Tanks and Healers

Keredria posted a blog today from a healer's perspective that got me thinking about the whole tank/healer synergy thing.

I've started running heroics with my guildie Jazharra, a crazy little gnome mage. We're often low on guild personnel, so we usually just pug to fill any empty spots.

Last night, we were running Heroic Violet Hold. We started off the run with a pugged hunter and two former guildies. The run kinda fell apart when we wiped on the second boss, who happened to be Zuramat (one of the "oh crap, not this one" fights). This left Jaz and myself sitting there trying to decide if we should try to pug the other three spots or just call it.

In the meantime, Briele, a holy priest logged on. Bri and I have worked together many, many times but we've both been out of commission for a while dealing with real life stuff. As a result, we're not necessarily the best-geared healer/tank combo out there at the moment.

We pugged the other two dps slots and got started. Aside from one death that was quickly handled by a rez before portal 17, the run was incredibly smooth. It almost felt like it wasn't even set to heroic.

The healer(s) and the tank(s) are the "battery" of the group, and, while gear certainly matters, chemistry and experience working together can often make up for any gear deficiencies. I know when Bri's gonna bail me out or if I need to do something drastic, and she knows when I'm in trouble and she needs to take emergency action.

On a side note, Cyanigosa was kind enough to provide Briele with the Azure Cloth Bindings. Gratz, Bri!