Dear Healers that don't DPS in dungeons

[Ghishlain]

Snip

You act like every single DF you have been in has been absolutely horrible. If that's the case, I feel sorry for you because your luck in that regard is beyond horrendous then.

If the party as a whole is well over geared, that healer should learn to DPS and stance dance. It's a perfect time to learn because they have the laid back opportunities to get used to the nuances of such a role. If the party is on par or undergeared, then the healer should focus primarily on their heals as they will most likely be needed in these scenarios, though throwing out the odd Aero here or there without Cleric's Stance will most likely not cause a wipe of any capacity.

The mark of a good healer is their adaptability and situational awareness.

The only way to get to that point is to learn and understand ALL aspects of their toolkits and when an appropriate time to use them is. I don't expect a new player to the MMO scene in general to understand that on the onset, but it certainly is something they should be striving for to become a better player for their party / FC / LS. Some people are just inherently bad and nothing you will do can change that. That will happen. But for the vast majority of players, they will be willing to listen if you have constructive advice for them and will want to learn and grow to be come better for themselves and their allies.

[LiadansWhisper]

You act like every single DF you have been in has been absolutely horrible. If that's the case, I feel sorry for you because your luck in that regard is beyond horrendous then.

Nah, that's not what I'm saying at all. What I'm saying is that you can't just make a broad statement of one-size fits all. That's as silly as me saying that every DF group is terrible and has no idea what they're doing (which I didn't say, btw, I thought that was clear when I explaining the random nature of groups that you get). There has to be room for those players who a) aren't comfortable stepping out of their role and/or b) are getting truly horrible groups.

I'm an officer in a set of two Linkshells on my server designed to help players pug without having to queue randomly in the Duty Finder. The LS was started because of our bad experiences in the DF. But even with the LS, sometimes people aren't online, or so many are in dungeons that there aren't enough to make another group, or they're just busy, etc. So then the members might queue in the DF themselves, and, by god, the stories that they tell about their experiences. And this isn't just an occasional thing. This is a daily thing.

If the party as a whole is well over geared, that healer should learn to DPS and stance dance. It's a perfect time to learn because they have the laid back opportunities to get used to the nuances of such a role. If the party is on par or undergeared, then the healer should focus primarily on their heals as they will most likely be needed in these scenarios, though throwing out the odd Aero here or there without Cleric's Stance will most likely not cause a wipe of any capacity.

Tossing out dots isn't going to cause a wipe, no, unless your tank is at like, 20% health (in which case you'd have to ask "so...why did you do that again?"). But that's besides the point. My point is that your playstyle, and my playstyle, isn't going to work for every player. I'd rather players learn to heal, then slowly experiment with DPS as they get comfortable. At their own pace. Not trying to please nameless, faceless forum people who "know better" without ever having run with the groups that healer runs with.

The only way to get to that point is to learn and understand ALL aspects of their toolkits and when an appropriate time to use them is. I don't expect a new player to the MMO scene in general to understand that on the onset, but it certainly is something they should be striving for to become a better player for their party / FC / LS. Some people are just inherently bad and nothing you will do can change that. That will happen. But for the vast majority of players, they will be willing to listen if you have constructive advice for them and will want to learn and grow to be come better for themselves and their allies.

I understand where you're coming from, but I still maintain that the advice given by many on this forum is anything but constructive. Telling healers that they should be DPSing, regardless of their skill level, experience, or comfort, isn't constructive. Giving them ideas on when it's safe to DPS if they choose to do so? Constructive. Providing them with macros to help them safely swap in and out of cleric stance? Constructive. Telling someone who just isn't comfortable with DPSing that they should DPS in a random Duty Finder group? Really not constructive.

[Ghishlain]

Nah, that's not what I'm saying at all. What I'm saying is that you can't just make a broad statement of one-size fits all.

I think the reverse to that is that you're also advocating a one-size fits all by promoting a pure healing aspect of healers. I understand the healer's primary role (it's written in their name), and that healing is their first priority, but the way you write your arguments seem to indicate that you should only heal and should not even remotely think about going beyond that scope when the capability to do so is there. I feel that's where a point of contention is with your argument (at least for me, that's where it is). [Continued below]

Tossing out dots isn't going to cause a wipe, no, unless your tank is at like, 20% health (in which case you'd have to ask "so...why did you do that again?"). But that's besides the point. My point is that your playstyle, and my playstyle, isn't going to work for every player. I'd rather players learn to heal, then slowly experiment with DPS as they get comfortable. At their own pace. Not trying to please nameless, faceless forum people who "know better" without ever having run with the groups that healer runs with.

As I've mentioned before, adaptability and situational awareness is the mark of a good healer. It's hard to encourage that kind of growth if you tell people to stay within a singular mind set. I'm not saying DPS all things until your tank dies, but I do want to promote an environment where people are willing to experiment and find their comfort level. If their comfort level involves them just healing, but they make a damn good healer in any instance they're in, then so be it. But at least they made the effort to try. That's what I would like to encourage from all healers, find that comfort zone and strive to achieve your primary goal.

I understand where you're coming from, but I still maintain that the advice given by many on this forum is anything but constructive. Telling healers that they should be DPSing, regardless of their skill level, experience, or comfort, isn't constructive. Giving them ideas on when it's safe to DPS if they choose to do so? Constructive. Providing them with macros to help them safely swap in and out of cleric stance? Constructive. Telling someone who just isn't comfortable with DPSing that they should DPS in a random Duty Finder group? Really not constructive.

I agree with this on so many levels. There are too many responses on the internet in general where it's "LOL YOU SUCK" when someone disagrees with you and hardly constructive at all.