Healbender just needs two more things to achieve glory

[Kuya.6495]

Thank you for the recent changes to holy reckoning and hammer! It has made running heal alac willbender quite viable. There are only two things I think it needs so it isn't just an off meta pick:

1. No more forced mobility on f2 to give alac. Being forced to use f2 to give alac and regen means that you cant: be the tag, be the tank, do any role that requires you to stack. You need to keep pressing f2 which means you're always moving. I would really like it if the f2 had you dash at your selected target or simply be a stationary evade kind of like mirage dodges.

2. Have holy reckoning share the fury from pressing f1 to your allies. It's a simple change that would help keep fury uptime along with feel my wrath. The trait already gives you fury when you press f1 so making you share it shouldn't be a problem. You could go relic of midnight king and axe/shield to provide permanent fury but I feel hammer+karakosa is better for protection+healing uptime. Plus you get to save your ccs for actually break bars instead of spamming them for boons.

I'm sure there are other issues healbender has that could be addressed but I feel these two (f2 movement and lack of fury uptime) are the last two things holding it back so it can compete with other healers right now.

 

[zicaB.1794]

I don't think is "just" that. 1) mobility is not that problematic. 2) with hammer / axe shield u can cover all boons, including fury.

The problem is that compared to other supports we have low burst heal, low condi clean, and after the recent buffs other supports can do everithing guardian does plus they have barrier, superspeed, stealth, portals, boon strip, boon duration inrease, water fields, etc. 

[Kuya.6495]

3 hours ago, zicaB.1794 said:

I don't think is "just" that. 1) mobility is not that problematic. 2) with hammer / axe shield u can cover all boons, including fury.

The problem is that compared to other supports we have low burst heal, low condi clean, and after the recent buffs other supports can do everithing guardian does plus they have barrier, superspeed, stealth, portals, boon strip, boon duration inrease, water fields, etc. 

That's not really true. You have burst healing on staff 2 and a bit of extra healing on staff 4. The problem, hence why I say wb needs fury share, is that for burst healing you need to take staff which means you can't take axe. You also have additional burst healing in receive the light and signet of courage.

The build doesn't lack in  condi cleanse. You remove 1 condi every time you use your blast finisher and you should be using your blast finisher every 4 seconds anyway.  You also remove 3 condis every time you use f2 with the trait absolute resolve (which you also use off cooldown). I will admit that the build lacks burst condi cleanse if you don't take save yourselves and that shout i don't consider too good for condi removal. The cooldown is too long and you can kill yourself.

The issue of heal willbender not having not having barrier, portals or boon strip isn't really specific to willbender. Firebrand is on the same boat. I'm not really looking to make a heal guardian build better than firebrand. I'm looking to make a viable alternative for those who don't like tome/mantra gameplay.

But in terms of additional improvements to heal willbender, I do think anet needs to remove the requirement for willbender to need battle presence to share alac. Being forced to take battle presence means you can't take indomitable courage for stunbreak/stab. Which is unfair since it's not like being able to take that trait will give wb more stab than firebrand. Fb still has the mantra and tome of courage skill 5.

 

Edited December 5, 2023 by Kuya.6495

[zicaB.1794]

1 hour ago, Kuya.6495 said:

That's not really true. You have burst healing on staff 2 and a bit of extra healing on staff 4. The problem, hence why I say wb needs fury share, is that for burst healing you need to take staff which means you can't take axe. You also have additional burst healing in receive the light and signet of courage.

The build doesn't lack in  condi cleanse. You remove 1 condi every time you use your blast finisher and you should be using your blast finisher every 4 seconds anyway.  You also remove 3 condis every time you use f2 with the trait absolute resolve (which you also use off cooldown). I will admit that the build lacks burst condi cleanse if you don't take save yourselves and that shout i don't consider too good for condi removal. The cooldown is too long and you can kill yourself.

The issue of heal willbender not having not having barrier, portals or boon strip isn't really specific to willbender. Firebrand is on the same boat. I'm not really looking to make a heal guardian build better than firebrand. I'm looking to make a viable alternative for those who don't like tome/mantra gameplay.

But in terms of additional improvements to heal willbender, I do think anet needs to remove the requirement for willbender to need battle presence to share alac. Being forced to take battle presence means you can't take indomitable courage for stunbreak/stab. Which is unfair since it's not like being able to take that trait will give wb more stab than firebrand. Fb still has the mantra and tome of courage skill 5.

 

I know that, but I said specifically "compared to other support builds" because u said that fury and remove mobility from F2 would be a solution to wb "compete" with other healers. And that's not true, and u know that. Give wb fury will make it a litle better? Yes, agreed, wold be real nice, but compared to other supports it will continues to be a off-meta pick. Remove the requirement for battle presence could be a start, but it's not enough.

And to be fair u seem to contradict yourself, if u just want a viable heal guardian alternative to play I will say that the heal alac wb is working right now.  I have played strikes and fractals in pugs and the build is ok, nothing special, but its ok.

[ZenBarbie.3185]

I wish Phoenix Protocol didn't change the heal on activation to regen 😞. I feel like it could feel quite rewarding to have the steady stream of heals from activations of the F2 otherwise. 

[Kuya.6495]

Oh I almost forgot. It would also help if anet made conceited curate also heal allies when your willbender flames strike an enemy. I don't think wb lacks for healing, especially if you run hammer and karakosa but right now the first line of traits aren't useful for heal willbender as they are right now and it would be nice to have an option for support.