Role change anxiety is maybe a thing?

[MoroMurasaki]

I'd like to thank everyone for their understanding and support, it was definitely nice to get up this morning and read the replies here. I don't know how anyone can try to say this community isn't a good one, I left myself way open to criticism and instead you all responded with advice and well wishes.

The trade off is that you don't need to worry as much about the tank getting a buster to the face (healers and tanks managing their cooldowns) or raid-wide damage to heal through, all things other people would find stressful but you're probably used to it.

This is fair. I don't mean to say that dps outright have more responsibility than healers do but I suppose at least I feel on RDM that I've got more on my shoulders than I do as a WHM.

I've thought about this a fair bit and I think part of it is actually related to handling mechanics. As a good healer (please no one start the debate, please) you interrupt your dpsing to heal or handle mechanics. As a dps you only halt your dpsing to handle mechanics. Sure, I Verraise as RDM but that isn't a 'break' from DPSing at all regularly and it really shouldn't be happening very frequently because people shouldn't be dying.

I think as a healer I was taking some extra time handling mechanics/moving that I really didn't need to take and chocking it up to "I'm still DPSing effectively enough," when I should have been minimizing my movement irrespective of the class I'm on for the sake of uptime.

So in a way I guess playing RDM has perhaps helped make me a better healer? Only fflogs will tell.

But I can understand why some people could feel this way, but really in most situations 1 bad DPS won't kill a party.

I certainly agree, at least in the content my RDM is currently engaging in. My issue is that I might not be the only bad dps, at that point I'm contributing to a wipe if I don't put up at least enough damage to cover my portion if not help close the gap left by my co-deeps.

I think RDM is the perfect class yoy could start with so that you gain more experience and hopefully it won't be as intimidating to you later. All the best of luck to you.

Aw, thanks! I do think RDM, as an 'easier' class and still a caster, is the right way to go... >.> I hope.

Totally unrelated but oh. em. gee. Your character creation is spot on! Such a pretty avatar, I just had to say something. Love the purple theme, it's working.

I understand where you're coming from, Moro.

I am legitimately surprised this is a thing you can relate to!

To be honest you're one of the people I was thinking of when I said I know people who seem to swap mains effortlessly, I remember you talking about heavy thrust being an issue for you on DRG but I didn't realize you had had so much trouble. You make it look easy!

It is comforting to know that someone I look up to has had these same sorts of struggles though, thank you for the inspiration!

[HyoMinPark]

Gonna start this out by saying, I was with Moro for their weekly Sigma normal runs this week, and they were amazing! Sure, there's always room for improvement, but I thought they did really well. They even tried to get the Raises (though I was really fast to press my Swiftcast + Raise, but the fact alone Moro is already willing to show support for a job a lot of people ignore the support aspect on is a big deal). And they Mana Shifted (!!!!) both me and our other healer (the lovely Miste).

That being said, the anxiety you feel is completely normal, Moro. I think it stems from a fear of the unknown and the unfamiliar, and it's something people experience with regards to everything. As a DPS main, I get nervous playing any job that isn't BRD. I get nervous playing BRD in content I'm new to, because I have a nasty habit of being a perfectionist, and mistakes hit me harder than they probably do the average person.

To give a similar example to yours, Moro, I recently leveled BLM to 70, and I'm actually finding myself wanting to learn the job...which I hadn't played in content since level 50. It was nerve-racking queuing into roulettes with it, because every time I got something from Heavensward or Stormblood, I would feel really nervous because I wasn't familiar with the job at those levels. But I want to learn, just like you want to learn RDM. So keep at it and don't give up! I firmly believe you have more than enough skill to be a successful RDM. :3

[Miste]

Like I said to you that evening you did great on RDM for it being your first time in level 70 stuff! You were really aware of most things a RDM should be aware of and doing good DPS! Always room for improvement for all of us, but definitely a perfect way to start out on a new 70 job!

I also agree about the anxiety. When I first decided to try some delta savage on RDM I got nervous as well since I never did any difficult content on RDM before. I think it is normal for some of us to deal with that when we try to play jobs or roles we don't know as much.

For me it is definitely a fear of the unfamiliar like Hyo said. I play healer so much that I am so familiar with it and used to it that it doesn't bother me much, but other roles I am so unfamiliar with that I always feel like I need more practice or I am not playing it right/making mistakes too much D:

It also makes me nervous when certain fights have different mechanics that the roles have to handle. Like healer mechanics I know them, but going into a fight on a new role like DPS and they have a different mechanic that healers don't have to do.... that throws me off and I need to really pay more attention.

