It’s also all but a given that the expansion will include at least two new jobs.

[Cidel]

If they dare try to add yet another healer, it has to give SCH a run for it's money in some way (if they don't straight-up nerf SCH) or we're just back to SCH + one of the 3 remaining healers for "optimal" raiding stigma jazz.

I don't think they're capable nor want to bother balancing such a thing.

[Duelle]

If they dare try to add yet another healer, it has to give SCH a run for it's money in some way (if they don't straight-up nerf SCH) or we're just back to SCH + one of the 3 remaining healers for "optimal" raiding stigma jazz.

My question to this is, would people actually accept some sort of SCH nerf to make them not required and add flexibility to healer combos (not to mention the devs giving themselves some breathing room design-wise)? I mean, the current design paradigm is barrier healer + direct heals healer. This is why AST was created to ape SCH and WHM instead of doing its own thing. You and I know this, but would people in general be able to work and accept it?

[DreamWeaver]

My question to this is, would people actually accept some sort of SCH nerf to make them not required and add flexibility to healer combos (not to mention the devs giving themselves some breathing room design-wise)? I mean, the current design paradigm is barrier healer + direct heals healer. This is why AST was created to ape SCH and WHM instead of doing its own thing. You and I know this, but would people in general be able to work and accept it?

LV 62 skill : Wanderer's Bookworm - Cannot be used in conjunction with Fairies.
LV 64~70 skills : Can only be used while in Wanderer's Bookworm stance.

I will laugh my ass off if this happens.

[Risvertasashi]

a tp healer wouldnt be godawful, be it damage/melee based, or something along the lines of a chemist really imo. It wouldnt be a caster though, and thats treading in new territory already. Again though, they "could". Im still looking at AST when i say "could"...

Yeah, a chemist/item user was another thing that came out in interviews as something they considered for HW. So I think it's a decent probability. (OTOH, last anniversary events teased red and blue mage... wonder if one could end up a healer?)

But, as with what you and others say... the real challenge, whatever the lore flavorings might be, would be to make sure it's not essentially a WHM reskin again in its heal mechanics.

LV 62 skill : Wanderer's Bookworm - Cannot be used in conjunction with Fairies.
LV 64~70 skills : Can only be used while in Wanderer's Bookworm stance.

I will laugh my ass off if this happens.

The fairy is really only part of the reason, and pretty well got nerfed into the ground with Heavensward. That and the lustrate changes do mean SCHs can't spend nearly as much time in clerics, at least not so easily.

For another healer to be interchangeable... it would need to have strong barrier options as well as a myriad of mitigation options. Technically WHM and AST both have barriers and mitigation, just nothing on the level/variety of what SCH can do. (And even with the fairy nerfs, being able to essentially have a second GCD will always be powerful.)