Spiritual Guidance: A bitter priest's guide to Lightwell
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Spiritual Guidance for discipline, holy and shadow priests. Dawn Moore covers healing for discipline and holy priests, while her archenemy Fox Van Allen dabbles in shadow. Dawn also writes for LearnToRaid.com and produces the Circle of Healing Podcast.
There are few absolute truths in the World of Warcraft. Sure, everyone knows that gnomes are the master race and that all rogues have deep-seated abandonment issues -- but it amazes me how few people know that Lightwell is the best healing spell in the game. Don't agree? "LOLwell," you say? Well then, hater, I've got a post for you.
The #1 reason I hear players say they don't take Lightwell is because they can't get others to use it. You have to tell those players the times have changed; it's easier to use Lightwell now than it ever was. You're living in the dawn of the Age of Lightwell! No longer must you drop your target to draw up the sweet nectar of a Lightwell Renew, and you can click a Lightwell from 20 yards -- yes, 20 yards -- away. Look at all them yards!
If that's not enough for you to spend a single talent point, then listen to this: You can click on Lightwell when you're casting, moving, sitting, falling, stunned, or disabled in any way other than a disorient. That includes fear -- and that's a damn good thing, because in the presence of Lightwell you will be afraid, mortal.
Getting them to click
If you're still having trouble getting your comrades to use Lightwell after informing them of the facts, there are a few things you can do to encourage voluntary use before you start to play dirty.
First, let others know when and where there is going to be a Lightwell. Before you begin a pull, openly discuss in voice chat with your raid leader where the best place to put the Lightwell is. Saving this for before pulls will force everyone in your raid to listen to the conversation and possibly promote contribution. As your progression on a fight continues, so should your discussion; every so often you should re-strategize with your raid leader, suggesting better locations for the Lightwell at different times in the fight. This constant repetition of conversation is key here, as it will cement the idea to weak-minded DPSers that Lightwell is necessary to the raid's survival. Strong-minded DPSers will already be using Lightwell, so subliminal tactics are not required.
To reinforce the idea that Lightwell is a part of the raid strategy, it is important to let others know that you are placing a Lightwell. You must do this correctly, though. A common mistake priests make is to try and alert the masses that a Lighwell is present through some sort of /say or /yell message. Do not fall into this trap of behavior. Text messages are often distracting and will prevent players from seeing your Lightwell and any fire you might have placed it near.
The best way to alert others that a Lightwell is present is through Vent. It's unobtrusive and doesn't require that your fellow raiders know how to read. Plus, since you're a priest, there is a 70% chance you're female and if you don't talk over Vent to tell people Lightwell is down, you'll never develop a quality following of creepy, deranged warlocks who think you're trying extra hard to entice them with your sexy voice.
If you still can't get players to use your Lightwell after that, you'll should start talking to your guild leader about how the guild would really benefit from a loot council. Cite specific examples and pretend to be selfless, saying things like, "Healers like me don't need tier first. If we gear the tanks and DPS first, we'll kill bosses faster." Inevitably, he will come to regard you as a trusted adviser and appoint you as a member of the loot council. From there, make Lightwell usage a criteria for gear.
This all said, do you really want to share your Lightwell with those fools, anyway? You're already sharing your tier pieces with the paladins, and you know there's like five of those Chads. Letting players know there is a Lightwell down is like bringing a bottle of Gran Patron Burdeos to a frat party. You'll be lucky if you get a second click, if you even got a first first. I say let the paladins and the rogues have the Circle of Healing and Renew; save the good stuff for yourself.
Using Lightwell in PUGs
Here at WoW Insider, I often receive correspondence from novice priests lamenting that they are having difficulty using Lightwell in 5-man dungeons. What is the trouble, I wonder? It's no more difficult to place a Lightwell in a 5-man than it is in any other location, is it not? Reading further, I come to understand that the difficulty is not in placing the Lightwell it appears, but in getting comrades to use it. Well, dear reader, there are things you should know.
