Guild Wars 2

So I just got the game and finally got my engineer to 80. Excited, I spent what little gold I had (about 6g) on an entire healing outfit. Mostly toughness/vit/healing/condition gear.

Anyway, so I am pumped to go start doing my first couple world events (Shadow Behemoth / Wurm) and I am using the healing kit + elixir kit to splash heals around as well as using my rifle to pump some shots into the boss. After a couple minutes of this I am feeling good and the boss dies… BRONZE. What? I was so involved in that fight, I dont understand. I move on to the Wurm, same thing, healing and dpsing.. BRONZE.

WTF?? Is there a way to get gold as a healer in this game or is there no real point to being a healer? I am a little kittened because I spent all my remaining money on a set of gear that gets me bronze, I was hoping to forgo questing/eventing by myself and being mostly healing oriented but it seems I am being punished for wanting to heal.

Am I doing something wrong or should I try and get some gold and switch my specs?

Thanks.

PvE in this game is all about DPS. If you want to heal other people, just add water fields in your rotation (healing turret, Egun #5, Mortar #5) and blast them.

In Rift’s public events, players get just as much credit for healing as DPSing. So this sounds like something that might need to be worked on.

Healing is not really needed in events like that. People mostly know when to dodge. And yeah, you won’t get as much credit for not hitting the boss as much.

Nausicca.6038:

PvE in this game is all about DPS. If you want to heal other people, just add water fields in your rotation (healing turret, Egun #5, Mortar #5) and blast them.

not really, it is about a fine balance between healing (mostly yourself) and DPS. Other then that a supportive role is best used in a team/party. The gold reward is just rewarded because doing high damage. Which in my personal opinion is wrong.

I would point out though that credit shouldn’t be given to overhealing really. It’s situational. You can’t just sit there and spam aoe heal and expect Gold when no one was really taking damage. In that case, you would have better served to dps everything down faster.

However, in Rift, you can see everyone’s health, so you are in a better place to make that call as to whether you are more needed as dps or healing in that event.

I would like to see healers become more relevant in GW2.

the bronze/silver and gold awards are bugged anyway. I’m mostly a wvw player, so a camp is attacked by 6 frogs and 1 player, I kill all of them and get.. right bronze. I get silver though when I kill some bats.

But: Southsun Cove is really laggy for me lately and I tried to duo-lo the crazed Karka camp yesterday when I didn’t see that one Karka nearly one shotted me. I tried to get away with less than 1 k health and someone came by and immediately put down a waterfield with a blast. Had no time to thank them, so here: Thanks a lot – I love it when people are that aware.

I have to say I am a little disheartened, I usually heal in all games I play and it does not seem to be viable in this one.

Is there somewhere where healing comes into play and has more of an effect?

In gw2 healer or healing itself doesn’t exist! There are only some people that don’t know berserker gear and how to play.

Just buy some berserker gear and you will get gold every time.

Healing currently scales poorly so you can spec for healing with traits if you like while still wearing damage gear.

Healing is extremely useless in this game, because reviving is a lot more effective and does not give any dps loss. In general people will dislike you when you use healing gear. On the other hand, people will thank you when you revive them. This can be greatly improved with the runes of mercy and the revive speed trait.

You are engineer? The elixer R is a great skill to revive other people, our yourself with a bit of practice. The stealth and reflect from elixer S can also be useful.

Gearwise you could go for boon duration (concentration) (if it is not bugged anymore) and give people around you might, by blasting in fire fields.

shroomduck.7548:

I have to say I am a little disheartened, I usually heal in all games I play and it does not seem to be viable in this one.

Is there somewhere where healing comes into play and has more of an effect?

First of all, don’t listen to anything in this thread. The people saying healing doesn’t exist are usually part of a small group of people who run all Berserker gear and dodge perfectly. And even alot of them aren’t as perfect as they think and just don’t pay any attention to their log to when some water blast saves them.

I have 3-4 characters set up entirely for DPS, and they benefit from support, no matter how much I train or how good I get a certain encounter, things happen.

Secondly, you should understand that there are no truly dedicated healers in this game. Even the person with the best healing class will still need to switch to damage and fight mobs most of the time because other players don’t need healing that often except in certain battles that overwhelm them. If you want a character who can switch to healing in an emergency and completely restore the health of all his party that is about to wipe, this game is for you. if you want to follow noobs around and heal them as they level, this game is not for you.

Healing is highly situational.

