AC Lightsmith Gameplay Walkthrough

[@marty_vb]

Thanks for this Elle. Appreciate you staying so on top of keeping your guides and walkthroughs relevant to the shifting “meta” even as Blizzard continues to tune and break things. Many hpals like myself rely on your insight! Truly invaluable to the community 💕

[@willvaya]

Wow this answers so much! Thanks for being a “beacon” for our class (pun intended)

[@Xon333]

I really appreciate these videos where you explain what you are doing and why. Thank you!

[@movntn]

Loving all of the content this season! Would love to see similar breakdowns for raid fights too if you have the time ❤

[@danheelan8818]

Elle your content has been great for a long time, but these walkthroughs and recent videos have been even better. Thank you.

[@andrewgilinger4248]

Thank you so much for making this! It’s been an interesting adaption switching to this playstyle and the insight you provide is super helpful!

[@raytos9701]

Just started healing with Hpaly for the first time since MoP this answered a lot of questions and taught me things I didn't know and was messing up.

[@neonblack1649]

Thanks Ellesmere! This build is killing in both M+ and Raid.

[@CsStoker]

19:42 I just realized how hard for me that is, I'm usually so focused on player healthbars during those spikes of damage that I don't focus on the proper positioning to cast virtue, thank you for pointing that out

[@TheMrCYoung]

Yeah , this in itself is of huge value

[@RinaaaYa]

I cannot express how useful these are Elle. Thanks a lot!

[@Xanten7]

This was a very welcome and very well-timed walkthrough.

[@jhonytebaldi]

This soooo useful and helps a lot more than random healing guides, thanks for This Ellesmere, Keep it up❤

[@Jiyoon25]

This is awesome! Thank you for great video. always learn a lot from your play!

[@thelastshallbefirst3653]

Paladin class blessed to have Elle!

[@stonnyj]

Wow what an amazing video! Very informative, loved this one. In the future could you do one on raid healing for AC lightsmith? (a similar style commentary - walkthrough )

[@YonatanUscangaRuiz]

Te quiero mucho Elle, muchas gracias por estás guías! THANK YOU.❤

[@Ysidoroh]

So happy lightsmith is doing so well. Loved this ht the whole time

[@intuneknight9681]

Good to see that my build that I made was almost the same, the only difference I like to use the talent to heal passive with consecration it is a good sustainer, Lightbearer is bugged, the big problem /with the build is the when there is big pulls positiong is very difficult due to the AOE dlamage, nice video, and always light smith since the beginning.

[@Lamouettekamikaze]

Just what I wanted. THANK YOU ❤

[@kuranajajach]

finally, was waiting for that guide

[@user-Picturehouse]

it is so enjoyable to play literally dealing dmg jus covers most of the healing its an honestly great spec

[@ErfanHassanzadeh-h5n]

Elle you are awesome i hope to see you in MDI you deserve it

[@EllesmereGaming]

No MDI for me this season, really enjoying just playing some hpal and focusing on content creation right now :)

[@KamienTV]

Twitch overlay hidding Detail skill input but great video thanks for sharing

[@Decurain]

Appreciate what you do

[@danielfechner4400]

Great video as always. I saw you reverted back to herald on the +16 key you did. Would love to hear your thoughts on that decision. Thanks a lot

[@EllesmereGaming]

I play herald and lightsmith depending on the key. I’ve been going LS for mists/nw/siege and Herald for all other keys at really high key levels. I generally suggest AC LS for all keys up to +14 or higher when you start valuing Herald higher to counter extreme burst damage patterns of super high keys

[@danielfechner4400]

@@EllesmereGaming Thx a lot. I was wonderung because you demonstrated LS on the the +14 mists, and then I saw the +16 which was also mists but with herald XD

[@Jed142]

The other benefit of using shield of righteous during AC is you don't need to move your mouse 😁

[@Ndstructible]

Would you recommend doing the caster build to kinda learn to heal as holy pally. I feel like being in melee can be kinda punishing sometimes. Also would it be better to farm M0 to get my vers up or just try to push and see what gear it get? Setting at 10k crit 14.5k haste 3.5k mastery and 4k vers. I know i need higher vers but seems like my stats make it hard to push mythics

[@ajvaldez]

Legend!!! ty

[@Elux91]

this is super interesting as someone that was hoping to not have to play lightsmith :D I would love the same for a mythic boss as well (ovinox preferably^^)

[@thedonz3019]

Thanks for the video. Quick question. I am in AC and have 2 holy power, an unbufffed CS charge, and HS up. Should I HS spend to buff CS or throw the unbuffed CS? I feel like I’ve had this decision a decent amount.

