Greetings, Heroes!
This article will be dedicated to the best healers from World of Warcraft Cataclysm. We will look into the very heat of the split of Azeroth and remember with you who stood bravely and saved the lives of brave heroes on the battlefields, in dungeons and raids, those who fought back against Deathwing. Let’s get started!
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Based on 4 128 reviews This list of healers is an estimate based on information from both retail and private servers, as well as testing on the Cataclysm Beta. All five healing specs are competitive in Cataclysm, and player skill plays a bigger role in high-end PvE content than the differences between specs. Healing in Cataclysm is more dynamic than in WoTLK, where spamming your strongest spell was often the best approach. Gear also plays a big role, as healers with better gear can heal more without running out of mana. Now, let’s look at the rankings!
Tier S
The most powerful healing specializations, best healers in WoW Cataclysm. These specs offer top-notch healing and utility. Nearly every 25-player raid team will aim to include at least one of these specializations, with some opting to recruit multiple.
Tier A
Strong healing specializations that provide a significant amount of healing and utility. They often have unique traits that make them valuable additions to raid groups. Most raid teams will have one of each of these specializations, and it’s not uncommon to see more than one of them in a group.
Tier B
Healing specializations that are still very much viable. Your raid won’t fail just because your healers are “only” B-tier. However, they’re generally not as strong as the healing specializations in higher tiers. They might have slightly lower healing output or weaker utility, and they’re usually not as effective when stacked together.
Tier C
Healing specializations that are considered somewhat weaker. While they are still viable and offer decent healing output along with some useful utility and unique features, they tend to fall behind the S-tier and A-tier healing specializations significantly. It might be challenging to secure a raid spot with one of these specs since they are not in high demand, even though they can be enjoyable to play.
Holy Paladins were the top healers in WotLK, and they continue to shine in Cataclysm Classic. Many 25-player teams even choose to have two Holy Paladins on their core roster because they are so strong. Having two allows you to put Beacon of Light on both tanks, freeing up other healers to focus on the raid. They also have useful utility with their Hand spells and their new interrupt Rebuke.
But that’s not all! Holy Paladins now have a powerful raid heal in Holy Radiance. In the upcoming patch, this ability has no cooldown, making Holy Paladins among the best raid healers as well as tank healers. They also have Light of Dawn, which heals in a frontal cone, although it can be a bit tricky to use. When their group is stacked, a Holy Paladin can provide as much AoE healing as a Restoration Shaman.
Additionally, their Mastery ability causes their heals to leave an absorption shield on the target, soaking up even more damage.
Holy Paladins have useful healing cooldowns like Aura Mastery, Lay on Hands, Avenging Wrath and Guardian of Ancient Kings. They are also very durable in full plate armor with a shield, and with Divine Protection and Divine Shield, they can often be the last ones standing.
The spec is more dynamic and interesting to play in Cataclysm than in WotLK, with a more flexible toolkit and the new Holy Power mechanic. The skill ceiling is higher since you can’t just spam Holy Light anymore, but skilled Holy Paladins will top the healing meters in most fights.
There are two drawbacks to playing a Holy Paladin. First, positioning is crucial since you need to stand in melee range to use Crusader Strike for generating Holy Power. You also need to aim for Light of Dawn, as it is a cone. Second, the spec doesn’t share gear with its DPS offspec, so Holy Paladins aren’t great for switching between healing and DPS. However, most groups won’t want to lose a Holy Paladin, as they are highly valued healers.
Discipline Priests in Cataclysm Classic hold a similar position to their role in WotLK, but with some differences. Most raid teams will want to have a Discipline Priest as one of their core healers, alongside Holy Paladins. While having multiple Discipline Priests isn’t ideal, it’s more feasible now that Power Word: Shield isn’t the primary spell.
Although Holy Paladins have stronger direct heals, a skilled Discipline Priest can prevent other healers from having to heal at all. Damage to the group will first be absorbed by the Discipline Priest’s shields, making them very efficient healers. This also helps mitigate damage that could otherwise kill your team. Groups without a Discipline Priest will notice a big difference in how low their health bars drop after a big AoE attack.
Discipline Priests are also one of the most enjoyable and challenging specs to play well in Cataclysm, with a diverse toolkit. They can excel at tank healing with spells like Penance and Greater Heal, as well as at raid healing with Prayer of Healing. Although Power Word: Shield isn’t as strong as it was in Wrath, it’s still useful for preemptive or emergency defense. Additionally, the unique Atonement/Archangel mechanic can significantly increase your overall contribution to the group if used correctly.
Priests bring valuable utility to raids, including Mass Dispel, Fear Ward, Divine Hymn, and Hymn of Hope.
Discipline Priests also have strong cooldowns like Power Infusion, Pain Suppression, and Power Word: Barrier.
However, Discipline Priests are not as sturdy as other healers, and they lack Spirit of Redemption as a safety net like Holy Priests. They also struggle more with fights that require a lot of movement since most of their spells require standing still to cast or channel. The Discipline tree also doesn’t offer any talents to increase movement speed.
While a Restoration Druid might not have a guaranteed raid spot like a Holy Paladin or a Discipline Priest, most groups will find a place for one. One way to secure that spot is by being willing to switch to Balance. Druids are a good choice for a flex healer/DPS because their DPS offspec can use much of the same gear, and Balance is a desirable DPS spec on its own.
