Will WHM be getting a new trait to replace ProShell?

I imagine we'll keep the Protect related trait, just that it'll be trait-ed to provide 15% as opposed to 10% defense buff (RANDOM NUMBERS I came up with, to illustrate an example).

With that note, Yoshi can you please make Virus the same? :(
Maybe 10% reduction for both INT and STR, and 15% reduction with Supervirus trait.
I would really love to use my virus on something other than an auto attacking mob :(.

Since Protect will be the same across all 3 healers in Heavensward, then the only thing I can think of to replace it, would be individual new traits for all 3 healers.

This is merely conjecture though but an example would be:

WHM Protect: Increases healing potency received by x amount.
SCH Protect: Reduces chance of taking critical damage by x amount OR increase potency of Adloquiem & Succor effects.
AST Protect: Enhances effect of beneficial arcana effects by x amount. (Arcana because cards, I can't remember the name if there was one yet.)

Edit: Since it's being disputed, the main idea would be based on the fact that certain effects would be cast on different roles at a start of fight and then changed mid fight for perhaps mitigating large Raid wide damage that would be coming up, or just to enhance efficiency altogether, and that the minimal effects gained by each different kind of protect would eventually make the mp cost worthwhile where you might be struggling.

@Leoheart

As neat as that sounds, with the current game system (only 1 Protect can be up at anytime), instead of healing, we'll have healers fighting for whose version of Protect to be utilized :)

But you can recast protect through out the fight making it more a spell and utility than just a one buff at the beginning. Adding new traits for a different effect might add a little spice to the use of protect. Imagine a physical one and a magical def barrier or one that off sets Crit like stated.....we would be using protect throughout the fight which could be awesome lol

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Originally Posted by ZhycranaDranix

But you can recast protect through out the fight making it more a spell and utility than just a one buff at the beginning. Adding new traits for a different effect might add a little spice to the use of protect. Imagine a physical one and a magical def barrier or one that off sets Crit like stated.....we would be using protect throughout the fight which could be awesome lol

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Oh hey dps can u come here so i can cast protect on the whole party in 1 go? Oh busy? Ok i'll just have to recast it a bunch of times to get protect on all of u lol = waste of time and mp.

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Originally Posted by Yumi_umi

Oh hey dps can u come here so i can cast protect on the whole party in 1 go? Oh busy? Ok i'll just have to recast it a bunch of times to get protect on all of u lol = waste of time and mp.

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Like it doesn't happen already with normal healing. "Hey DPS, mind not standing in those AoEs? Oh, there's a big hit coming, BLM, can you stack? No? Ok, guess I need to waste time and MP healing you lol."

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Originally Posted by pandabearcat

The whole point of making everyone get proshell is precisely so you aren't forced to run a WHM for buffs - why would they make it so that WHM get something to just make it stronger, again?

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Well, you're in the wrong here. You're not forced to bring a White Mage. It just makes healing easier/mistakes more forgivable. Much like how no group is forced to bring a monk for FCOB Turn 4, it does make healing easier/forgivable. You could in fact do the very same turn without a scholar, like how it can be done without a white mage. But having either presence just makes it easier. Same applies to:
Bringing...
...bards
...monks
...warriors
...casters
...scholars/summoners for virus
...ranged classes in general*

But there are some problems with Square-Enix's logic that it's for "balance". I'm not saying it's wrong, but merely incomplete.

* No sane group would bring 4 melees (6 with tanks) to, for example, BCOB T5 or FCOB T1. But it's doable, however.

By that logic you aren't forced to do anything, but you will enjoy your progression being 10x harder than anyone else's?

I get what you are saying but whether or not you agree with it, the entire point of the proshell for everyone is to make sure that everyone has that buff...so regardless of whether or not you feel WHM is required this is a step to make them less required. They wouldn't want to just turn right around and make it more required again, it wouldn't make sense designwise. You still right now need one for Mind boost, but maybe astrologer brings that, but then you may want SCH for piety - etc. Its always imo bad when only one class brings something.

Sure lets not have homogenization, but every buff/debuff should have at least 2 classes bringing it.

I never said I disagree on pro-shell being accessible for every healer class. I don't really feel for the idea of that "white mage is a must" either or for any other class for that matter. But Square-Enix decided to change it "for balance", but what kind of balance will this really bring if only this gets changed? There's still a lot to be speculated, however.

The current healing role distribution among the two existing healers would be:
White mage as main healer, Scholar as supportive healer

So what if Astrologian comes in? I'm guessing it'll be the following:
White Mage main healer, Scholar supportive healer
White Mage main healer, Astrologian supportive healer ("barrier" stance)
Astrologian main healer ("healing" stance), Scholar supportive healer
Astrologian main healer ("healing" stance), Astrologian supportive healer ("barrier" stance)

The last one being the least likely, but more likely than white mage/white mage if the game stays as it is right now. There's also the thing that Scholars get some additional raw healing strength, so the following wouldn't be too far fetched:
Scholar main healer, Scholar supportive healer
Scholar main healer, Astrologian supportive healer ("barrier" stance)

Whether these kind of healing pairs are plausible or not is something we'll find out when Heavensward is released.

In conclusion:
With the additional skills and descriptions that has been presented so far, Scholar and Astrologian could fulfill both the main- as well as supportive healing role. While white mages do get additional damaging spells, these don't seem very viable because:
1) if accuracy is still a thing for healers
2) The healing while damaging effect will cause either bad healing while decent damage or vica versa. Depending on Cleric's Stance (if being affected at all)

Main concern would be accuracy. As long healers can't really obtain any accuracy "naturally", it's not very plausible for them to fulfill the supportive healing role like how Scholar is right now. Or far from optimal the very least. "Balance" isn't exactly the word I'd use here like Square-Enix seems to do. Equality seems more suitable. But equality doesn't always mean justice - Or in this case balance.

These are just speculations based on current healing meta as well as with only information we "sort of" know from the live letter. So take it with a grain of salt.

edit:
Speculations based on (progressive) raid environment, by the way. For dungeon'ish content anything goes, of course.

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Originally Posted by pandabearcat

The whole point of making everyone get proshell is precisely so you aren't forced to run a WHM for buffs - why would they make it so that WHM get something to just make it stronger, again?

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The aren't "stronger" they're just in possession of a particularly marketable skill. WHM, realistically speaking, is the weaker of the two by a wide margin (poor raid dps, accuracy, overhealing). The fact is, they're taking something from WHM that makes it valuable, and they need to replace it with something that makes it equally valuable. Otherwise people will get WHM to lvl 16, or 34 for stoneskin, and then trash it in favor of the more versatile/useful healers.