[@EllesmereGaming]

I’d prob just throw the CS, spender, judgment, empowered CS

[@yukashi5410]

Great walkthrough vid! I dont see the awakening tracker on your screen, is it in your WA package?

[@EllesmereGaming]

Yes it anchors itself to my holy power weakaura so if you don’t have that you have to give it a new anchor in the display tab

[@fabian-hugsforhikers]

Hey there, thanks for keeping us updated throughout the season. DId I notice a Lightsmith Weakaura there? Similar to the Blessing of Seasons reminder? I would be very interested in that.

[@EllesmereGaming]

Yeah it’s part of my hpal cooldowns weakaura on wago: wago.io/hpalCooldowns

[@Rigolow]

Excellent professor :) tks

[@sketch2831]

that tank slash is magic damage and can be mitigated with antimagic shield or spell reflect etc

[@tbuksuperfly]

I tried this build in a NW +11 last night. It went fine, and AC healing was really powerful, but it felt so alien to me after the run i swapped back to normal spec for my other keys :D It's odd as i love mistweaver so i would have thought the melee dps to heal style would be fine but i found the weapons stuff super unintuitive and a bit awkward to use.\ Maybe i need to track them a bit better The big question I have though is the whole health share thing. To be me that just seems insanely dangerous. During AOE everyone gets low and if I'm low and the dps my weapon is on gets

[@Xanten7]

OK on my second watchthrough and I have two questions. 1. How did you move the maze navigator? I thought it wasn’t allowed 😂 2. Please link that other WeakAura you have for remembering what you’ve seen 😅

[@EllesmereGaming]

1. Just update the auto weakaura, the latest version can be moved around and resized in the custom options tab. 2. wago.io/hVLym_eLv

[@RakeshKumar-pc1fg]

Thank you for this guide Elle. I am currently having trouble with this week's affix "Devour". I mostly play in pugs and most of the time, dps never use their cleanses for removing the debuf. That forces me to use Divine Toll to top up the group,.. So i am now facing trouble when boss does heavy AOE damage as I dont have AC or DT to heal the group. Do you have any strategy for this please?

[@princezuko179]

Tell your group to cleanse themselves, honestly. That‘s not on you. And when doing ur own keys, choose classes that can dispell and remind them of it beforehand.

[@RakeshKumar-pc1fg]

@@princezuko179 Thank you! Its hard nowadays to get a good players in PUG who can listen to people. :(

[@Blinkch]

no way, i started this season as hpal and all i wanted was AC to be the meta build. Now that i swapped to prot pal, they changed it to AC meta. thanks I guess😂

[@alanguerra1034]

Muchas gracias Ellesmere!

[@sketch2831]

i see you are rocking a high haste build. this build also really works well with very high crit because each of your judgment crits is going to shockwave heal. my stats are reverse of yours with 32% crit 22% haste. im trying to get more haste tho. but its hard to decide whether to give up vers or crit. dont really want to give up crit because i have a serum trinket and it crits regularly for 1mil when its not giving me ridiculous mainstat. and i dont want to give up vers either because this build is like doubling down on sacrifice with the armament health sharing. so tbh this is the first tier where im okay with sacrificing some haste. my haste is so low i had to take tyrs and relentless in the holy tree. one thing i could potentially do is not use the healthsharing and go super heavy on haste crit. but the health sharing talent is really nice. will really kinda depend on what the vault gods offer up.

