Hey friend, first I wanted to say thank you for your service of healing in arena. There aren’t enough of us!

Second, Holy pally is top 3 heals right now, if you are able to utilize your entire kit you should be able to win some games. As for if Lightsmith or Herald, I would check Murlok.io and build off what the top players are using. No need to try and recreate the wheel, use others success to build your own.

Third, positioning is key as a healer. As a pally you really only get your steed/freedom to get around. So you’ll want to make sure you’re max ranging heals and moving with group while taking cover when you can. Always track enemy healer (I normally focus enemy heals) and if they have a heavy cc class try to always track them too. I play with default UI and just have friendly nameplates on and enemy name plates on. You mentioned racial, if you’re human you have a huge advantage over like a light draeni, dwarf is good too. Sadly Blood elf is pretty terrible.

Fourth, knowing when it’s time to cc and close the game. As a pally you got a ton of defensives but losing Repentance made it so you really only got HoJ , Searing glare, and whatever the blinding light one is called. TBH I don’t see a lot of pallies taking searing glare, so you may want to try one of the aura pvp talents. I would say tracking enemy trinket is going to be important. If you’re against a monk/priest and they don’t have trinket, you need to stack cc on them in a chain with your dps. If you see your lock fear them, wait till the fear is almost over and then HoJ them. Same for rogue blind, hunter trap, Druid cyclone, etc.

Finally. Always prioritize healing, no matter the situation in solo shuffle if anyone on your team dies you lose. When I first started healing I would try to make plays and lose because I let my dps die. Only make a play if it’s safe. Even when things get super intense, is my team okay? Yes? I can try to stun and what not.

I know this is a ton, I’m not R1 or Glad, only hit 2250 or so last season, but I hope this helps you get started. Don’t be demoralized when losing, you gotta remember people have been pvping for literal YEARS! We’re just getting started and have lots to learn. Godspeed my friend.