Arelith

If no, when not? Do you have a friend with the skill or rely on spells like regeneration instead?

Only a fool would not take it... its the one thing that will keep you from dying every 5 minutes. Clerics are not always around and even if you are a cleric healing spells run out, so if you don't take it you will be royally screwed. Besides, you can never have too many healers and the less healing spells a cleric needs the more he can fill up on combat spells. Always take it, don't leave Cordor without it.

The amount of the skill I take depends on the character but most of the time they have at least some. It is a rare concept that has none but it has happened and it is rough.




-S

Better be a STR build to carry the extra kits if you don't.

Depends on my characters AC and HP pool. The higher the HP and lower the AC the more likely I take it.

I would never take the skill if I was (for example) playing a high ac shadow dancer with epic dodge and definitely take it as a two-handing barbarian.

Being a supporting caster with summons would be another good reason to take it for me.

When the build allows it, absolutely. But it's one of the first "essential" skills to go, for me. Discipline, tumble, lore, spellcraft, detect (and concentration, hide/ms and perform, depending on build) all come first for me. And whenever I do, reluctantly, forsake the heal skill, I absolutely make sure to get enough alchemy/herbalism to be able to make myself heal potions without trouble.

it is essential, that is why i am confused
Heal Skill is not available in the Enchantment Basin.

Never played a character without maxing heal.

I've skipped it but it makes me cry when I do. I almost always find room now.

Heal is a luxury skill, not an essential skill. Without the ability to effectively gear for Heal, trying to use it in PvP is basically a death sentence a lot of the time. It always plays second fiddle to skills like Discipline, Lore, Tumble, Spellcraft, UMD, etc.

I almost never take heal because it's absolutely non-essential. There's a million different way to heal comfortably on Arelith, and Healing kits is the one you absolutely don't want to be caught using in combat.

I'm currently running a character with no heal skill and no healing spells.

Boy is it the fun times. Its mostly just a matter of taking consistent chip damage. I'd rather that wands of healing were more reasonable. A Cure serious wand costs 6k to make at base, its rediculous.

Always. It's the only way to heal in a cost-efficient manner during long expeditions, short of having a pocket healer. It's a last resort in combat, but feels pretty mandatory for healing up between encounters.

Always, but I havent played a healer yet, which I probably wouldnt take a single point in it on a healer. But other than that, always, maxed.

Between healing wands and potions of Heal I usually skip the skill entirely. I mainly take it in builds with stealth so that I can heal myself without exiting stealth mode.

Poll answers dont really fit me I feel. I always take it, but only in small amounts (basically acting as skill point dump). Had a character with as low as 6, and as high as 23. Wands are terrible to use, and no AoO procs in combat are too good to ignore, even if the kit only heals 30-40 hp

I always find a way to get the heal skill up to at least 20, if not maxed. While a healing kit will almost never be the optimal PvP solution to bleeding, unless you're running some special 108 heal skill equipment maxed cleric or druid character- practically impossible since heal was pulled out of the basin- kits are vastly cheaper than potions and you aren't likely to get to level 30 (which if you're concerned with the optimal PvP solution is part of your goal by default) without healing supplies.

If you aren't concerned with the race to 30 or PvP, then once again, especially outside of combat where you get a free take 20 on the check, kits are more gold-efficient than potions, and that's a sound reasoning you can use IC on almost any character who makes their living adventuring. Basic +1 kits have a standard value of 51 gold (510 crafted in a stack of 10). At level 15 with 18 heal and no bonuses you heal 39 out of combat for 51 gold. At level 30 where you may still be grinding adventuring for gold and gear, this jumps to 54 HP, meaning every HP you heal costs you less than one gold. You could rest- except when you can't.

Potions are never going to compete with that. A Heal potion or ten for emergencies is a good idea, but chugging them after every dicey fight gets expensive really fast.

Depending on your character's role, over the extended life of a character you can easily, reasonably be looking at a savings of hundreds of thousands, if not millions of gold. Not that gold is terribly hard to go out and make more of- but the less you're spending on healing, the faster you do that, too.

At least, that's my philosophy and approach, YMMV.