[@EllesmereGaming]

Yeah high haste and high crit are both great. I think I might swap my flask to crit but idk the spec already has so much rng tied to its healing cuz of hammer and anvil, I don’t love leaning more into rng

[@MrGuzman87]

Do you include Shield of Righteousness? (The one that heals for 2% of max health). Or is it not worth it?

[@GamingFr3aks]

a question for AC Lightsmith is a 2h with int acutally better ? if you get the myth trac weapon from stonevault with int? (or which instance)

[@andrewmiller5690]

Is Divine Toll de-emphasized enough that it would be worth taking Divine Resonance for the extra Holy Shock casts versus the CD reduction talent? Also, do you have any weakauras for tracking the Awakening proc? Thanks!

[@EllesmereGaming]

No imo always better to have more DTs than the extra holy shocks. DT is already a strong enough cd as is

[@sensejay]

Thanks Ellesmere! gg's !!

[@jeffreypenkoff6178]

Why is Avenging Crusader so controversial amongst HPal players? Watching this video has me interested in the spec for maybe the first time ever. This looks super fun to play.

[@EllesmereGaming]

A lot of players don’t enjoy because it removes all target selection requirements from healers and makes it really brainless. That can be fun for some but for many healers, myself included, the most fun part of healing is target selection and spell priorities. If I wanted to just have a set rotation, ignore party frames and turn my brain off I’d play a dps, so to me AC isn’t super fun. That being said ofc I understand that’s only one viewpoint and there are many who absolutely love this playstyle. That’s why I advocate for both builds being balanced well so they can both be viable options

[@Wellshem]

It's controversial with high end player who want absolute control and precise frame healing/buffing. Usually high end player don't like fist weaver either for similar reason. It's not controversial for the average joe. It's like glimmer gameplay, only high end player loved it

[@LeoSpaceman2012]

This is a really fun and strong build. I love how much hps and dps we finally have. My fear is that now we will be nerfed. Blizzard likes to nerf HPal. Do you feel like this is a steady build that won't be nerfed?

[@EllesmereGaming]

I believe this build is pretty unhealthy due to how strong hammer and anvil is, and how broken the interactions with Tempered in Battle are. IMO they should fix that, then buff regular Wings so herald can compete again. Both builds being strong is the best outcome of tuning

[@sketch2831]

yeah i prefer playing with selfless healer, moment of compassion, tower of radiance and flash of lights. its going to be more active healing but youll have more armaments. my time is divided between filling 3 characters vaults, 5 crafters, leading a guild, diablo and seaosonal mortal kombat so i might still change things up the higher i go. your version will have higher dps for sure but theres less decision making with it.

[@EllesmereGaming]

For what it’s worth, casting doesn’t lead to more armaments. You consume infusions with judgment in this build

[@sketch2831]

@@EllesmereGaming you can consume more infusions with flash of lights in addition to judgments due to the 6-9 second cooldown on judgment. can get as many as 2 infusions per sec as they come from holy shock crits leading to more armaments. how much this matters idk. were talking about 3 seconds cdr per infusion, but my hope is that a flash of light AC lightsmith build will have more arament casts. will have to start recording how many armaments i give out per key.

[@Runx87]

Would you say ac lightsmith or hots us better for m+ overall? Also which would you say is better for pugs? If you haven't played lightsmith enough yet to give an answer I understand

[@EllesmereGaming]

AC LS probably your best bet for most key levels and pugging, but Herald is good too so it's really whichever you prefer

[@Runx87]

Thanks for the reply. I've never tried lightsmith but it looks like alot of fun. I'm probably to give it a shot. Thanks for the guides!

[@Duck4Evers]

Is this spec viable in raid? Thanks for your unbreakable support of the Holy Paladin!!!🙏🙏

[@EllesmereGaming]

Yes absolutely! it is our best build in raid

[@Duck4Evers]

Thank You!!

[@storathzaleric1141]

thx!

