First Aid is a skill that allows you to craft and use bandages from cloth (generally obtained from Humanoid enemies). Bandages, like their application in real life, allow you to restore your characters hit points. Like most restoration abilities, bandages can only be used when nothing is hitting you. Even with this limitation, they are still very valuable in both during and after combat.
Bandages directly heal your hit points in “ticks” while you are channeling them. You can do nothing else (no attacking, moving, etc.) while using a bandage. The health is received in ticks (generally one second apart). So if a bandage heals 300 hit points over 10 seconds, you will receive 30 hits every second for 10 seconds. After a bandage has finished channeling (through any means) you will gain a debuff that will not allow you to use another bandage for sixty seconds
Bandages have a great advantage over food in that they can be used while standing and while in combat. All enemies have a 100% chance to gain a critical strike against you while sitting, which makes eating a very risky thing to do in an area with a ton of enemies (PvP for instance). Food can not be using in combat, but bandages can. This means that if you can heal yourself during combat (assuming nothing is hitting on you, which will interrupt the bandage channeling).
Bandages can be used on other players, even if they do not have the First Aid skill. This has plenty of implications, for instance allowing a Priest to regain mana while you bandage the group. Bandages are extremely useful in several instance fights where you can duck out of the action to recover your health.
Advancing in First Aid is similar to fishing and cooking. At fist you’ll be able to increase your ability by simply training at a trainer. When you reach 125 skill in First Aid you’ll then need to begin using various books (and later even a quest) in order to advance your skill and learn new recipes. Since First Aid is such a viable skill, these books are quite easy to get and mostly can be purchased from special locations.
[125 – 225] Book: Expert First Aid – Under Wraps
Useable at 125 skill in First Aid and raises your potential to allow you go up to 225 in skill.
This book can be purchased for one gold at two different vendors, depending on what faction you are with. The Alliance will need to seek out Deneb Walker in Stromgarde Ruins. The location is 27,58 (the Alliance held portion of Stromgarde). The Horde will need to seek out Balai Lok’Wein who is located in Brackenwall Village inside of Dustwallow Marsh.
While you are there, pick up the Heavy Silk Bandage and Mageweave Bandage Manuals.
[225-300] Quest: Triage
At level 35 and with 225 skill in First Aid you can seek out a special quest that will allow you to obtain a potential of 300 skill in First Aid and open up the path to learn more recipes.
- Alliance: You’ll need to head to Theramore Isle and seek out Doctor Gustaf VanHowzen in the far right corner of the keep. You’ll know which one because there will be soldiers outside practicing.
Horde: You’ll need to head to Hammerfall in Arathi Highlands and seek out Doctor Gregory Victor. - Position yourself in the middle of the room, kind of beyond the Doctor. You may have to move around a little but you’ll get the feel for the location in a little bit.
- Clear away some space on your quickbar and open your inventory to the first open slot. Go ahead and take the quest from the Doctor. Various sick people will spawn on the bed and you’ll be given bandages.
- Move the bandages to your quickbar and start bandaging the sick people. You’ll want to bandage the Critically Injured first, then the Badly Inured, then the Injured.
- Continue doing it one after another until you’ve cured about 15 patients. If you didn’t fail the quest (too many died) then the doctor should have a golden question mark above his head letting you know you’re done. If you did fail then you’ll have to start over.
You’ll have to return to this doctor to learn Heavy Mageweave, Runecloth, and Heavy Runecloth bandages. He’ll train you for free when you have enough skill.
[300-375] Master First Aid – Doctor in the House
Useable at 300 skill in First Aid and raises your potential to allow you go up to 375 in skill.
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