Healers are the backbone of a strong party, able to support their allies with buffs and prevent them from dying while facing off against elite mobs – or other players. In WoW SoD Healers are all capable of playing the role effectively – there is no one spec that should outright be avoided.
WoW Season of Discovery – What Class Should You Play?
All nine classes in World of Warcraft Classic got major updates in the Season of Discovery – but which class should you play in SoD?
Some Healers bring more utility to a party, though, or are able to cast a more diverse and powerful set of Healing abilities. Shamans, for example, can’t put out the HPS of a Paladin or Priest, but it brings its own unique benefits to the group. This guide to the best Healers in WoW SoD ranked places each class based on its endgame PvE and PvP capabilities, though things will likely shift as future Phases release.
Shaman
Restoration In SoD Just Isn’t Where It Needs To Be Yet
One of the three roles Shamans can play in WoW SoD is that of the Healer, through the Restoration spec. Though there aren’t any healers in the Season of Discovery that aren’t good enough for endgame content, Restoration Shamans have the weakest toolkit at Level 25.
The class’ reliance on Totems can make it difficult to maintain healing in high-mobility fights, and the Restoration tree and abilities aren’t great for single-target healing. It doesn’t help that Shamans have one of the weaker ranged caster spell lists, too, so while not healing a Shaman won’t put up the same DPS as a Priest or Mage. Things may change in future phases, but Shamans sit at the bottom of the Healer list for now.
Mage
A Wild Card Healer That Fills A Hybrid DPS/Heals Role
Mages are given the chance to play the Healer role in the Season of Discovery for the first time. Three new Runes let Mages target allies with Temporal Beacons and heal them based on the damage that the Mage does.
WoW Season of Discovery: What Are Waylaid Supplies?
Waylaid Supplies are a new WoW SoD unique item that grants reputation and a small chunk of rewards, which scale when filled with specific items.
Played well, a healing Mage can be equally effective at healing the party as they are at healing one target. So far, this new Mage healer spec is proving to be pretty powerful, but it’s only effective when players can manage their Temporal Beacon placements and timings.
Though Mage healers deal the best DPS in the healing role, they aren’t able to resurrect allies without a specific SoD scroll.
Druid
Good For Healing-Over-Time With Few Emergency Options
In Classic Wow, Restoration Druids are half-decent healers. They don’t have access to the party utility and debuffs that the Paladin or Priest classes offer, but Druids instead offer the best ongoing healing-over-time, and are pretty high up there for AoE healing capabilities.
Where the Druids fall behind is its lack of an ability to recover a single target from massive HP loss in an emergency, and its new Runes don’t offer a significant boost in power. Priests get Penance and Prayer of Mending, while Paladins’ Beacon of Light literally doubles their healing output, and both of these classes offer more party utility than Druids.
Paladin
Almost Tied For Best SoD Healer, But Lacks Some Utility
Paladins and Priests are pretty much even in terms of the best healing class in SoD, as they are both capable of supporting a party in endgame Phase One content in a variety of powerful ways. The Priest offers a little bit more utility than Paladins, but it’s close.
WoW Season of Discovery: How To Get Beacon of Light (Paladin Rune)
Paladins were never bad healers, but in the Season of Discovery, Beacon of Light helps the class push through to top-tier HPS.
Holy Paladins are already so good in WoW Classic that most Paladin players default to the spec for endgame content. Paladins have the most coveted buffs for endgame content of any class (except, perhaps, Feral Druids’ Wild Strikes), including auras and direct buffs. In the Season of Discovery, Runes like Beacon of Light and Inspiration Exemplar take this already-great support class to the next level.
Priest
Best Raid Healer & Best Overall Support Class In WoW SoD
Priests are the best healer in SoD for a few key reasons. The class was already the best healer in WoW Classic because of its variety of spells that suit almost any healing situation, and with its new Priest SoD Runes, it’s even better than ever.
Priests get one of their most powerful spells through Runes, such as Penance as part of their introductory Rune quest at Level 2. Circle of Healing and Prayer of Mending significantly improve Priests’ AoE healing capabilities, and both Strength of Soul and Serendipity are powerful passive improvements to players existing spell lists.
Priests importantly have the Dispel Magic ability, which removes a harmful effect from an ally – invaluable for endgame PvE and PvP alike. Paladins don’t get a similar ability until Level 42 (Cleanse).
World of Warcraft
- Released
- November 23, 2004
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood and Gore, Crude Humor, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence (online interactions not rated)