I used to always dip at least a little into Heal, it was necessary on a tank if you didn't want to go broke or spend forever healing after every fight. But now, ever since the update to basic healing potions I never bother with it. Which I have to say, I love that I can use basic healing potions effectively. Not only does it feel thematically accurate, it just makes more sense to me that my character healed himself with a magic potion than wrapping myself up like a mummy with endless bandages.

I chose "most of the time" because I really like the skill, although I do have some characters who did not take it

I find being able to heal others a very convenient ability, also the fact that you can spam it in combat without provoking aoo. Ofc in PVP everyone uses potions of Heal and its all well and good, but in every other situation other than tight PVP moments, heal is a great skill to have

I almost never take it unless there's literally nothing else I'd rather have.

Healer's kits are nice, but you don't need them. They make levelling comfortable, but by the time you're in early epics you should be able to reliably use cure potions. Unless you've pumped the skill to about 100, healing kits aren't going to be useful in PvP either (barring niche circumstance). I understand why people think it's vital, though. Soloing early without it costs a lot and can cause a ton of frustration on non-casters.

Newer or less masochistic players should probably invest at least 20 ranks into it.

EDIT:

I just read some of the other posts and would like to add that I almost always play herbalists, clerics, or characters with access to bard instruments.

Being a dedicated herbalist who makes your own cure and heal potions (and early on, healer's kits) costs nothing but your time and patience, which is a consideration to some. My bard dip characters always have at least six cure critical harps, which have five charges each and work well in between PvE fights.

The times in which I haven't played a div caster, herbalist, or bard I've mostly relied on earning fat stacks through crafting to supplement my income. Skal is great for this, and I never leave it on surface characters without having at least 300k in the bank.

It's entirely understandable if you don't have much time to play, hate the crafting system, can't handle the pain of early levelling, or are perpetually poor to put 20-33 points into heal. But it isn't necessary by any means.

If you don't take it make sure you have the following to fall back on:
1. Cleric, and you have sufficient spell slots for it (or can spont. cast it)
2. Tailor in early game with access to easy cotton for Bandage rolls
3. Herbalist with enough trade skill to make poultices and heal pots
4. STR char / some AC, just carry lots of em and spam when needs be

Characters that I think "must" invest in it:
1. Wizards with no herbalism/access to heal potions
2. STR / No AC builds
3. Commoner / Specialist
4. No STR builds (Rogue-ish)

There are characters that have timed healing granted you have invested alot in STAT and Class Level
1. Monk - Wholeness of Body
2. Fighter - Second Wind
3. Paladin - Lay on Hands
For these chars, there are pots that can make your life better without investing in heal, this is great if you have herbalism

All my characters have some points, but usually not too many.
I craft & buy +1 kits, and usually have some skill as an herbalist. Even a basic healing potion can heal more than a kit if you don't invest a lot in the heal skill.

The crafting design behind Arelith as it stands supports a system of both potion or kit healing. Potions are more expensive, but lighter. However, you can find shops mass stocking ones that heal about 42 hit points on average. It's more for grinding, as in PvP you would want to rely on Heal potions, not a cure critical wounds or what have you.

I prefer to always take heal, Ive let myself not take it on a few characters and regretted it to be honest. Even as a limp armed caster. I like the economic aspect of it and the fact it doesn't provoke attacks of opportunity makes it more reliable during leveling. Or just mass kitting your summon as it slowly punches a crowd to death.

If I don't take the healing skill on a character, it's because I've dipped in to herbalism or I have some alternative way of healing. Around level 20, you start collecting a lot of Cure Wounds potions just from beating up enemies, so as a class with built-in healing like Shaman or Cleric, I usually opt to supplement my healing with the potions I accumulate and use lesser restorations for things like poison.

When I -do- dip herbalism, I usually just make CMW potions in bulk and call it a day. It takes some time, but it's worth it to just not have to spend any money. A dollar saved is a dollar earned? I think? I don't know.

Depends on whether you want to go for QoL PvE, or PvP.

If you try to use Heal Kits in PvP you're going to the shadow realm, Jimbo.