Now that Season 3 is well underway, the progression of the highest keys has slowed down, and we see some tweaks made by the best groups to push the hardest content. In particular, the Leaf of the Ancient Protectors is more and more visible in the healers build. Why is that?

Well, if you have played in the past few weeks, you surely have noticed that the biggest challenges for survival are the single target challenges (Crushing Depths, Flame Shock, Wracking Pain, Bounding Whirl, Corrosion, Etch and more), that can kill someone really quick. And while there is no doubt that the stat trinkets (Pip's Emerald Friendship Badge, Coagulated Genesaur Blood, Sea Star) are the best for overall healing throughput, they do not really provide much help with these challenges. The Leaf of the Ancient Protectors does, and provides you with an additional external on a very short cooldown (1 min). the base versatility is not great for healing, but it is not the worst stat at the highest level, and everybody has to get a little more of it one way or the other to survive at this stage.

Another trinket with a similar vibe is the Revitalizing Voodoo Totem, which is harder to use and time properly, but which has unmatchable value for the feared Crushing Depths from Throne of the Tides, for the specs who have little solution to it. It is very niche, but a good thing to know if you are hard stuck on this dungeon.

Now the question is about whether or not you should equip it at lower levels. I would say that if Atal Dazar is an absolute breeze apart from Yazma, then get the targeted weak aura and Leaf of the Ancient Protectors, everything will be simpler! What I mean here is that if you struggle with these Single Target checks, it is probably worth trying it out, see how that works for you.

What matters is to keep your group alive. If you need a bit of everything, stat trinkets are your go-to. If you are very comfortable with the healing challenges, try the damage trinkets. If you struggle with these Single Target Healing checks, then definitely give the Leaf of the Ancient Protectors a good try!