Healer shortage?

[Krashtork]

Since the launch of the 3.0.2 patch, I have noticed a huge loss in the amount of healers that are available. Since 3.0 "LF1M Healer" has become something I have considered making a macro. I am constantly having trouble finding healers for PuGs and even guild raids. I have to attribute this lack of healing to a huge oversight by blizzard developers.

Firstly, because of the new "lets let everyone tank" tank design that addressed the so-called "tank shortage", we now have a surplus of tanks, so the demand for healers has increase, while at best, the supply has remained the same.

The supply has not remained the same however. Because of the new spell power change and Ret being "cool" I keep asking my healing buddies on my friends list and in guild to heal, but alas, they are DPS specced and wish to remain so.

So in summary we got more tanks and fewer healers. GG blizzard.
Has anyone else noticed a shortage in healers since 3.0?

[Fastpaws]

Same on my server, most of the Resto Druids went boomkin, alot of the Holy Priests are trying out sPriest or Disc. Shockadins are still around though, and I have a few Dedicate healers on my freinds list (one of them is my mom O-o).

But yes "LF Heals then G2G" has become common-place. It used to be "LF tank then G2G"

[Tatt]

The list got a lot shorter, because every paladin on the planet went ret...in lfg this morning their were kara and ZA pugs specifically requesting multiple ret pallies only. Good for them, like myself (fury warrior) they went through a drought of never getting invites, lolret jokes and all, so now they are soaking it up, making holy pallies quite rare.

[tobarstep]

Same on my server, most of the Resto Druids went boomkin, alot of the Holy Priests are trying out sPriest or Disc. Shockadins are still around though, and I have a few Dedicate healers on my freinds list (one of them is my mom O-o).

Shadow isn't even that good right now. Holy and Disc both got substantial buffs to healing. A deep Disc spec is actually a very solid MT healer spec. Of all the healers, priests should be lacking least of all.

[mavfin]

Shadow isn't even that good right now. Holy and Disc both got substantial buffs to healing. A deep Disc spec is actually a very solid MT healer spec. Of all the healers, priests should be lacking least of all.

Yeah, I've got a 64 priest I intend to level through instances a lot this weekend. I've already had to turn down whispers to heal because it was too close to work time.

[Fayre]

I think most dedicated healers (and I'm one of them) would agree that there's a significant lack of 'oh cool' factor in most of the new healing talents. Add the downranking nerf (meaning healers have fewer choices to make) plus a regen nerf (via spirit changes and potion sickness) and well... I'm not entirely surprised that its tough to find a healer. Largely speaking most healers feel weakened by recent changes, and while the tanks and the DPS are running around getting excited about their new abilities, I'm not sure the same is the case for us.

GC has promised some healer love in due course. Given he's done a great job with tanking, I'm hopeful in that respect. It's just whether its soon enough.

On a personal basis, I'm seriously considering whether a holy paladin is going to be a character I look forward to playing for the next two years, or whether its one I just log onto for raids a few times a week... my newly revamped prot warrior is looking awfully inviting.

[orcstar]

I always search for challenges,
That's what keep me going.

While for dps there's now new challenges, like how far they can increase their dps, how fast they can kill a boss.
For tanks, how many mobs they can tank, and how much dps they can do.

For healers, largely the challenge is gone.
Maybe I should go and try single heal Zul'Aman. But I don't think I'll fnd a party which lets me try.

I think even, most heroics nowadays can be cleared with four dps a tank and some bandages, that's how fast things go down.

[Scotteq]

Well - My healer toon is a Holy Priest. I've played her a few times since the expansion, and IMHO you can boil the shortage down to one sentence: It just isn't fun any more. No cool spells... No challenge in instances/heroics... And with longevity nerf'd hard (no more downranking, in combat regen is 1/4th what it was pre-patch), the efficiency isn't there any more for longer fights where the extra power would actually be needed.

Of the 5 Priests on my guild, only 1 is playing that toon regularly now. And she specc'd Disc.

