Today during the Class, Item, and Professions Q&A session we got the first hints at the new Monk class' healing style. Rather than targeted direct or raid wide healing the Mistweaver Monk is being designed to provide proximity heals with their ability toolkit using a mana resource, some of which will be based on the Monk's damaging attacks.
To get a preview of these abilities we can take a look at the one healing ability listed on the official Mists of Pandaria website:
Statue of the Jade Serpent: (5 second cast)Summon a statue at the target location. Anytime you deal damage, a nearby friendly target within 20 yards of the statue will be healed. You can have up to 3 Jade Dragon Statues active at a time.
As the first ability released for this new healer, it definitely has a lot of promise. Combining these static heal locations with the mentioned single target heals based on proximity to the Monk and the intent of having Monks be incredibly mobile a mental image starts to appear of a creative mesh between the available damage of a Disc Priest, the direct heals of a Paladin, and the mobility of a Druid. This will allow Mistweaver Monks to create and conquer a very specific niche in the healing role.
Using the Mistweaver specialization Monks will need to maintain constant focus balancing the use of the Jab and Roll abilities to convert Chi into Light Power and then using that Light Power as it builds up to unleash powerful ancient remedies. In addition, Monks will have to be constantly aware of their positioning near the boss and the positioning of their statues near those who may become injured. This will be a complex and challenging task, but also sounds like an incredibly rewarding play style for those able to master the balance of the Monk role.
Looking forward, we can expect to get a much better picture of the vision the development team has for this class as we near closer to the launch of the Mists of Pandaria expansion. Be sure to stay tuned for future discussion and theory crafting.
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