This is the source of cleric malaise put in a simple and logical way.
Druid, shaman, and cleric are all intended to be healers, capable of keeping a group alive. Since they can all do that, or should all be able to do that as intended, what can each do beyond that?
Druid: Port, SoW, AC, Regen, Dshield, Nukes, Snare, Root, Evac, Charm Beast
Shaman: Slow, DoT, Stat Buffs + Haste (group dps), Regen, SoW, Debuffs
Cleric: HP Buff, HpBuff2(with lifesave), stun, AC, melee(?)
Of the three, the cleric is the only one that cannot indirectly or directly damage the mob at the same time as healing. Damage shield does damage without active involvement, and haste/stats increase the groups kill speed substantially. SoW is nearly essential as well.
To add insult to injury, shamans and druids are two of the best solo classes in the game. Depending on the encounter, they might be the best solo classes in the same. Clerics are one of the worst solo classes.
The cleric needs something to help make the rest of his team better at killing otherwise it will always be less favored. Someone else had a good point; if you have a good tank and good puller, you do not need or want a cleric. If you have a bad tank and puller, you want a cleric in addition to a shaman or druid.
Solutions to this are only going to come from outside of healing .
Melee changes are good but rely on direct and active participation. You cannot attack while healing or medding. This is also does not make the group like the other priests abilities.
These are some changes I think make sense, are fair, and would really get the class where it needs to be.
Bring back 30% Undead Snare, add attack slow. Have the attack slow scale up with different ranks.
Why shouldn't clerics get this?
They are missing any real anti-undead identity besides the bare-minimum nuke. Give them functionality against the undead.
This would help the priest discrepancy feel fair by giving clerics some ability to solo only undead. Or duo them. If Shamans can solo and duo almost anything they can get solo, and druids can kite/charm solo and duo very well, what is the argument for letting clerics have this against undead? They should be more potent in this arena.
Give them the ability to port or gate from temple/church of deity choice. Shamans and druids get SoW. Druids can port all over the place. Give clerics some different way of getting their group to an exp location faster.
Reduce the exceptional healing line (perhaps leave lower than greater versions unaffected). Give clerics their own buff that is +hp and mana regen, but to a much smaller extent. Perhaps make the final rank +4/4 or +5/5.
Greater Regen = 11hp/tic, 50min, total potential healing of 5500 per person. Mana cost 150.
Per 60 second fight, 110hp healed.
Exceptional regen = 16hp/tic, 60min, total healing of 9600 per person per cast. Mana cost 200
Per 60s fight, 160 healed.
Potential healing per cast per group for Exceptional Healing is a staggering 57,600HP.
I know it isn't all fully utilized, but neither are big cleric heals. As Tranexamic pointed out, lower level heals are often employed for this very reason. But this is one cast every hour for 200 mana for a potential heal of almost 60,000.
If that healing value is inconsequential, why not lower it a little, and give clerics a small mixed hp/mana regen buff? They need utility to help the group, and this would be fair and fit the class, call it Divine Whisper or something. This would help increase the groups kill speed and efficiency, which is sorely needed.
- Nuke with DoT component against undead.
