So, I’ve been toying around with ventari, as well as the druid.
Both specs are “Healing” specs to be the primary healer. Both classes require a large sum of their class, specialization, utilities, and gear to be shifted toward healing — However, the results seen are not the same.
The druid outperforms ventari in every single category, except projectile blocking.
The healing is stronger (far stronger, and heals in 2-3 areas at once, with the pet healing as well as the active wisps), team support is arguably even (given spirit used, buffs provided), the condi cleanse is as good, if not better. In addition druids bring multiple water fields.
The problems with Ventari, as I see them, consist of the following:
1) The tablet is clunky, moves too slow.
This is detrimental to a group that has to move often, as the heals are unreliable. Try moving the tablet through a running target that isnt running in an exact line — even then, it can be difficult to pass the tablet through them
2) You have to stop to heal.
What I mean by this is the heals have cast times, and wont happen if youre doing anything else. If youre Using UA, or Staff 4, the utility skill wont go off. I believe the utilities on the tablet should be seperate from your characters attack skills/animations/cast times. This would help alleviate the above. You could then Cast 3 (Burst heal in 2 seconds) then move the tablet with Q, providing a burst heal along the way while its traveling/a large one at the end if youre fast enough/its not traveling far. This currently works sometimes, but not always
3) The trait line has garbage additives due to our low heals and the problems above
Hardened foundation needs to be reversed. It needs to grant healing power for toughness.
Natural abundance needs to be a burst heal, not something dropped on the ground.
Tranquil Benediction needs to provide protection, or Resilience — Or increase the number of orbs dropped.
4) The utilities:
1- As mentioned above, this is clunky to move the tablet, moves slow, and doesnt let you cast while doing other things. The tablet moving should have a 240 range on its heal. 360 range when stationary.
2- Protective Solace – This one is good. No complaints.
3- Natural Harmony – The area is too small, the cast time is way too long for how much healing it does. It also sometimes bugs out if you move the tablet, draining your energy, but not healing the burst.
4) Purifying Essence — If i let it channel for 5 seconds, and hope allies havent cleared their condis, it might heal for 1400 max. Less than moving the tablet, or casting Natural harmony. We already condi cleanse on staff 4, potentially from rolling, and from swapping legends — and other classes have access to aoe condi cleanses as well. This needs to remove ALL conditions, or drastically improve the healing coefficient
5) Elite — In my mind, there is no reason to ever cast this. Fragments dont last long enough, and even if they did, hasn’t Anet learned from the medpack? NO ONE PICKS UP TINY THINGS ON THE GROUND. Not only is it hard to see, but that means you have to stop DPSing to hopefully get there in time. If they are going to keep with this “Pick up this tiny thing” at least make it worth it. They need to last longer, provide a buff (regen, swiftness) or condi cleanse with the heal. You also then have to re-cast the tablet, then re-move the tablet where it needs to be.
I understand druids maybe should be the best healer, but there shouldnt be such a large disparity in the two primary healers. If the ventari is meant to be more sustain, give us more tools to sustain people with Healing over time, instead of the large bursts seen in the toolkit (2, 3, 5). If it is meant to be more “support/utility” — Fine, drop the “Healing effectiveness” increases throughout their entire trait line, especially the 2 that are required to be taken in salvation.