DPSing as a healer

[Seoulstar]

I'm just going to say this. Do whatever you see fit. If you want to DPS, then DPS. If you do not, then don't worry about it. A healer dps can make a dungeon go by faster..but not by a lot. I just DPS and heal because I'm just used to doing it. Not because others expect me to. Now at some point if you feel as if you want to DPS and heal, then ease your way into it. Start by placing dots, once you get comfortable with that. Start to move on to dancing with cleric stance. Know when to activate it to DPS and when to turn it off so your tank wont end up dying in the process.

[winsock]

Hi, I'm a newbie playing a White Mage and there's one issue 'd like to clarify. I know that generally I am expected to DPS whenever I can, but I was wondering whether doing it isn't a "waste of mana" in some cases. I'm talking about long boss fights. DPSs do more damage than me, right? So in a sitution when there's no time limit/enrage mechanics etc, but mana can become an issue, wouldn't it be better to focus solely on healing to keep other ppl alive for longer, and therefore allow the party as a whole to deal more dmg (and hopefuly kill a boss) before I run out of mana and ebcome unable to heal? Wouldn't mana spent on Stone II eventually result in more dmg if it was used on Cure?

A few things to keep in mind:
* Mana left in your bar at the end of the boss fight is also a waste.
* Your performance w/o dps wont be considered as good or as skillful as your performance with dps.
* "Long Boss Fights" usually occur (or at the very least, occur in part) because of poor party DPS, so the DPS you do provide in this scenario will likely be more valuable than it normally is.

IMO, stopping dps should be the 'last option'.
On a short boss fight, Time efficiency > MP efficiency. Use Cure II over Cure I to limit your time out of cleric stance, only use Aero I over Stone III on a situation specific basis, etc.
In a long boss fight, MP efficiency can be > Time efficiency. Leaning towards more Cure I's/Freecures and using more Aero I's as part of the 'standard' dps rotation is preferable to halting all dps.

[mp-please]

People seem to forget 2 things.
Healers are casters and casters are meant to be always casting. Ok mp issues make this rule a bit more lenient but if you spend more than 5 seconds without casting you're doing it wrong.
Nobody needs to be at 100% hp at all times.

About people that complain about mp issues.
Stop casting mid pulls, as long you have 0 aggro during a pull you won't enter combat mode so use this to regain mp between pulls.
Stop healing after a fight, natural hp regen is more than enough to top a tank at 50%
Don't use shroud/LA after a fight, use it during the fight. It's even acceptable to use it at 95%+ mp as long you know you wont waste a tick.
Use and abuse HoTs and 0 mp heals, stuff like benediction isn't meant to be used on emergencies.
Don't aoe less than 4 mobs.
Set a rotation, when you start dpsing don't stop unless the life of someone is at risk. Higher the dps, less healing required since mobs die faster.
Ethers and elixirs drop like candy from dungeons, chug 1-2 per run if you feel like your mp is too low.

On another note, this...

Higher the dps, less healing required since mobs die faster.

...is a huge factor. Party performance will impact how good the healer mp regain is.
Tank doesn't use defensive cooldowns or dps is trash? More healing required, more mp spent and more time you're healing, less you're dpsing so mobs will naturally take more time to die. In average every single gcd a pull stays alive is half a gcd worth of healing. Without considering special conditions such as hallowed or holy stuns, you'll always be required to heal every 5-7.5 seconds on a average sized pull.

[Alistaire]

Carry ethers with you. Nobody expects that in dungeons, but through several patches they've been buffed significantly in potency and recast. And if you find your dps'ing puts you in danger of running low, pop one and chill for a bit. Think of it like training wheels to managing your mp.

[Gemina]

Your concern might be an issue at your level if you were running the content with other players at a lower item level. Synced players, especially in combination with skill in avoiding unnecessary dmg whilst maximizing their own DPS will bring bosses down before your MP pool becomes an issue.

The performance of a healer is so dependent on his/her teammates. In most situations, DPSing doesn't tax your MP pool, it's poor performances from your teammates that do it. No cooldowns, not avoiding AoE, pulling too heavy, focusing inappropriate targets. These derps from your group will force you to heal and rezz more. Some falls on you too. You are responsible for avoiding unnecessary damage as well so you don't have to heal yourself. These are some of the biggest things I learned being a healer.

If a group welcomed me by telling me I am expected to DPS, I will nod in agreement and then tell them that I expect them to keep their own asses alive.

[Fernosaur]

Also take into consideration that a lot of the bigger fights you'll be doing at lvl 50+ and outside of Light party dungeons will have an enrage timer. This means that if the DPS of the raid doesn't kill the boss before X amount of time, the party will wipe. In those cases, healer DPS can be very valuable.

On top of that, every healer class has a way to manage their MP consumption and regeneration. White Mage has Shroud and Assize, which they can use around 5 to 7 times in a 10 minute fight. If you have a Bard or Machinist, they can aid your MP recovery if you're running too low from raising people, and no one has ever said you're not allowed to use Hi-Elixirs during battle. MP management and DPSing is something you will learn to weave into the skillset of a healer, so don't dwell too much on it, it will come with time and practice.

[FunkyBunch]

I'm level 41 SCH now. I was tired of seeing healers do no DPS, so I started a healer and starting DPSing in the beginning.
The earlier you start DPSing the better a healer you will be.
Right now, I barely have to leave to Cleric Stance to heal and apparently have second to top DPS in my groups.

You will outperform "healz only" if you can stance dance because you will just be better than them as they're over-healing and under DPSing.
And if they get to hard content they will be overwhelmed because they're just worse players and they won't even be able to just heal.

A good DPSing healer makes the difference between a decent dungeon run and an awesome one. Be an awesome healer. Please for the love of all the is /ac Holy

[Kazumac]

I'm level 41 SCH now. I was tired of seeing healers do no DPS, so I started a healer and starting DPSing in the beginning.
The earlier you start DPSing the better a healer you will be.
Right now, I barely have to leave to Cleric Stance to heal and apparently have second to top DPS in my groups.

You will outperform "healz only" if you can stance dance because you will just be better than them as they're over-healing and under DPSing.
And if they get to hard content they will be overwhelmed because they're just worse players and they won't even be able to just heal.

A good DPSing healer makes the difference between a decent dungeon run and an awesome one. Be an awesome healer. Please for the love of all the is /ac Holy

Reminds me of one of my FC mates that ran his sch with me earlier this week. His comment was, I hate playing SCH because it reminds me how lazy most healers I get are.

[Zadocfish]

As a SCH, I have trouble finding time to DPS in some dungeons. The Brayflox's Longstep, for example... I couldn't go into CS even a little bit on that one. The Fairy just couldn't keep up with the damage, and you don't get Leeches until lvl 40...

[FunkyBunch]

As a SCH, I have trouble finding time to DPS in some dungeons. The Brayflox's Longstep, for example... I couldn't go into CS even a little bit on that one. The Fairy just couldn't keep up with the damage, and you don't get Leeches until lvl 40...

Odd, I did that yesterday and had zero problems =/ I popped out of cleric stance one time when we took 6 adds at once; adding an Adlo and Physik to the tank, then went right back to Cleric.
Are you using Selene or Eos? Eos has two heals, Selene has one. Maybe try using Eos if you're having trouble staying in Cleric.