Is healing fun?

Maybe its because im a ps4 user, but actually the only efficient way to use a heal job, is targetting from the party list whoever is low on health.

But... I dont really see the fight, i dont know who im even healing xD, if its not the tank or the other healer. Sometimes i have to dodge some aoe attack, but thats it.

Its way different from when i'm tanking, i dont lose a detail of the fight and enjoy it.

Do you guys know a way, I could deal with this? maybe an alternative way of targeting or something?.

Regards!

That aspect of healing isn't really any different with KB/M. You've got to watch the party list to see who needs healing/cleansing regardless. The only difference is the targeting method. I guess you could go by the floating health bars for healing, but targeting that way is just too unreliable with all the movement going on, and it's harder to catch debuffs that way.

You just learn to glance back and forth a lot. My eyes aren't glued to the party list when I'm healing. I glance, target, cast, get my eyes back on the battle, repeat. Though it does help to move the party list closer to the center of the screen and/or the action bars and/or the target bar. I keep my party list and enemy list vertically centered (ish) and a bit to the right and left of my character model (respectively), so they sort of frame the action, and I'm not glancing quite so far.

The more healing experience you get in general, the less time you can spend staring at the list. Even more true with experience in specific fights. You'll know when damage or debuffs are coming, so you'll know when you need to be looking where. But yeah, you'll always have your eyes on the party list more than you do as a tank or DPS.

Bixby really nailed it I think.
At first you'll be stuck focussing on that party list, and the aoe dodges will catch your eye... But apart from that you'll struggle to really analyse any details until you become proficient.

Coincutter(?) in that swampy dungeon uses Glower. I can't remember how many times that hit me levering WHM first time.

I've just started tanking and I'm finding myself doing the exact same thing.
Watching that enmity bar go up and down on the party list...
Same with dps too... I worry about what position I'm in ;)

It stops becoming fun when you play it like a job.
I suggest u try fun builds with it as 3.0 will come out and make all the hard work kinda obsolete as classes will be reworked, gear will be easily caught up, new endgame stuff etc nerfs on old stuff.
So honestly just play around with it and don't be a hardcore min/ max try hard lol

I believe if u press x whoever is near ur LoS u'll lock onto them, if u tapthe d pad up and down u can select someone on ur party list for a one time heal/ buff before automatically going back to locked on target.
Also u can use filters to target only party memebers.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Yumi_umi

It stops becoming fun when you play it like a job.
I suggest u try fun builds with it as 3.0 will come out and make all the hard work kinda obsolete as classes will be reworked, gear will be easily caught up, new endgame stuff etc nerfs on old stuff.
So honestly just play around with it and don't be a hardcore min/ max try hard lol

---

I don't even know how to start a counter-argument here. Too many things pointing to scrub-tier in that one comment.

Tank : Getting aggro from add, keeping aggro from boss, using defensive CD when it's needed (need to know when the boss gonna do high dmg), getting a add that spawn during a boss fight => IF you like this playstyle, it's fun, it may be an hard job in some fights

DPS : You do your rotation, and most of the time, and dont give a f*** of what appen in the fight (most of the time, but not all the time, sometime DPS have something more to do, in some fights), it's simple to be DPS good enough for most fights, it's really hard to be an awesome DPS that gonna destroy everything, it's fun if you're goal is to do as much dmg as possible.

Healer : You gonna slack in some fights (or DPS with cleric stance), but the healer is not the sae as the other, you dont have a rotation of healing, you need to know the boss, fights better the DPS, at least as well as the tank, if not better then them, you'll something to precast healing, or do burst of healing becoz burst of dmg, sometime react fast (heal fast a mystake of a DPS or a tank to save him, or rez fast), and think fast, take good decisions that can save a fight.
It's kinda easy in 4man donjons, it's one of the hardest job in end-game donjons (extreme trials, coil of bahamut), and as healer myself, I can say you, it's really fun. (It's first time I'm playing healer, I was DPS in my previous MMO, I prefer healing in this game)

Conclusion : Every classes can be fun to play, depending of you're playstyle, on how you are and what you like to do.

Ps : I'm playing on Computer, and I heard it's possible to be efficient enough with a gamepad, even if I think, you're reactions gonna be slithly faster with a mouse+keyboard (specially if you play with a naga), but not that much faster the difference is low (this small difference, can change an hard-core fight like the lastest coils, if your goeld is doing this, I recommand playing healer with keyboard+mouse -dps or tank with gamepad is fine-)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Yumi_umi

It stops becoming fun when you play it like a job.
I suggest u try fun builds with it as 3.0 will come out and make all the hard work kinda obsolete as classes will be reworked, gear will be easily caught up, new endgame stuff etc nerfs on old stuff.
So honestly just play around with it and don't be a hardcore min/ max try hard lol

---

VIT set isn't a "build", it's a silly thing.

