How to play a healer in an MMORPG: who to heal, when and with what

No dungeon or raid is cleared without a healer. When things go well, nobody notices the healer; when they go badly, everyone looks at them first. The good news: healing is less scary than it seems. It rests on three things — reading damage ahead, picking the target and saving resources for the heavy turn. Let’s go through them in Zarhold, a card MMORPG in your browser, where combat is turn-based and everything a healer needs is visible on the board.

What a healer does in a party

Dungeons are for three — a tank, a healer and a damage dealer; raids and world bosses are for five — a tank, a healer and three damage dealers.

• The tank keeps the enemies on themselves.
• The healer keeps the party standing — the tank first of all.
• The damage dealers take the enemy’s Health down, and the faster they do, the less work the healer has.

A healer isn’t “the one who presses heal when the bar turns red”. It’s the one who sees who will be hit next turn and is ready in time.

Who can heal

Four classes out of ten can heal: the Priest, Lightbringer, Stormbringer and Druid.

• The Priest is a pure healer in cloth: lots of heals and shields, little Health of their own. Guide: Priest.
• The Stormbringer heals in mail, with heals spread over several turns. Guide: Stormbringer.
• The Lightbringer wears plate and can heal, tank and deal damage. Guide: Lightbringer.
• The Druid is a hybrid in leather with all three roles open too. Guide: Druid.

You heal when your healing talent tree is your main one: it decides your class power. Talents open at level 10, and from level 20 you can keep two specialisations — say, a damage one for quests in the world and a healing one for dungeons. Switching and resetting are free. Not sure which class to take? See Which class to choose.

Reading damage: the safe-turn line

A healer’s main tool is knowing whether each fighter will survive the next enemy turn. In party fights against creatures there are caps:

• one enemy blow takes no more than 59% of Health;
• a whole enemy turn takes no more than 75%;
• the “window to heal”: if a hero lost more than 50% of Health in an enemy turn, the next enemy turn takes no more than 40%.

So nobody falls from full Health in one turn — the danger is two heavy turns in a row. After a heavy turn the healer has exactly one turn to bring the fighter back above the line.

The game draws that line for you: every party member’s Health bar has a line for the next turn’s cap. Below the line the bar turns red, with “+N” next to it — how much Health is missing. If the tank is below the line, a warning appears above your hand. That is the healer’s to-do list for the turn.

Who to heal: target and order

1. The tank — first, almost always: the heaviest blows go there.
2. Whoever is hit next. The board shows who each enemy is targeting — heal and shield the one about to be hit before it happens.
3. Everyone — before a hit on the whole party. Level 60 place bosses announce it a turn ahead with a bar above your hand: a signal to shield up and hold your group heal.

You pick the heal target with keys: F1 is you, F2–F5 are your allies. Healing cards and your class power can be aimed at any party member.

Shields, overhealing and cleansing

• Healing above full Health isn’t wasted — the rest becomes a shield. Topping up the tank in advance is never a waste.
• But against a level 60 place boss shields work differently: its blow eats the whole shield first, and the damage caps only protect Health. So a big overheal shield is worth less than its number against such a boss, and keeping Health above the line is safer. The tooltip by the bar says it plainly: the shield doesn’t count.
• Cleansing removes harmful effects from an ally — poisons, curses, bleeds. It doesn’t remove stuns, fear, polymorph or freezing from an ally.

Healers and threat

Healing generates no threat: enemies hit whoever dealt them the most damage. So a healer never needs to fear pulling the boss with heals — heal as much as needed. But if you hit an enemy in a free turn, remember: that is damage, and it builds threat. How tanks hold enemies is in How to tank.

Why damage dealers are a healer’s best friends

A long fight is a healer’s enemy. If a fight runs far longer than planned, the boss enrages and hits 18% harder with every turn — no amount of healing outlasts that. So a healer who adds damage in a quiet turn often saves the fight better than an extra heal. What damage dealers do is in How to play DPS.

Six tips for healers

1. Watch the line, not the numbers. A red bar and “+N” is what you close this turn.
2. Heal before the blow, not after. The enemy’s target marker tells you who will be hit.
3. Keep crystals for the heavy turn. Big heals and shields matter most right after a hit on the whole party.
4. Don’t forget yourself. Nobody revives a fallen healer — they only watch until the fight ends.
5. Wear your own armour type. All eight armour slots of your type give a healer +6% power in PvE — that is more healing.
6. Practise risk-free. In the Training Yard you can set up a boss dummy that hits back and take a resident tank along. More in Training dummy and damage meter.

Healers and world residents

Don’t want to heal strangers from day one? No need. In dungeons a free healer seat can be taken by a world resident, while you go as a damage dealer or tank. When you want to try, queue as a healer: the other seats are filled by live players or residents. More in Dungeons with NPC companions.

Healer FAQ

Can I play a healer solo?

Yes. From level 20, keep two specialisations: damage for quests and healing for groups. Switching is one button and free.

Which healer is best for a beginner?

The one with more staying power: the Lightbringer in plate and the Stormbringer in mail forgive more mistakes. The Priest has two healing trees and plenty of shields but less Health, so they must avoid getting hit.

Does healing generate threat?

No. Only damage creates threat, so you can’t pull the boss with heals.

What if the tank dies in one turn?

Nobody falls from full Health in one turn — so there was a heavy turn before it, and the tank wasn’t brought back above the line. Watch the line on the tank’s bar and keep a big heal for the turn after a hit on the whole party.

How does healing work in PvP?

PvP has no threat: the opponent picks the target, and healing has its own rules. They are in the knowledge base — PvP combat rules.

The bottom line

Healing is about foresight: see who will be hit, heal before the blow, keep resources for the heavy turn and remember that an extra shield against a level 60 boss is worth less than Health. In Zarhold all of this is drawn on the board — the line on the bar, “+N”, the enemy’s target marker. Open the game, pick a Priest, Stormbringer, Lightbringer or Druid — and carry your party through the first boss. How the roles work together is in the knowledge base: Roles in a party.