Guild Wars 2

So I was looking at what healing skill to take for my raid the other day. I disagree with the majority of metabattle druid builds advocating only glyph of Rejuvenation, as I believe a druid is there first for healing, and then for utility BEYOND Grace of the Land. I can agree that the healing glyph has its uses, but I reject the notion that it is meant to be the healing skill for druid. This isn’t really meant to place on skill above the other, but to start a discussion on when certain healing skills should be used and in what instances. Tl;Dr at the bottom if you want to skip the math.

Here are my findings comparing the Glyph of Rejuvenation and Healing Spring with their respective traits.

Glyph of Rejuvenation (non-celestial): (24s cd)
Self-Healing: 4,860 (1.0)
Healing Allied Healing: 1,300 (1.22)
Miscellaneous effect.png Number of Targets: 5
Radius: 300
Total healing: 6160 [1300 to allies]

Glyph of Rejuvenation (celestial)
Healing Self-Healing: 1,300 (1.0)
Healing Allied Healing: 4,860 (1.22)
Number of Targets: 5
Radius: 300
Total healing: 6160 (same as before) [4860 to allies]

With “Verdant Etching” (seed planter), a celestial seed is dropped giving the following:
Healing Healing: 500 (0.5)
Next outgoing attack misses; Stacks duration. Blind (4s): Next outgoing attack misses.
Conditions Removed: 2
Number of Targets: 5
Radius: 180
Combo Combo Field: Light
*Grace of the Land Stack for those within the 180 radius.
Total healing on both: 6660 (uh oh) + 2 conditions removed per player. Reduced Recharge by 20%. Final cooldown: 19.25s.
(5360 or 1800 to allies)

Healing Spring: (30s cd)
Healing: 4,920
Gain health every second; stacks duration:6 Regeneration (3s): 2340 health
Number of Targets: 5
Duration: 10s
Trap Radius: 180
Radius: 240
Combo Combo Field: Water
Total healing: 7260 + 3 conditions removed on all players. (1 per pulse. 3 pulses)
(2340 to allies)
Healing Spring with Trap trait is 20% reduced recharge and 60% duration increase.
Healing: 4920
Gain Health every second: 4680 over 6s
Cool Down: 24s
Total healing: 9600 + 3 conditions removed on all players.
(4680 to allies)

TL;DR
Comparing the two final results:

Glyph of Rejuvenation: 6660 +2 conditions cleared + grace of the land. 19.25 cd.
Healing Spring: 9600 + 3 conditions cleared. 24s

Ally Healing Results:
Glyph of Rejuvenation: 1800 or 5360 to allies + 2 conditions cleared + Grace of the Land. 19.25s.

Healing Spring: 4680 to allies + 3 conditions cleared

Please Discuss.

For me, personally, I use the glyph over HealingSpring due to its speed. I have plenty of other means to apply regeneration, and two means to create a water-field. However, when I need to burst-heal a close-to-dead ally from, say 25% to full as quickly as possible — I need the glyph (with about 900 healingpower and a 50% to 62.5% increased outgoing healing to allies, it heals nearby allies for around 10k to 13k). Also, receiving the full benefits from the glyph doesn’t require as much standing-in-place.

That is not to say HealingSpring is a poor choice, though. If you get more use out of it, then power to you.

Healing Spring is better if fighting at 1 spot. More healing, traited = perma regen plus players can blast it for even more healing. That’s what you call an easy Astral Bar filler. However, a lot of that regen will be irrelevant since a lot goes into overheal, and if it doesn’t – than your big heals would go into overheal because of it instead.

Glyph sounds much more like a boosting ability and feels much more supportive. You can save a lot by simply blowing a 12K heal on 4 players around you (25% from GoE, 20 from traits, possible 20 additional from rune and sigil). That potential is not to be underestimated.
And technically speaking, that light field can be yet another few cleanses if paired with Projectile Finishers. Or retal/vuln as Light Aura. One way or another – it feels more supportive.

tl;dr
HS = Asral Bar filler
Glyph = Versatile support

Healing Spring indeed for fighting at 1 spot, or swooping, projectiling, evading etc through/in it. And it’s a waterfield you can blast, which is good sometimes, but sometimes not because ppl want other fields instead.

That’s why to me the glyph feels easier and better. Even though there are situations where healing spring would probably be better of use then the glyph.

I think that if you are using offensive sets on Druid, Glyph is better, but in high-healing power sets you already have enough burst healing, especially in Avatar and you will be better with traited HSpring.