White Mage just might be okay

[Cynfael]

I don't get this forum

Slightly off-topic here, but how much of an impact does Freecure make in your daily WHM life? Do you find that it helps you not run out of MP? Do you cast enough Cures that you see very many Freecure procs at all?

I'm guessing that the answer to the above questions is no. Aside from raid progression, I can't think of many situations in which Cure spam is so real that you get significant value out of Freecure.

[Metsonm]

I don't get this forum

I get where he's coming from. The number of times I've just watched Freecure fall off because the cure that procced it brought the tank out of danger with HoTs covering the difference is probably shared by most WHMs. And if I have Freecure and Tetra I'm still using Tetra first because that can be followed with a Stone III 2 seconds sooner.

I'll not say Freecure is bad, but it's extremely situational.

[RhettSerris]

using current content as a reference to raid development in Storm Blood, a competent healer (not just White Mage) attempts to convert as many healing GCDs into offensive GCDs, and they also use and plan their oGCDs so that they're used as much as they can for the most impact. With this in mind, lilies blooming will be infrequent and rare, and there will be very rare scenarios in which we'll even get three lilies for the single-oGCD Spear as WHM should be using their oGCDs frequently and tactfully.

I agree that it won't really be a frequent occurrence, in that regard the lily system is far from ideal. In regards to being a noticeable boost to WHM, it's frankly just not. And I think that's what the main source of contention is (correct me if I'm wrong there).

But it seems like people are extrapolating from there that White Mage is going to be so suboptimal that it will be turned away, that the job is dead. I don't think that's the case at all. I know that probably won't really change any minds, but I figured in a sea of threads about how WHM is going to be awful, a thread about how maybe things'll turn out okay would be welcome.

As a WHM vet to another WHM vet, please don't ever say this dirty filthy disgusting phrase anymore.

If it's any consolation just writing it made me shiver uncomfortably like my foot was being ghosted over by five to six feathers in unison.

[SuzakuCMX]

Aside from raid progression

Is there any other place where the content is hard enough that the differences between class balance actually matter? WHM can just set regen, Asylum, and Medica II and then faceroll Stone IV all day in a dungeon and be head and shoulders above SCH/AST in damage in dungeons.

I get where he's coming from. The number of times I've just watched Freecure fall off because the cure that procced it brought the tank out of danger with HoTs covering the difference is probably shared by most WHMs. And if I have Freecure and Tetra I'm still using Tetra first because that can be followed with a Stone III 2 seconds sooner.

I'll not say Freecure is bad, but it's extremely situational.

It's FAR from useless. Freecure means you can let the tank drop HP for a few more seconds while you DPS and then you can use Cure II instead of spamming Cure I to get them out of that HP hole, or you get to save some MP by using Cure II instead of Cure I (because who cares about overhealing if your tank is aggroing properly at that point and WHM needs all the MP it can get). It's one of the best healer passives in the game.

[Cynfael]

But it seems like people are extrapolating from there that White Mage is going to be so suboptimal that it will be turned away, that the job is dead.

For what it's worth, I think calling the job dead is definitely hyperbole.

On the other hand, if players are dissatisfied by what information they are receiving, they absolutely should start planning the funeral if only to create enough of a spectacle to attract SE's attention to the issues they could be creating.

[Cynfael]

Is there any other place where the content is hard enough that the differences between class balance actually matter? WHM can just set regen, Asylum, and Medica II and then faceroll Stone IV all day in a dungeon and be head and shoulders above SCH/AST in damage in dungeons.

Even progression is only a phase. Cure spam inevitable drops off as competence, ilvl, and eventually Echo rise.

We're getting seriously off-point, though. The only reason Freecure made it into my response is because the OP suggested synergy with Freecure and the Lily system, and I wanted to put into perspective that you won't even be seeing Freecure very much in general gameplay for the same reason that most good WHMs will generate few Lilies in that same general content.

[RhettSerris]

For what it's worth, I think calling the job dead is definitely hyperbole.

On the other hand, if players are dissatisfied by what information they are receiving, they absolutely should start planning the funeral if only to create enough of a spectacle to attract SE's attention to the issues they could be creating.

