldn't use mending if you made it the best thing on the server. First off tola has made the assumption cause valks have zeal. Any class considered a healer/hybrid is given twister. I would put valk damage output up there with warriors and main melee dps toons. If any thing valk odin's will line could use some love not mending. Another thing that spec line for healers is a tad off. All of my toons including my warden(who is a hybrid/healer class) use 30 mana shield because I want to use points elsewhere. Another observation is that you'd be better going 60 twister instead of 80 because you get the last threshold of mobs and radius with 60 and you can easily get the rest of your 95% damage with + to twister, so that would give you two areas to mess with because both of those stats and how high you go is personal choice.(my valk only has 30 zeal two but that discussion is for another time and place)

Tola gives us so many skills and only so many skill points. I don't want to see every class given all the points they need to go full 50 in everything. That's giving a class too much imo. If i were to play a healer i'd treat them like a pet caster with op heals.on the other hand, I would compare a healer to more of something like a friar here not a valk. Not that i'm against healers getting some love but with limitations here this would be a class that you would have to play around with specs not so much have everything and most imporantly would compare spec points to a friar not a valk.

[Lurikhaun]

I compare it to valkyrie for the reason that both have pretty identical spell lines.

Comparing Healers to Wardens or Friars is much more accurate in terms of what the class actually does, and in fact, they have roughly the amount of points that I am trying to get Healers (And Druids).

I want Healers to have basically same Spec points as Friars/Wardens.

I completely agree with classes not having access to all abilities, but it seems like that only applies to certain classes... None of my tanks, stealthers, hybrids have to sacrifice anything in their spec, but healers and casters do. For Casters this makes more sense, but for healers, who already have very limited damage potential, this really means they end up avoiding anything that makes them actually like a healer.

[Tolakram]

Healers are primary healers. They will get boosts as a primary healer. Both clerics and druids have some kind of damage, so I'll look to be adding some punch for healers.

[Lurikhaun]

Well, what are primary healers supposed to do on this server? I seem confused when trying to spec primary healers on this server. It seems like you want them to rely on a combination of magic and melee. But that isn't really possible with the same amount of spec points as casters.

I think that forcing them to rely on melee ability (which they need for aoe damage) fundamentally altered their nature on this server. They are Healing/Melee Hybrids, which like Friars, Heretics, Wardens, Bards, etc. get roughly half the points of a pure caster and a pure melee toon in order to both melee and use magic.

[xmidnight8x]

I always felt primary healers need special D2 only heal spells that can do the following as some ideas:

1) primary healers get a self buff that doubles the value of every heal spell
2) primary healers instant heal spells are on a 30 second timer
3) primary healers can spec to get heal spells that add an ablative to magic and melee in addition to the heal. They can also get heal spells at higher spec that could have the target of the heal have a chance to not get damage for a few seconds.
4) what at high healing spec (like 80) they get a single and group instant that is a void all damage ability? Say for 10 seconds the group can't be damaged.

[Reyal]

drop mana shield from 50 and you have plenty.. 50 mana shield gets u dead quick..

[Lurikhaun]

I dont understand the hatred for Mana Shield... with a full template it is the best defense possible... if Mana is an issue you need to look at your play style... It is the only defense in the game that is truly 360 degrees which is vital for this server... Without good mana regain it can be dangerous, but im fully templated and at the high end its a great ability.