Shields only become that way when it is no longer relevant content, when we are already over geared to hell.
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So, looking at https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/comme...eb2x&context=3, it looks like yeah, shields were constantly the red-headed stepchild. The easy fix of course being to punch up the potency on them. Or, you know, push down the potency on Regen.
Uh. Is regularly completely nullifying incoming damage to zero and cheesing mechanics through blocking debuff application *really* a desirable state of affairs?
If you make regens more powerful than shields, shields have a use (can be frequent or niche, dependent on encounter design). Because shields do something regens can't.
You make shields more powerful than regens, you never touch a regen again. Because regens don't perform a function that shields can't too. *That* is why regens are more total potency/cheaper than shields. Because at the end of the day, they have to be.
700 potency shields vs 1200 potency regen, and the shields cost more (or used to). We can argue it back and forth, but the simple fact of the matter is that a shield-focused healer is at a flat disadvantage vs a regen-focused caster. It's perfectly fine if they have both sorts of answers at their disposal and are able to cover for weaknesses in one part of the kit using another part of the kit. But a shield healer that can't stack their shields or takes too much inefficiency from their kit is a bad healer.
As a white mage main since a realm reborn I don't want stone or aero back. I want the casting animation of aero 3 but not the spell. I prefer light magic vs nature magic and stone was always really ugly imo. Stone 3 was the best animation and stone 4 was the worst in regards to animation and sound. If we need to have more elemental spells than I'd want it to be water themed because we've literally have had no water magic ever besides fluid aura.
But honestly I'd prefer they keep building on the light magic theme they got going on right now in shadowbringers with floral accents. Our base class may be conjurer but we are a white mage after all. In every final fantasy it's been a user of light magic. We don't really have any mage that focuses on the light/holy magic using fantasy and that's my personal preference and have always wanted that for white mage. I'd rather save the nature magic for another class entirely be it DPS or healer. Maybe geomancer or elementalist?
But this is all a mater of personal preference and taste.
But gameplay should take priority. Healers were at their best gameplay wise IMO in heavensward. It all went downhill after that.
@OP, for SCH on gameplay/downtime: i for one would be okay if SCH's old DoT management stayed gone (though honestly Bane would be a welcome re-addition) if they, say, leaned further into fairy guage management--more skills to gain and spend it (such as perhaps a return of selene's party buffs/pre-esunas as a guage action if she has to stay dead for whatever reason), that sort of thing--it was largely an afterthought in SB and is still pretty vestigial in ShB, when there's a lot of opportunity there if the devs are dead-set on their "healers aren't allowed to DPS for some reason" angle. or debuff options like damage down (think BLU's various utility debuffs like bad breath, magic hammer, etc)
I'll accept basically anything that gives them (and healers in general) SOMETHING to do when healing isnt needed.
The main healer issue is that the game is designed around one-shot gimmicks.
@OP: another big one on the personal fixes/QoL wishlist for scholar would be to flip the galvanize/catalyze layers--since currently it's very hard to tactics out a beefy adlo since the galvanize is taking all the damage before the catalyze, and as with bane it requires a delay for the shield to "stick" before you can spread it (trying to instantly spread it just wastes the action fo no effect).
in that delay, the galvanize can sometimes be very heavily damaged/broken entirely, making the tactics spread basically a waste of such a long cooldown.