[@fonstv6199]

Do you see this becoming more dominant in m+? I haven't played herald in over a week and have been quite successful - there's the odd dungeon where it feels bad and I feel weaker at correcting mistakes, but the numbers seem good

[@EllesmereGaming]

If we’re discussing the meta, imo it’s the best healer right now to pair with prot Warrior. But I think community perception is rather locked into rsham this tier in terms of being meta. FWIW though I’m 90% sure this build will get nerfed in the coming weeks, interested to see how everything plays out though

[@fonstv6199]

@@EllesmereGaming oh yeah, I dont see the bulwark absorbs surviving more than a couple of weeks - way too much safety for not a lot of brain power. But yeah, I'm 100% with you, haven't felt this strong since s1 slands, maybe not even that

[@serena-yu]

If you use divine toll less frequently, would you consider using the 1 min version for more power in each cast?

[@EllesmereGaming]

You could in some dungeons but I prefer being able to have it available as much as possible. When it’s on cd I have to play much more cautiously so I’d prefer to spend as little time in that state as possible. And I really don’t feel the need for more power with DT, it’s already such a strong cd

[@serena-yu]

@@EllesmereGaming Makes sense. I will give it try today and compare them.

[@notarealperson9709]

any plans on doing the same style walk through for The Solar Crusade build?

[@EllesmereGaming]

I’ve done a grim Batol early in the season if you go back in my videos, but I’ll do another one soon! Maybe a CoT

[@iBuyHousesFastOhio]

@@EllesmereGaming yes plz!

[@chirt]

I need to know what ability that phone sound is for 😂

[@EllesmereGaming]

Phone sounds are important dispels haha

[@ce8539]

anyone who uses cell can you please help me...i cant get holy bulwark/weapon to show up as an icon no matter where i add it to. ive tried adding it to external cds, defensives, healers...it wont show up on any party member frame on cell

[@EllesmereGaming]

Add it in the indicators tab and make sure you’re using the correct spell ids: Sacred Weapon: 432502 Holy Bulwark: 432496 Dawnlight: 431381

[@andysun5181]

Do you happen to have a stand alone WA for awakening? Show when to use?

[@guidozappi9224]

I have a question about the awakening proc, does it only heal if u are already in AC or it will heal no matter what ?

[@EllesmereGaming]

It will heal no matter what, the judgment that procs the AC counts as AC healing

[@ericmcfarland1011]

What talent causes Crusader Strike CDR from SoTR that you mention at 16:10 ?

[@EllesmereGaming]

That’s just baseline shield of the righteous functionality for Holy Paladins

[@ericmcfarland1011]

@@EllesmereGaming TIL. ty!

[@giannisgk5848]

Lightsmith or herald is bstter spec to play? I ask for both m+ and raid

[@EllesmereGaming]

AC LS is typically better in raid, while both are strong in m+

[@giannisgk5848]

@@EllesmereGaming ok ty ill try LS also and see

[@okeuhj]

what is that addon you use to track everyones cooldowns on the spells? it's not baked into Cell now is it?

[@EllesmereGaming]

OmniCD

[@Kwispy]

I haven’t even tried lightsmith yet. Is there any benefits to it? Commenting so I can watch video later I’m working

[@EllesmereGaming]

More damage, easier rotationally, more frequent cooldowns, strong sustained healing, better tank healing and personal survivability. Cons are its low burst healing, low spot healing and low targeted healing. Overall it’s a very strong build rn, esp in raid

[@Kwispy]

@@EllesmereGamingsounds awesome I’ll give it a try. Thank you!

[@ErtayKill]

How can I configure the interface to show which target my holy weapon is on? Because when I activate the AC, the sacred weapon goes automatic on a random target

[@EllesmereGaming]

Depends on your party frames, but all frames have a way of adding tracking buffs

[@DrunkenBobDole]

Is casting Virtue on the boss an option like it is with Wild Growth?

[@EllesmereGaming]

Nope that’ll just auto cast it on yourself

[@jeffreypenkoff6178]

@@EllesmereGaming that's a pity. I feel like that would be good QoL. Boss-targeted Wild Growth is so nice for fights like Tred'ova. Actually, I was a SL baby when mists was current, and struggling to heal that boss was how I found out about enemy-targeted WG

[@shaunaaron]

Anyone know the spell id's for Bulwark and weapon in cell, I cant get them to show up.

