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Healer Role Guide

Master the most impactful role in arena

Why Healers Win Games

In TBC arena, healers are the backbone of every team. A great healer can carry average DPS. Bad healing loses every game.

Healer Responsibilities

  • Keep team alive: Obviously. But also know WHEN deaths are unavoidable.
  • Dispel: Remove CC from DPS, remove buffs from enemies
  • Position: Stay alive while maintaining healing range
  • Call targets: You see the whole arena—use that vision
  • Mana management: Your mana is the team's life bar
  • CC: Offensive CC wins games (Cyclone, Fear, HoJ)

TBC Healer Overview

🐻 Resto Druid

Strength: Unkillable, Cyclone, mobility

Weakness: No burst healing, vulnerable in caster form

Best with: Warrior, Rogue, Warlock

✨ Disc Priest

Strength: Pain Suppression, Mana Burn, dispels

Weakness: Squishy, no mobility

Best with: Rogue, Mage, Warlock

🛡️ Holy Paladin

Strength: Bubble, plate armor, mana efficient

Weakness: No HoTs, limited CC

Best with: Warrior, double melee

⚡ Resto Shaman

Strength: Purge, Earth Shield, Mana Tide

Weakness: No defensive CD, interruptible

Best with: Warlock, Ele Shaman comps

Triage & Healing Priority

Triage is deciding WHO to heal and WHEN. It's the most important healer skill.

Healing Priority Order

1
Yourself (if dying)

Dead healer = lost game. Always heal yourself first if you're the kill target.

2
Kill target on YOUR team

Whoever the enemy is focusing needs immediate attention.

3
Anyone below 40% HP

Below 40% = kill range for most burst combos. Top them up.

4
Topped player taking chip damage

A HoT or small heal is fine. Don't waste mana over-healing.

⚠️ When to Let Someone Die

Sometimes you CAN'T save someone. Recognizing this prevents wasting cooldowns:

  • They're in deep CC and you'd have to trinket YOUR CC to save them
  • They're being burst and you have no instant heals available
  • Saving them would get YOU killed (then you both die)
  • They made a positioning mistake and are 40+ yards away

Dispel Priority

Knowing WHAT to dispel and WHEN is critical. Every dispel costs mana and a global.

✅ Always Dispel (High Priority)

Polymorph Full CC, easy to dispel
Fear (on kill target) Stops pressure, DPS needs uptime
Cyclone (if possible) Mass Dispel only, but worth it
Hammer of Justice Short stun but dispellable

⚠️ Situational Dispels

DoTs (on yourself) If you're the kill target, dispel some pressure
Crippling Poison If your DPS needs to kite/chase
Mind-Numbing Poison If you're being trained (cast time increase hurts)

❌ Don't Waste Dispels On

Minor DoTs (low damage) Mana inefficient to remove
Snares (usually) Better to heal through it unless kiting is critical
Debuffs right before more CC Wait for the CC chain to end

💡 Offensive Dispels

Don't forget to dispel ENEMY buffs:

  • Purge (Shaman): Remove Blessings, Shields, Hots
  • Dispel Magic (Priest): Same targets
  • Devour Magic (Felhunter): Pet can dispel for you

Healer Positioning

Position is everything. Bad position = dead healer = lost game.

🗺️ The Triangle Rule

Stand in a position where you can:

  1. Heal BOTH teammates
  2. LoS at least one enemy DPS
  3. Reach a pillar within 1-2 seconds

Ideal Healer Position

     [Pillar]
        |
        |--- You (Healer)
        |      \
        |       \--- Teammate 1
        |        \
        |         \--- Teammate 2

Stay near pillar, teammates in front of you, enemies LoS'd when needed.

⚠️ Common Positioning Mistakes

❌ Standing in the Open

No pillar nearby = no escape when focused. Always have an exit plan.

❌ Too Far From Teammates

If teammates are 30+ yards away, you can't heal through pillars.

❌ Tunnel Vision on Healing

Looking at health bars while Rogue opens on you = dead.

❌ Standing Still

Always be moving slightly. Harder to target, harder to CC.

Offensive Play as Healer

The best healers don't just heal—they create kill opportunities.

🎯 When to Play Offensive

  • Your team is stable (everyone above 70% HP)
  • Enemy healer is in trouble or CC'd
  • Kill target is low—one more CC could secure it
  • You have mana advantage

Offensive Abilities by Healer

🐻 Resto Druid
  • Cyclone: Best healer CC in the game. Use it.
  • Moonfire: Prevent drinks, break stealth
  • Feral Charge: Interrupt casts, gap close
✨ Disc Priest
  • Mana Burn: Your win condition vs other healers
  • Psychic Scream: Instant AoE fear
  • SW:Death: Execute potential
🛡️ Holy Paladin
  • HoJ: 6 sec stun to help with kills
  • Judgement: Some damage contribution
  • Cleanse: Dispel enemy HoTs
⚡ Resto Shaman
  • Purge: Remove ALL buffs from enemy
  • Wind Shear: Interrupt (short CD!)
  • Frost Shock: Slow runners, kite melee

⚠️ Don't Over-Extend

Offensive play is great but don't:

  • CC when your teammate is about to die
  • Chase for a kill and get caught out
  • Mana Burn when you're OOM
  • Play aggressive when behind

Communication as Healer

Healers see the whole arena. Use that vision to help your team.

📢 What to Call Out

Defensive "I'm CC'd!" / "Peel me!" / "I need to drink"
Enemy CDs "Trinket down on Mage" / "Ice Block used"
Kill Windows "Priest no trinket, go hard" / "Druid in caster form"
CC Coordination "Cyclone ready" / "Fear him off me"
Mana Status "I'm at 30%, need to reset" / "Their healer OOM"

🔇 When to Stay Quiet

Don't clutter comms with:

  • Every single heal you cast
  • Complaining about RNG
  • Calling things teammates can see themselves