Healers that don't want to DPS are like DPSes who refuse to move out of AoEs.

[Jwrigh7784]

I'll add my two cents here. As a tank I prefer that my healer/healers focus on only one thing, healing. That is the role they chose, not dps. If that means they stand around doing nothing for a bit so be it, just means they will be ready to throw out a heal when needed. Their role doesn't require them to dps. Usually healers are given dps abilities to enable them to solo and do quests not to add to overall dungeon or raid dps. To demand that a healer also dps is a bit elitist. If a healer wants to dps and can do so without wiping the party than cool, if not, no biggie. Elitism is part of what makes a gaming community toxic.

[Hunky]

Dpsing can definitely help your group out. You just gotta get comfortable with stance dancing and know when it's time to dps and when it's time to heal.

For a dungeon pull, you can usually just cast regen on the tank and that's good enough for the whole pull.

[Atos]

Because there is no such thing as doing anything "casually" in non-casual content...?

To me "dps'ing casually" means something like what happens during a dungeon boss - you top up the party, throw regen the tank then stand there twiddling your thumbs. Not going all-out, but throw a couple of dots on the boss until you need to heal again and so on. In raid you can only dps during specific windows or be an off-healer and dps constantly. There is no distinction between "casual" and "focused" dps anymore, it becomes scripted.

Now, the dps have to "carry" healers and tanks? They're just doing what they're meant to do, there's no need to carry anyone. As you pointed out yourself, you can do without healers and tanks dedicating themselves specifically to doing damage. Sure it helps, but I do not see any scenario - whatsoever - in current content where a party would absolutely need healer and tank dps to clear anything. In worst case the fight is going to last longer and you'll see more mechanics. And if you party is afraid of mechanics then you'd definitely want healer to focus on healing and keep MP in reserve.

Is it worth it though? If healer is not dps'ing maybe they're conserving mp, maybe they don't trust party members not to get into stuff and are keeping an eye out for any sudden damage spikes, maybe they're still familiarizing themselves with the instance. Would you want to risk wiping the party at the price of a little extra dps?

Again, it's nice to have that extra help; but to expect and demand that they do it isn't great strategy IMO. Not if it means they won't be 100% focused on what they're actually meant to do.

[aleph_null]

To demand that a healer also dps is a bit elitist. If a healer wants to dps and can do so without wiping the party than cool, if not, no biggie. Elitism is part of what makes a gaming community toxic.

Sometimes it's not a matter of "what's necessary" but "what can be contributed," all of the raids in this game are scripted, with little to no randomness involved, so it's not necessary to standby just to be ready to throw out a heal when needed. Once you learn the raid boss rotation you know precisely how many casts of dps spells you can do before having to throw another heal. The only things you need to actually react to are the mistakes made by your fellow group members, which should decrease as your group learns more about the raid.

Of course healers can just heal, which is the bare minimum required of them to clear contents, but healers who just heal are objectively inferior to healers who can contribute more dps while also keeping the party alive. Obviously I won't expect much from random healers I meet in dungeons, just like I won't expect top notch dmg output from the dps, but if I step into ex trials or savage raids, I definitely will expect the healers to contribute more than just heals. To be fair, I will also expect the dps and tanks to perform at levels higher than what I expect from dps or tanks I meet in dungeons. Basically I have no problem with healers who don't dps in easy contents, but don't go around convincing people that's the "right" way to play, since it's definitely not the optimal way to play their classes. It's like ice mages running around trying to tell people to stop using fire spells.

[Jwrigh7784]

I, personally, don't have a problem with healer's not dpsing. It doesn't matter if contributing minor amounts of damage is the optimal way to play. The simple fact is the healer role was not designed with the intention of them having to contribute to damage so it doesn't bother me if all they do is heal, even in harder content. The idea that people expect them to dps as well as heal is just wrong to me. I'm not bashing anyone but to get upset if a healer doesn't dps seems stupid considering dps isn't a game mandated requirement for healers.

[Nyxn607]

How about this .... FFXIV is a game first and foremost. Most people play it to have fun, not to be bullied into a certain playstyle. If you don't like how someone is playing, guess what? It has absolutely no affect on your personal life outside of ... you guessed it ... a GAME. I am really getting tired of seeing butt hurt people complaining that healer's don't dps, tanks don't pull enough, dps isn't using the optimal rotation. If you are that concerned get a group of like minded people together and run raids/dungeons. Leave other to play how they want.

[aleph_null]

Again, when doing harder contents it's a matter of what one can bring to benefit the group, to respect your fellow group members. I don't care what the intentions of the devs were when they designed the jobs and fights, but I do know (to some extent) what my jobs can do, so if I intentionally gimp myself by not doing something I can, just because it's not "absolutely necessary" then I'm being disrespectful to the other people in my group.

There's absolutely no excuse for not "trying" to dps as healers, other than learning the content and just being lazy. I said trying to dps, because obviously whether you're able to dps or not is directly related to how your group performs. If the tanks don't use cds well, the dps are taking unnecessary damage, then yeah you may not be able to dps even if you want to.

[DiamondOrion]

I don't have a preference myself. Its my personal opinion that most people just like to complain and want to impose their opinions and beliefs on others, and are taking this game way too seriously. I seem to be a minority though, at least on the forums. One would think that people who dislike dealing with others playstyles would just make premades and be happier.. One of the best things about multiplayer games is meeting strangers and comparing playstyles, dialect, and overcoming differences but maybe im a psychopath who should be surprised when i see people act so different from myself in an online game.

I agree with this guy .... I try to dps .. but who cares if the group fails so-be-it I'm not stressing it ...

[Kitfox]

The simple fact is the healer role was not designed with the intention of them having to contribute to damage

That's not how a fact is determined. Damage spells exist, they are buffed by Cleric Stance, healing design allows down time (especially in easy content), AND the dps is high enough to be make an impact. Those are facts.

It doesn't matter what you think the intention is, look at reality instead.

[Lexia]

That's not how a fact is determined. Damage spells exist, they are buffed by Cleric Stance, healing design allows down time (especially in easy content), AND the dps is high enough to be make an impact. Those are facts.

It doesn't matter what you think the intention is, look at reality instead.

This is a double edged sword here. SE has put in the ability for healers to dps but don't actually factor in healer dps when making/turning content.