What is Healing?
This is a simple enough task of a class designed to do this job within any mmo. A healer is a class that has spells that will restore health to themselves and other players. An important part of the team, a healer is required to keep the other players in the group alive, and stop them from dying. Each encounter within any mmo requires a healer or heals to prevent death.
Well, duh, yes they heal. But healing is achieved in several different ways. Some healers primary focus on direct heals, as in I hit button A, it gives X amount of health back to you instantly or at the end of a cast time. Some healers use HoTs, which are Heals Over Time. This is a very small direct heal, coupled with “ticks” of more heals every X seconds for Y seconds. This needs forethought and planning, because you have to anticipate the damage that will hit, while direct heals are much more reactive. A third, but lesser-used way to “heal” is to prevent the damage in the first place through use of “bubbles,” or damage-mitigating or -nullifying shields. Most healers I have seen use a combination of shields and either direct heals or HoTs.
Everyone loves healers. Everyone hates healers, too. When a group is doing poorly, or someone dies, everyone’s first reaction, it seems to me, is to point fingers at the healer, regardless of how excellent they were performing. Healers are expected to be magical fountains of success and victory, and when these things are not amply supplied, despite one’s own complete lack of discretion, skill, or decent equipment, the healer is at fault, because healers that don’t make everyone around them automatically win are naturally complete failures at everything.
Well, duh, yes they heal. But healing is achieved in several different ways. Some healers primary focus on direct heals, as in I hit button A, it gives X amount of health back to you instantly or at the end of a cast time. Some healers use HoTs, which are Heals Over Time. This is a very small direct heal, coupled with “ticks” of more heals every X seconds for Y seconds. This needs forethought and planning, because you have to anticipate the damage that will hit, while direct heals are much more reactive. A third, but lesser-used way to “heal” is to prevent the damage in the first place through use of “bubbles,” or damage-mitigating or -nullifying shields. Most healers I have seen use a combination of shields and either direct heals or HoTs.
Everyone loves healers. Everyone hates healers, too. When a group is doing poorly, or someone dies, everyone’s first reaction, it seems to me, is to point fingers at the healer, regardless of how excellent they were performing. Healers are expected to be magical fountains of success and victory, and when these things are not amply supplied, despite one’s own complete lack of discretion, skill, or decent equipment, the healer is at fault, because healers that don’t make everyone around them automatically win are naturally complete failures at everything.
What is the big debate between
mystics and priests?
This covers TERA's support classes: Mystic and Priest. What is each class like and how do they compare to each other? This overview will not only cover a bit about each class and the use of its skills, but also look at the pros and cons of each and see how both fit into different play-styles and roles. Continue reading if you want to learn more about these two classes, to broaden your understanding.
Basically, when you want a healing class, be aware both heal differently but predominantly do the same job. Don't be fooled into believing one is better than the other, it's purely down to how you want to play and what you feel comfortable with.
Roles: Similarities and Differences
Similarities
- Low damage attacks.
- Direct heals.
- Heals over Time (HoTs).
- Buffs.
- Crowd Control (CC).
- Resurrects.
- Status cures.
- Peer Summoning (teleports party members to you).
- Wears cloth/robe armor
So what's different?
Mystic
- Ability to drop healing balls for on-demand pickup and healing. An interesting form of healing able to be used with non-conventional healing tactics.
- Has skills which allow you to give MP to yourself and your party members.
- More total CC in the form of a super long range and large AoE stun which is practically impossible to miss and can even hit people out of their evasive movement skills and a long range mega snare which provides a 90% slowing effect for 6s.
- Can use Teleport as a movement skill for traveling, positioning or as a quick get-out or get-in.
- Unique buff which resurrects nearest party member while the effect is active.
- A variety of auras; two can be used simultaneously. Auras can provide powerful and constant in-combat support, assuming you can support the also constant MP drain. Without having to repeatedly stop to cast heals or buffs you can become less susceptible to pressure and interrupts.
- Can provide in-combat movement speed buff.
- Nature of total skill set allows for more freedom in movement around the battlefield.
- Lack of dependence on frontal ground placed AoEs can be considered to be more convenient by some people. Due to TERA's action combat system, it is often wise to spread out to reduce damage taken simultaneously by the team from various attacks which would increase the difficulty of making optimal use of said AoEs. However, some team builds may take this into account and be designed to not spread, making those AoEs more practical.
Priest
- Has more methods of healing, including big direct heals and full party heals.
- Can heal themselves easier and faster.
- More skills for HP upkeep.
- Party barrier buff provides for immense protection and is capable of buying valuable time.
- Party curing is possible.
- Capable of standing up knocked down party members within a long range.
- Long duration buffs to increase overall team efficiency and effectiveness.
- An additional close range AoE attack allows more offensive contribution via direct damage.
- Sleep, with a 10s duration, is very powerful for disabling.
- Lack of cool-downs on some of their heals means they can pump out heals repeatedly with enough MP in reserve.
- In addition to summoning party members, they can also teleport their party to camps.