Part one set the stage for delving into the single most important skill any healer should work to master: adaptive healing. With the proliferation of ten man raiding there is no longer a strict set of healing assignments, but rather a reliance on healers who know and understand their class and skills well enough to quickly react to any given situation. Two well-geared and competent healers should have no problems in any of the ten man raids, the Obsidian Sanctum encounter plus drakes aside.

Many healers look for “rotations” to use, or on specific instructions detailing how to heal every encounter. While Shaman and Paladins may very well have a very structured approach to healing, given their overall lack of variety in available heals, Druids and Priests do not. Certainly either of the latter classes could simply use one or two heals and manage to make it through an encounter without too much difficulty, but the mark of a good healer lies in their ability to utilize their entire arsenal in the best possible way.

“Adaptive healing” is nothing more than what many describe as “healing by feel.” In essence, it is simply the possession of an intricate knowledge of the skills and abilities at their disposal, and an ability to apply those skills and abilities where they are best suited. For example, using Lifebloom for raid healing in conjunction with Wild Growth will most likely be the ideal approach for both efficiency and sheer healing throughput. On a similar note, using Healing Touch to raid heal will still get the job done, but at a much higher cost to efficiency as well as potentially not allowing time to react to any change in the encounter.

In twenty-five man raiding this becomes even more important. Healing assignments are more often used than not in the larger raid groups, but an “adaptive healer” will be able to compensate and help cover other assignments in addition to their own. In many cases this proves to be enough of a difference to save a group from probable death. Loatheb is a perfect example, where a skilled Druid will be able to cover not only those they are assigned to keep alive but also aid others who are struggling to heal their assignments.

“Adaptive healing” is not something that can be taught, but instead must be developed through practice and familiarity with the class played.

This is not to say that rotations are necessarily a bad thought. Most healers find a rotation of sorts that works well, especially those that heal the tanks specifically. What rotations breed, however, is a sort of tunnel-vision that locks a healer into not being able to react quickly and adapt to a situation.