Any consensus on most important stats for WHM/SCH?

[Ashkente]

Has anyone ever tested the difference between a full crit build, full det build, and a full spell speed build? Do the differences in secondary stats really matter that much in the overall scheme of things for healers?

I have...

Assuming the same mind, and using your Allagan weapon outside of a party and with no buffs:

Determination takes the better average for white mage, but only by less than a quarter of a percentage. Average heals for Crit build: 1105, Average heals for Det build: 1107

Numbers: 501 mind
Critical in Crit Build: 450
Det in Crit Build: 227

Critical in Det Build: 356
Det in Det build: 315

Highest I could get my spell speed to was 507, bringing my recast time to 2.34.

(Continued)

[Ashkente]

Theoretical Scenario: If you are fighting Twintania and for the whole fight you had to cast Cure 1 without ceasing and not have to worry about serious overhealing or movement you would cast Cure 1 about 308 times, assuming you complete the fight as fast as 12 minutes.

With lesser spell speed, the number would be closer to 294 (let's use this for det and crit build)

In this theoretical situation, Spell Speed would WIN by about a single percentage, increasing more the longer the fight is. However, there is not a situation in the game where this has come into play, as you need to move around frequently in these fights, making constant, uninterrupted healing impossible, and thus Spell Speed, pointless.

Consensus: Gear however the hell you want between Spell Crit and Determination. The difference between gearing for spell crit or determination for a white mage is small enough to be completely negligible.

[Tinks]

In this theoretical situation, Spell Speed would WIN by about a single percentage, increasing more the longer the fight is. However, there is not a situation in the game where this has come into play, as you need to move around frequently in these fights, making constant, uninterrupted healing impossible, and thus Spell Speed, pointless.

Here is the thing with spell speed. Unless you have a full static that you play exclusively with, it isn't a useless stat. It isn't so much the spamming cure that makes it useful, because you should never have to do that for extended periods, even in a PUG. What makes spell speed useful is being able to get that cure off on a DPS that just got hit by a plume and still dodge in time. Spell speed increases the window in which you can move and your spell still cast.

The thing with the crit/det/spell speed arguments is that its entirely about preference at this point, because none of them make significant enough difference to make one ground-breakingly better than another. I go spell speed because I find that being able to move sooner at the end of my casts is more valuable to me and my playstyle than a slightly higher cure because I tend to run with consistent and reliable tanks, but less reliable DPS. Its the unexpected moments that make spell speed more useful. I also enjoy DPSing; being able to weave Aero II and Aero in between cures is fun for me. To each their own ^_^

[Ashkente]

Here is the thing with spell speed. Unless you have a full static that you play exclusively with, it isn't a useless stat. It isn't so much the spamming cure that makes it useful, because you should never have to do that for extended periods, even in a PUG. What makes spell speed useful is being able to get that cure off on a DPS that just got hit by a plume and still dodge in time. Spell speed increases the window. More...

While I understand what you are getting it, if you have teammates getting hit by plume it's better to let them die, as they are likely to make the same mistake many times later. I've not once run into a situation outside of my static where I thought "Gee, I really need .16 seconds off of my cast time to save that dumb DPS player who keeps getting hit."

I can see Spell Speed being a build when we get into the 700/800s, for when you get that high you'll have close to a whole .50 off of your GCD, and that is huge!

[Tinks]

While I understand what you are getting it, if you have teammates getting hit by plume it's better to let them die, as they are likely to make the same mistake many times later. I've not once run into a situation outside of my static where I thought "Gee, I really need .16 seconds off of my cast time to save that dumb DPS player who keeps getting hit."

If you have a dumb DPS that keeps getting hit, its better to replace them, not just let them die. It isn't so much a black or white issue. I've run in a lot of PUGs with random DPS, and its pretty common that people get hit once or twice by something silly through a run. Whether it's not moving fast enough for eruption, or walking in to searing in ifrit ex, miss-timing a plume dodge, or hell just a DPS having blood for blood up during stomps in titan. Random stuff happens. I'm not saying you can't deal with it just fine with a DET build, I'm just saying that I've developed a playstyle that essentially exploits the fact that my spells still go off when I move, and it works well for dodge-intensive fights. We've all had those moments where you have to move mid cast and its frustrating. I just have it a little less frequently.

[Heofonum]

snip

While I commend your attitude and awareness that it's your play style that can accommodate a SS WHM, I feel the need to interject and ask.... why?

We can all voice countless scenarios where this stat or that stat looms biggest for better WHM play, but wouldn't static play of the toon itself dictate the higher outcome? Increased regen, medica II's and medica from which we're known for are just the very few examples of reliance healing. Why don't SCH's follow this logic to stack SS too?

I don't think giving the reason that "quicker heals makes better WHM" holds any worthwhile ground, especially since this reasoning holds hands with the excuse "because of derps and twerps, I must build for mistakes". That's backwards planning, not forward thinking.