Finally, if you want to be a dedicated healer in this game, either play PvP/WvW, or play the newer PvE maps from Heart of Thorns using Celestial (not dedicated Healing Power or fully defensive) gear. For class you should use Engineer, Elementalist, Ranger or Revenant, and Elementalist is the best of these in non-expo GW2.

If you don’t have the expansion, and you want to play a healer, then buy it. Encounters in the expo encourage healing, CC, and other alternative means of gameplay and generally punish pure DPS users, stackers and overdodgers.

Now, as for how to play your Engineer effectively as a healer, you need a condition damage and condition duration build. You’ll probably want to use Nightmare runes from Twilight arbor, condition duration food (Super Veggie Pizza is good enough), Giver’s weapons, Sigil of Malice and possible swap in some parts from the newer expo stat combinations that include condition duration.

The reason for this is simple, Engineer is very complex to play for healing, although they are very good at it. They have to master many combos (mostly blast finishers). And except for a few select power builds, they are mostly a class that benefits from conditions unless you run the hammer in the expo on Scrapper subclass. Conditions have the benefit of allowing you to continue to do damage while also healing in which case you will not receive much, if any, flak from your party.

shroomduck.7548:

Is there somewhere where healing comes into play and has more of an effect?

WvW, and maybe spvp ( not sure though, I rarely play spvp).
Healing spec shines in wvw small group roaming.

Healing isn’t “useless” in this game, it just has a very niche value:

• Vinewrath and other escort events: healing is an excellent way of keeping the carriers alive, if the local zerg isn’t able to dish out enough damage.
• Helping friends in dungeons, fractals, etc. There are several healing builds (e.g. “healineer”) that can keep just about anyone alive, even through stacks of agony. If you know people that don’t want to leech and are still struggling, this is a great way of making them feel like a star. (Which turns out to help them get better …eventually.)
• Certain personal story/living story achievements are easier with one person working on heals. (This is similar to the point above; I separate them because many people have trouble with one but not the other.)
• WvW requires healing in a number of situations, mostly for GvG or Zerg v Zerg.

Personally, I’ve always hated the healing role — even in single player games, my NPC teams are aggressively damage-oriented and in multi-player games, healers tend to be ignored (if they do their jobs) or yelled at (if anything goes wrong, whether or not they are effective). Still, I see why other people like the role.

Unfortunately, GW2 bases rewards on contribution to damage, not to keeping NPCs alive. If you want full credit, be sure to include a lot of damage in your rotation, too.

The point I see being made here is “if you don’t do dynamic dps, go home.” This makes no sense that Anet actually implemented a healing/support option into builds only to require dps damage in order to get gold or even silver rewards. If groups require support of one type or another, then why not implement the abilities to actually accumulate points to get gold?

I am tired of using my support through all my encounters to only get a bronze or even nothing based upon my efforts to support the group. So if you support your group you are kitten. Don’t support the group you get griped at for failure to offer support?

Playing as a healer in PVE, you will find that all you’re really doing is sacrificing DPS to keep new/bad/afk players alive.

It’s not really worth it – it makes you get fewer rewards and it disrupts the learning process / feedback loop that helps people get better at the game.

Everyone goes down once in a while and it’s probably more efficient to let people go down and then rally to 50% health by killing mobs around them than it is trying to keep them healed up.

Ask an Ele – they know how to rally off Meteor Shower and Lava Tomb when they need to.

Bomber.3872:

In gw2 healer or healing itself doesn’t exist! There are only some people that don’t know berserker gear and how to play.

Just buy some berserker gear and you will get gold every time.

Unless you happen to be doing Jungle wurm pre! You can get all the champ bags from that and still not get any credit, not even bronze.

Since these kind of threads came up already before HoT i really wonder how many
people could already play druid before HoT, since else it is simply not possible to
heal without doin damage .. or playing AFK with healing spring on auto-attack and
doing nothing else.

OP, are you hitting the boss a lot? Because hour DPS doesn’t matter that much per se, you just have to be hitting the boss a lot. Do basically, when you’re not healing, do damage.

Beldin.5498:

Since these kind of threads came up already before HoT i really wonder how many
people could already play druid before HoT, since else it is simply not possible to
heal without doin damage .. or playing AFK with healing spring on auto-attack and
doing nothing else.

The difference is Druid healing provides additionnal buff damage. That’s why druid is fine because you provides support to the party.

Khyan.7039:

Beldin.5498:

Since these kind of threads came up already before HoT i really wonder how many
people could already play druid before HoT, since else it is simply not possible to
heal without doin damage .. or playing AFK with healing spring on auto-attack and
doing nothing else.

