Unless you've been living under a rock for the past couple of weeks then you should be fully aware of the big change coming in patch 2.3, +healing will now also give +33% of that healing back to the player in +damage. Certainly one of the most game changing buffs to ever be introduced though it seems to be somewhat down played compared to other potential changes.

Without a question this change has been coming for a long time, it's an issue healers have brought up again and again for what seems like forever. Without any offensive ability healers were rendered virtually useless outside of raids. They had no way to farm, no way to quest, and they really couldn't even PvP on their on.

Completely forget the fact that healers can now kill monsters at least semi-effectively, the global changes to how arena will be played are going to be huge. Since most healers have around 1500 healing in their PvP healing gear they will now also get at least 500 damage. Doesn't sound like much, but consider the effect this will have on a 2.5 healer team. These teams are amazing because it's so difficult to burn one single target, they can all heal each other, and come patch 2.3 they will all be able to do a reasonable amount of damage.

Though please don't overestimate the change, a healer's primary role in an arena is still going to be just that. Though the damage they have the potential to put out cannot be ignored, especially in the case of a 2.5 healer team, the "2345" setup for example. I'm quite intrigued by the possibly of tri-talent specs popping up, as they take advantage of both healing and damage talents, adding additional versatility.

Ryan "Foxem" L., the priest who plays on my arena teams has already stated he is interested in potentially trying a holy tri spec. Clearly his primary role will be that of a healer and dispeller, though with some additional talents he would also gain the ability to throw some damage, adding complexity to an already complex role.

Even in the most simplistic form the change will have an effect on how you get a kill to secure a win. When 2.3 goes live you'll actually feel that holy shock that won the game, or the earthshock that crit you for 1200, the shadow word: death that was just that extra bit of damage you needed, or hell even the wrath bomb amidst the cyclone spams of the druid.

The very basics of arena are going to change forever, and I've got to be honest I'm looking forward to it. It opens up a wide variety of new specs for all healing classes. In addition the buffs to hunters should bring the class as whole into a whole new light, for once you might actually bring a hunter into an arena! With so many new and inventive changes it's easy to get excited. A well designed 10 man dungeon, additional content for casual players, new gear, season 3, game changing mechanics for all healers, rejuvenated hunters, and a whole bunch more before it hits live. I can't wait!

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Hello, I am Derek "Zuggy" Hales and I am a professional World of Warcraft player. I've written a great deal on PvP, PvE, arena, World of Warcraft Gold farming, and much much more! It's my greatest hope that I've helped you improve!