[Golmmaster]

Yeah I was talking to my GF whos is playing a Holy paladin and leveling a priest soon to be holy. She always played a healer in raids, instances anything in the game she plays as a healer.

But as she is seeing that Healers don't have that much coolness and the recent nerf to some mechanism, she is seriously thinking of letting go of being a healer.

Blizzard really needs to do something because we are going to pass in a Lack of healer era.

[Krashtork]

Please move to new healing forum.

[Lore]

Keep in mind that everyone's got Christmas Morning syndrome at the moment as well; everyone wants to play with their fun new toys. I imagine at 80 it'll calm down some.

[silai]

My holy priest is my main but I rarely pug because the repair bill is not worth it.
I only run with my guild.

[Kayeliana]

My holy priest is my main but I rarely pug because the repair bill is not worth it.
I only run with my guild.

I am in the same boat. Unless I know and trust the tank, I will not pug.

[Starvationofmind]

I think even, most heroics nowadays can be cleared with four dps a tank and some bandages, that's how fast things go down.

Its really quite sad, I used to be a healer, but jumped at the chance to go feral a few months ago when my guild lost our feral druid to marriage. Just to see how far we could take it, I gathered a full group (cuz theres no range limit on protector of the pack) and went into seth halls with just me and a hunter. Cleared without dropping below 40% health, ever. I was even chain pulling the trash.

Next step, steamvaults

[Sangi]

Oddly enough my pre-bc pocket healer went shadow at 70. Been a damn good shadow preist also. When the expansion comes out he is going back to holy. But only to instance level. Once he hits 80 he's dropping back to shadow.

[Theomach]

I've considered leveling a healer (I do have a level... 12? 15? priest, but he isn't doing much at the moment), but the main reason I haven't is because I have no clue how to actually do it. DPS is simple - faceroll on keyboard, mob dies. Tanking is fun - now I can spend less time worrying about which person's going to pull aggro off me, and more time contributing to the fight. But healing? I have no idea how to do it. And it doesn't matter how good the tank or DPS is - if the healer sucks, it's over. How did you healers learn to heal? How do you learn the class? I wish there was a site like this for healers specifically, but if there is, I don't know where to find it. I'd level my priest more, but I know at some point I'll be asked to heal, and I don't want to go into a situation where I know I'm gonna be lost from the start.

[loquatious]

Our guild healers have evaporated as well - and only 1 of the pallies went ret. It must be something in the air?

[Xeider]

I have both a lvl 70 resto shaman and prot warrior that I regularly (plus a few mid to high level alts I play when I < hour to play and dont feel like running dailys)

My resto shaman was the first to 70, and then I leveled the prot warrior up as I noticed a lack of tanks for heroics. For the longest time it was usually my warrior who could find a group the easiest for the daily heroic... now its switched to my healer in big demand (+1300 H SP +240mp5).

I think healing as a shaman has gotten easier in some ways with a HoT... but it has definetly gone away from the spam CH for the whole fight. Definetly have to think a lot more, but I enjoy it a good deal more as well. In a couple of recent Kara and ZA pugs... I basically have just about solo healed (dmg metter showing doing about 70% of the healing). Biggest issue is worrying about agro...

[Ilya M]

I had my firend spec full disc and he almost solo healed a kara the other day, granted I out gear the place but his toon only has 2 ilvl 141 pieces the rest is T4 lefotvers since he stoped healing on his priest about the time we stepped into SSC/TK and swapped to a resto shammy. Disc also seems to be rather mana effiecient. he hardly had to drink the entire time.

[Horacio]

I can see it in the LFG channel and around town but in my specific set of friends, I actually have an overabundance of healers....but no pallys.

My wife is switching from her mage to her holy priest and is simply a better healer than a DPSer. Holy pally friend swithed to a resto druid and is enjoying it. A couple of people messing with alts for the past 6 months are now prepping thier mains (healers) for the expansion and grinding out achievements. I've literally shelved my resto druid, going into Kara for Mirkblood once and not having a clue what I was doing, lol. Granted, I haven't played anyone else lately either.