Guild Wars 2

I’m not going to gear or trait for healing but I want to be good at pushing the buttons for the times when I choose to play healer.

One thing that is giving me trouble is trying to use a finisher on the water field created by Healing Rain. I’ve tried hitting Eruption first and then switching to water and hitting Healing Rain and I don’t notice any effect. When I try it with the fire fields or with the lighting fields it works but I try it with the water field from Healing Rain nothing seems to happen. I count off the duration of the healing regeneration buff and its not any longer so I’m not getting the duration stacking I was hoping for. The icon also never gets any little numbers on it showing stacking, though I’m not sure if Regen icons ever get those.

I’ve also tried using the blast finisher from Arcane Wave and that also produces no observable effect on water fields but works on fire and lightning fields.

My second question is about the utility of the healing from Water Blast. I’ve seen several things on the internet claiming the healing from it is useless. The numbers do seem okay to me I’m wondering why this skill is so lowly regarded.

A blast finisher in a water field does not grant regeneration, but rather an area healing combo.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Water_field

Regarding water blast, it’s quite decent healing but there is not often a time where your time wouldnt be spent more useful in another attunement.

It is worth noting though that water blast recently (october 15th) got a buff in healing power scaling. Sources you find will likely predate that. With enough healing power this can provide solid healing, but again, you will probably be more useful doing damage or control in other attunements, since the heal is quite hard to make good use off (everyone has to be in melee range of your target)

Eruption doesn’t give the visual effect of a blast finisher that u might see from AoE Might or AoE healing etc…but it still gives u the effect.

And also, don’t try to rely so much on the healing from Water Blast. Sure the healing was boosted, but the targeting on it isn’t reliable. If it could effectively target allies, then it might be better, but IMO, the description doesn’t quite fit in with Water Blast:
“Spray a jet of water at foes that also heals allies in the blast radius.”
to me, a jet of water sounds more like a channeled current of water. Like, it might be better if it had a cone angle attack…that or a 1/2 second cast time from 3/4 instead

So a blast finisher on a water field gives just a one time heal? Is the heal strong enough to bother with having a blast finisher on my utility bar?

Water blast finisher are mostly effective in WvW where you dont need to blast rather other people blast.

Water Blast is good for trolling with a healing power/tank build, standing in melee range with another ally next to you, healing you both for an extra 500 hp/s

Also note that you won’t actually see the green numbers from healing unless you’re actually healed. So get into combat, take a few hits, and try again.

MotherKitten.6795:

So a blast finisher on a water field gives just a one time heal? Is the heal strong enough to bother with having a blast finisher on my utility bar?

the blast finisher on your utility bar, aka arcane wave, also does a lot of damage. so if you can hit someone with it, then yes, it’s worth having
if you never hit anyone with it and only get the heal, then no, not really worthwhile

Depending on the situation, you’ll get better healing if you use Arcane Brilliance on a water field on top of a few enemies AND damage them

myself and some guildies have been working on these sorts of things as of late. what we have come up with as far as a healing combo/blasting finisher is something like this

cast eruption, count to 4 seconds for the actual eruption, attune to water, immediately cast water 3, arcane brilliance, arcane wave, water 5 over this field. we actually have yet to test this in a true combat situation but it seems very powerful

jonwar.4186:

myself and some guildies have been working on these sorts of things as of late. what we have come up with as far as a healing combo/blasting finisher is something like this

cast eruption, count to 4 seconds for the actual eruption, attune to water, immediately cast water 3, arcane brilliance, arcane wave, water 5 over this field. we actually have yet to test this in a true combat situation but it seems very powerful

I suggest using water 3 and 5 at separate times. Usually in a staff build either one can heal you plenty if you blast them once or twice.
I usually use geyser with arcane brilliance and arcane wave because of how short of a duration it is and how small the AoE is, and reserve rain for my earth blasts because it lasts long enough to cast eruption afterwards and still have it finish (with a window of 1 1/4 second), and dodge roll in the meantime for the blast.

