Dear Healers who don't DPS

[Tridus]

It's simpler and more effective if the healer can be bothered to hit something.

Massive pulls are useful only if the tank and healer are up to it and if the DPS are putting out respectable AoE damage; some parties are weak enough on DPS and/or survivability that pulling more mobs actually slows things down.

People often forget that. If you pull one or two packs, I'm tossing out AoE DPS. Pull so many packs that spam healing is required? 0 DPS. If the DPS classes can't do good enough AoE to make up the gap, it's a net loss and making things both slower AND more difficult.

[C-croft]

It's simpler and more effective if the healer can be bothered to hit something.

Massive pulls are useful only if the tank and healer are up to it and if the DPS are putting out respectable AoE damage; some parties are weak enough on DPS and/or survivability that pulling more mobs actually slows things down.

People often forget that. If you pull one or two packs, I'm tossing out AoE DPS. Pull so many packs that spam healing is required? 0 DPS. If the DPS classes can't do good enough AoE to make up the gap, it's a net loss and making things both slower AND more difficult.

Devil's advocate: With that said, why as a healer should I be responsible for providing the missing DPS that the DPS can't put out. If they can't figure out the simple AoE rotations, how can I trust them to use their toolkits to do single target damage. Survivability should not be an issue since the least DPS can do is follow mechanics right? I have yet to see terrible DPS be kicked from expert for poor rotations, but a healer should be kicked for not doing DPS? Tanks should be using cooldowns to help me heal them also. Plus most tanks don't like going down to 30%-50% hp. As long as DPS and tank are doing their jobs properly, there shouldn't be any issue with AoE dmg.


I don't believe the above totally myself, because I can pump out between 15% and 20% dmg in a dungeon. However, some of the attitudes in this post alone only make the above excu... statements prevalent. All of the above are true, to an extent, but you really don't see multiple threads about it in the tank or dps forums. Also, it still stands that unless you are parsing, you won't notice the DPS failing as much. One thing of note, there is a DPS role thread right now on why DPS don't bother to AoE in the first place. DPS is a group effort and the tanks and DPS need to do their part before coming in here and complaining. I have run into more than a fair share of terribads as a healer. If I am hitting 20% or more, I know I am not the problem.

Trying to come into the healer forums and pressuring healers into dpsing isn't really solving anything and is just setting up for the next healer dps thread to come out. Just a huge back and forth. Rather than taking a tone, wouldn't it be more helpful to make a thread to help new healers to get accustomed to dpsing in dungeons? Like a nice FAQ and walkthrough? A lot of good ways have been posted in here, but then come in people who want to complain and rag on healers not dpsing. Some of you guys are real pieces of work too. Deny it all you want because, you know who you are, but elitists you are not. If you don't like running into these healers, get out of derp finder.

To my fellow healers, you really should be trying to do what you can. If I am running tank, I don't expect you to ABC or even dps at all. My commendation will go elsewhere though. But as a dpsing healer, it is way more entertaining to dps. Once you get used to dpsing, you won't be able to go back. I find myself falling asleep literally if I just stand there and heal. It makes being a healer more fun once you get used to the stress of juggling. Added bonus for those of you new to healing in SB, no more stance dance with cleric stance. Even if you just start out with a simple Swiftcast+Holy or Gravity, or a miasma II, you can build up from there. Get to know your limits and grow from there.

This is probably not how to do it, but as a SCH, I pre aldo the tank and let them charge through mobs, use a Swiftcast+aldo once their hp starts dropping as we go to the final destination. Give it a little time, because the slightest sliver is just overheal. Once there, I will usually drop a Miasma II and aldo once more. I will also drop Shadowflare once the pull has 'gathered' . Once Swiftcast is up, I usually Swiftcast Miasma+Bio and Bane, followed by a Miasma II. Then maintain dots or broil. If the DPS have been AoEing, I will also drop a couple extra Miasma II's. Throughout this, I also drop Energy Drains and an Aetherflow. You can use your faerie to heal the tank using your Aetherflow stacks to give you a little more leeway. You can start the faerie link before you finish building stacks since you will also be adding stacks during this whole time. Between Lucid, Aetherflow and energy drain, you shouldn't be anywhere close to OOM. Another note, if you find that you have too much MP, dropping a Miasma II isn't a bad thing, even if the dot is still up or the mob is close to dying.

The best part, even if what I said is all wrong, no one can complain becuase something is better than nothing right? :P

[Cynfael]

Devil's advocate: With that said, why as a healer should I be responsible for providing the missing DPS that the DPS can't put out.

