Continuing in our archetype interview series, we sit back down again
this week with Gregory Carter & Katelyn Olmstead from gPotato
to learn more about Allods
Online
. This weeks set of questions focuses on the Healer
archetype. More than just a heal-bot, the style="font-style: italic;">Allods Healer is a
powerhouse of many skills wrapped in a shiny plate mail package.





Ten Ton Hammer: 
As with last week’s interview, let’s ease into this with some
information for those new to the game. Can you give us a brief overview
of the Healer archetype and what their role is in the game?




Gregory Carter &
Katelyn Olmstead:
The Healer is a powerful archetype that
any ally would like to have around.  Healers have a large
assortment of offensive spells and melee combat techniques. 
In addition to dealing a substantial amount of damage, Healers also
have an array of healing abilities that are best at healing single
targets.





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Ten Ton Hammer: Does the
Allods
Healer pack much of a DPS punch?




Carter & Olmstead:
A Healer can most definitely pack a punch as hard as the next
battle-hardened warrior.  In fact, due to the flexibility
allowed by Allods’
talent system, a Healer doesn’t have to learn a
single healing spell. Instead they can forego such spells and focus
solely on offensive abilities.



 

Ten Ton Hammer: Is their
damage potential a leveling or solo mechanism, or can an Allods Healer
shed their healing mantle and go full time DPS?

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Carter & Olmstead:
Their damage potential is not just limited to being a useful soloing
mechanic.  A Healer does have the ability to become a fulltime
DPSer, but because of its versatile list of abilities they may not
always be number one on the damage charts.



 

Ten Ton Hammer: At higher
levels the Allods
Healer can equip plate armor which for many of us is
a welcome return to the way Healers were handled in older MMOGs. Is
this a defensive mechanism or is there another use for this third plate
archetype - are the off-tank builds that abound on the internet viable?




Carter & Olmstead:
Thick plates of steel and iron definitely provide some defensive
capabilities.  There are several talents that allow the Healer
to fulfill the role of off-tanking, but the Healer tends to excel more
at dealing damage and healing.



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Ten Ton Hammer: 
At end game, are talent build variations common, or are most healers
locked into a "cookie cutter" spec in order to find a party?




Carter & Olmstead:
As with most other games, you can expect there to be several ‘trends’
that will most likely be standard when it comes to end game content.
Yet due to the Healer’s range of capabilities, they will definitely
vary widely and could focus on healing, dealing damage with offensive
spells, or dealing damage with melee abilities. With the customization
that is provided, I think that even the most popular or ‘cookie cutter’
specs will always be tweaked to provide unique yet viable builds.



 

Ten Ton Hammer: An early
criticism of the Healer archetype has been that several of the racial
abilities are limited to PvE or PvP usefulness. For instance the Elven
mana/energy drain ability is generally regarded as PvP-centric. Are
there any plans to incorporate these abilities into PvE scenarios?




Carter & Olmstead:
As with any aspect of the game, if we find that certain mechanics of
the game are not working well or enjoyable for the players then we will
work with Astrum Nival to adjust this.  From the beginning we
have said that our primary goal is to offer a game that players of all
types will enjoy, from the hardcore PvP player to the casual PvE
player. 



 

Ten Ton
Hammer: What other balance issues did you run into with the
Healer archetype in regards to PvP vs PvE?




Carter & Olmstead:
This is a question best left to the developer, Astrum Nival, however we
can say that the Healer is not a class for those looking to simply toss
a few heals now and then.  In fact, a Healer is not just a
healer at all!  At early stages, while you are leveling, the
archetype is much more damage focused.  It is not until you
hit level 25 or so that heals really start getting powerful. 
And even at the end game you will never be someone who just heals
during a raid or a PvP match.  You will throw a few heals,
make sure everyone is alive, and then go back to DPSing the boss.



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Ten Ton Hammer: 
With three other "hybrid" archetypes that can also do some measure of
healing, is there any competition for the Healer archetype, or are they
the premier healers in the game?


 
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Carter & Olmstead:
The Healer archetype is not the premier healer in the game. The
Summoner archetype is just as capable at keeping their allies alive.
The Healers and Summoners do have an edge over the Wardens and
Paladins, however, who are mainly skilled at off-healing.



 Once again we would like thank the team from gPotato for
sitting down with us again and giving us the scoop on the games
archetypes. Check back next week as we focus on the Mage
classes. 

To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Allods Online Game Page.

Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

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