You missed wildstar. It would be a good one to add just since how it plays quite different from the normal and is quite challenging to do so.
Given my experience in the games... I'll rank it...
1.) Rift - King of the healing. Just so many options available (particularly with the new healing being around on all classes) with clerics having a great deal of variety. Its the game that popularized the 'damage healing' as a main heal build (Chloromancer though eventually getting a cleric variation). It just managed to give healing such a variety that I feel ended up making healing for me feel stronger.
2. Ragnarok Online: Alright... I'm a cheater I know. Ragnarok Online really executed the healing class well. The amount of support options and abilities really gave a much more advance feeling of play to it. It wasn't complex in its heals, pretty much use 1 main abilities to heal (ignoring AoE healing abilities you didn't usually use) and then go about supporting up with shields, damage buffs/debuffs, and other things. The amount of extra utility it brought really took the idea of healing and gave it much more gameplay behind it. Honestly I had originally neglected this game but thinking it over, It just stood out (very slightly) about 3rd place while being just under 1st. It had its own feel to it that just doesn't get pulled off that often.
3.) WoW - Blizzard is far from original on many things, but one element they did a good job on I feel making things mechanically smooth for healing (well... in the past, we ignore stuff past wotlk mostly due to the terrible choices they have made in many expansions, particularly WoD coming up). They had found a nice balance with making healing a game about choice, mana efficiency vs more on demand healing. Sadly, its something they completely are butchering in WoD (I'd not even rate it top 5 healing for WoD, but I'm considering it an over-all experience).
4.) FF14 - While I don't feel its one of the most 'complex', the feeling of healing in FF14 was a great experience. As a scholar, I really did feel a great sense of strategy in choosing my healing abilities and using them correctly. It wasn't the most complex thing out there, but it really gave more abilities to the plate as far as utility goes having a pet and other factors that made it a satisfying experience.
5.) Aion - I'd rate this higher if I considered chanter (my main) a real 'healer' rather then more of a support class. Chanter is one of the funnest classes I played in an MMO, really giving that edge of healing/support. I'd have to admit I leaned more at the damage side, though it had many supportive heals and boosts I provided for my team. I guess it can't be called 'healing' as much, but that supportive edge (which healing is just a defined form of support) it is hands down one of my favorites from any MMO.
Honorable Mention: Wildstar - This makes the list just for taking the idea of healing and giving it a much bigger skill factor, not around effiency (which it does rely on that as well) but with aiming. Having to aim and manuevor to heal people adds a new element of challenge. It does provide much pain to (people love running from heals after all) which can make it an annoying experience as well, but its still a great change up that is worth a spot IMO.
Most of the other games I simply haven't gotten enough experience from to really comment.
1. Warhammer Online - Archmage and Disciple of Kaine. Both very different but both very capable healers. Loved the concept of defensive targetting.
2. TERA - Priest. With a mix of targetting and area based healing, can be a very challenging and fun experience AND you can solo elite boss mobs, so called BAMs. It is slower than most other classes but much safer.
I liked the Goblin Shaman in Vanguard. A good buffer and healer, but also a good debuffer. And they had three spell lines to follow, with three different pets. I liked the fire pet, he did fire debuff, and then fire dmg, while I did fire dmg too. So:
- a good pet, that can debuff the enemy, fire could allow decent DPS
Comments
You missed wildstar. It would be a good one to add just since how it plays quite different from the normal and is quite challenging to do so.
Given my experience in the games... I'll rank it...
1.) Rift - King of the healing. Just so many options available (particularly with the new healing being around on all classes) with clerics having a great deal of variety. Its the game that popularized the 'damage healing' as a main heal build (Chloromancer though eventually getting a cleric variation). It just managed to give healing such a variety that I feel ended up making healing for me feel stronger.
2. Ragnarok Online: Alright... I'm a cheater I know. Ragnarok Online really executed the healing class well. The amount of support options and abilities really gave a much more advance feeling of play to it. It wasn't complex in its heals, pretty much use 1 main abilities to heal (ignoring AoE healing abilities you didn't usually use) and then go about supporting up with shields, damage buffs/debuffs, and other things. The amount of extra utility it brought really took the idea of healing and gave it much more gameplay behind it. Honestly I had originally neglected this game but thinking it over, It just stood out (very slightly) about 3rd place while being just under 1st. It had its own feel to it that just doesn't get pulled off that often.
3.) WoW - Blizzard is far from original on many things, but one element they did a good job on I feel making things mechanically smooth for healing (well... in the past, we ignore stuff past wotlk mostly due to the terrible choices they have made in many expansions, particularly WoD coming up). They had found a nice balance with making healing a game about choice, mana efficiency vs more on demand healing. Sadly, its something they completely are butchering in WoD (I'd not even rate it top 5 healing for WoD, but I'm considering it an over-all experience).
4.) FF14 - While I don't feel its one of the most 'complex', the feeling of healing in FF14 was a great experience. As a scholar, I really did feel a great sense of strategy in choosing my healing abilities and using them correctly. It wasn't the most complex thing out there, but it really gave more abilities to the plate as far as utility goes having a pet and other factors that made it a satisfying experience.
5.) Aion - I'd rate this higher if I considered chanter (my main) a real 'healer' rather then more of a support class. Chanter is one of the funnest classes I played in an MMO, really giving that edge of healing/support. I'd have to admit I leaned more at the damage side, though it had many supportive heals and boosts I provided for my team. I guess it can't be called 'healing' as much, but that supportive edge (which healing is just a defined form of support) it is hands down one of my favorites from any MMO.
Honorable Mention: Wildstar - This makes the list just for taking the idea of healing and giving it a much bigger skill factor, not around effiency (which it does rely on that as well) but with aiming. Having to aim and manuevor to heal people adds a new element of challenge. It does provide much pain to (people love running from heals after all) which can make it an annoying experience as well, but its still a great change up that is worth a spot IMO.
Most of the other games I simply haven't gotten enough experience from to really comment.
1. Warhammer Online - Archmage and Disciple of Kaine. Both very different but both very capable healers. Loved the concept of defensive targetting.
2. TERA - Priest. With a mix of targetting and area based healing, can be a very challenging and fun experience AND you can solo elite boss mobs, so called BAMs. It is slower than most other classes but much safer.
My gaming blog
Top 5:
1. Warhammer Online - Archmage
2. Warhammer Online - Zealot
3. Warhammer Online - Warrior Priest
4. Warhammer Online - Shaman
5. Warhammer Online - Runepriest
(and DoK would be my 6th option - i just didn't like the dual wielding animations so much)
Aion - Cleric
WoW - Pala
- Albert Einstein
I liked the Goblin Shaman in Vanguard. A good buffer and healer, but also a good debuffer. And they had three spell lines to follow, with three different pets. I liked the fire pet, he did fire debuff, and then fire dmg, while I did fire dmg too. So:
- a good pet, that can debuff the enemy, fire could allow decent DPS
- good debuffs yourself, to bog them down
- good buffs to help the team
- good direct heals
All in all, one tough little bastard.
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2024: 47 years on the Net.