Jon Peters Answers Your (First Batch) of Healing and Death Questions

[czymann]

Here is the link and I will post the other one when it comes out.

http://www.arena.net/blog/jon-peters-answers-your-first-batch-of-healing-and-death-questions#more-2546

[Matoyak]

Well that's interesting. They have a Borderlands-esq revive system. (Note: this might have been done before Borderlands, that's just the game that I can think of at the moment) They called it "Second Wind"

And yeah, this seems to be the final nail in the coffin for a dedicated healer role. First having a dedicated healing slot for each character, now having the ability to revive other players no matter the profession...yeah. Not certain how much I like this.

EDIT: Should've finished the article before posting. They outright SAY there will be no dedicated healing class. Mah bad.
I still don't think I like having 5 slots on the skillbar auto-locked into a particular set of skilsl, and then two more dedicated to another type each...
Ex: I don't use "chase" skills. Apparently this will be one of the dedicated 5 for the warrior (which will replace the Assassin). That's one slot taken away from what I would prefer to use it on, and with so many things being dedicated to other things... I dunno how this will all work out satisfactorily., guess I'll need to see the game in action a couple times first. We'll see.

[ShadowbaneX]

I guess in this case we might wind up with Paragon-like characters, Warriors equipped with support shouts (think Diablo 2's Singing Barbarian) for buffs and minor healing. Could also add in Mesmer or Elementalist (and Necromancers as well if they come back) Healing. I'm reminded of Koro's Gaze (http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Koro's_Gaze) a Mesmer skill on Koro Sagewind of the Ebon Falcons in the War in Kryta thing that's currently going on (I need to finish this off at some point...can you add the weapons you get from that to your HoM? I actually like these weapons).

Anyway, it's a mesmer skill that's essentially a cheaper Heal Other with an added Smite Hex on top of it...which is like the best healing skill ever IMO. If this is a hint as to what might be in GW2 for healing abilities I think we'll be fine. I could combine two of my favourite characters into one, monk and mesmer.

[Matoyak]

Well, it all depends on how they balance everything out, really. A combination of Monk and Mesmer could work, depends on the balance, really. I also worry that Elementalists seem to be becoming a more utility-based class, but that's probably just an irrational fear. We'll just have to wait and see, I guess.

EDIT: I still feel that the FPS/TPS "tag, you're it" style of revive is really odd for an MMO, but it could make for a nice change of pace. That is, a faster one.

[Ivhon]

Well, devs in any game can tinker and balance to their hearts' content. They can remove a dedicated healer class and give everybody heals.

End the end, however, the playerbase will determine the most efficient use and role for each class. If its not a dedicated heal class, it will be a dedicated support class to go with the designated tank class, pet class, melee damage class, spell damage class.

The only way to change this is to make each class equally good at all roles as all the others. Which is a terrible idea.

[czymann]

Each class can do damage/support/control to various degrees. Each will be different in how they do it but almost as effective as the other classes.