WoW Classic Tips & Tricks - Dungeon Healing

Hey dudes - Silvite Soltis here. And today I'm proud to be starting a bit of a mini-series...

Recently, a viewer over on my YouTube channel commented on my Healy Priest Tips & Tricks video, asking why I didn't make a guide for people who don't want to raid, but rather focus on dungeons as their meta. And so, after thinking a bit about it, I decided that yeah, I probably should.

So, here you go - some general tips and tricks for healing Classic dungeons! I hope you enjoy! If you do, add yourself to my mailing list below so that you don't miss any other guides, tips, or other content in the future. There's lots still to come, and I'm sure you don't want to miss out. But yeah, with that out of the way, let's get right into the guide:

Before Dungeon

Pre-Dungeon Tip #1 - Get and Set Up Proper Addons 

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No matter what level you are when you decide to start healing dungeons, it's usually a good idea to pick up some of the standard addons that healers use before jumping in. These include, but are not limited to:
Decursive - Notifies you about debuffs you can remove and let's you remove them with just a click.
DeadlyBossMods - Gives useful warnings, notifications, and timers for boss encounters.
ThreatClassic2 - Tells threat levels on the current target, which is useful for knowing who might pull aggro.
Healbot Classic - Allows combinations of clicks to cast certain healing spells on your party.

After installing them, play around with them to get a feel for how they work, and check the settings via the in-game menu. All of these are widely used by healers as far as I'm aware, but personally I dislike the last one. So, instead of HealBot, you can...

Pre-Dungeon Tip #2 - Set Up Mouseover Macros (and update them regularly)

As I mentioned in my previous healing guide, I much prefer the use of mouseover macros to healing addons, as they allow me to simply use the standard party and raidframes. What's more, they're really easy to tweak once you get macros for all of your main spells set up, so it really makes maintenance easy - you never have to worry about errors or updates!

If you're not familiar, a mouseover macro is basically a macro that allows you to cast a spell on whatever your mouse cursor is hovering over. This means that you can allow your cursor to simply hover around the party frames and easily cast a spell on whoever is taking damage without actually targeting them. It might seem minor, but the tiniest bit of time saved from not having to click on them to target them first can mean the difference between life and death.

Here's the standard macro again - copy and paste it, and adjust for whatever spells you want to make macros for:

/cast [@mouseover,exists]Spell(Rank x)

Pre-Dungeon Tip #3 - Prioritize +Healing Gear 

Though primarily focused on endgame dungeoneering, healers should generally try to get as much +healing on their gear as possible before heading into dungeons. In the modern era of Classic WoW, fights don't last as long as they used to - especially when you have Tier 2 geared players smashing through Strat Live for Righteous Orbs and whatnot. As such, having lots of intellect or spirit doesn't really do a whole lot unless you're running with super low-level or badly geared players. So, while it's good to have a balance of stats and +healing in raiding, for dungeons you can pretty much go all-in with the 'of Healing' greens.

Pre-Dungeon Tip #4 - Take Enough Water and Mana Potions

Major Mana Potion

As a healer, you should always be prepared before heading to a dungeon. That means bringing 3-4 stacks of water and 5-10 mana potions to every dungeon run you do. Ideally, you won't need to use all of these, but it's good to be ready for anything.

Also, as a bonus tip, remember to open the non-trap crates if running Stratholme, as they often have mana potions and Morning Glory Dew for you to stock up on!

Pre-Dungeon Tip #5 - Set Up or Join the Ideal Group

This is arguably the most important tip for you to consider before heading into a dungeon. Keeping your role in mind, try to join or set up the ideal group. If you're a shaman healer, consider groups with an extra melee dps to make good use of Windfury and Chain Heal. If you're a druid, remember to have a priest, shaman, or paladin in party so that you have a rezzer. And no matter what healer you're playing, try to get a mage so that you have that sweet, sweet conjured water!

Look, if you're a holy paladin and you join a group with 3 paladins and a hunter, you can probably still clear any dungeon in classic - hell there was just a 40-shaman MC clear! However, it might take longer than you'd like, and you may end up wishing you'd joined the warrior, 3 mage spellcleave group instead.

In the Dungeon

Dungeon Tip #1 - Drink After Every Pack or Two 

Drinky Drinky!

Alright, so you're in the dungeon! One of the most important things that you should do, especially if you're a fresh healer, is to drink after every trash pack or two. Unless you're sitting close to full mana, you should always be prepared for a bad situation to arise in the next pack - a wandering patrol, a bad multishot, or fear into the next group.

This is the reason you'll want to make sure to have plenty of water in your bags before you start - whether from a mage, or a friendly vendor NPC.

Dungeon Tip #2 - Use Power Word: Shield or HoT Spells (If Possible)

Rejuvenation and Regrowth are great!

Next up is a pretty obvious one for most veteran healers, but if you're fresh to healing dungeons you might not be aware of the great utility of these types of spells. Power Word: Shield is a priest spell that absorbs incoming damage, and it can really be useful for preventing a big spike of damage on your tank. I cast this on the tank right before a boss fight if he has a decent amount of rage to build threat, but it can also be used to save your casters spamming AoE spells, or yourself.