The difference is Druid healing provides additionnal buff damage. That’s why druid is fine because you provides support to the party.

Oh yeah .. since you said that .. buffs also really seem to count. A while ago a was
on my way to a rich iron node with my guardian and used retreat while there was
somebody killing a spider in range .. a while later i suddenly saw that i got some exp.

So it seems you really can get kill credit without doing damage.

I have an 80-Eng. The little guy (yes, stereotypically Asuran) was actually my first avatar in the game and he was supposed to be the support for our little band of merry DPS-ers, especially in WvW.

Some people pointed out that there aren’t any dedicated healers in the game and that’s actually true; the lack of full-on, specific supports and healers can take a while to get used to.

The fun part about Engs, though, is that you have a lot of options to support people and still do some decent enough DPS.

It requires some assumptions, though.

First, unlike the other MMOs out there, you have to reasonably assume that players whose preferred styles involved DPS at least took the time and resources to give themselves a bit of survivability. This means that, regardless, a character should try very hard to stay up and fighting no matter their “role.”

Second, you have a lot of options to support and heal people as an Eng. I recently discovered the Med Kit, would you believe? Always saw it in my options, but never used it until I decided to support the team guarding NS in a Teq run. I think I was having too much fun with the heal spray – it has a nifty ani – that I almost missed the fact we were being attacked. Even the Mortar has a shell that heals.

When I switch to support, whether helping other players on the fly or during tricky World Boss Hunts, I make it a point to have some stuff ready. Aside from the Heal Turret, I have the Elixir Gun on ready switch, with my Rifle or Flamethrower for DPS. I just try to pay attention to the action to see if players are having trouble dealing with the mobs. And the Elixir Gun gives you a lot of options to heal, support, debuff and do damage at the same time.

But, see, that’s the good part about healing and support as an Eng: you don’t need to focus entirely on it. You can tag the mobs while supporting and healing your comrades.

Just keep playing until you discover a support-slaying style that’s comfy for you. I know I switched mains to my Ranger, but nothing in my stable beats my Eng for the large number of support and heal options that also gives me the opportunity to land some hefty hits in.

Beldin.5498:

Khyan.7039:

Beldin.5498:

Since these kind of threads came up already before HoT i really wonder how many
people could already play druid before HoT, since else it is simply not possible to
heal without doin damage .. or playing AFK with healing spring on auto-attack and
doing nothing else.

The difference is Druid healing provides additionnal buff damage. That’s why druid is fine because you provides support to the party.

Oh yeah .. since you said that .. buffs also really seem to count. A while ago a was
on my way to a rich iron node with my guardian and used retreat while there was
somebody killing a spider in range .. a while later i suddenly saw that i got some exp.

So it seems you really can get kill credit without doing damage.

Did you have shattered aegis or the burn enemies that you block rune or trait equipped?,

lynspottery.6529:

The point I see being made here is “if you don’t do dynamic dps, go home.” This makes no sense that Anet actually implemented a healing/support option into builds only to require dps damage in order to get gold or even silver rewards. If groups require support of one type or another, then why not implement the abilities to actually accumulate points to get gold?

I am tired of using my support through all my encounters to only get a bronze or even nothing based upon my efforts to support the group. So if you support your group you are kitten. Don’t support the group you get griped at for failure to offer support?

There is no trinity in GW2. Support is mainly provided by way of condi-cleanse and buffs. That’s why every profession has a method of self-healing and the ability to dodge. Some healing support can be extremely useful, but it is not intended to be a primary role.

There are plenty of games out there that offer healing as a primary role. It is by design in GW2 that your damage contributions are what matter in events. It’s not something that is broken or has been overlooked. This is how the game was designed, by and large.

I’m truly sorry you spent all your gold on what is ultimately not a very useful set of gear, but a little research beforehand would have served you very well in this instance.

Eponet.4829:

Beldin.5498:

Khyan.7039:

Beldin.5498:

Since these kind of threads came up already before HoT i really wonder how many
people could already play druid before HoT, since else it is simply not possible to
heal without doin damage .. or playing AFK with healing spring on auto-attack and
doing nothing else.

The difference is Druid healing provides additionnal buff damage. That’s why druid is fine because you provides support to the party.

Oh yeah .. since you said that .. buffs also really seem to count. A while ago a was
on my way to a rich iron node with my guardian and used retreat while there was
somebody killing a spider in range .. a while later i suddenly saw that i got some exp.

So it seems you really can get kill credit without doing damage.

