Is Healing FUN in Midnight?

Summary

In this video, the creator discusses the current state of healing in the game 'Midnight,' specifically focusing on healer balance, changes in healing mechanics, and Blizzard's design philosophy. The video highlights the challenges healers face in Mythic content, with a focus on the power of Resto Druid and the impact of tuning adjustments, including nerfs to incidental healing. The creator also addresses player concerns about healer DPS, interrupt mechanics, and the punishing nature of healing, reflecting on how Blizzard's changes are shaping gameplay. Overall, it’s an exploration of what makes healing fun and challenging in 'Midnight.'

Takeaways

• 🔧 Blizzard is simplifying healers in Midnight by removing or merging talents and reducing clutter, leading to more intentional gameplay.
• 📉 Incidental and uncontrolled healing has been heavily nerfed across many specs, shifting power back into the buttons healers actively press.
• 🌿 Resto Druid currently stands out as the strongest Mythic+ healer due to strong baseline throughput even outside cooldowns.
• 🔥 Many healers struggle with burst-healing checks in dungeons like Merinth Cavern, especially when cooldowns are down.
• ⚔️ Healing in Midnight feels more punishing because players have fewer defensives, making mistakes harder to recover from.
• 🔄 Blizzard appears to prefer tuning Resto Druid downward rather than bringing all other healers up, suggesting they want healing to feel challenging.
• ❤️ Healers often cannot top players to 100% during prolonged damage periods, shifting the focus toward triage and prioritization.
• 🚫 Most healers lost their interrupt ability, creating an unusual divide where Resto Shaman has unique utility others lack.
• 💥 Healer damage is now very weak and should only be done when healing is fully under control, especially in non-competitive pug environments.
• 🏆 In high-end coordinated groups, healer DPS may still matter, but for the average player survival-focused healing is far more valuable.
• 🛠️ The direction of these changes echoes issues seen with tank tuning in The War Within Season 1, raising concerns about community reception.
• 😊 Despite the challenges, the creator still enjoys healing, noting that preferences vary widely depending on desired difficulty and playstyle.

Q & A

What major changes have been made to healing in Midnight during the beta stages?

At the start of the beta, Blizzard made significant changes to healing, including simplifying talents, removing or merging spells, and reducing the clutter in talent trees. Additionally, there were changes to reduce uncontrolled, incidental healing, like those seen with abilities such as Cosmic Ripple for Holy Priest, Flash Shield for Discipline Priest, and several Resto Shaman totems.

How has the tuning for healing progressed in the beta phase?

In the second phase of the beta, Blizzard has been focusing on tuning, nerfing, and buffing various healing abilities. This includes reducing some uncontrolled healing mechanics that made certain healers overpowered in terms of healing output, while also trying to make the abilities that healers actually press more impactful.

Why does healing in Midnight feel punishing, especially in Mythic+ content?

Healing in Midnight can feel punishing because healers no longer have access to as many defensive abilities, and they must manage cooldowns carefully. With less ability to carry the group, healers can struggle to keep everyone alive, especially if group members make mistakes or take avoidable damage.

Which healer spec has been notably strong in Mythic+ content during testing, and why?

Resto Druid has been the standout spec in Mythic+ content. This is because Resto Druids can perform a lot of healing outside of cooldowns, making them less reliant on them. This allows them to continue healing effectively even when their cooldowns are on cooldown.

How has the reduction in defensive abilities impacted healer gameplay in Midnight?

The pruning of defensive abilities has made healers more vulnerable, forcing them to play more carefully and coordinate with their group. Since not every healer has access to many defensives anymore, it's important for the group to avoid mistakes and manage incoming damage more effectively.

What is the current state of healer damage in Midnight, and how does it compare to previous expansions?

Healer damage in Midnight is relatively weak and no longer plays a crucial role in group dynamics, unlike in previous expansions such as Shadowlands. Healers are now expected to prioritize healing over DPS, with any damage they deal being minimal and typically done when everyone is at full health.

How do cooldowns impact healing in more challenging content like Mythic+ dungeons?

Cooldowns are essential in managing high burst damage in Mythic+ dungeons. When healing becomes overwhelming, healers rely on their cooldowns to meet healing checks. However, once these cooldowns are used up, healers can struggle, particularly if there's more burst damage and they are unable to fully recover health bars.

Why has Blizzard reduced the number of interrupts for healers, and how does this affect gameplay?

Blizzard removed interrupts for most healers (except Resto Shaman) to encourage healers to focus more on their primary healing roles. This change creates a divide in gameplay as Resto Shamans still retain their interrupt, adding a layer of utility that other healers lack.

What challenges arise when healers try to balance healing and DPS in Midnight?

In Midnight, healer damage is relatively weak and should not take priority over keeping the group alive. While high-level groups may optimize healer DPS for additional damage output, in most scenarios, especially in pug groups, healers should focus on maximizing healing rather than dealing damage, as neglecting healing could lead to wipes.

What is Blizzard's design philosophy for healing in Midnight, and how does it affect gameplay?

Blizzard's current design philosophy for healing in Midnight aims to create a more challenging, punishing system. Healers cannot always bring everyone up to full health or carry the group, and this emphasizes the need for group coordination and careful management of resources like cooldowns.