Healers have always been a must in World of Warcraft – but that has changed. Some groups kick the healer out because they think they are better without one.
One of the oldest rules of World of Warcraft is the group composition. Every successful dungeon group has had a fixed composition since the ‘Vanilla’ era. You need a tank, a healer, and 3 DPS characters to take down enemies.
That’s how it’s been since the “Dawn of Time” – but it doesn’t last forever.
Many groups now kick their healer and instead just take a fourth DPS character.
What’s the “problem”? The main issue has a fetish for the holy light and usually a divine shield-hearthstone combo for PvP: the Paladin. He works so well in his protection spec that he can not only be the tank but also keep the group alive with his numerous heals and cooldowns, effectively replacing the healer.
Of course, this doesn’t work equally well in all dungeons. In some dungeons, a large part of the damage can be avoided, like in the Court of Stars – this strategy works better there. In other dungeons, like the Azure Vault, there is a lot of unavoidable damage, so the Paladin tank rarely has enough ways to keep everyone alive.
Generally, this playstyle becomes possible when tanks have reasonably the best gear of the current season.
Such groups are typically then complemented by classes that also bring a lot of “help.” Shadow Priests for dispels or additional healing in the form of Vampiric Embrace, Shamans for Bloodlust or Balance Druids that can provide assistance in any situation.
What’s the benefit? The advantage is obvious. During the weeks with the “easy” affixes and the right dungeons, these can be completed in record time. Because an additional DPS character ensures that the enemies are defeated considerably faster. And enemies that die faster have less time to unleash their deadly abilities on the group.
Currently, some screenshots of groups are making the rounds that complete “Mythic+ 25” simply without a healer and even manage to do so within the time limit.
Of course, this requires nearly perfect gameplay at such high keys – because a single mistake can quickly lead to the whole group’s death. Anyone who does not have their class down to at least some degree is out of place here.
Is this a brand new phenomenon? No, not really. Even during the times of “Shadowlands,” it was common to deviate from the classic “1-1-3” combo with good gear. Back then, the healer was often replaced by another DPS character or an additional tank to increase the speed of the dungeon.
Here too, it was usually the Paladin who allowed this playstyle. The strong combination of flexible healing for the group or himself, powerful defensive abilities for allies, and high self-survivability makes him currently one of the best tanks for Mythic+, if you want to play without a healer – because the Paladin can simply do both. At the same time.
