What is this "holy" tree you speak of?

Yes, I know. I’m a priest. I should heal. Right?

Well, no. All edumacated people that have ever played a priest know that a decent shadow priest can be plenty of help to a group. The issue, though, is that my server is a ridiculously low-pop server. I like the guild that I’m in, but I’m the 3^rd highest level in it. The other 2 are a tanking pally, and a hunter. The hunter gives good CC, the pally can tank it if we need it, and then there’s me. I always sorta get grouped in the “heal” spot because it’s much easier to find 2 DPS than a healer. Dime a dozen, I tell ya.

A few levels ago, I ran BF with a like-level PUG and healed it. We didn’t do so hot. It convinced me to re-spec holy. This was around level 62. I threw together a hybrid smite/heal Holy/Disc build. It worked OK. My healing was great, I could still grind without drinking too much (though I still had to after about 6-8 pulls typically). It could have just been because I didn’t have a good casting order, but anyway. I Re-ran BF with another like-level PUG, and TORE IT UP. I had NO trouble whatsoever healing the group. There was ONE wipe on that annoying second boss where you have to fight off 4 groups of mobs, immediately followed by the boss. I was the first one to die, and Improved Death only lasts for 15 seconds. The fight’s quite a bit longer than that.

Anyway, it was nice. I leveled up to about 66 specced holy and ran more instances than I had since Scarlet Monestary. (Man, I LOVED SM. No trouble healing THAT as a shadow spec..) But I missed the Damage! I started Nagrand at level 66 or so, and was killin some orcs. There were a bunch of 2-pulls instead of the single mob pulls that I usually go for. I couldn’t mana burn well, couldn’t silence-pull the casters. I’d throw fear, but then the mobs would run off to God knows where because I couldn’t slow them with Mindflay.

That’s what I missed most of all, really. Mindflay. I love that spell.

So anyway, I specced back to shadow. It cost me 20g, but it was worth it. I’ve actually only been back to shadow for a bout a level now. I ran BF again, but I was 66 at the time, so I didn’t have any trouble healing that. Hell, I renew + Vamp Embrace healed most of it. We lost our tank after the first boss, and never got one back. We made it from the 1^st to the 2^nd boss with no tank at all. We didn’t get past the second boss, but that was more due to a lack of a tank than a lack of decent healing. Even with Pots, Shadowfiend, Vamp. Touch, and Vamp. Embrace, I couldn’t keep mana up long enough to get through the entire fight. I was healing a lock, a 60 rogue, 60 hunter, and a mage. So they were taking heavy damage. It just didn’t work.

So, I’ve been there, done that (for all of 4 levels) in the holy tree. I tend to solo more than instance, and generally enjoy solo-questing. I like grouping too, but it’s not as much my thing. What did I learn? I’m much more of a shadow type of guy. Or night elf chick, as the case may be.