You Don’t Have to be Bored Playing a Healer
stargrace 
Yes, that’s my rogue, and yes, she is a halfling riding a giant ant.
In almost all MMOs the first ‘trinity’ type character I make is a healer. You know, the holy trinity? Healer, tank, dps? Right. That one. Well I’m most comfortable playing healers, so that’s what I stick with at least the first time around. Healers are pretty boring. You spend all of your time watching other peoples health bars and making sure you’re not stepping on something you shouldn’t be. It’s rare that you get to move from that role, even when EQ2 added dps stances through alternate advancement it was still pretty boring.
Vanguard took a different approach to healing; at least for two of its classes. I can’t confirm on the other two because I don’t play them. First, the blood mage. This is my main character and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The blood mage is a cloth wearing healer who acts more like a necromancer then a healer. That is to say that unless you’re doing damage to the mob, you’re not doing a lot of healing. Your heals are tied directly to your nukes. The more damage you’re doing, the more you’re healing. This presents some good things and some bad. One bad would be that if the mob is too high level for you chances are you’re being resisted and there for having a difficult time healing. On the plus side, you’re having a lot of fun ganking agro from your tank with your uber dps, and it makes things a lot more fun in the long run. Blood mages are also the only healer class who gets counter, which is a reaction that can cancel the mobs spell casting. An amazing thing when you’re fighting mobs that silence, stun, or heal. Blood mages also create hand crafted items called symbiots (may have spelled that wrong). These little creatures are created from live body parts that you rip out of mobs, a different body part depending on which dot you’ve placed on it. They’re used to create ‘attachments’ to players with a timer. Basically a temporary buff. There are a lot of them and they’re all useful. Some are hastes, some give levitate, some allow you to cast spells with reduced energy (mana) consumption. Not only that, but blood mages have a huge amount of buffs, at level 47 I’ve got at least 10. The down sides, being cloth, they’re squishy.
Then there’s the disciple. This is a monk healer class. They get feign death, and stuns and do their healing through dps combos on the mob. Again if you’re getting resisted a lot you may find yourself having a hard time healing but it’s a lot of fun to play. That doesn’t mean that you’re not still watching health bars, but at least you’re also doing something else at the same time.
I love Vanguards approach to healer classes. It’s nice to know there’s more for me to do, and that I’m not restricted to dps OR healing, that they’re both tied together. What game has your favorite class? Is this something that would appeal to you?
Happy gaming no matter where you find yourself, I’ll see you in Telon!
Diplomacy is yet another sphere in Vanguard that levels up much like crafting and adventuring. While it doesn’t have quite as large an impact on the game as the other two spheres, it is a nice break away from doing the usual, and has some incredibly detailed stories. When the Artisan’s Saga was added to game there was also a diplomacy saga added, and though I haven’t gotten to working on it yet I’m incredibly excited.
Vanguard crafting is as complex as any of the other spheres, and perhaps a bit more. There are literally thousands of items players can make, all of them different then the next item. This is done through materials like crystals and dusts that allow you to imbue particular properties to each piece. Some times multiples. Not only that, but each continent has it’s own style, which also affects the stats on an item. That’s a lot of combination options. A thestran style bow made with precision won’t look or act the same as a qalian bow with precision – and then instead of precision you can add something else. The possibilities are virtually endless.
A few people have spoken to me now about how they’d like to play Vanguard – but are weary of playing a game that may not last all that long. Or rather, are not keen on the idea of getting emotionally involved in a game that may or may not be on its last legs. I’ve always had an issue understanding this perspective because when you look at things long term, ALL games are on their last legs. Nothing lasts forever. We either move on, the games close down, or real life happens, or the next shiny comes along. To be reluctant of trying a game because this process may be quicker then we had expected just doesn’t compute in my mind. If you see it as a ‘waste of time’ to play a game that may shut down – why do you not see playing video games in general as a waste of time. Eventually, they all will shut down in one manor or another. There is an upside! You’ll be left with the great memories of that particular game, and they will always last. Do I spend time thinking about the state of the game when I play Vanguard? Nope. I don’t. I’m too busy having fun. It is not until afterward, when talking to others that I give it some thought. Will I be sad if the game shuts down? Of course I will. I’ll also be incredibly happy that I played it while it was around, and got to enjoy some wonderful memories of a game that is (in my opinion) one of the best out there. Even with the bugs. Besides, no one but the developers and folks actually working on the game know whether or not it’s close to shutting down. It’s all just speculation on the players side.