With your dynamic healer base, you may want to break down your roster into a list as primary healers, dual-spec healers, and alternate healers. You could even note each healer’s strengths and weaknesses. And since your tanks seem to like rotating, perhaps you could create your assignments based on the mob or boss that is being tanked rather than the tank. All in all, it sounds like you did a fantastic job, putting in the effort to research your healers and rolling with the punches. One important aspect of heal assigning is to constantly evaluate yourself and your healers, and you’re humble enough to do so and make changes where needed.

Sorry for the mini-post!

@Sylly, I can certainly see if using a mod is what you guys have always done, keeping that up. I was just wondering if the tinkering of an unknown mod was causing extra stress =) We have about 32 active raiders on our roster, and 9 of those are healers, so we very much run with the same people every raid, which probably does make it easier. The same group of people have run the encounters with us from our first wipe to “farming” the content every week, so I am sure that makes a difference!

I personally have one of each healer class (two are already at 80, the other two are sitting around 70ish, but working their way up), so I am very familiar with the play of each class, which also helps me a ton, I think.

I am sure that it will become easier the more that you do it =) Next time, I bet you only need one aspirin instead of two! =)

P.S. Glad to see you back! <3
Beruthiel’s last blog post..Working through Yogg-Saron

I have a mod installed that I access by typing /macro. Always have, probably always will because all of the mod’s I’ve used are in some way limiting the flexibilty of my assignments. That said, the ability to pre-plan, and to be able to re-spam orders without flooding Vent is something I’ve found essential in most progression raiding.

Regarding Trash:

As a healing lead, I’ve always worked under the assumption that I won’t be involved in the trash unless I choose to be. Quite often I’ve gone on Auto-Follow on another healer and just sat with my macro window open fixing up the orders for the next boss or the boss after that. Sure I may not look ‘good’ on the overall healing meters, but personally I only really look at Boss healing meters, and trash if we’re wiping. Usually with trash its an assignment problem so the meters tell me who’s underused etc.

Very similar to Hummy, when I give out healing assignements it’s over vent and it’s “x and y heal tank 1, Z heal tank two, everyone else on the raid”. As we learn new content we will often switch things up as needed based on feedback from our healers. Heck, sometimes we’ve pulled and I’m giving out the healing assignments as the tank charges in!

We let the classes work out for themselves things like who is going to beacon whom or put up an earthshield on which tank, unless we want specific people doing something in a certain way due to the nature of the fight.

Of course, I recognize that this may be easier said than done. I’ve been healing with some of these people for 4 years now, and I am keenly aware of all of our healer’s strengths and weaknesses. Maybe it is easy for me to go about assignments in this way because I also have a huge hand in leading our raids, which means before we even go into an encounter I have an idea of what I want to see happen.

I guess what this ramble is REALLY trying to ask is: Would eliminating the mod make the job any easier for you?

Beruthiel’s last blog post..Working through Yogg-Saron