PS. Hyo I hope I wasn't too much of a pain to heal with in Noct lol I really suck at shielding D:

[MoroMurasaki]

Aw, thank you both! I'm certainly going to keep on trying with RDM, I've beated all the SSS dummies I've had the guts to try (so up to Shin EX) and that was before understanding what I should be doing with Swiftcast and Embolden.

Next time I will make a valiant effort at being slightly less insecure >.>

I know exactly what you mean about the different mechanics Miste - like in o6 when I had the sand marker chasing AoE and just heard "Moro run!"

Thank you both for healing me through my many failed mechs also, tunnel vision is a problem and at least I know that now.

[Sharksandrew]

I understand the role fear a whole lot. I'm scared to Tank or Heal fearing I may mess up and then everyone dies. Heck I only pick up one or two DPS classes to play at a time since I'm scared that I'll mess up on what rotation I'm supost to be doing. I'm glad I have friends that understand my fear.

[Miste]

Aw, thank you both! I'm certainly going to keep on trying with RDM, I've beated all the SSS dummies I've had the guts to try (so up to Shin EX) and that was before understanding what I should be doing with Swiftcast and Embolden.

Yeah SC is used to fix mana balance to avoid wasting mana and also to get the opener going quicker with Embolden and Manafication.

Next time I will make a valiant effort at being slightly less insecure >.>

You should! I think you are being too hard on yourself.

I know exactly what you mean about the different mechanics Miste - like in o6 when I had the sand marker chasing AoE and just heard "Moro run!"

Yeah I saw you out of the corner of my eye since you were just to my left. That mechanic never targets healers and I saw you dodge and stop so I figured I should toss out a voice warning for you if I noticed you stood still too long xD "Moro keep running!"

Thank you both for healing me through my many failed mechs also, tunnel vision is a problem and at least I know that now.

You're welcome! but also its fine, everyone fails mechs sometimes. I mean I kinda randomly died one time? I still don't know what happened there lol my poor little lalafell just must have not seen a missile flying at her face? Then I got explodededed D:

[Linx0r]

Moro, as what most have said this feeling is normal, especially if you are still new to the class. The only two things I can add, are :

1) have fun playing, no matter what!
2) surround yourself with people who care for you and want to see you succeed (which from the sounds of it, you have done)

With the above points, your anxiety will slowly fade away as you gain confidence in yourself, just as your friends already have confidence in you.

Have a good day!

- Natti

[Tridus]

Yeah I saw you out of the corner of my eye since you were just to my left. That mechanic never targets healers and I saw you dodge and stop so I figured I should toss out a voice warning for you if I noticed you stood still too long xD "Moro keep running!"

That hit both of us and we were both doing the same thing since that was the first time either of us had DPSd it. The warning was super helpful.

Moro, I understand the feeling. I wind up changing roles a lot so we can do stuff but I always drop back to healing when I can because it's just more comfortable. I know what to do, when something goes wrong I know how to react, and if I mess up I know why and have an idea of how to fix it. On the other roles? Not so much, and that's scary. It does get better as you get more practice in another role and get familiar with the fights from a new perspective.

I think it's also why I favor jobs with healing. Like that o8 run this morning where I ended up spamming Clemency when both healers died until someone could get them back up. That was entirely familiar and kinda comforting. It makes it within my power to do something when things go wrong, rather than standing there DPSing (or tanking, as in that case) and hoping someone else covers it.

RDM is great for that for the same reason. I was spamming manashift last night to be helpful. Everyone was beating me to verraise, but that's less of an issue in the DF. Just having that stuff gives me back some of the "keep everyone alive" power that I have as a healer, and having access to it helps a lot.

You're a really good player, as your WHM logs consistently show. You'll do fine on RDM when you put the time into it.

[Crescents]

If it helps, I went through the exact thing, I mained AST/SCH all the way up til SB and was super intimidated I couldn't optimise dps to pull my weight and was worried about not being able to do x amount of dps. but as far as role anxiety goes im sure you're doing fine, even if you're not quite pulling your weight, healers have much more carry potential than dps do and your party will more than likely be able to compensate if you have a run where you're a little off.

[VanilleFang]

I certainly agree, at least in the content my RDM is currently engaging in. My issue is that I might not be the only bad dps, at that point I'm contributing to a wipe if I don't put up at least enough damage to cover my portion if not help close the gap left by my co-deeps.

That's fair. But putting so much pressure on yourself isn't! You shouldn't worry that there might be another DPS that's not doing great. It's their responsibility to get better, not your's!

It doesn't seem like you have anything to worry about, from what others have been saying about your DPS exploits in sigma.

Wait... was the run you, Miste, Tridus, AND HyoMin? So, like, forum all-star or what?