I love healing, as a white mage and I'll heal as a SCH. I use to just have to stick my eyes on the party bar but after you get to know fights or even going in as tank you know at certain points "It's about to get real." and know that healing is coming up. Then you can start to watch other things, and I usually see in the corner of my eye that someone is going down in HP or just by watching the fight, I see that a DPS isn't where they should be. Sometimes I watch..I look while they stand in an Aoe and go "They're going to need a cure in 3...2...1.."

I enjoy watching the others and guess what they'll do next, it's usually bad and turns out to be right. Once you get a feel for what your cures can do, you'll know better how to manage a fight. Sometimes I know a regen is all that's needed on a guy and that will take care of him, so I can focus on another person and watch them get into trouble where they shouldn't..heal them. After you get use to it..you really get a birds eye view of the entire fight. You being a tank will help you a ton, you'll be able to focus the target and know what's coming..letting you prepare with either beginning an AoE, applying Regen or Stoneskin.

Healing is most fun when you're with a group of people you know well. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your party members makes your healing most efficient. You get to know how they handle difference situations and you can trust them to do what they need to do and avoid damage when avoidable (can leave them sitting at low HP and trust they won't die to crap while you focus on the tank(s)). That being said, healing a PUG is probably the most stressful thing you can do in this game, especially when the tank refuses to use defensive cooldowns and you end up ripping mobs off them due to the excessive healing you have to put out.

I have a Scholar as my main and I love to heal. If I am healing I don't' even pay attention to the fight, I do to the point if there is a AOE then I move, but my main focus are the life bars on the Left. Or if I am focusing on the main tank I have a focus bar set for them. So the fight i dont' really keep up with because my main goal is to keep the party alive, I don't even have time to look at the fight.

Over the course of leveling WHM, I've gotta say I really enjoy playing as healer. From previous experience in MMO's I already moved my party window close to center screen left, so I can watch the fight and see where heals are needed and avoid AoE telegraphs.

Just this makes playing healer, or really any class a lot easier. UI wise...unfortunately you can't do anything about a fail tank or group.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SeraviEdalborez

VIT set isn't a "build", it's a silly thing.

---

Haha didn't suggest a vit build to him at all. But i knew u couldn't resist ;)

Just saying, when 3.0 comes around in a few months. Playing catch up without all the hassle will be bound to happen. More nerfs to relic quest, more echo, probs some nerfs in scob and fcob's mechanics etc.
So unless OP is aiming to become an endgame healer that wants to clear content relative to the patch then he should min/ max etc.
But if he's going for pure fun then he should try whatever he wants as long as he gets a good laugh or two lol.
Cuz we all know how boring healing can get at times, even when you know the fight 100%.

Also with the poetic gear i'mma hit 7k :33333 awwwww yeah keep it coming SE.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lyrica_Ashtine

I don't even know how to start a counter-argument here. Too many things pointing to scrub-tier in that one comment.

---

Did u even answer op's question?
I think an answer would be more suitable than just this.

Don't even know where to start a counter-argument here. Too many things pointing to i didn't read op post in that one comment.
But like i said before its up to op if he wants to do endgame serious business stuff or just stick to casual stuff like primals and dungeons/ old raid content.

Healing has more "oh crap" moments Which add to the excitement. You also get some serious street credit if your a well known healer in the server, which helps making teams and friends a lot easier.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Yumi_umi

Did u even answer op's question?
I think an answer would be more suitable than just this.

Don't even know where to start a counter-argument here. Too many things pointing to i didn't read op post in that one comment.
But like i said before its up to op if he wants to do endgame serious business stuff or just stick to casual stuff like primals and dungeons/ old raid content.

---

Well, an argument that would discredit your scrub-tier preference - be it casual or endgame - would have answered the OPs question. I actually know one now.

For starters: Healing, like any other role, will become muscle memory for most of it. At one point you'll stop staring at the party list and simply glance at it every once in a while. Experience with the class and the encounter will gradually solve the tunnelvisioning issues.
Concerning the "fun" element: Two aspects one could consider healing as "fun".
First one would be the scrub-tier play Yumi_umi mentioned and potentially get carried by the other healer (if that's your thing, I guess)
Second one would be being so good at healing you are the one doing the carrying. There's a sense of self satisfaction and accomplishment in that, as the average human being is a dopamine addict

And a potential third, perfect world, aspect: Perfect co-op healing and harmony with your co-healer allowing both you and your co-healer to maximize your class's potential.

Definately more demanding than other classes, but fun.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Invision

Healing has more "oh crap" moments Which add to the excitement.

