Tips For A New Healer?

Hey guys. I recently turned to my hands to CNJ after playing THM/BLM since starting. I started playing ARR during PS4 beta 1 and DPS is all I've even known (this is my first MMO). So far, I'm managing well. I've only had 1 tank die on me and that's cause the 2 DPS split away and I followed them thinking that was the way we were going... I even managed Ifrit with no deaths, which came as a shock as when I did it as DPS we had a few wipes.
Currently I'm level 21 and keeping up with my class quests, putting stat points into mind and keeping my gear updated. I always make sure to cast Protect at the start of instances and keep the tank as my main target while keeping an eye on everyone else's health.
What other things should I make sure I do as a healer? So far it seems to be going well for me and I hope to get WHM soon, but would really appreciate some advice from Veteran healers on what and what not to do.

If you're standing around with nothing to do, stoneskin the tank and dps. Other than that try to dps or put on DOT's when you aren't healing.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ruri

If you're standing around with nothing to do, stoneskin the tank and dps. Other than that try to dps or put on DOT's when you aren't healing.

---

Lol.. I love that vid. Stranger: OH hai gaisi! KO'd. Players: .....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by AngelicSence

Lol.. I love that vid. Stranger: OH hai gaisi! KO'd. Players: .....

---

Whats funny is that's the promo vid from SE lol.

I think it's important to keep those things in mind:

1) when you have a chance, you should dps..
.. You can train yourself to be more flexible this way (trust me, it helps).

2) understand your team..
.. Not everyone is pro, sometimes.. You have to get ready for the bad situation.
Your job here is to minimize the catastrophe and avoid the wipe. If you get aggro, always go near the tank.
Don't run around tank hoping he get aggro off of you. You have to heal yourself too and every spell has 0.10 sec rule.
you can stop casting spell just before it's about to active and successfully perform running heal.

3) positioning..
.. Always look for the safe place to park in. Get close to a tank, but not too close. Don't over heal the team, remember how much healing you do per cast.

I'm sure you will learn more by yourself. Just remember to challenge your skills, do more than usual. You have the potential to be the best healer in game, just challenge more! :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by AngelicSence

I think it's important to keep those things in mind:

1) when you have a chance, you should dps..
.. You can train yourself to be more flexible this way (trust me, it helps).

---

I do do this sometimes, when I know tank has established agro and know that everyone is safe. I use Cleric Stance and either throw Aero onto adds or a couple Stone before switching back and topping the tank back off.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ruri

If you're standing around with nothing to do, stoneskin the tank and dps. Other than that try to dps or put on DOT's when you aren't healing.

---

DPS for sure, be careful with Stoneskin though during boss fights as recasting Stoneskin can sap your MP before you know it. With boss fights, you really only want to cast it once before the fight, and if the boss has a lot of AoEs or attacks that hit random players (like Garuda), go ahead and stoneskin the whole party at the start. Doesn't really hurt to do and it helps keep you from having to panic and heal everyone.

Also, when you get Cure III - it's a spell that has a very specialized usage. The AoE for it is tiny, so it really only works if the party is stacked together or to have the tank and melee DPS all on the same monster and taking damage.

Don't put regen before a fight to avoid aggro
Keep your health up, keep tank health up, keep dps health up. that is the usual order with exceptions.

In team fights avoid usually to bump mob even if you get aggro. Team trust you, trust your team :)

If you don't mind try to learn how the 2 different tank classes/jobsand scholar work and their skills.(all classes even better). So you know who can do what.

As a cnj/whm know that benediction is not really "instant", so when HP too low target will probably be dead before it actually heals

You will meet nasty players, furious and saying "Bad Healer" and leave, take a big breath and forget about it.
Mostly enjoy the game and you will learn while playing. There is not one only way to do things.

A good tip I read is making macros for the attacks so that you attack the target's target and you can keep the tank as target when you cast a quick Aero or Virus, or if you have time, Stone. You can quickly heal the tank without changing targets if needed.

Try to avoid overhealing as much as possible. With a new tank you have to observe a bit how much you can or have to let his health go down before casting your first heal (in low level dungeons especially) and then not cast heals when your heal will overheal him.

Regen is very mp efficient, but don't have regen on the tank before a new pull, you'd have a lot of enmity.

Cure II is much less mp efficient than Cure, so use Cure as much as possible, but also Cure II if necessary, but not all the time.

Divine Seal, when you get it, is great before regen or Medica II, it affects all the clicks even if Divine Seal is gone. In problematic situations where enmity is not an issue, Divine Seal + Medica II and regen those most needed of health helps a lot. Medica is better for group heals since it has bigger range and costs less mp than Cure III. (Exception: when people are stacked together and you need a quick cast Cure III is better.) Don't spam Medica II, one Medica II for the regen effect if needed, and if needed, Medica for group heal until the Medica II regen is gone.

