Hello everyone,

I have prepurchased Aion and I have been in all the closed beta till now. I have also played on the chinese servers.
One of my concerns, till what I have experienced till now, will be there a lack of healers? I have seens many times groups looking for a cleric.

We have a total of 8 classes from wich only one is a dedicated healer. Comparing with other games, Warhammer for example, there are 12 classes ( on one side) from wich 3 are healers.Then in WoW there are 10 classes from wich 4 can be dedicated healers.

So the results will be something like this:
In Aion 1/8    ,one healer per 8 classes (ok, you will say that the chanter can be a backup healer, but still is he strong enough to keep up a group by himself?)
In Warhammer 1/4,  one healer per 4 classes
In WoW 1/2,5

I for one, was thinking to roll a spiritmaster, but analizing the situation I think in our guild will have a lack of healers  (me and a friend will start a guild) so I kinda feel forced to roll a cleric. I have experienced the lack of healers before in other games and I know that PvE and PvP can be ruined without a dedicated healer in your party.

Will Aion have the same problem?

Both Chanters and Clerics can heal. Clerics have bigger heals, Chanters bring buffs to the team.

I think it will be okay. I think the reason most people aren't playing healers is because it's beta and they want to be able to explore/ level faster and on their own ect. So people are going to pick the easier classes to solo.

Once Aion goes live in NA I will be playing a cleric for sure. :) 

Originally posted by Xasapis

Both Chanters and Clerics can heal. Clerics have bigger heals, Chanters bring buffs to the team.

Yep. Clerics are an amazingly powerful class, I haven't seen a shortage of them in any of the beta events so far so at least people are interested in trying them.

Chanters are pretty sweet too and I've seen plenty of them too.

I was thinking about playing a cleric myself, dunno though. At least one person in my guild is going to play one already. Even if no one was it's not like it would be hard to find someone.

 I dont see this being a problem at all,remember when WoW 1st released they only really had 2 healer's that could be seen as a main healer type,druid and priest,even then the druid was quite under powered in his healing and ofc the pala/shaman(depending what side you were on) were very much seen as off healer's.

In our guild(15 member's so far) we have 3 confirmed members rolling a cleric,me being 1 of them,Unlike the other game's you mentioned the main healers in Aion wear heavy armor and use shields so can take a beating,they can also do very good damage for healers and are very very solo friendly,I have been in all the beta events and have seen alot of healers running around.

If there is a problem with healers it will be that some of the players that roll a healer have maybe done so as they are so solo friendly and when it come's to the pvp in the game and keeping there side up and controling there damage/mana,in other words being an out an out healer,they could play the "I am damage spec" card,as being a "healer" was not in there plans....we will see.

I share the OP's concern and was making this point in another thread.

Spiritmaster's water pets are listed on some sites as having healing abilities but this seems to have been changed. For a game like this, only one dedicated healing class and only one other with second-rate heals is cutting it fine.

For small groups you can get by without a healer, but you really do need them when going into elite/hero areas.

The upside to this is that clerics are reputedly extremely difficult to kill in pvp and so are a reasonably popular choice.

My impression just from this weekend's CB is that there are plenty of melee'ers and more clerics running around than there are other classes like chanters, spiritmasters, sorcerers or rangers.

I don't think you'll have to worry much about a shortage of healers.  In the last two beta phases I've been in, the popularity of Chanters and Clerics has been on the rise as people find out that they're both actually pretty solid classes on their own, and of course, much needed in groups as well.  I've actually been playing a Chanter myself, and I've been having a blast.  I know I'll be playing one come release, along with a Gladiator, of course. =D

My experience on the beta servers, is that they have been crawling with clerics and assasins. So much in fact that I have actually considered not rolling a cleric, as was my initial plan.

Originally posted by Fungo

My experience on the beta servers, is that they have been crawling with clerics and assasins. So much in fact that I have actually considered not rolling a cleric, as was my initial plan.

It won't change on release. From what I've seen time and time again on retail servers as most played are: templars > clerics > sorcerers > assassins > the rest.

Main healer + chain equipment + shield = win. Or no? :p

Plenty of Clerics and Chanter running around in beta, so I am not too worried.