Did you have shattered aegis or the burn enemies that you block rune or trait equipped?,

Not sure .. shattered aegis could be possible .. however i don’t even know that
shattered aegis also works on other players .. and even when i personally still
haven’t done any damage but it was only damage from somebody i buffed.

shroomduck.7548:

…
but it seems I am being punished for wanting to heal.
…

Basically – and sadly – this is the case as summed up in the opening post.

When designing the game the developers had hoped they would create a mechanic where any mix of characters/class could fill the traditional ‘trinity’ albeit loosely.. Unfortunately, the result of their efforts was the basic destruction of that cornerstone of play.

Tarn.1374:

shroomduck.7548:

…
but it seems I am being punished for wanting to heal.
…

Basically – and sadly – this is the case as summed up in the opening post.

When designing the game the developers had hoped they would create a mechanic where any mix of characters/class could fill the traditional ‘trinity’ albeit loosely.. Unfortunately, the result of their efforts was the basic destruction of that cornerstone of play.

Honestly, I’m glad to see that “cornerstone” abolished. I know not everyone is, evidently, but this is a refreshing change in a sea of the trinity. I’d leave GW2 for good if they ever implemented an enforced trinity.

To answer the question in the subject: No, not really much point to healing at those events. Folks dodge and self-heal and occasionally fall and get rezzed. DPS is usually the most efficient way to get the job done. Save the heals for party instances and raids.

And, speaking personally, not having to rely on healers is one of the best decisions the designers ever made.

Guhracie.3419:

lynspottery.6529:

The point I see being made here is “if you don’t do dynamic dps, go home.” This makes no sense that Anet actually implemented a healing/support option into builds only to require dps damage in order to get gold or even silver rewards. If groups require support of one type or another, then why not implement the abilities to actually accumulate points to get gold?

I am tired of using my support through all my encounters to only get a bronze or even nothing based upon my efforts to support the group. So if you support your group you are kitten. Don’t support the group you get griped at for failure to offer support?

There is no trinity in GW2. Support is mainly provided by way of condi-cleanse and buffs. That’s why every profession has a method of self-healing and the ability to dodge. Some healing support can be extremely useful, but it is not intended to be a primary role.

There are plenty of games out there that offer healing as a primary role. It is by design in GW2 that your damage contributions are what matter in events. It’s not something that is broken or has been overlooked. This is how the game was designed, by and large.

I’m truly sorry you spent all your gold on what is ultimately not a very useful set of gear, but a little research beforehand would have served you very well in this instance.

My gear is not my problem….I do just fine if all I use is my longbow and send my pets in to help out. But when I switch to my staff to offer support, I see a massive drop. There really is nothing wrong with my gear….

I am not totally ignorant of the “support” role I play…but it just seems that if you are swapping out a damage weapon for a healing/support weapon you will see a drop in your points.

lynspottery.6529:

Guhracie.3419:

lynspottery.6529:

The point I see being made here is “if you don’t do dynamic dps, go home.” This makes no sense that Anet actually implemented a healing/support option into builds only to require dps damage in order to get gold or even silver rewards. If groups require support of one type or another, then why not implement the abilities to actually accumulate points to get gold?

I am tired of using my support through all my encounters to only get a bronze or even nothing based upon my efforts to support the group. So if you support your group you are kitten. Don’t support the group you get griped at for failure to offer support?

There is no trinity in GW2. Support is mainly provided by way of condi-cleanse and buffs. That’s why every profession has a method of self-healing and the ability to dodge. Some healing support can be extremely useful, but it is not intended to be a primary role.

There are plenty of games out there that offer healing as a primary role. It is by design in GW2 that your damage contributions are what matter in events. It’s not something that is broken or has been overlooked. This is how the game was designed, by and large.

I’m truly sorry you spent all your gold on what is ultimately not a very useful set of gear, but a little research beforehand would have served you very well in this instance.

My gear is not my problem….I do just fine if all I use is my longbow and send my pets in to help out. But when I switch to my staff to offer support, I see a massive drop. There really is nothing wrong with my gear….

I am not totally ignorant of the “support” role I play…but it just seems that if you are swapping out a damage weapon for a healing/support weapon you will see a drop in your points.

I’m sorry, I had confused you with the original poster in the thread, who did feel like his gear choices were problematic. I apologize.

There are a few places where having a healer is actually good, one of them of course, is raids, the other I can think of is Dragon Stand (do note that you can go dps the whole point, I just switch to healing when we have to run around in circles killing the vine tenders, keeps the zerg blob alive more since getting out of combat here is ne
ar impossible)