First, it's true that you should not expect a tank to click on a Lightwell. This is because tanks often have difficulty seeing Lightwells through the massive bodies of their own egos. Being the compassionate priest that you are, you should heal the blind oaf and take no offense from his incompetence.
DPSers, on the other hand, should be readily clicking Lightwell, as they have only two jobs in this game: killing shit and living (note: interrupting is part of living.) This means they should take responsibility for their own healing; death knights have mastered this already and are textbook examples of natural selection. Unfortunately, the theory of Darwinism doesn't account for priests, and the intervention of Lightwell is supportive proof that the Holy Light exists and is compassionately allowing lesser evolved classes to stay competitive in the harsh and ever-changing World of Warcraft. This is beside the point, though -- how do you get this poor slop to click your Lightwell?
The reluctant pugger
Few healers understand the psychology of dealing with random puggers who don't click on Lightwells when they are taking damage. Normal priests will typically panic and immediately begin to attempt healing that player. This is wrong. It imparts faith and trust in the DPSer that you are a strong and able healer, capable of supporting him should he slack off on his duties. No. Let the bastard die. Only then will he start to suspect you are completely incompetent and realize he can't slack off on his daily.
After the pull, resurrect the player expediently and apologize, explaining that you are new to healing and practicing your off spec for raids. This will explain any nice gear you have on. Feign politeness and -- this is essential -- be sure to include a smiley face. Irrationally angry players won't know what to think of this but will typically give you another chance, particularly if you kept the tank alive without trouble.
On the next pull, if the player does not begin clicking Lightwell, you should remain disciplined and not heal him. Heal everyone else, particularly pets, and use unnecessarily expensive spells to create the illusion that you are having difficulty with mana. If you are feeling creative, type "/oom" in your text field when the DPSer is at half health. Two things are likely to happen from here, both of which are desirable.
The DPSer will realize you are a terrible healer and it is up to him to carry this doomed group through the dungeon, and he will begin bandaging, clicking the Lightwell, and reminding the tank that you need mana.
The DPSer will swear off using the random dungeon finder and never reenter without a guild group, improving the system as a whole.
Remember, once the DPSer begins clicking on the Lightwell, you can begin healing him.
Should your group initiate a vote kick, take heart in the fact that your new queue time will be shorter than however long it takes for your group to find a new healer.
Lightwell FAQ
Q: I finally got others to use my Lightwell, and now they're using it too quickly. What do I do?
A: I warned you, didn't I? In this case, the best thing to do is put Lightwell in hard-to-access locations. Try placing it on a wall or pillar out of line of sight. No one ever looks up, so they'll never see it. No vertical surfaces? Put it in the middle of a fire or void zone.
Q: Every time I place my Lightwell, the group moves and ends up out of range of the raid. What do I do?
A: Lifegrip the tank to the Lightwell. Rest assured your entire raid will follow.
Q: Where do Lightwells come from?
A: It is the belief of the Church of the Holy Light that a Lightwell is a chalice of the gods, a cup of life that imbues us with the life energy of our makers. While this is not completely untrue, Lightwells are actually highly intelligent, living creatures. A Lightwell's time on Azeroth is considered its final stage of life, after which it will die and become a star in the night sky. Before it can become reunited with its brothers, however, it must impart its last life energy to others. This is why it is so important that we click on Lightwell,s because if we don't, they will be forced to toil amongst us mortals until they can complete their task. Please, think of the Lightwells.
It should go without saying that the majority of this post is farce brought on by weeks of writing guides on how to kill internet dragons with healing spells. All advice should be taken at your own risk, as it was inspired by French Canadians and Hunter S. Thompson.
Spiritual Guidance has the inside line on pre-raid gear, valor point and raid gear, and healing strategies for bosses such as Atramedes and Chimaeron. Newcomer to the priest class? Look into Discipline Priest 101 and Holy Priest 101.
