A short history of a healadin

People ask me about my history so here it is. I don't really have an RP history so this is just game history. It may help others. It may bore you all. You be the judge. I am not suggesting that this is the best way to level a character. It is just the way I did it.

I levelled a hunter to 60, Raeral, on Azjol-Nerub. Around summer of 2006 I was getting more frustrated with the game; especially on a largely populated server full of very immature players. My guild, although friendly, was loosing players due boredom. We were not seeing too much raid content. I was invited by a friend to join a largely unpopulated server (at the time) called Steamwheedle Cartel. I made Senra and at the same time, a hunter, erm, Raeral. I levelled them both together making many friends. Around Sept/Nov 2006, I met Stonehoof, a warrior in Vortex of Might, and we levelled a lot together.

I decided right from the start to level as a holy paladin (healadin) even though I knew it would be hard. Stonehoff and I worked a lot together. Quests I found hard to solo were much easier with Stonehoof around. Many people say that it is much easier to level a paladin as ret spec. Indeed it is. However, I learned a lot about the holy spec instancing as holy and I believe it has left me with a deep knowledge that would be hard to gain otherwise.

I never bought gear from the AH. I was always careful choosing the right gear from quest and rep rewards. This allowed me to afford my mounts as I levelled.

Another low point in the game (for me) came when TBC came out in late 2006. Stonehoof was unable to obtain TBC until around 2 months after its release in the UK. Vortex of Might all got TBC the day it came out and guild chat was full of their tales. I promised Sonehoof I would not get TBC until he had it too and in any case, Stonehoof and I were in our early 50's by then. By the time I got TBC, much of the guild had got to 70 or close to it and Stonehoof and I were way behind. Still, we levelled through outlands together anyway. I did level my hunter Raeral, (the one on Azjol-Nerub), to 70 before Senra, thus keeping my promise (in principle at least) to Stonehoof. When he obtained TBC, Senra and Stonehoof levelled together. I mourn the loss of Stonehoof (when he left the game) - such a great player in all respects. Skills, attitude to others. *Senra begins to cry

I was 70, certainly by March 24th when I first applied to the raid community, Unity. However, they put me on hold and told me to get better gear. During the summer of 2007 I was running through Karazan with a few different groups and gradually gaining skills, experience, and gear. My gear progression was slower than most, as I frequently let someone else have the gear even if I won the roll. Usually because it would be a better upgrade for them. I was never gear oriented, I am still not.

Gradually, instance runs became easier for me as my skills improved. This was certainly not the case levelling through to 70 and after. My hunter, Raeral, was transferred to Steamwheedle Cartel around this time. In fact, Raeral (named Rayral after the transfer as I already had a Raeral on SWC) finished Kara attunement before Senra. Senra simply could not heal through BM.

A number of Eureka moments occurred. For example, drink a mana pot as early in a boss fight as possible. That way, you can usually drink another one during the fight. Keep the tank alive at all costs. Never ever dps when healing (I do dps now, but I understand more when I can and when I cannot). Spam FoL with a HoL (even if not needed) every 8 seconds to keep lights grace up thus giving HoL a 0.5 sec shorter cast time. In multiple pulls, help the tank by stunning one of the baddies. Use BoP on aoe'ing mages. That sort of thing.

I re-applied to Unity in October 2007 and joined as a novice member in late November after one trial run though Tempest Keep - The Eye. I became a full member of Unity on 27/2/08!

There are no real magic tips about healing. Experience is essential. Watch and listen to others. Read the resources on the web. Especially read about boss encounters before doing them - even if you are not the leader. Always be willing to learn something new - for example, I have recently revisited macros. Be nice to everyone.

At the time of writing, Senra has spent just over 100 days in the world.