As a healer, is it my job to DPS? A new perspective.

[HyperiusUltima]

The devs not accounting for healer DPS is due to the sheer difficulty that imposes on the raid as a whole. Gordias Savage was literally impossible without both healer DPS contribution. Even properly geared, the DPS checks were incredibly tight, which made the fight needlessly frustrating for many. By eliminating that one requirement, Savage was better balanced. In short, it's a simple adjustment to gameplay design in lieu of lowering DPS checks wholesale. That does not mean the intent was for healers to never DPS.

Nevertheless, you are omitting an important factor. A healer can mitigate incoming damage if the target dies faster. They accomplish this by contributing to the DPS. What isn't alive to hit back needn't be healed through.

It was the design of Gordias that started the DPS Meta, and come Stormblood we may still be seeing DPS Meta. I agree with the fact that Healer DPS is playing 'optimally', and should be in most cases once you're familiar enough with stance dancing and finding the windows available as a healer, but the elephant is still in the room no matter what.

People are going to always pressure their healers into adding DPS come Lv 60 because it's not to 'help the player get better' but rather just to make their run faster, and it's generally accepted ever since we had those tight DPS checks. Of course, it varies from person to person, but a majority of the community see it that way.

Until they figure out something in Stormblood, this will more than likely be an endless circle jerk of arguments regarding the topic.

As for my personal input on the DPS Meta in general, I'm just going to flat out say: I don't like it. I do it for the sake of my team, but I do not like the feeling of being slammed when I'm not DPSing while keeping people's asses alive that are below 50% of their HP and something big(A11 Whirlwind) is going to come right at them and kill them.

I do not mean to be mean to anyone, but I'm just stating what I am seeing.

- End Rant -

[Bourne_Endeavor]

As for my personal input on the DPS Meta in general, I'm just going to flat out say: I don't like it. I do it for the sake of my team, but I do not like the feeling of being slammed when I'm not DPSing while keeping people's asses alive that are below 50% of their HP and something big(A11 Whirlwind) is going to come right at them and kill them.

I do not mean to be mean to anyone, but I'm just stating what I am seeing.

- End Rant -

To be fair, no one is advocating healers DPS to the detriment of actual healing. The argument has always remained "if you have time". Nonetheless, I do feel a significant problem with the current heal meta as a whole is the sheer ease in content outside savage. A healer shouldn't be in Cleric Stance 75% of a given run yet nothing hits hard enough to warrant not contributing to the actual damage. I mean, White Mage lost its footing this tier because groups simply don't need high burst healing. I'd rather content challenge the healing aspect because frankly, I like fights that push whatever role I've selected. We'll see if Stormblood does a better job than Heavensward did.

[CookieMonsta]

It was the design of Gordias that started the DPS Meta, and come Stormblood we may still be seeing DPS Meta. I agree with the fact that Healer DPS is playing 'optimally', and should be in most cases once you're familiar enough with stance dancing and finding the windows available as a healer, but the elephant is still in the room no matter what.

- End Rant -

Gordias didn't start it, it merely exposed its power. Among other things, it separated the good, bad and mediocre. Content that was finally tough enough (and not just the DPS side) to warrant considering optimal healer-tank damage.

[Cynfael]

It was the design of Gordias that started the DPS Meta

I don't know why I keep seeing this. Good healers adding DPS is a meta older than 3.x itself.

Is it your job to DPS, NO...

I appreciate the opinion that follows this introductory comment, but to be very clear for anyone just tuning in...YES, it is your job to DPS. It is the job of all three roles (and indeed of all party members) to DPS. Healers should not succumb to the conceit that DPS is something they do above and beyond their job, but accept that adding to party DPS as they are able to do so is simply another facet of the role.

The only difference with healers is that their primary obligation to the party is to counter incoming damage so that everyone can continue playing (rather than being incapacitated on the floor). To a certain extent this means that healers can end up carrying lazy or bad players who do not properly execute mechanics, which can consume a lot of GCDs and preclude much DPS, but in average or better circumstances, skilled players do not require many GCDs just for healing. This opens up the question of what they are doing with the other 80+% of their time, and the answer should not be "standing around waiting for someone to get hit."