Photo-Receptor Focus on: Mods – Do We Need Them?
by Maer
OK, I admit it. I’m a Mod Queen. In my previous game, I had mods for everything. I loved them! I delighted even in some of the silly ones that were just for fun.
More after the jump…
So, it was with a bit of trepidation that I discovered I’d be on my own in SWTOR. I know, I know. The purists are secretly laughing or thinking elitist thoughts at me because they don’t need mods. They don’t even like mods and some of them probably think anyone who uses them is a noob.
Well, I’m not a noob, but I do love having the tools that help me be a better raider. I don’t have the reflexes of a sixteen year old anymore, so I need all the help I can get.
In fact, in my past guilds, healing mods were required for healers in raid. That’s what I miss the most: my healing mod, my beloved Vuh’do. I used it from shortly after it first came out until I stopped raiding two months ago. So, needless to say I dearly miss that one.
I’m finding heals to be a bit cumbersome. Without a mod, I have to click the name withe mouse and then hit the heals with the corresponding number on the keyboard. That creates an extra step for me and it feels like it takes forever. Even though it’s only a fraction of a second and I’m mashing heal buttons as fast as I can.
Yes, yes, I know the purists will be yelling that they have been healing without mods for years and they are the highest healer in their raids. That’s great. It’s awesome. Unfortunately, I doubt I’ll be top of any heal charts until I get that extra help. These old fingers just don’t work as fast or as well as they used to. Also, I prefer to use the mouse for heals and not the keyboard. Click the bar and the the heal casts. That’s my preferred method of healing.
As to other mods I used in the past, I’m surprised that I don’t miss most of them, to be honest. However, there are a some customizations to the UI that I miss.
After my Vuh’do, I do miss Quartz and my latency cast bar thingie. Using that, I know when the spell hits the red part I can cast again because it’s taking latency into account. Which means I can heal faster. As it is, I tend to keep hitting the key until it casts.
Bartender would be awesome because I never seem to have enough bars and I like to resize and move them to where I want them. I believe there are some changes coming soon on that and I hope more bars is part of it.
Also, I really liked WIM because it let me know when I got a tell…even if I was tabbed out of game. Which I am a lot. Yeah, I know there’s some customization there. I have my tells in a bright pink and they have their own tab. Still it would be nice to know when one comes in rather than ten minutes later.
Those are the big ones for me. I had thought we were getting a healing UI, but so far we haven’t. If that hits any time soon, then I’d be a happy camper. Anything that will make me a more effective healer.
Now, a raid leader may have a different opinion on the mods they need. I’m not even sure which ones they miss, but I’m sure those of you who are raid leaders can tell me.
Bottom line is I’m not quite as much of a Mod Queen as I used to be, but I still wish I had some. If I had to choose only one? No contest. Give me a healing mod.
That’s my two credits on mods. What’s yours?
Ready…set…discuss…
Oh yeah, I hear this. Myself, I’m missing my mouse-over macros. I miss being able to target the tank or whatever and still be able to drop heals on people in between big damage events without losing my target.
WIM is sorely missed, as well.