Analyzing Patch 10.2 Healer Updates: Are Healers Still Overpowered?

This week, we are going to take a closer look at the upcoming changes for healers in Patch 10.2. As a veteran healer and class guide writer, I'm excited to share my impressions and thoughts on these changes. In this article, we will discuss the problems with healing in previous seasons, Blizzard's goals for healing in Patch 10.2, and the specific changes that healers can expect in the upcoming patch.

Healing in Previous Seasons

If you're a healer in the world of Dragonflight, you're likely aware of the ongoing discussions surrounding the state of healing in the game. The past seasons, 10.0 and 10.1, have raised concerns among healers regarding the balance and gameplay experience. Healing cooldowns have been deemed too powerful and abundant, spot healing spells have felt weak, and healers themselves have been considered too strong.

Fortunately, Blizzard has acknowledged these frustrations and expressed their plans to address them in Patch 10.2. In a recent blue post, they outlined their goals for healing changes and emphasized the importance of interesting abilities, resource management, reduced overhealing, and meaningful choices for healers.

Blizzard's Goals for Healing

Blizzard aims to improve the healing experience by making several key adjustments. They want to increase the impact of single-target healing spells, ensure group healing spells are not excessively powerful, reduce the potency of raid survivability cooldowns, and address mana generation issues.

In terms of single-target healing spells, Blizzard intends to make them more impactful and purposeful. Currently, these spells often feel insufficient in moving the health bar of a target, particularly in Mythic+ dungeons. By addressing this, healing in challenging content should become less stressful for healers.

Group healing spells have undergone numerous modifications throughout Dragonflight, resulting in a rapid and almost instantaneous recovery of raid health. Blizzard plans to adjust the effectiveness of these spells to provide a more balanced healing experience.

Raid survivability cooldowns have arguably become too powerful, making raids feel almost invulnerable when these cooldowns are active. While it's enjoyable to unleash the combined power of various cooldowns, the overall raid survivability has become overwhelmingly sturdy. Therefore, Blizzard intends to bring down the power level of these abilities.

Lastly, mana generation has been identified as a significant concern. Blizzard aims to restore the finite nature of mana and ensure that mana management becomes crucial during raid encounters. They plan to reduce the effectiveness of mana restoration abilities and specific items.

What to Expect in Patch 10.2

With these goals in mind, let's explore the changes coming for healers in Patch 10.2. While it's impossible to cover all the adjustments for every specialization in this article, we'll discuss some of the major changes.

• Mana Changes

Blizzard has nerfed external mana sources such as Mana Tide Totem and Symbol of Hope. Even some weak external mana sources like Mana Spring have received adjustments. However, they may have missed a few spells like Source of Magic. Additionally, Shaman and Paladin had their own mana-related abilities toned down.

The goal of these changes is to reintroduce mana management as a crucial aspect of healer gameplay. Spell selection should be a strategic decision based on the current situation and mana availability. Blizzard wants healers to think about mana consumption and make choices accordingly.

• Cooldowns

One area that piques my curiosity is the adjustments made to healing cooldowns. Some healers have seen significant reductions in their throughput, while others have remained relatively untouched. Cooldowns like Ascendance and Flourish have been noticeably nerfed, while others like Rewind have remained the same. It will be interesting to see if Blizzard will address non-healer cooldowns as well in the upcoming weeks.

• Spot Healing

An essential aspect of healing is the ability to quickly and effectively heal individual targets. In Patch 10.2, single-target healing spells have received buffs across the board. However, there is still room for improvement. Spells like Healing Wave and Flash of Light have seen additional buffs and now provide substantial healing. On the other hand, spells like Riptide and Holy Shock currently lack the impact they once had, often failing to visibly move the target's health bar.

Remaining Challenges

While Blizzard's efforts are commendable, there are still a few areas that require attention and fine-tuning.

• Spot Healing Spells

One of the primary concerns is the lack of adjustments to true spot healing spells such as Holy Shock and Riptide. These spells should have a more significant initial healing component instead of solely acting as a "HoT applicator" for other effects. Increasing their initial healing output would result in more meaningful gameplay and better overall healing experience.

• AoE Healing Spells

Reducing the throughput of AoE healing spells can be a delicate task. Spells like Chain Heal are designed to provide effective AoE healing but come at a mana cost. By limiting external mana sources, Blizzard risks discouraging healers from using these spells frequently. Additionally, buffing single-target healing spells may inadvertently make AoE spells less appealing. Striking the right balance between single-target and AoE healing is crucial for a satisfying healing experience.

• Throughput Balance

Despite the proposed changes, healers may still feel overly potent if they can rapidly restore health bars. If healing remains too efficient, the other adjustments may not have the desired impact. Blizzard may need to consider overall aura-nerfs to prevent healers from easily topping off groups in a matter of seconds. Encounter design should also be taken into account to avoid rendering certain cooldowns mandatory due to high damage output. It's crucial to find the right balance between healers' power and challenging raid encounters.

• Non-Healer Cooldowns

As Blizzard evaluates healing cooldowns, it's worth considering the influence of non-healer cooldowns on healing dynamics. Abilities like Anti-Magic Zone and Rallying Cry have often been utilized as substitutes for healing cooldowns. While healing cooldowns should be appropriately adjusted, Blizzard should be cautious to retain the usefulness and power of non-healer abilities.

Final Thoughts

I'm delighted to see Blizzard addressing the concerns of healers and actively working towards improving the healing experience in Patch 10.2. While there is still work to be done, the initial changes showcased in the first week of the 10.2 PTR are promising. With continued feedback and collaboration between the players and the developers. We have a unique option for our M+20 bundle if you want to heal or tank not only to improve your gear but also to improve your role skill during the runs.