Yeah I was about to say lol.
When I heal most weeks I use 1 Grove Mending Trait. The rest are all High Noon, stat procs or bad traits I’m stuck with. Best essence for most weeks is Crucible, but I like ERT for bursting. None of the essences magically make Ward better; it just is.
At a low enough level you can literally use ANYTHING and be ok, but the best options are the best options for a reason.