I like the hybrid role, when it is properly appreciated by the raid leader. I don’t like it when it leads to being called a “fail” dps.

I do not think I could not play anyother type of toon but a Hybrid they just feel right.

-Lys

If I am called upon to dps in a raid or a 5 man I still find myself watching grid like a hawk, and sometimes drop my feathers to fire off a heal or 3. (tranquility on the black knight, for example).

The thought of jumping into cat form or bear form hardly ever enters my head – unless it is to cat dash past frogger mark 2 in Uldaur.

But honestly unless it is an emergency I don’t see using offspec abilites. I would not try to heal in my boomkin spec and gear for any period of time, because that way lies a desert with no mana in sight. Equally the few balance dps spells I have while in tree form are unlikely to tip the scales of a fight.

But in an emergency having that utility is one of the many things that make a druid very fun to play.

Thank you. That was one of my main points. Listen to the Raid leader. If he/she’s good, you will get epics. I’m not sure how you can raid lead you way through an emergency with a broken mic. Smart players help those situations a lot; especially if the raid is used to eachother. Communication is key as to when a hybrid class should assume a new role.

@KIVULI
If that’ the way your raid/guild does Gluth, that’s fine. But as I was saying, that’s the way that the fight was setup, and that’s what makes hybrids an interesting addition to the raid. Rouges, Locks, Mages and Hunters are the only “pure” classes in WoW. They can do only fulfill one role with all three of their specs – dps. Druids and pallys are the staples of the hybrid classes. They can fulfill the roles of tank, heal and dps.

@TapDancing
Sounds like you saved the day, as hybrids are know to do at times. I’d have expected your raid leader to have noticed that and called out for extra help on heals. I’m a perfectionist. People that die in that fight… must not be paying attention.. especially healers.

@Windsoar
The only fight I perferred the mages to decurse was Sarth due to the amount of raid healing that had to be done. With three mages, they each only had to desurse twice or so per curse phase. I also set up our raids with only 5 healers on that fight instead of the more popular 6 healer set up.

So, in short I don’t go looking for opportunities do drop form and heal, but if it’s me throwing a few heals out or a >5% wipe, I think I’ll heal for a bit.

Also, our healers don’t suck, this was our first kill and with everything there is a learning curve for the whole raid =D

I am not sure I agree though. I think hybrids that have a “healing” mindset (ie always looking for that needed heal) are usually either

(1) healing unnecessarily; or
(2) propping up underperforming tanks and heals.

Rarely do they find that perfect moment in my experience.

I posted a longwinded further response on my blog
Silk´s last blog ..What’s a hybrid good for?

In a really bad, everything hit the fan moment, I’d much rather have the folks with me who know it’s ok to splash a heal on themselves, drop a “non-ideal” totem (roots anyone?) or lash out with a knockback to save a healer. I know I did my share of cleansing when playing a tank — its one of the advantages of playing a hybrid.

For a dps class that has to change form to toss a heal? I’d really, really have to see the justification (literally raid saving) for it to make it worth the raid’s while — I’ve asked people to do it, but its also been a “we can definitely afford the trade off” in terms of dps loss for lesser healing ability.

And I scrolled to fast to catch the name, but to the above comment re: raid frames — I expect everyone to decurse if they can, but I would never expect a mage to have more than decursive (it’s the most discrete raid frames I’ve ever seen).
Windsoar´s last blog ..The Impact of Badges

Back in the day, I longed for the variety having to choose between Disc and Holy gave me, but these days, I consider Resto to be superior because it is in every way equal to a “pure” class’ talents, but more consolidated and easier to grab all the tasty talents one could want.

But I still play my Priest because I love the fat, ugly little guy. Whacha gonna do?
Professor Beej´s last blog ..Dollhouse – Evolution of Joss Whedon’s Tried and True?

It is immense fun being able to, if the MT dies, go bear, growl, and immediately be a perfectly viable replacement tank. I’ve saved raids from wipes doing that. During Gluth I usually offtank for my guild by DPSing in cat next to the MT, going bear and tanking while the MT’s stacks fall off, then going right back to cat when the MT takes him off me. My favorite discipline priest and I have a great trick we use when I’m the tank and a mission-critical raider dies. We synchronize power word shield and barkskin, pop them at the same time, I shift to caster to quickly battlerez the dead raider, then immediately pop back into bear form and continue about my merry way. It’s a rush for both of us.

My secondary spec is resto, though I waffled with going restokin as a sortof partner to my feral spec. Regardless, hybrids who embrace their duality are perfectly viable.