Druids remain the top healers for filling gaps and smoothing out damage with their Heal over Time spells (HoTs). They can be effective in both raid healing and tank healing roles, but they excel as raid healers in fights where the group is spread out. Spells like Rejuvenation and Wild Growth work well when other healers’ AoE heals can’t reach far enough. They’re also very mobile thanks to their many instant-cast spells and Dash ability.
Druids provide useful utility to the raid, such as Innervate and Rebirth, which healers can use effectively since they’re already keeping an eye on raid frames. A Druid can use Stampeding Roar to help the group escape from area attacks. A Restoration Druid can also maintain Faerie Fire (Feral) if there’s no Feral Druid in the raid. Despite wearing leather armor, they’re surprisingly tough and can switch to Bear Form if needed.
Playing a Restoration Druid well requires careful management of HoTs, which can be challenging. It can also be difficult to deal with sudden damage spikes since the spec relies on stacking HoTs in advance. Druids lack strong healing cooldowns, as Tranquility is relatively weak. They mainly rely on Tree of Life for raid healing and don’t have many tank cooldowns.
Restoration Shamans are capable healers, but they’re not as in demand as Holy Paladin or Discipline Priest. They make an excellent choice for a flex healer/DPS role, even more so than Druids. A Restoration/Elemental Shaman can use most of the same gear for both specs and can switch roles based on the group’s needs, providing similar utility in either role. Some 25-player raids will have both a flex Druid and a flex Shaman, swapping them based on the fight—Restoration Shaman for stacked fights and Restoration Druid for spread-out groups.
Restoration Shamans excel in fights with many players close together, rising to the top of the healing meters. Healing Rain and Chain Heal are highly effective when the group is stacked, more so than Restoration Druid’s Efflorescence or Holy Priest’s Holy Word: Sanctuary. In these scenarios, you’ll find yourself spamming Chain Heals and soaking up damage.
While Shamans are best suited for raid healing, their Earth Shield and Riptide have been improved to help them maintain steady coverage on tanks when needed. Ancestral Healing has also been upgraded to be a better version of Priest’s Inspiration, giving tanks more health.
In terms of utility, Shamans offer Spirit Link Totem, a powerful raid healing cooldown that equalizes everyone’s health. This can prevent many deaths. Since no one will be at full health while it’s active, you won’t waste any Chain Heal bounces on overhealing. Shamans also provide a ranged interrupt with Wind Shear.
Restoration Shamans struggle a bit with mana regeneration compared to other healers, although not as much as Holy Priests. Totems are not as unique as they used to be and are more for filling gaps in raid buffs. This is valuable for a 10-player team but less necessary in a 25-player raid.
Holy Priests are effective healers in Cataclysm, offering strong raid healing and a flexible toolkit. However, due to limited healing spots, most groups won’t stack Priests, and many teams will prefer having a Discipline Priest as a core healer. Holy Priests are often seen as an off-spec option when a Shadow Priest is asked to heal or if a Discipline Priest wants to trade utility for a Guardian Spirit cooldown.
Nevertheless, skilled Holy Priests are still valuable additions to any healing team. Guardian Spirit is an excellent tank cooldown, and Divine Hymn is stronger than a Discipline Priest’s. Holy Priests have powerful raid healing tools like Circle of Healing, Prayer of Mending, Prayer of Healing, and Renew. Holy Word: Sanctuary provides additional throughput when the raid is stacked, all enhanced by the new Chakra stances.
Holy Priests are more mobile than Discipline Priests due to their use of instant-cast spells. They can also spec into Body and Soul for additional mobility, benefiting not only themselves but also others. While Holy Priests are among the squishier healers, they have Spirit of Redemption as a safety net. They can also use it as a mana recharge and healing if the group is inflated with a Warlock and Druid, who can cast Soulstone or Rebirth (sending out their biggest heals for free for 15 seconds and then resurrecting with some of the mana restored).
However, there is untapped potential in Holy’s toolkit in Cataclysm. Lightwell can be an efficient raid healing tool, but it can be challenging to get your team to use it. While Chakras can buff tank healing, raid healing, and damage, it’s rarely worth switching out of the raid healing stance for a full 30 seconds, limiting their usefulness for changing focus mid-fight. Holy’s cooldowns are weaker overall than Discipline’s, and Holy Priests have fewer mana regeneration tools than other healers.
On the bright side, if you enjoy playing an underdog class, Holy Priest can be very rewarding. There will be fights where Holy outperforms Discipline for various reasons. Ultimately, individual player skill matters most, so as the saying goes, “bring the player, not the class.”
It is important to note that if you have chosen the path of the Healer for yourself, then each of the listed specializations has its own flavor. Paladin, Shaman, Priest and Druid – these are really thematic choices and here we recommend choosing the one to whom the soul lies closest. The importance of each of them in a group for raids will be invaluable.
What is the best healer class in Cataclysm?
The best Healer in WoW Cataclysm Classic is the Holy Paladin (S-Tier).
Is Priest a good healer in WoW Cataclysm?
The Discipline Priest occupies the honorary A-tier when the Holy Priest is placed in the C-tier. Both options have differences from each other in usage according to their potential in the meta. You can always test both specializations for strength to decide for yourself which one is best.
Which healer class is the most flexible to use?
The most flexible healer in Warcraft Cataclysm is the Restoration Druid(B-Tier). They perfectly fill the gaps in raids where there is a lack of DPS, the ability to switch to Feral even in leather armor, they have good endurance, and their healing spells in the main branch are good for saving tanks and group members.
How do I decide which healer to choose?
You can choose a healer according to the tier list if you want to understand that you will be needed in any raid under any conditions. Of course, personal preferences towards race, class and specialization are also important.
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