I want to be better at whm but I can't see, to do anything right.

As the title says, but here's some context. I recently started to level whm and got it 69 but I stopped. Everything seemed fine until I hit the SB dungeons and at least 2 out of 5 runs someone dies, mainly the tank and I feel like it's my lack of knowhow that got them killed. I stopped putting regen on before pulls and boss fights and apply that afterwards but it seems to never be enough. When I'm on my monk I see healers dps like crazy and never worry about healing yet when I go I'm always throwing heals cause people seem to take so much damage. I looked at guides and everything but I just can't get good at it. It got it to 69 but Doman castle was such a nightmare to heal for me I lost the will finish and thinking about it.. I just know I'll be that bad healer people complain about in the dungeons thread. :c

Do remember that the leveling dungeons tend to be significantly harder to heal than the expert dungeons thanks to the significant ilvl disparity between what people tend to have and what the dungeon is actually tuned for.

Simply put, if you feel that people are dieing when you start DPSing then just don't DPS unless you are totally confident that you can do it safely. Throw an aero III, get good value out of that assize and few people will complain. Once the initial brunt of the pull is handled and you're confident in the rate at which the tank is taking damage, then think about your holies and stones.

One last detail, avoid precasting regen on trash packs (And please please don't precast Medica II, that's just embarrassing). Whilst yes, it's possible to use regen mid pull without making a mess of things, even I wouldn't recommend it until you've got more experience. Do note that precasting regen on bosses is generally fine.

It's not just the regens that keep a tank alive. They're using oGCDs. Stuff like tetragram, Benediction, Assize, Asylum and Divine Bension to keep their HP in check.
You want to use these abilities when you tank hits about half HP or so to get the maximum effectiveness out of them, and using them efficiently will allow you to dps longer.

A popular setup for WHM is to put up Regen, Asylum and throw out a Bension, then go straight to Aero III and spamming Holy with Thin Air+ Presence of Mind up and a Assize to finish it all off. Remember that Holy is also a stun, so that's some mitigation right there. By the time thin air drops off, the tank will usually need a Tetragrammaton and things should be mostly dead.

It's something to get used to, but make sure you're making ample use of your OGCDs. They all have a short CD and are easy to use.

If you're finding it hard to heal while dpsing, then don't. While mages are known for sheer throughout, but there is still some skill to that. First of all make sure to take Lucid Dreaming and Divine Seal from your role actions. Don't be afraid to use them on cool down. Even take Eye4Eye to put on the tank if you feel the need for it.

If you have access to Presence, Assize and /or Thin Air don't be afraid to use it for healing, it's not exclusive for dps. Spam Cure 2 (50+, but you can experiment depending on MP usage) at higher levels and Cure 1 at lower levels. Also use Benison and Tetra on cool down, and remember Benediction is there. Keep regen up after tank finishes pulling and you should be fine. Basically, use all, and I mean all, of your kit when healing.

Lastly (but also most importantly) make sure your ilvl is decent. The weapon stats especially are critical for doing damage and healing. I've made the mistake of using low level gear in high level dungeons and previously brain dead pulls become unsalvagable nightmares (I've literally quit runs because I couldn't heal enough despite everything).

White Mages are very good at consistent high output heals, don't panic when healing and use every spell at your disposal. Healing as a whole hasn't gotten harder form 60 to 70. If you've made it to 69 you can go all the way. If WHM isn't your highest level job then get it to 70 first using other methods and use tomes or hunts to get high level gear. Better gear will always make healing easier.

Thanks for all the advice. I'm going to try at it again and practice using all of you guys tips. I just got super bummed that nothing I was trying was improving and nearly gave up. I REALLY hate being bad at it so I stopped for a few days as I just really hate being bad. It doesn't feel good. BUT I'mma take all the advice an apply it asap. T.T

What platform are you playing on? And how are you targeting your allies? I ask because often times this ends up being a sticking point, especially on ps4 (some people don't realize you can use the dpad)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by EaMett

What platform are you playing on? And how are you targeting your allies? I ask because often times this ends up being a sticking point, especially on ps4 (some people don't realize you can use the dpad)

---

Yeah I've been using the Dpad. as I'm on PS4. I figured that out as I select people to goad on my monk.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ko_

Thanks for all the advice. I'm going to try at it again and practice using all of you guys tips. I just got super bummed that nothing I was trying was improving and nearly gave up. I REALLY hate being bad at it so I stopped for a few days as I just really hate being bad. It doesn't feel good. BUT I'mma take all the advice an apply it asap. T.T

---

Just one thing I want to mention. It's always good to try to improve. But if the tank is in the 69 dungeon in level 60 gear, they're going to die. No matter how good a healer you are.

Now if they're in say 65~67 gear, that's more reasonable, but if they do big pulls... it's not an endgame dungeon they can overgear by a ridiculous amount; the healing strain will be very high. And check your own gear too -- if it's not up to date, well, combine weaker heals with the above situation and there you go.

Anyways good luck out there.

First thing I would suggest is evaluate why people are dying. It's good to be willing to accept responsibility for mistakes but there's a saying amongst career healers; you can't heal stupid.

If your tank is poorly geared, not using CDs properly, standing in AoE especially during large pulls or doing any combination of these it can make it almost impossible to keep them alive, especially once you exhaust your oGCDs and buffs.

If your DPS are standing in AoE or ripping hate off the tank that's also not on you - of course you should try to heal them but sometimes it isn't possible. I was doing a few latelatelate night Byakko runs with some friends the night before last and the BRD has her BiS - she died several times to auto attacks because she just couldn't dump her hate. That was 100% not the healers fault.

If you find that most of your situations occur on large pulls as opposed to bosses you cab also consider the WHM-specific stratagey of Holy for mitigation. You can stunlock enemies for almost 2 GCDs with one Holy cast and you can Swiftcast it to make it easy on yourself. This can be nice to get a regen on the tank while he isn't taking damage and toss down Asylum. It's also great damage as I'm sure you know.

Don't get discouraged - as Sebazy said leveling dungeons can be some of the hardest dungeons you complete. Also do your part in minimizing your party's ilvl disparity - walking into Doma Castle in Shire gear isn't making it easy on yourself. I would update the majority of your gear around 66, most Market Boards have HQ 66 gear for pretty cheap overall and it can help suppliment things you haven't gotten dungeon drops for.

Lastly you're on Aether - if you want someone to run some of this with I could always tag along on RDM as both a safety net for quick raises and to see if I can spot any holes in your WHM-ery. I'm no Sebazy but when it comes to dungeons I'm a pretty good WHM. Discord is moromurasaki#5719 if you wanna say hi.

first off, good luck on your progress!
when I first healed doma castle as WHM I was overwhelmed that I died 2x despite the party doing small pulls xD
granted that was during 2nd boss, but the experience opened my eyes up on how I use my kit:
- divine benison should be ready and applied before a tank buster (I used to apply it every time it's up, thinking it's like aldo)
- position like a melee healer so less running, and less chance of getting trapped far from the party (don't get ping-pong'ed but near enough for med II range)
- have asylum ready during those annoying mob phases with a magitek (it's during these phases when I found myself spam healing at times)
eventually you'll get more comfy and DPS more/heal less especially if you're lucky to get a good party