HoT (Heal Over Time) spells such as Renew, Rejuvenation, and Regrowth are also great spells for smoothing out the damage your tank or dps is taking. These spells are great for pulsing damage on the whole party - like Baron Rivendare and Lord Alexi Barov in Stratholme Undead and Scholomance, respectively - but in general it's a good idea to keep them up on the tank at all times regardless.

However, NEVER put HoTs up on the tank right before a boss fight though! If he or she has an unlucky streak of misses or taunt resists, you'll definitely pull aggro, which all too often will result in a horrible horrible wipe.

And that leads me to my next tip...

Dungeon Tip #3 - Dump Aggro Often (If Possible)

I mentioned this in a previous guide, but it's worth repeating - keep fade (or bubble, if you're a paladin) handy! Since pulling aggro as a healer can be so devastating for your group, you should really avoid it at all costs if you can. If you have an aggro dump ability, use it! However, if you don't have one and still manage to pull aggro on an enemy target, do everyone a favor and run TO the tank! Trust me, he'll appreciate the gesture!

Dungeon Tip #4 - Fast Heals for Emergencies

Flash Heal, Rank 7

Sometimes, the tank goes down a lot faster than you expect. In these situations, it's vital that you heal them up as fast as you can. Flash Heal or Lesser Healing Wave, while expensive, can be the difference between life and death of your party members. And if you've brought some mana pots like I told you to in that earlier tip, you should have a bit of a backup in case you do end up going OOM.

Just for a quick rundown, here are the fast heals that each class has:
Priests - Flash Heal
Paladins - Flash of Light
Druids - Swiftmend (a deep resto talent)
Shamans - Lesser Healing Wave

Finally, for emergencies, use the highest rank you have initially, then swap back to other heals or lower ranks as things calm down.

Dungeon Tip #5 - Decurse/Dispel!

Decursive

This is where that addon Decursive comes in handy. Keep an eye, and an ear, out for the notifications when the pop up. By default, a red box means left click and a blue box means right click. There's also a pink box that might show up (alt+left click, if I recall correctly), but this can be altered in the addon menu.

While dispelling or decursing, try to be mindful of which debuffs get applied repeatedly, as there's often little point in removing them early into a trash pull only to have it reapplied 4 more times and run you OOM. However, anytime a debuff that reduces healing taken appears on the tank, you should remove it if you can.

Effective dispelling takes practice, so start as soon as possible and get a feel for the debuffs of each dungeon you're in.

Dungeon Tip #6 - Clarify the Bosses Before Engaging

Finally, the most overlooked bit of advice that I can offer to not only healers, but everyone doing a dungeon (for the first time, especially) - don't be afraid to ask questions! If you aren't quite sure what a boss does, ask. The good thing about Classic, as opposed to BFA nowadays, is that people are much more willing to help and explain things in order to ensure the group's success. So, if you are foggy, or just straight up don't know a boss, make sure to find out what is going to happen so you can prepare!

This really can make all the difference on a boss fight, and will help you clear the dungeon with ease!

After the Dungeon

Post-Dungeon Tip #1 - Note the Good Players

So, now that the dungeon is done, there are two things that you, the healer, should make sure to do. First and foremost, note down and add the good players (if any) to your friend's list - especially the tanks! Though you might not group with them anytime soon, or even talk with them often depending on how social you are, it can give you a good list of players you'll enjoy playing with in the future. What's more, you'll have people you CAN ask back to groups later too. So yeah, it's just like that loading screen tip says: 

"If you enjoyed playing with someone, put them on your friends list!"

Post-Dungeon Tip #2 - Reflect on Your Performance

What was good? What could be improved?

Finally, as a healer, it's important to always think about how you did in your dungeon runs. Were there any wipes? If so, was it your fault, or did you do everything you could? Could you have saved mana during that one fight by casting a lower rank heal? These questions and more can help you to grow as a healer, so try to think about what you did well, and what you could improve next time. Also, ask the other party members for honest feedback if you're not sure! Though most of the time they'll probably just say "you did great" or "awesome heals" (at least, that's what they say to me), occasionally you can get some great commentary and tips from the people you run with. So, consider their input as well!

And then, start looking for the next dungeon!

Final Thoughts

So, there you go - just a few tips for how to make your dungeon healing experience a bit more manageable in WoW Classic. Overall, it's not all that hard to figure out, but if you're a newbie to healing in general, I think my advice will help. And though I'm confident in my abilities and advice as a healer, I'd love to know what you think - is there anything I missed or that you think I got wrong? What are YOUR tips for healing dungeons in Classic? Let me know by leaving a comment down below!

Anyway, that's it for today. If you liked this guide, or found it useful, then add yourself to my mailing list below so you get updated about more content like this in the future. Follow me over on Twitter for updates as well, and consider checking out my videos over on YouTube too! Finally, if there's any particular Classic or TBC content or guides that you'd like to see in the future, let me know by leaving a comment down below as well, as I love getting ideas like this one from readers like you! In any case, thanks for reading, have an awesome day, and as always...

Take it easy!