DPSing as a healer

[_slowpoke_]

A lot of the DPS proponents here are highly experienced players who know the content extremely well.

Eh, not really. Outside of Extreme and Savage, I DPS heavily even in completely new content - you'll find me in Cleric even in dungeons that have been released an hour ago. I usually have enough buttons to press once damage actually starts happening to prevent people from dying, and even if they do, I'll know better next time - learning by failure is way better than learning by success.

I'd say it has less to do with familiarity with content and/or the people you happen to be grouped with and more to do with familiarity and confidence in your job. I can play both WHM and SCH (and to a lesser degree, AST, because I barely use it these days) in dungeons while half asleep and still push good damage, (way too) often more than DPS players.

[Fevelle]

learning by failure is way better than learning by success.

You're so arrogant in your arguments that you are even trying to say HOW people should learn a fight.

[Valmaxian]

I'd say it has less to do with familiarity with content and/or the people you happen to be grouped with and more to do with familiarity and confidence in your job.

Very reasonable. I might add that for some players, having confidence in themselves can be enough, while for others (like me), knowing the content gives that confidence. You did inspire me though - yesterday I took your advice in HB Hard and gave my (fantastic) WAR tank single HoTs, then allowed myself to DPS the rest of the time. It worked out brilliantly. It helped having a great tank, but it felt good fully trusting myself too.

@Gemina - I'm also a very anxious player, and your sentiments really resounded with me. How we approach other players is critical, especially when they are learning. For my part, I didn't even consider adding DPS as a healer until I saw another healer do it in a dungeon (it was like some kind of obvious epiphany). For me, the example was enough.