As a dedicated healer wielding a wand and staff combination, I find myself contemplating the potential benefits of incorporating a Longbow as my secondary weapon. Currently boasting 8,000 health and 13,000 mana, with attribute points distributed at 30 Dex, 30 Wisdom, and 19 Perception, I am drawn to the Longbow's two skills designed to dispel crowd control (CC) effects. However, as I weigh the options, I wonder if there's a hidden advantage to choosing a bow over a staff.

The primary allure of the Longbow as a secondary weapon lies in its provision of two CC removal skills. Yet, upon closer inspection of skills and weapon bonuses, opting for a staff as a secondary seems to be a more strategically sound choice. The staff not only facilitates magical critical hits, either inherently or through traits, but it also offers passive skills that result in a substantial mana increase, reaching approximately 2,100 mana (accompanied by a 1,200 HP boost) and efficient mana regeneration.

This prompts me to question the reasoning behind some healers favoring a Longbow over a staff as their secondary weapon. Could there be an aspect of the bow that eludes my understanding? I seek clarification on why choosing a Longbow is considered superior for healers compared to a staff.

The debate, however, is not as straightforward as it may seem. Numerous discussions tend to dismiss all off-hand options for a bow, emphasizing its unparalleled utility in group settings due to its exclusive CC break and pseudo-cleanse abilities. Acknowledging the utility of the bow, it's crucial to recognize that the choice of off-hand weapon might depend on one's playstyle, role, and the specific content being undertaken.

Contrary to popular belief, the mastery, passives, and ranged traits of the bow do not significantly contribute to a healer's effectiveness. It appears that the bow is primarily chosen for its active skills. On the other hand, the staff's mastery, traits, and passives offer considerable support to healers, although its active skills may pale in comparison to those of the bow.

Daggers, often dismissed as a meme, can be a surprisingly viable option. Boosting critical hits and scaling heals similar to damage, daggers may be more fitting for a DPS-oriented playstyle than a traditional healer or support role. The lack of impactful traits and mastery, however, makes it a niche choice.

Crossbows, while not as commonly used, find their place in certain strategies due to synergy with their passives. Reduced cooldowns of enfeebles, the ability to reset wand CC and damage regularly, and unique skills like health-to-mana conversion, bind removal, and a movement speed boost, present an intriguing set of options. However, like other offhand choices, mastery, traits, and active skills may fall short for a true support or healer role.

In summary, the true support option appears to be the Wand/Bow combination, offering unparalleled utility. Wand/Staff follows closely, presenting synergistic benefits and additional DPS, albeit at the cost of some utility. Other offhand weapons, such as Dagger and Crossbow, may find niche applications based on specific playstyles or situations. The decision ultimately hinges on personal preferences, playstyle, and the demands of the content at hand.


More Throne and Liberty Lucent, Items, Guides, and more in https://www.buythroneandlibertylucent.com/