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

[Average-Joe]

Here's my thoughts on the matter:

Everyone in a group has a role they are expected to, at minimum, perform. For tanks, this role is to keep aggro on enemies, and stay alive as long as possible on their own. For DPS, this role is to simply deal as much damage as possible as fast as possible for extended periods of time. For a healer, it's to keep everyone in the group alive outside of each individual's own self-sustain.

If you do this basic job you are expected to do, you are meeting expectations set forth by the role system. However, just like in real life, people don't just want your bare minimum.
Imagine you were hired to clean a room, and despite the room being very untidy, it was really only specified that "clean" meant to "remove all trash" from the room. Sure, you can remove all of the trash from the room, but will your employer take you back just because you TECHNICALLY met expectations? Possibly, but they are more likely to put faith into someone who will do more than their bare minimum. Someone who will tidy the shelves, straighten the paintings, pick up toppled chairs - someone who will, not necessarily go incredibly above and beyond, but who will at least do the bare minimum and then some.

These people who do more than the bare minimum are:
The tanks who, instead of spamming emnity skills to get as much threat as possible and never swapping into dps stance or using dps combos, actually utilizes their entire toolkit to remain JUST above the rest of the party's emnity so that they can hold aggro while killing the mobs faster.
The DPS who, instead of standing still and doing their rotation to pump out maximum dps, are careful - they avoid taking unnecessary damage and wisely utilize their defensive capabilities and other tools to reduce the load on their allies, while still dealing good dps and getting the enemies down fast.
The Healer who, instead of standing around picking their nose when they don't have to heal, stance dances and assists their fellows in taking down the enemies which are causing damage to their allies as well as healing, mitigating, and otherwise preventing the demise of the group when they need to.

You can technically get by with the bare minimum, but it won't be as efficient and, just like a bare-minimum employee in the real world, people may opt to stop bringing you along if they find someone willing to put in more effort into their craft than you are.

[Taika]

Originally I played whm in 1.x and it was all about healing, never damage. You never got the chance, the fights were very healing intensive and I loved it ^^

This is not correct, for example here is me DPSing on WHM in Nael Hard Mode, which was the toughest fight in the whole 1.0 (that game play looks really awful now xD). I remember us also doing Moogle Hard WHM burns in 1.0.

[Valmaxian]

This is not correct, for example here is me DPSing on WHM in Nael Hard Mode, which was the toughest fight in the whole 1.0 (that game play looks really awful now xD). I remember us also doing Moogle Hard WHM burns in 1.0.

OMG - It looks more like FFXI thank XIV! And what is with that soprano?!?! XD

[Rivxkobe]

Your right I could do that but I dont actually enjoy dpsig, maybe time to find aother game, or go back to wow

Honestly, that's probably the best thing to do. I don't mean any disrespect but this game is not WoW and here the healer role is expected to do more than heal. Those who refuse to DPS are not playing as the role was intended to be played and are letting everyone on their team down.

[bounddreamer]

Honestly, that's probably the best thing to do. I don't mean any disrespect but this game is not WoW and here the healer role is expected to do more than heal. Those who refuse to DPS are not playing as the role was intended to be played and are letting everyone on their team down.

No need to go that far - that attitude while not exactly acceptable in casual content can get by. It's when you expect to clear savage and extreme content and only heal, as main or off healer, that a healing only attitude is unacceptable.

[technole]

No need to go that far - that attitude while not exactly acceptable in casual content can get by. It's when you expect to clear savage and extreme content and only heal, as main or off healer, that a healing only attitude is unacceptable.

A better way to look at it is every job in this game is responsible for damage. Does anyone really think all of savage is cleared with tank stance 24/7?

[Cleftobismal]

I'm exploring the world of tanking. And lo and behold. I came across an AST in the party. The whole entire run he had a full mana bar since he did not cast a single DPS spell. During the many down times on healing, he literally was pressing space bar while moving around on pulls and the boss fights. By the way, there weren't any indicators and aoes going about from the enemy. I thought he was trolling me on purpose because he was wearing a Chocobo suite. But newp, when I mentioned it after he left the duty at the end, one of the dps happened to be his friend and he said "Oh he just didn't feel like DPSING".















My conscious was fighting my Dark side real hard to not lash out.

[Feyona]

Honestly, that's probably the best thing to do. I don't mean any disrespect but this game is not WoW and here the healer role is expected to do more than heal. Those who refuse to DPS are not playing as the role was intended to be played and are letting everyone on their team down.

Really? SE intended healers to be forced to dps ?

[VanilleFang]

Really? SE intended healers to be forced to dps ?

They intended healers to dps whenever they weren't healing. I think it's pretty clear since we have so many damaging spells, Cleric Stance, and so much downtime during fights. Not to mention the fact that no other role just stands around when they can't use their "best" abilities.

[Feyona]

They intended healers to dps whenever they weren't healing. I think it's pretty clear since we have so many damaging spells, Cleric Stance, and so much downtime during fights. Not to mention the fact that no other role just stands around when they can't use their "best" abilities.

Yes got that point, but look at it another way. Rolled as healer but not allowed to heal even when necessary, or ostracized for doing what job was intended to do mainly