[@EllesmereGaming]

Spell ids for tracking hero talents on party/raid frames: Sacred Weapon: 432502 Holy Bulwark: 432496 Dawnlight: 431381

[@sotiredmang3259]

How are you able to get bulwark/weapon to show up on Cell? I tried adding the spell ID but it wont show up.

[@EllesmereGaming]

Make sure you're adding the buff, not the spellID of the actual ability: Sacred Weapon: 432502 Holy Bulwark: 432496 Dawnlight: 431381

[@sotiredmang3259]

@@EllesmereGaming Awesome, looks like I was using the spell id. Thank you!

[@lucaspereira9314]

Why virtue who take a gcd in this build over faith ?

[@EllesmereGaming]

Virtue is for m+, you run Faith in raid. In keys, virtue is incredibly strong for all the damage patterns of dungeons this season. Much more impactful then faith

[@LastLigh]

How how HOW are you pulling so much dps, on dummies, with 627 ilvl, I pull like 250k-300k in AC. Summer i'm sure accounts for some of this and is hard to replicate on dummies but in my keys i'm never moving past 350-400k in aoe pulls. But you have 600k on a double target boss fight, could you follow up with some insights on DPS rotation for Hpally?

[@EllesmereGaming]

Aggressive use of summer, AC, Spamming dps buttons, optimizing damage rotation, heavy shield of the righteous usage, etc. there’s a lot that goes into min maxing damage but practice and understanding how to let your passive healing work for you is the biggest factor

[@Ynnad13]

any chance we can get ur cell profile

[@EllesmereGaming]

It’s part of my UI pack! uipacks.wago.io/pack/ellesmere

[@chriswong8231]

hey ellesmere whats your cell profile

[@sketch2831]

youre not making use of infusions to lower cd on armaments 3 seconds off 60 seconds. i like playing it a bit different. i'll get more shields and weapons out to my group which in a pug environment is probably going to help a lot more. i made an infusion tracker and make sure to spend them to maximize armaments.

[@EllesmereGaming]

Judgment consumes infusions, you don’t have to ever use holy light or FoL anymore in this build.

[@Xanten7]

@@EllesmereGamingWait so if I have Divine Favor and Infusion of Light, I shouldn’t cast a Holy Light anymore?

[@sketch2831]

@@EllesmereGaming Its probably because i have more crit than you that i get more infusions. But occsionally ill be getting as many as 2 infusions every second with inflorescense allowing 2 stacks. You can actually spend way more infusions by using flash of light than just casting judgment would allow. The cooldown on judgement is 6 seconds with wings up and 9 seconds without wings (at least for me personally unbuffed). Through the valiance hero talent im thinking you can get more armaments out with flash of light in addition to judgments. Now how much this matters idk. But its another perk of higher crit. Infusions proc via holy shock crits. Now usually i run the divine toll with the shorter cooldown but its got me thinking maybe ill run the one that shocks every 5 seconds because if those shocks crit its more passive infusion fuel with the flash of lights to keep the armament cdr going. dunno yet this is kinda my alt and havent run my keys yet this week.

[@sketch2831]

@@Xanten7 i would guess youre not going to use holy light unless you're specd into hand of divinity to make your next 2 casts of it instant cast. the holy light cast for me personally with 22% haste is so slow i only use it when only the tank is taking non threatening dmg or i absolutely need to conserve mana. the game kinda lets you spec into either holy light or flash of light with 2 talent choices for each but based on his guide, ima guess he will be suggesting that you hit neither. my hope is that there is more than 1 way to play it. for me personally, i prefer to use flash of lights with high crit leading to high infusion uptime and those flash of lights being 60% cheaper and doing 50% more via moment of compasion. but what he is showing off in his build is getting all your healing from judgement and crusader, shield of righteous which should lead to a higher dps but less hands on healing which is not something i really want to do.

[@24avenged24]

I hate playing this build so much, nerf this shit so pally can feel good again.

[@emotemp]

Some of us really enjoy both builds. Rather than nerfing id much rather each be viable with their own unique strengths and weaknesses.

[@EllesmereGaming]

I’d like both builds to be viable personally but I’m with you on hating having to play this build lol