One of the things I liked about the Shadow priest, and stuck with the class through the days of dismal dps, was I liked being utility, the self-sufficiency, replenishment, party healing, If I ever cared about being caster top dps I would have rolled a Mage or Warlock years ago.
14 min queues for DPS for the Cata heroic aren’t too bad, so I queued and got Grim Batol. I was just settling into Boss DPS mode on the first boss, after killing the first malignant trogg, (because no one else even tried) I glance up at the parties health bars, mindful of any Blitz warnings flashing on screen, and the healer’s life bar disappears, and then a split second later tank is at 10% health and is also RIP. Hunter dps gets smashed by the boss, and me and the DK manage to kite him around a little bit but still only get him to about 50%.
Then I get told as we are running back.
“Priest – you should have off healed”
Not ” Bad healer for standing in crap” Or “bad tank for tanking him where you did” ( I think on top of the healer – all their damage taken was ground siege)
It was “Priest – you should have off healed”
I had to defend myself. ” You were at 10% health and standing in ground siege” and “You shouldn’t need a offhealer if the Healer doesn’t get one shot”
If he had, had more than 10% health I would have given it a shot, but healer down, Tank so low with a health bar that got sucked into oblivion before even me, a trigger happy – leave shadow form priest can react. I resent being told I should have off-healed.
I like being useful, filling gaps. I will drop Shadow form and heal in Pve and Pvp. I try to be helpful. If I don’t think the healer is keeping my tank up in a dungeon well enough I will throw shields up on them, and yes my dps suffers, but it doesn’t matter because I’d rather not wipe. I watch the health bar of the tank, and the healer. I notice when a dps is down, when someone doesn’t get rezed ec. I hymn when someone kills both hatchers and the healer worries about the extra damage. I mass dispel on the Bear boss so the healer doesnt have to single target dispel 5 people.
I try and help damn it , often at a loss of dps to me, sure it might be one global cool down here and there, but I have known Dps and Tanks that don’t run with raid frames because they don’t need to know what everyone’s health and life status is. It’s not their job.
I didn’t complain at the healer failure. I was running back with everyone else, willing to give this bad start of a pug another chance. But I’m supposed to put band aids on their failures as well and I’m the baddie.
But there also lies this apathy problem I have developed. We killed the 1st boss the 2nd time. Healer only got hit with Blitz once, and I killed two Malignant troggs, it was all good, and as we are making our way to the next boss I had several seconds to think about this whole benefit of being an adult and making my own choices. If I was at a party I didn’t want to be at, I can leave, and so yeah, they showed me how the rest of the run was likely to be like, and I really didn’t want that kind of annoyance, so I left.
Is that giving up to easily. Maybe, but I keep forgetting that this game is supposed to be fun. I shouldn’t have to endure bull crap, and there is different types of crap. I was more ok with the healer failing ( learning. as I would like to positively spin it) then I was about this strange attitude that I was somehow required to band aid the problem.
You should not have off healed, and given that statement you did the right thing and departed with a little sanity. Save the advice for folks you can help. Be happy to advise and give feedback, and even happy to ask for it and listen, but don’t be spoken to spitefully.
I am quick to jump in and start healing to the extent that a few times I have been admonished about having low DPS, one time after downing a boss in Cata I recount was shown with me as fourth in dps. I then said show healng and I was just below the healer that quieted them for the rest as I had to heal in at least one other boss and I was whispered by the other healer that they were thankfull for the help. I love Devine Hymn It heals who needs it and for alot. Alot of RBGs are using 4 healers now I am trying to convince my leader that we can us me plus 4
Shadownun