Overhealing – Term Explanation in World of Warcraft

Definition & Purpose

• Wasted Healing: Overhealing is any healing that exceeds a target’s maximum health.
• Mana Efficiency Concern: Because mana spent on overhealing effectively produces no benefit, high overhealing can indicate wasted resources.

How to Minimize Overhealing

• Timing & Spell Choice: Use slower or smaller heals if a target’s health is nearly full; save big heals for those taking heavy damage.
• Communication: In raids, coordinate healing assignments to avoid multiple healers casting large heals on the same target simultaneously.

Examples

• HoTs Ticking on a Full HP Target – If a target is at max health, and your HoT is still ticking, those heals go toward overhealing.
• Preemptive Heals Gone Wrong – Casting your biggest heal before the damage lands can lead to massive overhealing if the damage is mitigated or avoided.

References

• Effective Healing and Mana Efficiency (Healer Guides) – Explains the concept of overheal vs. effective heal.
• Log Parsing Tools – Websites like Warcraft Logs show overhealing percentages in detail.