Healing on PS4?

[Velo_Vandore]

I wrote out some tips before on another thread explaining my PS3 targeting techniques as a white mage:

Hi, I play white mage with a gamepad on ps3 and here are a few targeting tips (some repeated from above):

1. Use target filters - I have L1+circle for all enemies, L1+X for only aggroing enemies (this can be handy when there are loads of enemies on screen), L1+square for players (in case I want to target someone not in my party) and L+triangle for All. I'm mostly in L1+circle (all enemies), targeting enemies with dpad left/right and party members with dpad up/down.
   
2. When there are many targets on screen, it can be easier sometimes to just press circle a few times to clear your current target and then face the new target and press X. I often use this method to just open a chest, flick a switch, or target a teleport without changing from the enemies filter.
   
3. Macro your damage and debuff skills to auto target fwd.

   Here's the macro I use:

   /macroicon "Aero II"
   /focustarget <tt>
   /ac "Aero II" <t>
   /ac "Aero II" <f>
   

   I do the same for Aero, Stone, Stone II, and Virus. The downside to macro's is that the skills don't queue, so I don't bother with this for heal skills. The way it works is that either line 3 or 4 will work and the other will fail, so it'll either cast on the targeted enemy, or the targets targeted enemy.
   
   The reason I set focus target in line 2 is that you get a little mini status bar for the focus target, where you can see that your Aero, or Virus actually got applied to the mob (note only 5 status icons can be displayed for focus targets, so there's still a chance the Aero, Virus won't show.

4. Keep an assist macro slotted on all your battle hotbars. This is possibly overkill if you already auto target fwd with macro's, but i still like the manual option there. One benefit to actually targeting the enemy instead of casting through the tank is that you get to see exactly how much enmity you have with that enemy. Also, if a tank likes to cycle targets, it's handy to actually switch to their first target then keep attacking that one, rather than attacking whichever target they're cycling through at the time. Healing comes first for healers and some will say don't try to deal damage, but I found that helping to eliminate a single target quickly will significantly reduce the overall damage the tank is taking, meaning less healing required, less aggro stealing, and lower repair cost for your tank
   
   The Macro I use is:

   /target <tt>
   /Focustarget OFF

   I add focustarget OFF just for a convenient way to remove my focus target (applied by damage skills macro above) after battle.
   
5. Re-arrange the party list like so:

   Healer (you)
   Healer
   DD (Ranged)
   DD
   DD
   DD (Melee)
   Tank
   Tank (preferably main tank)

   By having the tanks / healers at the top and bottom you can select them with less presses (from having no target selected). The reason I place ranged dd next to healers and melee dd next to tanks is that I can get a better idea of when to AOE heal. For example, I can quickly see if the ranged players have low health (top healthbars) and then medica if they're close by. If the bottom group of health bars are all low (melee's) It's probaly good time for Cure3.

Hope this is helpfull. Let me know any other tricks you come across

Hope it helps ^^

[Naria]

<snip>

This is similar to the set up I use while healing, although I have /assisttarget set to L3 and normally just set focus target by clicking the square button and selecting it in order to take up less space on my hotbars. My Party set up is normally other healer>(main) tank> (off) tank>brd (if applicable)>everyone else. I'd play about with party set ups and see which works best for you.

[Velo_Vandore]

This is similar to the set up I use while healing, although I have /assisttarget set to L3 and normally just set focus target by clicking the square button and selecting it in order to take up less space on my hotbars. My Party set up is normally other healer>(main) tank> (off) tank>brd (if applicable)>everyone else. I'd play about with party set ups and see which works best for you.

Woah! I didn't know you could set assist to L3?? Will look into that as it'd save a slot on each of my battle cross-hotbars *_*

With the focus target thing, I don't waste a slot because I use the macro's in pace of the standard skill icons, rather than both a macroed and non macroed version of each skill slotted. I never don't want to make the target's target my focus target, but for some players that could be undesirable I guess.

In fact I'd really like to see other people's cross-hotbar setup's, as that can become an artform of it's own XD. I'll get some screenshots of my own and post here or start a new thread and pop a link to it here.

[PetiteMalFleur]

This is similar to the set up I use while healing, although I have /assisttarget set to L3 and normally just set focus target by clicking the square button and selecting it in order to take up less space on my hotbars. My Party set up is normally other healer>(main) tank> (off) tank>brd (if applicable)>everyone else. I'd play about with party set ups and see which works best for you.

Thanks! I didn't know this!

To the OP: There's a video of a scholar solo healing T9 using a controller. I'm sure you'll have no issue in whatever role you want to play.

[NettoSaito]

You just use the dpad to switch targets, but you could use a mouse and keyboard if you wanted to.

[radioactive_lego]

You just use the dpad to switch targets, but you could use a mouse and keyboard if you wanted to.

1. A lot of folks in the PS4 community dont want anything to do with a m&kb. <me>
2. Using the D-Pad isnt as user-friendly as it could be.