Despite my contempt of forcing healers to dps more, (if I wanted to dps, I would roll a dps spec/class), I am very pleased with the Discipline Smite/Archangel mechanic. Unlike resto druids, where the only reason I dps is because I'm utterly bored, and unlike resto shamans, where I'm forced to dps to desperately control my mana, and yet find myself still oom, Discipline healing has not only incorporated the dps aspect effectively, but Blizzard has given priests the tools to dps properly.
Discipline priests are the correct way to introduce the "dpsing healer."
The Smite/Archangel build is focus on two talents, called Evangelism and Archangel. Evangelism (discipline version) increases the damage done by Smite, Holy Fire and Penance, and also decreases the amount of mana it costs. This can be stacked 5 times. Once you stack as much as you want (you only need one to use), you can consume the stacks for Archangel. For Discipline priests, it restores 3% of you mana, and then increases the amount of healing by 3% for each stack. Archangel has a decently low CD (it's 18 seconds long, but the CD is only 30 seconds) and Evangelism has a decent timer on it, so you can take a break to drop a heal or two before going back to smiting.
This sounds great in theory, but trying to Smite in healing intensive fights seems like it might be risky. But there are several mechanics that Blizzard has given us to make Smite not only a slow, but decent dps spell, but a healing spell.
The talent Atonement (when maxed out) heals a target within 8 yards for 100% of the damage caused by smite. My smite does about 3k. It also crits quite a bit. So I'm dropping a soft heal on the tank (usually the tank gets it because they are taking the most damage) with every smite I cast. Smite is also effected by Borrowed Time, so I can drop a shield, Smite, drop a shield, Smite. This allows for a slightly quicker Smite, giving me breathing room while I can also shield people.
The best part about this whole Dpsing Healer thing for priests, is the one simple glyph that Blizzard gave us. The major glyph of Divine Accuracy gives us 18% hit to our Smite spell. Eighteen percent! Why didn't they do this for Lightning Bolt. With the importance of a dps spell within a healing build, it is important to give the healer hit so they aren't missing! The RND mechanic of WoW can make it so you never miss without any hit, but this is usually not the case. And when I'm desperately trying to gain mana back by casting Lightening Bolts as a shaman, but missing, I not only waste 2 seconds for a spell, but I wasted my mana casting a useless (completely useless) spell.
It seems like the mechanics of healing, as far as Cataclysm goes, is beginning to perhaps steer healers towards a rotation. I don't heal on a pally, but most people I have talked to who do, have said they are shocked that they have a rotation (instead of spamming one, two, three spells over and over.) While I can understand Blizzard wanting to overhaul the healer so they aren't spamming just a couple spells, (shamans and chain heal too) there are obvious right and wrong ways to do it.
I think Discipline priests are by far the most successful attempt at this. While a set rotation will never be the way of the healer, I think the Smite/Archangel build pushes priests to perhaps look at a rotation like healing style.
The resto shaman column writer for WoW Insider, has proposed a healing rotation for Shamans. However, with the way fights are these days, I was unable to dedicate myself to any sort of rotation. Everything as far as WotLK goes is still all about reflexive healing, even with the changes in terms of health. Damage for the most part, has remained the same. The only thing I have noticed about the Patch, in terms of WotLK is that, a.) things are dying faster (we have two mages in our group.) and b.) I'm healing dps more because they can't control their aggro and the tanks have a slower threat build now.
For Disc priests tho, Blizzard has given the Archangel build tools to make Smiting not only affordable, but effective. The extra heal, if although small, does help out in the long run. The glyph makes it so we never miss (which personally makes me feel good about dpsing.) and Borrowed Time can help us crank out faster smites if we don't need the heals.
For fights like Torovon, I can spot heal and build up Evangelism stacks, so that when Whiteout hits, I can pop Archangel and do some better healing.
This is the dpsing healer, done right.
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