---

Dat the feel when boss is at 16%, the other healer is dead, swift cast is down, you are almost OOM, and most of the party is @ 30% HP T_T

PS4 user here as well, once you are comfortable its fun
I even dance around some of the time when its not serious ^^

Over time you'll find yourself adapting to glancing at the party list, rather than staring... and then seeing someone about to be hit so you end up going to the party list by visual queues rather than party list queues. It's odd that you say you don't see whats going on - I tend to run new thigns on my WHM just so I CAN see everythign going on... the recent time I tried tanking, I felt so blind xD

I find it fun - it's pretty tame and even a little boring for the first 30 or so levels - running dungeons and all.... but once you get into the harder content, you find yourself trying to adapt to every situation on the fly.... raids, coils and some of the newer HM dungeons being a good example. Every 'ohshit' and everythign turns into a split decision....do you chance it and heal person A, B or C first? Who would you have to let die if shit hits the fan while you're casting? Can you ress that person or wait - is something coming to wait, or? Do you ress that other healer or is it unsafe because the tank is getting hit like a ton of bricks? Who do you raise first? Everyone's got a ton of debuffs from that one blast - time to prioritize! THat monster's about to AoE - Medica or weather it? "THat person's HP is at 30% and out of range... and I can't see them in this cluster---- time to run across the room >_<", WHat has the priority and what needs to be ignored? WHen is it a time to dodge and when is it a time to weather the hit to ensure everyone's safety?

It's a lot of adapting and reacting (though I can only speak as WHM atm) and definitely not a mindless 'run up to something and start clicking buttons in the same pattern' thing. So if you like that kind of thing.... it might seem scary, taking your entire party's life in your hands, but they NEED you ...and thats part of the challenge. It becomes no longer cut and dry sit and heal and follow the group like in the beginning stages of healerdom

I definitely find healer to be the most fun role so far. I haven't found a tank I like, and DPS has been very dull for me, though I imagine it becomes more interesting as time goes on. There is a lot to keep track of, and there are a number of ways you can approach it really. Only issue I find is that in larger groups there is more over healing, but it kind of comes with the territory. But as others have already said it's also really stressful. There is a lot that can go wrong, and you need to keep track of a lot of things. Pretty much everything that the group as a whole has to watch out for, but also a lot of healer specific things too.

I did main a WHM since i started with the game and so far, i loved it. I started on Bard a Month ago and did hit 50 with him some days ago. Played a couple of dungeons with bard and man that was boring. As Healer, you always have epic moments, where you are the one who prevent the party to wipe. Let it be solo healing on titan or a limit 3 while the whole group is dead. Last week i did play Shiva hard mode in roulette. Shiva was down to 3%, only 1 tank, me as healer and one bard was alive. Limit 3 was just a few seconds away from being ready. Tank dies, Limit 3 was ready, Bard started to cast limit 3 but died before it was fully casted and so on, i was the only one alive. I did swiftcast stoneskin on myself while dodging these big aoes. Shiva was already comming to me, casted Limit 3, everyone was back on top, Shiva killed me right after. Group was able to kill Shiva in one more second. A DPS or Tank can never give me those feelings. Thats just pure adrenaline sometimes.

I'm a proud Whitemage, its my main and Only Class/Job I ever did and I played it since game release. Out of love to this job I leveled up and got all Cross-Skills.

I always had the tendency of healing, FFXIV:ARR is my first real MMO. Playing as a healer (Whitemage) in my, I wondered at some point that most of the runs I do the party thanks all members and me in special. Sometimes I thought that it was sarcasm. Recently I tried out Healing as (Scholar), I was fine but not appreciated as when I run as a Whitemage.

The question was why?

For me, I noticed:
- Scholar is far easier to do, less critical since Eos/Selene helps you a lot in healing. While I enjoy Bio-ing/Miasma-ing mobs, and healing in between.
- Whitemage on the other hand was harder and challenging, I heal/SS most of the time.. and try to throw an Aero/Aero2/Virus in between.

Lately I tried out as a Tank (Gladiator/Paladin), and did several dungeons with different Healers (Scholars/Whitemages). Most of Scholars are fine, nothing extra. On the other hand, white mages! a disaster, I am a Whitemage.. but suddenly I became a Grumpy Tank! why?!

Because 9 out of 10 Whitemages are ONLY healing.. and some just spam cure to a degree I want to throw up. They are lazy. Yes, if you want to /follow and only /cure & /cure2.. you're no better then a healing BOT. Thus, I (as a Paladin) only commend and type an appreciation message to the Whitemage if he/she is engaged in battle more then walk around and heal, especially low level dungeons which doesn't require healing spam.

