Normally, Monday is Throw Screenshots At The Blog Day, but I didn’t get around to properly editing the screenies, so today…you get the Adventures of the Fail Tree.
My baby druid only has 4 buttons. A HoT, a smallish heal thingy with another HoT, Swiftmend, and Healing Touch. HT has quickly become equated with Greater Heal in my mind-it’s a thing that I try not to cast too often, because it’s slow as fuck. Big, but slow. The adjustment part comes from not having a little heal to spam in its place-it became a game of wiggling around and wondering if Swiftmend would come off CD in time. Sometimes the mage died. Sorry, mage. AoE less?
I feel comfortable enough healing 5 mans by now, but I have discovered a massive problem with playing a tree. See, I throw my HoTs on the tank and then I…wait. During those long seconds of waiting I get distracted-by my cat, my party chat, or by guild chat discussing whether or not spit is a good enough lube for anal sex.
No really, we had that discussion. I screen shotted it and everything!
Anyway.
So I get distracted, and I start typing, right? Standing there…typing…not following the group. And then the tank runs ahead and pulls another 2-3 packs of mobs, and I go OH SHIT, and I don’t have penance to make up for my lollygagging anymore so…SPLAT goes the tank.
Because I was typing.
Ahem.
I think that maybe I need a Swiftmend maco of Amber Wasn’t Paying Attention, because this is going to be a long haul to 80…
/hots
/sees something shiny
/wanders off
(To explain the title, aside from the obvious: my poor little druid was dubbed Psychiatree. Because I need some, see, after having that many healers…)
I Like Bubbles 
#1 by Poneria on February 1, 2010 - 2:45 pm
Waiting between HoTs is tree dance time. I have a /dance macro to press and it’s usually the tank, but it’s whomever I have targeted at the time. It’s also tree melee time, though I know it annoys the shit out of tanks sometimes. Along with mages who joke about getting the might pally buff in raids, I like to see how high I can crit with my branches. I got a 263 crit once.
#2 by Ataraxasomething on February 1, 2010 - 2:46 pm
I did that when I healed on my Tree too. Well! You’re loaded up on HoTs, time to alt-tab out…
Alas uploaded some amusing screenies over here today :)
http://kissmyalas.blogspot.com/2010/02/in-which-my-guildies-bring-teh-funny.html
#3 by Celaeno on February 1, 2010 - 2:48 pm
I missed that gchat discussion, but my answer is NO. NO IT IS NOT.
#4 by Kotakh on February 1, 2010 - 2:50 pm
Dont you have Nature Swiftness yet(or whatever the name is) for those o shit moment when you forgot to pay attention?
Also, you have branches..use them to attack the shit out of that mob while waiting to refresh your HoTs. Plus it will proc your Omen of Clarity so its fun and usefull at the same time :)
#5 by crankyhealer on February 1, 2010 - 3:04 pm
My own personal whack-a-mole game (for times of extreme boredom) is to never let a hot fall off the tank. Need rejuv, regrowth (hot part) and at least 1 stack of lifebloom. See them corners light up in Grid. Waste mana. WHEEEE!
If you always have a hot on, you just snap off a swiftmend when you need it. Remember, preparedness is important for druids. Our best oh-crap button only works if we’ve already had the forethought to throw a hot on the person (why I hated the stupid ice block on KT because, dammit, penance works beautifully, but swiftmend needs you to be psychic, or to do the GCD two-step.)
Stack the hots before damage comes in. If you are still stacking them when the tank enters combat, you’re making life difficult for yourself and may have to play catch up.
#6 by Ambrosine on February 1, 2010 - 3:06 pm
@Kotakh – I’m dangerous in melee range, dude. Should not be allowed if I’m not tanking! Is that how you die all the time?
#7 by Kotakh on February 1, 2010 - 3:16 pm
@Amber Yep, that is why i died all the time lol.
But its so much fun to whack those big ass boss and seing 300 damage crit pop up :)
#8 by Cattlena on February 1, 2010 - 3:22 pm
Low level druid healing is a little rough. I found that I got a lot more use out of glyphing HT until I finally picked up Nourish. Still is not good for spamming but at least I felt like it was more useful to fill in all the omg i wasn’t paying attention moments.
#9 by evisceratespam on February 1, 2010 - 3:27 pm
branch dps
and soit in more than enough end of discussion
#10 by ambient on February 1, 2010 - 3:34 pm
That – is – an – awesome – name! I love it.
I (who admittedly am only to level 38 on my druid, but I’m a priest in “real” life!) also <3 the Healing Touch glyph. Found one sitting around in the GB, and knew that precious few go the HT route at high levels, so I threw it in there. And I actually really enjoyed it. The math sounds bad if you just look at it (reduces cast time by 50%, mana cost by 25%, and amount healed by 50%), but taking the spell from unused to "actually helpful, especially for those spoiled by the ass-saving nature of Penance" is worth it to me.
#11 by Xtiangames on February 1, 2010 - 3:49 pm
I love how this turned into a thread about how Penance makes you a soft healer. It’s totally true, however.
I picked up the HT Glyph early for my baby Balance druid. Untalented Hots and a random overpriced flash heal are perfect for BFD and other godawful lowbie instances.
#12 by Ambrosine on February 1, 2010 - 3:57 pm
@Xtiangames – Penance and its tiny pally cousin Holy Shock saved me I don’t know how many times! >.>
#13 by Shawndra on February 1, 2010 - 6:23 pm
HAHA I killed a group laughing at this in Blackfathom Deeps. :)
#14 by Brian Inman on February 2, 2010 - 12:06 am
After playing my priest for over three years I love playing a druid. My arenas went from frustrating to non stop fun with my druid.
#15 by Emma on February 2, 2010 - 4:35 am
I hear you. I have the same problem on my baby druid, i keep killing people in BRD when the tank runs off while i’m looking at atlasloot :(.
To the commenters, thanks for the glyph advice and for reminding me I need to glyph my tree off spec.
#16 by Jheherrin / Kasreyn on February 2, 2010 - 4:43 am
pass the butter
#17 by Forreststump on February 2, 2010 - 10:18 am
Echoing the rest of the crowd: Glyph of HT is handy before Nourish is available, and is fairly comparable to said Nourish in speed and HPS, although HPM cost is probably slightly higher.
As for the /gchat:
N O A N A L