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

[IceSpear]

I like to view healers like Overwatch does and for anyone who doesn't know what that is they basically class healers as support characters and in that retrospect I feel like healers are meant to help and again support the group however way they may need.

[tjw]

Also, Repose is worthless when the team is supposed to be AoEing the mobs.

"Supposed" being the keyword there. It's very useless, not denying it, but when I can let Repose expire on a mob because the DPS are taking so long to single target another mob down...

[Pentacus]

I think this whole topic can be boiled down to: Did you do any Conjurer class quests from level 5 and beyond? Yes? Then why the hell didn't you learn the very lesson you were trying to teach Sylphie with her "I only want to heal! I don't want to cast those stone and wind spells!" stance? The game's training quests and the very story itself is telling you that the "I only want to heal" mentality is bad.

I mean hell, even the other FF games drill it into you, even going back to the very first game:

what did you do when nobody needed healing? did you make your white mage just Defend? did you make them waste their limited spells?

or did you give them a hammer and make them bludgeon/dia the enemies into little pieces?

if smashing/shooting/punching/magicing/stabbing the enemies into chunky salsa is good enough for Aeris, Celes, Rosa, Porom, Garnet, Yuna, and various other white mages through the series, then it's good enough for you.

[RaizeGraymalkin]

I think this whole topic can be boiled down to: Did you do any Conjurer class quests from level 5 and beyond? Yes? Then why the hell didn't you learn the very lesson you were trying to teach Sylphie with her "I only want to heal! I don't want to cast those stone and wind spells!" stance? The game's training quests and the very story itself is telling you that the "I only want to heal" mentality is bad.

I don't begrudge anyone who comes to this for the first time looking to play a healer and only wants to heal. As far as I'm concerned that's their only job and everything else is a bonus. Do they have offensive tools. Well of course they do. They need something for solo content and main story progression afterall. I've always hated the "healer has to DPS" meta this game has created. So many complain when they see a healer in a dungeon just standing around not doing anything, if everyone is topped off. Me? If we're all standing then in my book they've done their job. Now it's my job to kill the trash and the tanks job to hold aggro.

[Kitfox]

Do they have offensive tools. Well of course they do. They need something for solo content and main story progression afterall. I've always hated the "healer has to DPS" meta this game has created.

If you acknowledge you have tools, you should use 'em. Same as DPS who should use their Second Wind and defensive cooldowns if they're getting targeted by mechanics or dying otherwise, same as tanks who should use their DPS stance, same as BRD/MCH/NIN who should use their support for MP/TP when needed, Quelling Strikes/Shadewalker/Smoke Bomb to help with tank Enmity, same as BLM using Apocastasis as extra tank mitigation, same as SMN using Virus and Eye For An Eye for mitigation. Every class has abilities that are "outside of their role."

People need to stop thinking about what they should do and start thinking what they CAN do! Don't get hung up on role labels.

[Bourne_Endeavor]

I don't begrudge anyone who comes to this for the first time looking to play a healer and only wants to heal. As far as I'm concerned that's their only job and everything else is a bonus. Do they have offensive tools. Well of course they do. They need something for solo content and main story progression afterall. I've always hated the "healer has to DPS" meta this game has created. So many complain when they see a healer in a dungeon just standing around not doing anything, if everyone is topped off. Me? If we're all standing then in my book they've done their job. Now it's my job to kill the trash and the tanks job to hold aggro.

You do not need spells as potent as Holy or the numerous dots healers have if they are only meant to DPS in solo content. In fact, why allow Cleric Stance at all? In PvP, the devs took it away yet chose not to for group based PvE. Sort of telling what's expected of you.

[kartana]

I see it like this: your/our job is NOT to #1 just stand there and wait until you can heal someone and #2 to top off the tank whenever he takes a bit of damage.
If someone is not comfortable stance dancing then at least apply your DoTs and damage spells normally when there is nothing to heal. There is no reason to just stand there or for the tank to be at 100% all the time. The stance dancing comes with experience of the content you are doing, knowing when damage is coming etc. When in doubt stay out of cleric and apply DoT/DPS and heals as necessary.

[RopeDrink]

I've encountered oh so many Healers who, beit paranoia, laziness, or having a set-idea of expectations, would pretty much just stand on the side-lines and wait until a healing button needed to be pressed. You can say as much as you like that 'as long as they're doing their job, which is 'healing', we shouldn't complain', but no, there is no logical reason whatsoever why anyone should take the lazy approach unless you actually DO want things to go slower. Slight forgiveness for those who are entering a dungeon for the first, or first time healers in general, but even then it should be obvious when you should be in Cleric Stance and even more obvious when you should be out of it.

In short, there is no real excuse. You have a huge toolkit. You can choose not to use it if you wish, or prefer, but that says to me that you're happy being a mediocre addition to a group compared to a player who utilizes their full potential.

[Rubiss]

Have you ever actually tried just healing? I did an experiment a few days ago. I went into dungeons as a SCH, used auto Eos and literally only healed if necessary. I stood around and did nothing for the vast majority of the dungeon. I'm sorry but if you don't DPS as a healer, you are not playing your class correctly at all. It is your job to play to the best of your ability and if you can't really balance healing and doing damage, perhaps DPSing may be more your speed, where you only focus on damage.

[Feyona]

Have you ever actually tried just healing? I did an experiment a few days ago. I went into dungeons as a SCH, used auto Eos and literally only healed if necessary. I stood around and did nothing for the vast majority of the dungeon. I'm sorry but if you don't DPS as a healer, you are not playing your class correctly at all. It is your job to play to the best of your ability and if you can't really balance healing and doing damage, perhaps DPSing may be more your speed, where you only focus on damage.

Well there is cleric and non cleric dps so, I agree you neednt be standing around even if you arnt stance dancing. At the same time I would advocate choice but atm people are objecting to some putting in less effort than others, and some healers dont like the boredom. There isnt much choice of playstyle currently though otherwise