Fun is an Active White Mage;
- SS / Heal party members as soon as it breaks (not only tank).
- SS / Heal Summons/Support pets they are part of the team.
- Don't spam unnecessary healing, and minimize chances of aggro.
- Throw an Aero/Aero2/Virus on mobs that the party is fighting off.
- Cleric stance and DPS when possible. I help in AV when there is no Bard/BLM at boss fight (Cleric+SwiftCast+Holy).
- Monitor weakest link in party and support him/her, use "Eye for an Eye" on weakest, Keep Benediction ready.
- Watch members of Alliance too, we are healers we are Global.
- Use Cleric-Holy, this spell isn't for SB-purpose only ;)

Note: about Global, in a ST run; Amon fight. Both healers (of one of the alliances) rage-quit in mid fight. Thanks to our other healer (a scholar) and his Eos, he handled our party's healings while I was the other alliance's solo-healer... and its quite not easy healing without Medica/Medica 2 and not able to cast Protect on the Raised members.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kuwaitum

Snip

---

What he said. 100%. Emphasis on active, if you stay busy, you have more fun. While speed running happy tanks are stressful, I find the overzealous tanks incredibly fun to play with..... keeps me on my toes.

Depending on what class you play, as a Scholar I don't find myself doing much unless the tank does a big pull I'll dps sometimes, but that about it. White Mage on the other hand imo it's more of a keep focused pay attention class, because you have no Eos/Selene healing with you. All in all I think both classes are fun to play as, if you want to try keep the dps side of things go Scholar if you want to really focus on healing aspect go White Mage and if you're not a level 50 healer yet it's mostly at that point where the real fun begins.

You're asking in a healing forum so you're going to get a lot of biased answers. Fun is subjective. I have fun healing, but I know people who hate it.

SCH has an awesome game of balance between dps and healing. I have to watch:
Party HP, anticipate big hits for adlo, cleric stance cd, aetherflow stacks- do I use it for damage/bane or sacred soil/lustrate?

There are so many things I can do and improve upon that it can be as relaxing or as intense as I make it.

I make the calls and I have several backup plans for emergency (lustrate, swiftcast succor, swiftcast adlo, rouse...) that I can always be experimenting.

It's really fun! Especially if things go wrong but somehow your group still clear the duty.

Healing is fun, if you understand when to heal, what to heal with, and how to read.
suprisingly, there are a fair amount of healers who don't.

Every role has it's pros and cons. Yes, in a new fight (and or with people who are new to the battle), as a healer you will likely be watching the party list and status bars more than anything else. But that's okay, that's your role...to monitor the party. What you CAN do if it helps is 'Focus Target' the boss, and then move your focus target bar to being near your party list (I have my Focus Target bar set to be beside the tank's hp bar for example so I can see boss move charges+ keep my eye on the party).

Also, if it bugs you, you can try different screen layouts to see if you can make it so the party list is 'closer' to the action, where you'd prefer to look. (I moved mine from the default top left position for example, to the middle of the far right of my screen. This makes it so it's typically at the same 'level' on my screen as most of the game action/bosses etc. Also, it was just more fluid for me (KB+M user) to use my mouse on the party list on that side. My point, mess around with your HUD until you find something that suits your needs.

So yeah, as a healer, there will be times/battles where you see little other than the party list+your immediate area.

Still that all said:

DPS commonly 'tunnel vision' too....especially when new to battles. It's why people 'blame' them/laugh at them so much for missing an AoE/forgetting about adds etc. It just feels different as a DD because your eyes are focused on mobs as opposed to people (party list). But it takes dps the same time to adjust and get comfy with a battle to be 'looking around' as it does a healer. It's just instead of tunneling onto the party list, they tunnel onto a boss.

Tanks also have 'tunnel vision' sometimes too...it's less noticable as a tank, but sometimes they miss grabbing the adds, or stepping out of avoidable damage b/c they are so focused on threat, and control, and positioning of the boss. I am positive most tanks who've tanked any Primal for example, but esp Titan could tell you 'dude, I had no idea where the party was/couldn't see them for large portions of the battle....I just saw his big ugly mug (actually they spend the battle looking at his 'wee') but you get the idea.

So yeah, it's totally normal to zone into the party list and miss a lot of the action (this is a common healer MMO dilema tbh), but once you're more familiar with the content, you start looking at party lists less and the actual gameplay more. And also, there are ways to adjust your HUD layout to make it even easier to have your eyes on both the battlefield and the party list (the party list in the top corner imo is the WORST location for it to be for healers to be able to monitor their cooldowns, the battlefield and the party...make it so everything is in your line of sight and you'll likely see improvements).

Not everyone likes Healing. Me, I like healing and tanking, when i play a DPS, I get bored. Different strokes for different folks.