I have been queuing for Blitz recently (my favorite thing Blizzard has ever done), but I am finding it hard to impact the game as a healer besides mid fight. What are some ways I can be impacting the game as a healer because it feels like winning or losing is completely out of my control.
For holy paladins, your big niche is Searing Glare on any node map OR grabbing the cart on Deephaul Ravine. It’s a pretty busted ability, so use it wisely and it’s a massive game changer.
That means you’re getting as many targets as you can in front of you. Given that this ability can not be trinketed, it essentially makes you immune to everything, including even melee hits, for the duration it’s on the target.
On maps like Deepwind Gorge, you’re not always going mid and you could instead hit quarry, ruins, farm, or shrine depending on your comp. So say it’s a 2v2 at any node. You could HoJ any target that has a kick to get your Searing Glare cast off. OR just bait the kick. Regardless, you’re using glare on both targets and essentially getting a free cap. That’s your game. It can’t be stressed how strong this ability is.
This is just as much the case for Gilneas as well. I have seen plenty of Paladins cap WW while a full team fight was going on because they focus their glare on the people spinning.
For everything else, you’re really playing a support role as a paladin healer. FC maps you don’t want to carry. So you might assist the other healer getting across the flag and then turning around and helping offense push the EFC. On WSG or Twin Peaks I would ALWAYS tell your team to win the team fight first before the other healer or your potential FC peels off. You’re much better being on offense in many situations as opposed to sitting with the other healer. Keeping your team mobile and out of CC is huge.
All of the healers have fairly different roles and things they excel at and all of that changes depending on the comp. In the end, it’s on you to call what you’re going to do and ensure the other players are focusing on what their spec does best.
Some other simple tips. You rarely if ever grab orbs on Temple of Kotmogu. Stay alive and keep your orb carriers mobile and healed up. On non-node maps, glare is still really strong on the opener. Glare on a target while their CDs are up is a huge trade.
Healers have by far the biggest impact in any bg.
I would say the goal would be to identify where on the map you as a healer have the most value.
So which team fight on the map is the most important happening at the moment and go there.
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What class and spec are you using?
Some healers make great flag carriers, others are excellent at assisting the flag carrier. A lot of impactful plays I made on my holy priest involved smart grips. Some classes have powerful CC like Rdruid and Hpal to steal nodes.
Ultimately, being in the right place at the right time and avoiding CC/ being able to peel for yourself to help your DPS is what all healers need to do. Of course, if DPS want to fight on roads and ignore objectives, there’s only so much you can do about that…
Yeah because on node maps you don’t have to stay and defend as much as you do in regs. So basically cap node wait a bit then move to next. You have to anticipate where to be. Sometimes topping charts with massive heal meters doesn’t get you the win. Sometimes it’s the healer who never died but capped out three nodes or flag captures that wins now. It’s not like the old rbg days where you basically tried to out heal the other healers or gg
In Blitz, not everything is within your control. It’s important to know your class’s role and its limits. Don’t try to take on tasks meant for other players. Trying to impact the game beyond what your role is meant for is likely to work counterproductively.
Focus on healing where you’re needed most, don’t try to do everything at once. For example, if the team’s plan is you heal offense in WSG, you shouldn’t stop to heal teammates in mid.
I think this applies to every class. If you’re playing an assassination rogue, your job is to deal damage, don’t spend the whole match playing like a subtlety rogue. If you’re a dh, you should be floating proactively without other players asking you. Similarly, everybody assumes ret paladins will sit a node or stay with the flag carrier, don’t throw your teammates off by doing something unexpected.