It never occured to me that healers are usually played by girls. I was DPS for 2+ years and most of the girls I knew back then also played DPS. I avoided healing, actually, it felt like way too much responsability for a noob like me. And then… in a moment of boredom I rolled a baby druid and discovered that healing is fun and rewarding, and that I actually like the responsability.

Since then, I’ve been paying more attention to articles about healing and a recurring theme keeps popping up: girls tend to roll healers because of their nurturing instincts. (And, to continue, males roll tanks because they like leading and “roar, me protect group”.) My first reaction would be to rant against traditional gender roles and all that, but… looks like in my case it’s more or less true. I like the way people depend on me. I like the way I can shield them from horrible death. I like that I’m the one in the back and not the leader. I like my falling leaves :P

Healing with the proper gear is boring

A totally unscientific test on my guild reveals that the healing team has four girls, while there’s only one female tank and two DPS (both mages, incidentally, but one of them has a very good healer alt).

I can’t speak for everyone, but having tried all roles to an extent I have to say healing is by far my favorite. Although I’m sure people will disagree, I think the healer’s role is the most important – not because a group could exist without a tank or DPS, but because a healer has more means to save the group in an oh-shit situation. I’ve only recently started tanking seriously, but I feel a bit gimped on my pally: all I can do is keep the mobs on me (and maybe not even that, the taunts have a cooldown). Is a DPS standing in the fire? Am I getting hit too hard? Is there horrible AoE damage? All I can do is throw a Hand of Protection, shield myself and hope the healer knows what s/he’s doing. (And don’t even get me started on how much I miss the ability to innervate poor OOMs.)

The conclusion? There isn’t one, really. Although the idea that my instincts are guiding my play style ticked me off at start… who cares, after all? I like healing and that’s what’s important. And, thankfully, I also have alternatives: DPS for when I want to relax and watch big numbers on the screen or tank for when I’m feeling bossy and controlling. Yes, you can have your cake and eat it :)