What if Arcane Brilliance was made into an AoE heal as well for more support, aside from the Antitoxin Spray, which I’m pretty sure that little to no body uses it so much in Pve generally. Maybe for TA?

CMstorm.8679:

What if Arcane Brilliance was made into an AoE heal as well for more support, aside from the Antitoxin Spray, which I’m pretty sure that little to no body uses it so much in Pve generally. Maybe for TA?

Arcane Brilliance is honestly fine as it is, though I agree antitoxin spray is pretty much as useless as it gets.
Brilliance would be the #1 ele heal if it weren’t for the condition-heavy meta.

MotherKitten.6795:

I’m not going to gear or trait for healing but I want to be good at pushing the buttons for the times when I choose to play healer.

One thing that is giving me trouble is trying to use a finisher on the water field created by Healing Rain. I’ve tried hitting Eruption first and then switching to water and hitting Healing Rain and I don’t notice any effect. When I try it with the fire fields or with the lighting fields it works but I try it with the water field from Healing Rain nothing seems to happen. I count off the duration of the healing regeneration buff and its not any longer so I’m not getting the duration stacking I was hoping for. The icon also never gets any little numbers on it showing stacking, though I’m not sure if Regen icons ever get those.

I’ve also tried using the blast finisher from Arcane Wave and that also produces no observable effect on water fields but works on fire and lightning fields.

My second question is about the utility of the healing from Water Blast. I’ve seen several things on the internet claiming the healing from it is useless. The numbers do seem okay to me I’m wondering why this skill is so lowly regarded.

You might have the timing wrong. I’ve been using Arcane wave on Healing Rain AND Geyser for a long time and always Area Heal.

You save your water geyser for stacking, otherwise it’s just a waste to throw it out. If you’re not specced for healing power, then it doesn’t really matter if you blast it or not. If you are specced for healing power, then try to at least blast it once or twice.

You shouldn’t have to wait 4 seconds after casting eruption to cast Healing Rain, because it lasts long enough to get blasted by eruption. Water Geyser, though, you’ll need to wait a second or two.

As said, though, it’s mostly for WvW. In dungeons where you stack bosses ontop of you, it’s useful as well, but people may get upset if it’s not yet another fire field for might stacks.

maybe offtopic, but heal on water blast can be very useful in WvW as a support for ram masters hitting gates under fire.
adds a very nice heal bonus to geyser and healing rain if ellys just auto attack the gates with water blast.

P Fun Daddy.1208:

CMstorm.8679:

What if Arcane Brilliance was made into an AoE heal as well for more support, aside from the Antitoxin Spray, which I’m pretty sure that little to no body uses it so much in Pve generally. Maybe for TA?

Arcane Brilliance is honestly fine as it is, though I agree antitoxin spray is pretty much as useless as it gets.
Brilliance would be the #1 ele heal if it weren’t for the condition-heavy meta.

I’m rather loving Brilliance, actually – it gives very powerful heals against all the MMs, spirit rangers and mesmers floating about, and the blast is good utility – an AoE heal if you want, or some might/swiftness stacking, or to combo in someone else’s field. Maybe that light one that someone stuck down when you were trying to do something else.

I don’t like light fields.

cheese.4739:

P Fun Daddy.1208:

CMstorm.8679:

What if Arcane Brilliance was made into an AoE heal as well for more support, aside from the Antitoxin Spray, which I’m pretty sure that little to no body uses it so much in Pve generally. Maybe for TA?

Arcane Brilliance is honestly fine as it is, though I agree antitoxin spray is pretty much as useless as it gets.
Brilliance would be the #1 ele heal if it weren’t for the condition-heavy meta.

I’m rather loving Brilliance, actually – it gives very powerful heals against all the MMs, spirit rangers and mesmers floating about, and the blast is good utility – an AoE heal if you want, or some might/swiftness stacking, or to combo in someone else’s field. Maybe that light one that someone stuck down when you were trying to do something else.

I don’t like light fields.

I know right? I’ll be getting down to low health, I’ll pop a water field, start blasting it, and then I’m down because the guardian was autoattacking.

I just wish Brilliance had shorter cooldown. But I guess that would make it OP.