The Abonimation Known as WTFWHM

[Tranquil]

-snip-

You seem to be operating under the assumption that most content in this game has somewhat harsh HPS-requirements throughout the fights.

Unlike some other games wherein tanks take a more consistent beating, in this game the fluff-damage is mostly negligible (exceptions exist - no need to call me out on that - speaking about the bigger picture). You have the fluff-damage and then the scripted spike damage. Tank killing moves at certain intervals, followed by more fluff-damage. Repeat. That is the norm for this game.

Now, while in some cases there might be other damage being inflicted at the other tank or the party - meaning that two healers need to actively heal - it is very common for there to be times wherein it suffices that only one of the healers is "maintenance healing".

By maintenance healing I refer to healing which is not a MP-strain on a healer. That would translate to keeping Regen up, Cures and then Freecure procs as necessary for a WHM. For the SCH, that would more or less mean microing Embraces while DPSing. (Or in some cases, add some manual self-casted heals in the mix and then resuming DPSing).

If we can achieve a comfortable level of maintenance healing whilst dealing some damage - we have struck gold. At times, you can extend this to calculated risk-taking in resource usage, ie. knowing that even a moderate MP-strain from having one healer overwork a bit will not result in exterior support being any more necessary than it would be otherwise. (Namely, not needing a Ballad due to this kind of careless play of the other healer).

[CycLee]

Pulling with Aero
waiting for a tank to pull a mob? Ain't nobody got tiem for dat
It's a completely unnecessary act to pull before the tank. No one benefits from a healer to gain hate first, other than the healer to enrage their fellow party members for their own, insignificant enjoyment.

There are always healer or damagedealer who do this, that has nothing to do with being a WHM

Spamming Fluid Aura
Square Enix has given me the right to use this skill whenever I want, so bite me.
There is definitely applicable uses to fluid aura in dungeons outside of losing aggro, but this is not the case of a wtfwhm. A wtfwhm will use it as soon as it comes off of cooldown for no other reason than because they can. Personally this doesn't bother me as much as it used to, but I know many others that become furious when white mages do this.

As you do dps in a dungeon as a WHM you usual try do do it as good as possible. Fluid Aura is off GCD and for free. so it may happen by mistake, or because the WHM thought, that this vertain enemy can't be pushed away, and then "bugger, why the heck can this giant stonegiant be pushed away by my Aquacannon?!"

I bet most WHM feel bad if this happened.

Prioritizing DPS/CC over healing
I'm trying to sleep these mobs, the least you can do is pop a cooldown.
This is self explanatory. You know you have a wtfwhm in your party when the tank dies while the healer is in cleric's stance.

this goes for both healer jobs and happens mostly to misjudging the situation. You will find also healer that to decide to do nothing when there is no damage to be healed but opponents to kill. You need experience to read the situation, and while learning, and even afterwards, there will be mistakes.

Unnecessary Denial of Raise
I don't have to raise you noobs. L2P and you wont die
This is when some insignificant healer wants to feel important and elite by leaving the dps/tank dead and 2-manning the boss or whatever. But the part the really bugs me, is when its something that, you know, can't be two-manned? This results in the boss/mobs not being defeated, resets, and time being wasted.

1st: it counts for both healerjobs 2nd: if i have my instantcast rdy, and enough MP, you'll get raised within seconds. If one of both is not the case, i have to think twice if i can efford the time, and/or the MP. If i raised you already 2-3 times in this fight and you still didnt get you movement sorted, you will leave you and focus on the remaining groupmembers.

Stoneskin Elitism
dps dont need it
This is pretty minor I will admit, but it puts the cherry on top. How self-centered are you to only put stoneskin on yourself, and not even the tank?

And again: that counts for BOTH healerjobs. But ofc, the prorities in the most cases IS: myself > tank > rest

i try to keep SS up on everyone, if i can, but it is rly time and mp-intense and if you decide to stand in every avoidable AOE i woult rather decide if healing or just raising afterwards is more mp-efficient :P

Regen Before Pull
It's easier and it saves mana
These are the OCD healers that must always have regen/medica II up just for the sake of their satisfaction. It's harmless up until the point that the tank pulls, and then the mobs/boss then begin to attack the healer, in which they end up having to use a cure II anyway. That leads me to my next infraction:

You got me there. is had to get rid of this bad behavior myself. i cant speak for everyone, but i used to play WoW several years ago as a healer also. it was a new concept for me, that overheal generates hate/aggro.

Just talk to those who do this and be patient, its not easy to get rid of a habit that you do without thinking.

Unnecessary Kiting
Stupid tank, I'm trying to keep myself alive.
Tank just pulled. White mages successfully acquires aggro after a preemptive regen or cure II. White Mage then proceeds to sprint AWAY from the tank, using swiftcast blizz II and fluid aura. Just for safe measure, medica II is up to ensure that tank can't ever get aggro back. Seriously, what the actual f*ck?

goes for both healerjobs and even damagedealer again. but where did this behavior come from?

1st: we notice, that the healer, that kite with such efford was aware, that he has aggro and have to do something about it.