Shroud of Saints, when you get it, is very good. To keep mp use it when you have spent about 1/3 mp and then when it is available. Also to reduce enmity if you need it.

A swiftcast+raise macro is great for urgent raises. If you have used already your swiftcast, a raise in a problematic situation will take a long time, you might not have time enough and need to heal all the group instead of raising just one member.

Skills can be learned, technique polished, experience gained, but the only advice you really need is:http://www.ozsticker.com/312-662-lar...anic-thumb.jpg

No seriously, it's the single biggest thing you can do to be a good healer. Everything else is just experience.

Level up and perfect yourself on dungeons more than fates. Dungeons have you work more as a team and get you working through all kinds off battle mechanics which help you understand your job better. Fates are ok but team and party mechanics are thrown out the window.

I think one of the most important things is pre-casting. To be more proactive than reactive is what keeps you out of hairy situations. For example, the tank may be 85-90% but I am still casting a heal. If there is no damage that is dealt in that ~2 second period, then I move my character and interrupt the spell. If there is damage dealt you let the spell cast.

This makes it look like you have instant heals. Don't wait until damage is done to heal.

Also, if you aggro mobs, don't run away from the tank, which seems to be a natural instinct. What I do is stay still, or I will run to the tank, just out of the way of current mobs, so he can basically see that there is a separate mob on me.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kaizer989

Also, if you aggro mobs, don't run away from the tank, which seems to be a natural instinct.

---

This is hugely important and applies to DDs as well as healers! Arguably it's even more important for the DDs for the following reason: If a DD gets aggro and starts running or kiting the mob, he's likely to be no longer generating hate. If he's running so erratically that the tank can't peel the mob off, then the healing aggro generated by the healer will, which is bad news for everyone.

Another bit of advice: Be careful on the opening seconds of a pull. Inexperienced tanks might leave a few aggro'd mobs unclaimed. If this happens and you (or your pet if you're an SCH) throw a heal, you claim the unclaimed mob(s) and they become your new best friends. This is also bad news.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by AngelicSence

Lol.. I love that vid. Stranger: OH hai gaisi! KO'd. Players: .....

---

Ikr? I always laugh cuz of the gear that "noob" is wearing. Classic!
Feels like odin when you just arrive to the fate zone to then just get slashed by the "invisible" boss and get 1 shotted as a tank tried to kite it and unfortunately crossed paths with you.

But on topic, most important rule is have a strong heart/ will.
No amount of heals will cure the toxicity of the end game community/ know it all scrubs.
Just like tanks, you gotta be able to protect everyone but also need to be able to protect yourself (really important) .

1. KEEP CALM AT ALL TIMES (both in combat AND chat).

2. Know your output (damage healed by every single spell).
It changes every time your level gets adjusted.

3. Heal reasonable.
The more expensive the spell, the less efficient it is. Know your tank's HP and heal according to the deficit.

4. Predict incoming damage.
A lot can happen while you're casting your spell. Watch health bars closely and predict how much damage your tank will receive during the next two seconds so you can cast in advance.

5. Prioritize.
A dead DPS is bad, a dead tank is worse. Most of the time, it's the DPS' fault anyway so teach him a lesson by letting him experience the uselessness of being dead.

6. Don't be their scapegoat.
Sometimes, people simply won't listen. They will blame you for their own mistakes, call you names and make snarky remarks. Here's how you deal with them: Leave. Just leave.
Terrible people don't deserve your help.

All good advice here - agree with it all.

Some personal handy things I do:

1. Divine Seal. Use it generously, especially before group Regens or MedicaII (sometimes, in SR, with 2 x Melee, you wanna Regen you, your DPS buds, and just Cure the tank. Divine Seal it!
2. Avoid panic by learning that critical second to hit Divine Seal AFTER your cast. Tank about to eat dirt in your SR? Your CureII nearly done? Start pressing DS...by the time the animation for the CureII is done, DS kicks in and you get it on that heal you just did. Eventually you hone that skill so its not a DS button mash but a click (maybe 2) to get that cheat
3. Stoneskin after every mob. I cast it to land just as the final blow (or thereabouts). Then I Cleric Stance, so new mob, first thing I do is AreoII (and while casting that ready AeroI) and basically they hit together. Depending on how Mr Tank is doing....do another enemy, or click off CS and do your thing
4. Benidiction (when you get it). Its not only for the Tank. I Benidict myself sometimes when I have not got time to stop healing others. Even Benidict a DPS now and then (more in BF SR).....and it is very handy for someone newly raised if you aint got time to cure and buff them while still doing what youre doing

Oh. And finally. Don't cry. Don't cry when you've just raised a melee DPS and before you can even cast a single cure on them they run straight back into battle and face-plant again. And don't cry when you use LB3, and everyone is like "F**k yeah! Lets do this!" and then you all wipe. You can be sad. But don't cry. Laugh, like I do :D