How does SE plan to restore White Mage's identity as a healer?

[Exiled_Tonberry]

what about

62 - Reflex: reduces incoming magic damage on the target by 10% for 10s. Also reflects the magic damages with a maximum potency of 300 for every hit.
64 - Vanish: reduces incoming physical damage of ONE enemy's attack of 50% on the target. The other attacks are reduced by 10% for 10s. Also reflects the physical damages with a maximum potency of 300 for every hit.
.

Can I just say I absolutely love the idea of WHM getting reflect-type abilities.
A bit OP with those potencies though, but a very nice starting point.

[Shurrikhan]

I'd just like to see more done with the three Conjurer elements and perhaps to trade out the four 20%-chance procs for something that more reliable and bankable. I'd still like for them to be the powerhouse healer, but I'd also like to see more in the way of cross-over tools between offense and defense, and maybe even some less direct ways to save lives.

[Semirhage]

Restore? WHM already has an identity. It's got the honor of being the most nerfed class in the game. Which is especially silly when WAR and SCH are so overpowered that they're still raid mandatory, but WHM is the one that needed proactive 3.0 nerfs just in case they also became mandatory.

And no, Scholars aren't mandatory because they're "the only off healer". Their emergency healing toolkit is higher potency than WHM's or AST's, on shorter cooldowns, and more flexible. SCH has a version of both of WHM's regen abilities, and both are arguably on-par or stronger. Lily is a permanently divine-sealed (with its own built-in AOE divine seal that stacks with that base potency and can be further Divine Sealed by Rouse) 0 mana always-on version of regen that can split its ticks, doesn't need to be recast, and has a built-in AFK mode if you want to use it. Roused, Illuminated Whispering Dawn is more potent than Medica 2 (Hilariously enough, it is quite similar to pre-nerf Medica 2, which got a slap with the nerf bat because it was too powerful. On a white mage maybe). Lustrate is a more flexible, target-split capable emergency heal on the same "cooldown" as Tetra. Aetherflow and Indomitability, while not dealing damage in cleric stance, restore way more mana and heal more than Assize does, on a shorter timer, with the added bonus of not being an emergency heal that you're forced to put on cooldown if you want to use your mana regeneration. Emergency Tactics straight up gives SCH medica on a relatively short cooldown. Without even touching their shielding or their mitigation abilities, Scholar has a very powerful straight healing toolkit. WHM's main advantage is that they can spam some of those abilities, often in situations where casting it once or twice is sufficient. I don't get this community impression that WHM is "the pure raw healer", because that's only true by a very narrow margin.

Yes, using Aetherflow stacks for these is an opportunity cost. You could use them on Energy drain. That's ignoring the fact that Aetherflow already restores about as much MP as WHM's entire combined MP restoration kit on a shorter cooldown, so it's an opportunity to get even more mana back.

SCH has so many advantages it's insane. AST was overbuffed because they needed to keep up with the steamrolling monster that is SCH. WHM either needs an overhaul that takes them beyond the tired song and dance of "but you have Cure 3!" or Scholar needs a severe beating with the nerf bat. Yoshi stated he wasn't going to do the latter (WHY!?!?, since WHM has ALWAYS been fair game for it. But that's its own rant) I'm going to wait until 4.0 to see if we get the former. I like WHM for its flavor, but good heavens does it need some love.

Tl;dr Scholar is the beast that is the source of this lack of identity.

[Thunda_Cat_SMASH]

Scholar needs a severe beating with the nerf bat. Yoshi stated he wasn't going to do the latter (WHY!?!?, since WHM has ALWAYS been fair game for it.

Yoshi knows that if he nerfs Scholar, the community outrage over the lost dps would be so bad it would cause a mass exodus. I do agree Scholar needs nerfs, but I don't see it happening without the obligatory torches and pitchforks.

[N8Dawgg]

Aspec benefic, aspec helios, collective unconcious, time dilation on tank, celestial opposition on the party, 3k-5k regens for 25+ seconds is pretty amazing no matter how you slice it, those numbers make my heart happy

Asylum has its own tick, so its hard to tell, but I think they come pretty close? But the ability to extend regens is also no joke.

[N8Dawgg]

Cleric Stance is a Conjurer skill right? How about a WHM trait that reduces MP cost of offensive spells? Or a WHM ability usable in Cleric that reduces MP cost of offensive spells?

[Exiled_Tonberry]

Yoshi knows that if he nerfs Scholar, the community outrage over the lost dps would be so bad it would cause a mass exodus. I do agree Scholar needs nerfs, but I don't see it happening without the obligatory torches and pitchforks.

Honestly they screwed up here too. They buffed ASTs shields to be, on average, stronger than SCHs shields. So now SCH is more than ever focused on their pet heals and DPS. Nerfing their DPS or pet now is going to throw AST over the edge just like with WHM.

I hear that the AST buffs are more like patchwork more than permanent buffs, but I don't see them reducing balance or rolling back heal potency at all. They created ye another minster while WHM remains simply viable. And yet somehow WHM is the one that gets nerfs after nerfs lol, I'll never understand how a Stoneskin would make WHM "mandatory" and a 20% balance doesn't.

[VanilleFang]

AST is healing more at lower MP costs, and they have the best MP regen ability! What do we do to fix this? We should nerf AST or buff the other healers of course!
Wait.
WHM has Cure III AND Stoneskin II?

*makes Stoneskin II crosscross*

[Exiled_Tonberry]

AST is healing more at lower MP costs, and they have the best MP regen ability! What do we do to fix this? We should nerf AST or buff the other healers of course!
Wait.
WHM has Cure III AND Stoneskin II?

*makes Stoneskin II crosscross*

Watch. SE is going to give AST Benefic III by 4.0 and Nerf Divine Seal. Just....just watch...

[Amal_Wright]

Cleric Stance is a Conjurer skill right? How about a WHM trait that reduces MP cost of offensive spells? Or a WHM ability usable in Cleric that reduces MP cost of offensive spells?

I like this line of thinking. Everyone can use cleric stance, but why not make WHM the one that truly integrates it? For example:

Fluid Aura
150 potency, 5y range
Additional Effect with Cleric-Off: 15y knockback and bind
Additional Effect with Cleric-On: range extended to 20y, no knockback

Maybe make the heavy effect of stone I something different with cleric on? Still thinking.