I feel like there's a difference between expressing dissatisfaction and planning a funeral, as it were. Dissatisfaction? I totally get. This mechanic doesn't feel super cool. It doesn't really add anything to the most optimal playstyle. And I probably was being hyperbolic myself when I suggested replacing Regen with Cure, I'm sorry for that.
But we've got threads now like "I'm quitting because of these WHM changes" White Mage hasn't gone down at all. Everyone else has gone up for sure, or changed 'n stuff, but White Mage isn't worse off to the point where you need to quit over it...is it?

[Risvertasashi]

But we've got threads now like "I'm quitting because of these WHM changes" White Mage hasn't gone down at all. Everyone else has gone up for sure, or changed 'n stuff, but White Mage isn't worse off to the point where you need to quit over it...is it?

Do you remember all the abuse hurled at ASTs in 3.0? Now, technically AST never needed a buff. At 3.0 it could do stuff just fine. It could probably have even cleared the raid tiers in competent hands. But it was markedly behind and... as mentioned, people were not kind to those playing the job and PFs locked them out.

WHM is on the same path. Yeah, quitting may be hyperbole. But it's not exactly going to be fun times for dedicated WHM mains, any more than 3.0 was for AST mains.

Lastly... WHM's relative power is going down quite a bit (when it's already behind). And Divine Seal has been flat out nerfed and not in a small way, which has been a pretty central part of WHM's core kit.

[Metsonm]

But we've got threads now like "I'm quitting because of these WHM changes" White Mage hasn't gone down at all. Everyone else has gone up for sure, or changed 'n stuff, but White Mage isn't worse off to the point where you need to quit over it...is it?

Unfortunately everything is relative. Without going into the debate over WHM going up, down or staying the same and accepting for this point that it's remained at the same level, you yourself have said that the other two healers went up in standing.

Relatively that means the average level has been moved up while we remain in place, so it certainly feels like we've been left behind or had an indirect nerf through buffs of others.

[CaeliaCat]

Healing

In regards to healing, damage is handled in three ways. Filling simple health bars, shields (extending health bars) and mitigation (like sacred soil).

Savage Alexander and even Coil REQUIRED all three components of healing to be successful when progressing while content was relevant.

All WHM will be able to do in 4.0, as it currently stands, regardless of how many different systems, stacks, abilities, or skills are in place, will be to top off health bars, or cast a single 15% shield, IF they are lucky enough to proc a lily when the shielding mechanic (tank buster or phase transition) is coming up. Even a Diurnal AST, literally designed to take the place of a WHM, has access to Collective Unconscious, a 10% party-wide mitigation ability. The old on-demand 10% shield like Stoneskin would be an IMPROVEMENT to this 15%, RNG-gated, single person/cast shield for WHM.

I understand that some WHMs out there may not care about shielding or mitigation. However, with the 15% healing improvement while in Diurnal and improved aspected regen bonus, I'm not even sure if WHM will be the best at topping health bars off. Either way, there are no medals for overhealing. Players only have so much health, and there will not be any content in the game that a SCH or AST cannot heal themselves.

Damage

Yes, individual WHM damage gets a very slight improvement when compared to the other healers in the OP chart. Let's be honest though. SCH starts out a battle with aetherflow stacks up AND in reserve. AST individual numbers should be augmented to reflect that they are also receiving balance or arrow when they give it to the party.

On party damage improvement, WHM contributes nothing. Nada. AST of course is starting out a battle with a spread balance (or at worst arrow), with celestial opposition of course and time dilation for a lucky dps player. SCH has fey wind and their new crit boost ability.

When looking at the damage that a healer "brings to a party", it's not even close, even with the slight boost of Stone IV.

Final Thoughts

Honestly, I understand that non-WHM players are coming over to the healer forums with curiosity. I really don't think this is a case of "the sky is falling!" though. WHM really stands a chance at being excluded from Omega progression, and maybe even extreme primals as the bias filters throughout the community.

At least until the mess of skills / abilities gets fixed.