The "To DPS" vs "Not DPS" Debate

[Ghishlain]

Updated OP to express my thoughts a bit more clearly based on discussion in the thread.

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In low end stuff though, such as 4 man dungeons, if you are not DPSing, then I'm sorry but you are bad/mediocre healer. Its like a DPS who is not using most of his abilities.

I don't agree with this fully. DPS who aren't using their offensive abilities are not maximizing their DPS and therefore hampering the progression of the party. Their role is to DPS, if they aren't making strides to maximize said DPS, they're hampering the party.

HOWEVER, the argument can be made that healer DPSing as a healer reduces the amount of healing required because of the fact the faster a mob dies, the less healing needs to be done (thus, by inverse, increasing their healing potential INDIRECTLY). However, there is no real way to measure this in a concise way (though I know it is measurable - calling all math geeks on the OF). I will leave this point at that.

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And yes, there are definitely definitely many situations where the extra damage from the healer matters, such as the Demon Wall or killing the last boss of Brayflox before big bomb.

I quote myself in response:

Fights are tuned to a certain ilvl. If your DPS is of that ilvl, your party should be able to overcome all mechanics associated with that fight WITHOUT your assistance in this regard. If you are forced to DPS as a healer to help "push a fight forward", the fault lies squarely on your lackluster DPS.