The right reaction would be, to run to the tank and let him take the mobs.. and to die if he dont.

most of the time, something like you said happens, if the healer dont have trust in the tank, or: in some fights its a valid tactic

i had a nice situation in temple of quarn hardmode. as i ran the dungeon for the 1st time, at the sabotender queen it happend, that all adds sticked to me, i ran to the tank, and nothing happend. we wiped, and i asked what i did wrong.

i was told, that i should just keep kiting them. i did so in the 2nd atempt and we killed it without causualities

as i were there the 2nd time i did the same thing but we wiped to 100.000 needles. as we were running the 2nd DD was complaining why i was running around all the time. after a short and unproductive discussion i tried again to run to the tank with the add just to see, that he did not care at all about tanking more that his boss. we killed the boss while i was kiting.

tl;dr running with add to the tank and stop there is a risk that doesnt payout if the tank isnt paying attention or/and is just bad. kiting, if you know how to do it, takes some pressure from the partie.

Committing one of these crimes could brand you as a bad healer, but any combination of these will make you a wtfwhm.

As we see, most of the points you're complaining about is not a whitemage-only problem. So is just ask you: where did the evil whitemage touch you?

[VanilleFang]

I'm of the opinion that one shouldn't DPS as WHM, because it forces the other healer's carry the dps WTFWHM.

So what do you do during all the downtime during fights like Titan HM? Do you just stand there?

[Kazumac]

So what do you do during all the downtime during fights like Titan HM? Do you just stand there?

You ditch those dpsers who know how to dodge and grab some derpy ones who will eat bombs and weights so you have something to heal?

[Mirakumi]

I've been a healer turned dd, and let me say watching other healers - the ones that become wtfwhm just makes me want to play healer again because I FEEL so badly for the tank when I see a healer SPRINT away from the tank. Or just SIT there and spam Medica2 - die - get pissy with the tank - and you know - you know that enmity is just too OP for the poor tank to handle.

BITE THAT TONGUE - MIGHT GET BANNED.

[VanilleFang]

You ditch those dpsers who know how to dodge and grab some derpy ones who will eat bombs and weights so you have something to heal?

Lol. I suppose that could work.

But even with DPS getting hit by AoEs there are times when you can throw out an Aero or Stone II. I don't see any benefit in never DPSing unless it will kill someone.

[KisaiTenshi]

So what do you do during all the downtime during fights like Titan HM? Do you just stand there?

If you have a pre-made party full of pros, maybe you have time to do this. But when you play with PUG's you get anyone from the DPS with no ilevel 50+ gear, to the tanks and DPS who insist on standing still in the middle of every avoidable AOE. If the "perfect" runs, eg the ones with nobody dying, it's always with healers that either avoid DPS entirely, or only DPS during during the 10 seconds or so at the end of the fight when it matters instead of the first 10 seconds which just increase aggro on yourself.

One recent run, I was having to heal the Ninja who was losing 60% of their HP with every hit.

[Lyrica_Ashtine]

If you have a pre-made party full of pros, maybe you have time to do this. But when you play with PUG's you get anyone from the DPS with no ilevel 50+ gear, to the tanks and DPS who insist on standing still in the middle of every avoidable AOE. If the "perfect" runs, eg the ones with nobody dying, it's always with healers that either avoid DPS entirely, or only DPS during during the 10 seconds or so at the end of the fight when it matters instead of the first 10 seconds which just increase aggro on yourself.

One recent run, I was having to heal the Ninja who was losing 60% of their HP with every hit.

"My experience says X and Y" isn't a good elaboration. I could claim the contrary: Because player A and B were so poorly geared, I tripled the dungeon killing ability by helping DPS as a healer. Perhaps exaggerated, but a properly geared scholar or white mage can contribute more DPS than a poorly equipped DPS. Especially if the DPS have little experience maximizing their damage output.

People always take damage left and right, whether you heal them right now or take your time is up to you. There aren't a lot of encounters where non-tanks take one hit after another; you usually have time to heal up people. If you can't stand the anticipation by having them move around with a HP bar that isn't completely full, that's simply your own insecurity. You can always decide not to raise them if they're a liability. As harsh as it sounds, it may even be better for the entire group to leave the "useless" one on the floor, rather than constantly pick it up like some rag doll.

"It's a healers job to heal"? Yes, that's true. But let's turn the perspective: It's not a DPS' job to constantly die and potentially cause a wipe. Be it by draining a healer's MP or by not handling mechanics properly. Not healing (or raising) is actually also part of being a healer.

[Cynfael]

If people insist on standing in every AoE in Titan HM, you shouldn't worry too much about healing them; a Landslide will eventually knock them out of your misery.

It goes without saying that your party being terrible will increase your healing requirement.

[KisaiTenshi]

"My experience says X and Y" isn't a good elaboration. I could claim the contrary: Because player A and B were so poorly geared, I tripled the dungeon killing ability by helping DPS as a healer. Perhaps exaggerated, but a properly geared scholar or white mage can contribute more DPS than a poorly equipped DPS. Especially if the DPS have little experience maximizing their damage output.

I gear-check players when I see high HP loss. A player is a WTFWHM if they cast Medica II and then DPS for 30 seconds to the detriment of the party. The WTFWHM is someone who doesn't care about doing the Job, and is there just to farm something faster.