Circle of Healers

I have been tagged! As Kamalia pointed out, I was not around for the first iteration of Ms. Medicina's survey. Saunder is sending it around again. More responses are collected here. This is the prompt:

Post this questionnaire, with your answers, on your blog. Pick the healing class you know most about (or is the focus of your blog) for the questionnaire, and then send it over to another healing blogger you know and love who heals with a DIFFERENT class. Include a link to the blogger who sent you the questionnaire, as well as a link to the blogger to whom you are sending it.

1. What is the name, class, and spec of your primary healer?

Akabeko, resto druid.

2. What is your primary group healing environment? (i.e. raids, pvp, 5 mans)

10s raids with an occasional smattering of 5s heroics

3. What is your favorite healing spell for your class and why?

From a fun-only point of view, I like Tranquility simply because it's a beautiful spell. When taurens cast it it's not much to look at, but the old tree form had the most hilarious expression when channeling...

In raids I am a big fan of [glyphed] Swiftmend - not only does it heal for a good chunk without consuming a hot, but it leaves a happy puddle that heals not only the original target, but those around them! ...And I get a kick out of watching raiders cluster to be in it.

4. What healing spell do you use least for your class and why?

Probably Regrowth or maaaaybe Healing Touch. Given the right opportunity I will use HT on a clearcast rather than Regrowth, and in times of big heals I'll stand and cast HT rather than chain spam Regrowth.

5. What do you feel is the biggest strength of your healing class and why?

Movement! In addition to running and hotting and running some more, I have also been known to kitty dash or cheetah if the area allows. Speaking of those other helpful forms, I will skull bash MC'D people on Cho'gall when necessary and taunt my own spinner on Beth'tilac. So versatile!

6. What do you feel is the biggest weakness of your healing class and why?

I know many people cite the lack of a mitigation cooldown as a big thing. Having never played a healing class that has such a cooldown, I will take their word for it! Aside from that, I want something in between Healing Touch and Nourish - I suppose Swiftmend is supposed to fill that medium heal gap, but it's so great it needs a long cooldown. I'd like a cast that packs a little more oomph than Nourish while still not approaching the power of HT.

7. In a (changing this to-->) 10 man raiding environment, what do you feel, in general, is the best healing assignment for you?

At the moment I am a mana hog and have trouble keeping an eye on too many targets, so I prefer tank healing. That way I know I'll never let LB fall off because I got distracted by raid healing, but will still have clearcasts to pepper around the raid.

8. What healing class do you enjoy healing with most and why?

Probably holy pally, just because I have so many good memories of doing it back in Wrath. With attendance the way it is, I enjoy healing with whoever showed up for raid that night!

9. What healing class do you enjoy healing with least and why?

Hmm. I actually don't know about this. My most consistent experiences are with pallies and shamans. Maybe priests? But I don't know if I would say NO, I CANNOT HEAL WITH YOU BECAUSE OUR CLASSES ARE NOT COMPATIBLE unless we made a few attempts and realized it was truly impossible.

10. What is your worst habit as a healer?

Tunnel vision. Usually this results in my own death :( I'll be looking intently at my little glowing boxes and then WOOPS STANDING IN FIRE. Sometimes a kindly raid healer saves me, and sometimes it's too late. And there's no one to blame but myself!

Aside from that, I frequently forget cooldowns. I mean, important ones. Like hey, you could have used your healthstone there instead of blowing Nature's Swiftness on yourself! Or now would be a good time for ToL since you let yourself get OOM and now it's time for healing! Battlegrounds have taught me a lot about versatility in forms and cooldowns, but these were not part of the lessons :(

11. What is your biggest pet peeve in a group environment while healing?

Freakin line of sight! Short of that, running into an awkward out of range place. There's only so many people I can chase down at once!

12. Do you feel that your class/spec is well balanced with other healers for PvE healing?

Sure! We have a good time ragging on each other about the healing meters. Epeen indeed.

13. What tools do you use to evaluate your own performance as a healer?

Did my target die? Did I cause undue stress to other healers by doing moronic things myself? Did I snipe heals? Was I struggling for mana? I used to peek at our combat logs after raid, but not only have we not had many recently, but I don't think I was ever really looking at them correctly. Jasyla made some wonderful "how to read logs" posts, so maybe if we start getting more consistent raids going I can have another go.

14. What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about your healing class?

That we can't tank heal? Do people still think that? I might be dating myself here.

15. What do you feel is the most difficult thing for new healers of your class to learn? 

You still have to cast. Or maybe that's only if you're totally new, in which case a more seasoned healer would rely too much on casting and not enough on hotting? I think it's important to not forget the many good reasons to use our casts. Aside from that, I wonder if it's hard to remember using some situationally useful tools from other specs.

16. If someone were to try to evaluate your performance as a healer via recount, what sort of patterns would they see (i.e. lots of overhealing, low healing output, etc)?

Probably plenty of overhealing, but also high output as well. I use big cooldowns frequently, rez and buff people.

17. Haste or Crit and why?

Haste please! I want fast casts and I want all the hot ticks ever. Haste is so very in right now.

18. What healing class do you feel you understand least?

Priest? I say that with the caveat that I actually have never healed on any other class so in reality I know the least about any class that isn't druid. But I've heard lots of pallies and shamans complain about their healing, so that's kind of like knowing how it works. At this point I expect that each healer will volunteer themselves for things they are capable of and enjoy doing.19. What add-ons or macros do you use, if any, to aid you in healing?

I use Grid and its host of plugins. I do not, however, use Clique, although that seems to be a thing commonly paired with Grid. Grid allows me to track Lifebloom stacks and duration, other hots (rejuve, regrowth, wild growth) and their duration, and debuffs on the raid. 

I also use Power Auras, which alerts me to cooldowns on Innervate, Tree Form, and Rebirth, procs of Clearcasting, Power Torrent, and Tree Form, and shows huge icons when I am not fed or flasked.

20. Do you strive primarily for balance between your healing stats, or do you stack some much higher than others, and why?

I definitely go out of my way for haste and spirit, with a kindly eye turned towards mastery.

Tag someone!
I want to hear from Ttrinity at Healer Aggro!