Healers Controllers or keyboards

[Sumara]

I have always used a Controller, even in XI. It's easier for me, and its rather easy as well. targeting isn't an issue at all, and moving around is easier in my opinion as well.

[Isanami-Isanagi]

I used a controller, with ps3 is the only way to do, isn't right?

[AleviaA]

Gamepad, mouse and keyboard is what I use for healing and everything else. Mainly gamepad for convenience, but I have access to mouse and keyboard for additional stuff and abilities that don't fit on my crossbar and are too inconvenient to use with just gamepad.

[WillyTheDog]

Keyboard w/Razer Naga mouse does it for me.

[GungnirNova]

Logitech g13 and Logitech g600 FTW!!! Well that's what I use on the PC.

[AleviaA]

KB/M is the only way to play WHM... some end game FC's wont allow players to play WHM if they use controller

That's mainly due to 1.0's limitation to scrolling side to side on the hotbar. It was indeed slower and did not really help with min/maxing. However, in 2.0 gamepad has been optimized to be smoother, faster, and work just as good as kb/mouse, unless the healer themselves just fail. I am in a hardcore FC and I have been using gamepad since 1.0. I did not let the limitations handicap me, and I can tell you that 2.0 gamepad has definitely been optimized for the use of healing.

[Jay_Green]

Keyboard, I find it allot easier personally.

[AnthoAsho]

I use a controller, and I use some techniques to make healing slightly easier when not in a party (I.E fates) - although I do recommend making quick parties just for ease.

Anyway, I tend to use a macro that targets the target's target and casts heal (if you're DoT'ing aswell) and it is a quick way to heal if someone is tanking the FATE. Also, switching the target selector to be friendlies makes it easy to target other players for healing and using L1/R1 (LB and RB) to target enemies.

If anyone is interested in the macro I use (it's pretty simple) it is

/target <tt>
/ac "Cure"

[DivineAyumi]

To people who say that you do can heal with controller, Im pretty sure we can all heal with controllers here.

The good and bad healers will easily show up when 24 people raids start.

I know that most parties will have their own healers and that they don't have to worry about "outside heals".
But that only happens in a perfect world.
What will happen if a healer dies?, just because hes not in your party you'll let everyone else in that party die because of it?

From playing other MMOs I learned that outside healing is not easy to master, therefore I always practice this concept hard.

I can't trust someone as my healer if I have to be constantly praying he targets me fast enough before I get burst to death on the next enemy attack.

What most of you didn't talk about or realize is that people usually gets damaged as a group. A huge AOE damage can trow a party off really quick, and if you cant pull those heals fast enough then its GG.

[AleviaA]

-snip-

I support this as making macros and customizing your target filters also makes for a easy target selection across the board. Not sure if this works for final version, but having the controller in one hand, and using the macro "/ac "Cure" <mo>" on the bar will allow you to use your mouse to simply cure the people you hover(or move your mouse over) without even selecting the target.