I see this a lot, but I rarely ever see anyone suggest that healers are responsible for picking up the slack for poor DPS players. The only responsibility being discussed is the healer's basic responsibility to actually do something in moments while they are not needing to cast heals, which has nothing to do with making up for other party members' poor performance.

The quotes you cited by me and Tridus have nothing to do with providing "missing DPS." Those comments were in response to another poster suggesting that pulling more mobs was the solution to giving idle healers something to do, while it is actually inefficient depending on your group comp.

[QT_Melon]

Mana not used it mana wasted. So either waste it on overheals or waste it on some DPS. Your choice. I understand trepidation with trying to DPS, but there are spells that are instant casts so start with those. Then when you get more comfortable doing what you can.

[Kabooa]

Eh, I'd recommend starting with a simple but effective same-as-GCD cast time spell. If things go south during the cast you can at least stop it, get your GCD back, and start a heal.

As an example - White Mage: Aero 3 is a great spell to get used to timings on when you can / can't do stuff. It is literally your most efficient / strongest AoE spell for the GCD.

Scholars get a lot of buffer zone through Adlo, Excog, and the Faerie, and generally don't have any issues doing Miasma -> Bio -> Bane / Shadow Flare.

Can't speak for Astro, haven't played.

[Sebazy]

Rather than taking a tone, wouldn't it be more helpful to make a thread to help new healers to get accustomed to dpsing in dungeons? Like a nice FAQ and walkthrough?

Fun fact, I posted some video guides here at the release of HW showing how to do 1000 DPS as a SCH in the expert dungeons (This was in full Asuran gear pre Gordias normal mode). I got a temp ban for my efforts.

I'd love to do the same showing how I push 2.5-3k+ across the current dungeons *cough* but ya, I don't know if it'd be allowed now or what since the rules here are kind of vague in some regards =(

Good times =/

[Bourne_Endeavor]

While I agree, this happens all the time.... It's just easier to notice on a healer vs. others.

I still think that if the healer has too much idle time, you need to be pulling more things.

Many of the pure healer crowd can't actually handle the extra workload. Back in Heavensward, I had a general rule if my co-healer didn't start with Cleric on, I defaulted to DPS mode and only bounced in when necessary. Why? If they weren't going to DPS during the opening phase, where minimal damage goes out, I didn't expect they would period. I also wanted to experiment with just how many pure healers were actually good since that was often the go to defense around here. Turns out a good many weren't. Despite healing being their only responsibility, they couldn't adapt. Had one even try lecturing me on stance dancing after I left him to handle A12N just until adds came up and buckled quickly. Ironically, he was fully ACC melded and should have been the one DPSing, not me.

[C-croft]

Fun fact, I posted some video guides here at the release of HW showing how to do 1000 DPS as a SCH in the expert dungeons (This was in full Asuran gear pre Gordias normal mode). I got a temp ban for my efforts.

I'd love to do the same showing how I push 2.5-3k+ across the current dungeons *cough* but ya, I don't know if it'd be allowed now or what since the rules here are kind of vague in some regards =(

Good times =/

Wait, what? Temp ban?!

[Trunks]

Devil's advocate

Because it takes teamwork to make the dream work. Why is this so controversial?

You are doing group content. You do what it takes to win. This is the problem with MMO communities. The first question that pops into our heads when something goes wrong (or even just may potentially go wrong) is, "whom can I blame?" instead of, "what can I do to resolve this?"

I was doing NM OV1 the other day. The off-tank d/c'd. Twin Bolt came and I wasn't sure the MT could survive. So I popped Benison on myself and waltzed my happy healer [buttocks] in front of the boss and took a bolt to the face. The next time, healer #2 was nice enough to give me a big, fat shield of her own accord, because she knew what I was going to do. But with the attitude you're advocating, I should have just let the tank die and the group wipe, because you know, tanking's "not my job"!

Ridiculous. It really is.

[C-croft]

Because it takes teamwork to make the dream work. Why is this so controversial?

You are doing group content. You do what it takes to win. This is the problem with MMO communities. The first question that pops into our heads when something goes wrong (or even just may potentially go wrong) is, "whom can I blame?" instead of, "what can I do to resolve this?"

I was doing NM OV1 the other day. The off-tank d/c'd. Twin Bolt came and I wasn't sure the MT could survive. So I popped Benison on myself and waltzed my happy healer [buttocks] in front of the boss and took a bolt to the face. The next time, healer #2 was nice enough to give me a big, fat shield of her own accord, because she knew what I was going to do. But with the attitude you're advocating, I should have just let the tank die and the group wipe, because you know, tanking's "not my job"!

Ridiculous. It really is.

Do you know what devil's advocate means?