Assassin is the single most popular class in Aion, but it is kind of cool so it can't be helped.  People believe assassin is the ultimate ganker in any game.  In a way that is true due to stealth and fast movment speed.  However, when it comes to PvP, all the class are more or less on even grounds in Aion.  I am more worried about the over use of buffing items in the game personally.

I plan to play assassin simply because I enjoy how the class works in combat.  I don't care as much about ganking people with it, but the fast movement and the way it fights is rather fun and requries more tactical thinking.   Another job I plan to play is most likely spiritmaster, it is a rather fun job and it also have a drop rate boost.

Fun first, ego later, that is my policy.

please explain wat you are trying to teach/tell/complain

Although I generally roll healers in every game, this time i will be a gladiator, i just love the looks of greatswords on this asian styled games.

My wife and I are rolling a Cleric and a Chanter :)

don't think there will be a problem of lack of healers.  I will be one myself.  You can solo to top level, if you really have problem to find a group to do elite/hero area.  I pick Cleric is because I won't die easliy.  

I duel a level 33 Templar and I won.  I am a level 31 Cleric.  I won with full HP in the end, too :P

At lower level, you really can not see the different or how powerful a class is, until you reach higher level and equip better gears and skills.  Once I hit 31 and got my tier 2 stigma, I could feel the huge leap from level 30.  I can't wait to get to level 34 if I can be left alone and finish some quests rather then going to farm bossees every time I log on....

Short healing range, heals don´t scale with equipment like dps, no Abyss points for healing, problems with buffs in z-axis. Add the standard of being first target I am not sure if many people playing healer will have the patience in the eldergame. :)

Am playing a chanter in beta now but will roll a pure healer when game goes live. So there is one more healer for you.  But as the whole PvP points go i would be really supprised if you didn't get them for healing. Would make no sense at all. But who knows with 1.5 going live with NA lunch only time will tell

so many people plan on being healers. That's why I plan on being a chanter. I wouldn't worry.

Basically the classes are broken down like ..

You have :

Gladiator= DPS, with the option of tanking at lower levels.

Templar= Basically, the meat shields of the game.

Spiritmaster = The pet class, good soloability, with some +% item drop spells.

Sorcerer= The AOE/NUKE super dps class with about as much defense as a worm. 

Chanter= Your basic buff bots, you only want them in your groups for the buff ... reminds me of a enchanter from EQ1. With slight heals, and slight dps, and can actually take a hit. 

Cleric= Heal heal heal heal, with 2 different types of attack spells, one smite[progresses with different names as you level] and then the heavenly strike melee skill. Oh, dont forget the blue orb that shoots for about 150 damage at level 17, while it depletes its health.

Assasin= Stealth, backstab, roflpwn. Dont do well if they are seen though, can be rick rolled by most caster classes and the guardian.

Ranger= didnt even bother giving it a shot, or even looking up on it. Its a ranger, self explanatory.

The thing with the healers in this game, is that they are ONLY healers, yes they have some armor, because they have to be able to solo, but yet, thats all your mainly used for is healing. 

In pvp the only way you will either win or stay alive, is if you can out heal them and escape, or if someone else passing by sees you and helps you.

The only class i was able to succeed in killing was the sorcerer because he went oom too fast; with me having about 1/4 of my pool left. 

Clerics will not be the most played class, most likely will be dead last just because they dont really get any solo/nuke's/skill's that do any sort of TRUE damage through the game. But we do get some of the best heals, AOE heals, and HoT's. So it all just depends on if the person has the patience to get rick rolled as you are leveling, or not. Thats just how it goes. 

The one thing that i can see bringing more clerics out of the wood work, is the fact of the elite mobs and how hard they hit. A chanter cant solo heal a full group if there are add's or anything of that sort popping into the encounter. Im not sure how the game gets past 25, but from what ive seen, clerics will be needed, but will be scarce in numbers because of the offensive skills that they get.

I don't know any game that ever has, "enough healers"

They are always in demand.

Originally posted by Wolfenpride

I don't know any game that ever has, "enough healers"

They are always in demand.

EQ2, server Valor: Too many healers, too little tanks, supporters.