We are now in 2020, the year seen in the mid 20th century as the future, it is almost 2021 and almost time for a new expansion. However, this dilemma has always been present and bothered me greatly. I play a LOT of battlegrounds, it is more or less the only thing I do in the game and I’ve done it for more than a decade. I’ve seen metas change, strategies shift and become obsolete, maps come and go, classes going from being broken OP to the worst, etc.
But there’s one thing always makes me scratch my head in confusion, and it’s players that don’t target the freecasting healers standing there. I find it’s a retail problem and not a classic problem, the workings of the average player’s mind in battlegrounds across both versions vastly differ. I understand that the majority of human beings are stupid, however you would think that after constantly dying and spending upwards 5 minutes waiting for the rez timer per game due to unkillable DPS as a result of a nearby healer that their one brain cell would send a faint signal telling them that “hey man, maybe attacking this dps whose health is being topped off after I deal damage to him isn’t the proper move and perhaps you should focus the guy healing him”.
This game has been out for almost 16 years and there are still people that ignore them, it really blows my mind. Before the “use CC” argument is brought up, I wouldn’t expect half these people I’m talking about to know how- let alone interrupt a cast. Being down 2-3 heals in a battleground means absolutely nothing if you use those extra 2-3 dps to train on heals.
16 years ago in 2004-2005 I would have expected this behavior because the MMO genre was still spreading its wings, and naivety definitely played a part which is completely understandable. But in the present with all the thousands of guides, videos, streamers, basically any of the many outlets of information people still target dps with a freecasting healer nearby. I would have figured this was common sense.
So I beg of you, anyone that reads this: Please be the change. For god’s sake kill the healers. Both sides, not just Horde.
3 Likes
You don’t always have to kill healers first. If your damage output is high enough then all you need is a numbers advantage. Getting any kill can win you the teamfight, especially when healers are low-geared or few in numbers. This is a practice done in RBG’s as well.
The “everyone focus the healer” strat is easy to counter when you don’t have a brain dead group. Saying focus the healers in every situation isn’t intelligent
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Cc healer, kill squishy dps/ over extended dps.
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Healers also aren’t in reach and or risky to attack. I sometimes catch myself get too close, worried about interrupts or killing healer, suddenly get jumped when I would have been better hanging back and dishing out much as possible.
Agreed! Sometimes its definitely better to kill the healer, but what if there are 6 other healers keeping them up? Knock DPS out and there is no one left to heal.
I like to keep focus on heals and just use my interrupts as needed. I can send my pet way across the field and just when you think you’re gonna cast a heal, BAM intimidation.
Each situation is different. There is no One way is always the right way in BG’s.
This ONLY works when you can and DO communicate this strategy. Sure there are a number of exceptions to not targeting the healer, but this only accounts for a small number of the times where ppl don’t target the healer.
When in doubt: TARGET THE FREAKING HEALERS.
When you can’t communicate well: TARGET THE FREAKING HEALERS.
What to do before a battleground: download H.H.T.D.
Belittling players that won’t target the healer isn’t required but it can be therapeutic.
1 Like
i prefer running the healers oom by applying pressure to dps then targeting the healer for the kill while theyre oom. assuming the fight goes in your favor.
I will sometimes gauge initially whether my team can kill the healers or not from the first couple group fights. There was this Twin Peaks game where they couldn’t take out any one of the two geared healers so I called an audible in chat to focus on the flag carrier instead who ended up being a more viable target. We only had a brief window to capitalize on with the poly and lockout. I’m the one with the CC and ranged interrupt so it is my responsibility to use my utility in those types of situations.
I’ll pay attention to what my fellow dps are doing. If they’re all mongoing the healer I’ll help. If they’re all ignoring the healer I’ll through every kick/cc on the healer. If multiple dps are on someone they will die in a single kick on the healer.
Another good one is to go on the dps in a micro cc on the healer. If the healer over reacts and uses something like pain sup on the dps it’s a very good time to swap to the healer.
You just can’t do what you think is right and then get mad at other people for not doing your thing. They can’t read your mind. Play off your team mates.
A lot of folks assist off the hunters, bc if you’re in our range, you are over extended. Healers then over extenders are my priority.
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Lmao OP that was really funny. I feel the same way. Just kill the healers. Meanwhile dps are attacking an immortal enemy and dying. It’s not that hard.
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I really do think this is one of the major differences between Horde and Alliance. I am constantly under pressure from Horde players when I heal in random BG’s.
Sorry I can’t. I’m too busy trying to stay alive vs. classes that can suddenly not only kill me easily, but in 2 or 3 shots.
But seriously as Horde I feel like I’m the only one who ever goes after healers. Luckily you don’t really have to kill them to make them ineffective. Also as Horde we’re lucky to have a healer at all. If Alliance brings 2 or 3 good heals it’s usually GG pretty handily for them.
Generally speaking, the healer is the focus. If it’s a strong healer or they’re getting support, then kill the lowest health/ most over extended.
Don’t be shy about stopping your dps for one global, to cc/kick the healer.
Remember that healers aren’t just healing, they’re dispelling too, so sometimes it actually is better to go after the lowest health.
Seems like rogues always go first. Everyone hates rogues. Then pallys and hunters since they’re pretty much dead after their bubbles/shells
I always find this funny. Its really not hard to figure out a target. No you don’t just blindly train a healer to the ground, that’s how you end up dying majority of the time. You kill over extenders, its that simple. In this scenario you have some simple things that happen. Either the over extender dies or healers end up moving up, putting themselves in a bad position. Thats when you swap to them and it becomes a easy gank. At no point should YOU over extend yourself away from your healers/group. Just keep killing over extenders and you will eventually get to the healers, if they didn’t step up already.
Its a numbers game. Generally the people that have more heads win the team fight.
All I need to do is read your title and tell you immediately: Target the healer; the rest will fall like dominoes after.
1 Like
solid …
sometimes tho, it becomes a draw and drags out
that’s when it’s time to take one for the team and break into their backfield and shake things up. lol healers gotta die one way or the other. 
Killing over extenders and squishy dps works far better in heroic bgs than normal ones. Heroic bgs are more like pushing a wall forward with melee as the wall. That said when a healer is in range you should almost always take out the healer. Its a simple math formula. When the healers stay up the effective enemy health pool gets almost exponentially larger over time compared to killing the healers as quickly as possible.
As for the strategy of cc’ing healers and targeting DPS it can work but only when everyone knows and agrees to that strategy. Communication and having a shared strategy is a key component to winning bgs INCLUDING random bgs. Focusing healers doesn’t mean not cc’ing others either. You can also win by everyone targeting their own target but its far less likely and requires outmatched DPS.
When in doubt: target the freaking healers.
What to do when no one mentions a strategy: target the freaking healers.