A big part of the problem with rogues in PvE is that they are totatly dependant on their healers, very specifically priests. Its amazing how the love hate relationship between priests and rogues continue to have the seems drawn closer.
I spend a dubious amount of time learning and understanding my role as a healing priest in raids. And part of it is generating and processing feedback from the larger priest community. Part of what I gathered is that the priests who are the loudest complainers about the holy 31 and 41 point talents are also the ones who have never done anything beyond Karazhan, assuming they've even seen Karazhan. The priests that sing the praises of our 31 / 41 point talents are the ones who have progressed well beyond Kara. Every last one of them say things like "CoH is not situational, you need it for SSC, TK, MH and BT in nearly every situation."
CoH, circle of healing. It has the following limitations: doesn't heal for a whole lot (base is 409 to 451), everybody in the group has to be within 15 (18 improved) yards of the target to get benefit, the benefit from +healing gear is fraction, about 25%. Many people feel having Divine spirit and improved divine spirit in the discipline tree is more value added the COH. Many people feel that CoH is highly situational, and in cases where it can be used, Prayer of Healing is better mana efficiency.
I don't need to be in BT (Black Temple) to know Circle of Healing is the bees knees to rogues (and all mellee) survivability. Using Gruul for example, I'll prove to you that CoH is designed around mellee survivability. This is what we know:
1. Mellee are all clumped together at Gruul
2. Mellee is nearly always taking some damage
3. Stepping out of combat to bandage is not a best option because there seems to always be damage being taken
4. Healers are also always on the move to avoid cave ins
Circle of Healing is front loaded heal, in other words, no cast time. Its instant cast heal while I'm on the move. And for the cost of a 1.5 second global cooldown, I can heal all the mellee in a single group that is 15 (18) yards away from my target while getting my butt out of trouble for less mana then most flash heals and greater heals. If that is not the bees knees of mellee survivability, then I have no idea what is.
What did I give up to get Circle of Healing? Divine and improved divine spirt. Divine spirit gives the group 50 spirit and what ever mana regen that gives them based on their mana regen models and upto 10% of the targets spirit converted to +damage. IMO, it is worth giving up a fraction of mana regen and spell casting damage to keep mellee alive, especially in 25 man raids. Does every priest need CoH, no, a raid only needs one priest with divine spirit, but even if we don't have that one priest, I think (again, my opinion) the fact that the mellee has a better chance of surviving the full duration of a fight more then outweighs the gains gotten from giving all the caster and additional few points of +damage based on their spirit.
I do note, and reiterate and say again because if I said it once I've said a thousand times, healers can only do so much. Everybody has to do what it takes to maintain their own survivability. That means knowing how and when to bandage, knowing how to use a lightwell if one is up, how to and when to use healing potions and healthstones.
I would emplore priests to consider taking lightwell and circle of healing over the spirit buffs and I also encourage raid leaders to arrange groups in consideration of circle of healing, if they are not sure how to arrange a group on a boss fight to take advantage of CoH, they can consult with me, and please do. In any given boss fight, the raid can be arranged in any manner taking up any of the 8 groups to best fit the best chance of sucess of the encounter.
For example, on VR, you can put all the mellee together in one group without a healer. That group will still be healed, and CoH will be used to the best effectiveness. Then on Lurker, you can put everybody that will be on satalite island number 1 in the same group in group 7 slot, there may only be 3 people in group 7, but Circle of Healing will heal them all in on global cooldown.
Cass and I talk about it often but all the AOE damage bosses do has really hurt the melee DPS class in general and there just doesnt seem to be much reason to take them since they dont top the DPS like they used to, and SHOULD! Blizzard needs to rework it because all Rogues bring to a group is DPS, and a sap but with more and more pally and druid tanks you arent as CC dependant as you used to be and with no other utility to a group Rogues should outdps everything in sight like in MC days when there was 3-4 rogues in top 5 on damage every night.
