Why you should play a healer!

[Jerichai]

You took a statement about timers (is there anyone else here who read that in the context of this discussion and thought I was alleging that healers didn’t need to pay attention to mechanics? Just wondering...) and made an argument out of it.

In the immortal words of every grade-schooler ever, “You started it.”

So please, do enlighten me on what exactly is different to your vague statement of "timers" and reacting to any other condition in an encounter. You're the one stating there's some significant difference in your original post.

[Ghishlain]

So please, do enlighten me on what exactly is different to your vague statement of "timers" and reacting to any other condition in an encounter. You're the one stating there's some significant difference in your original post.

I believe Cynfael is talking about unique job timers such as Greased Lightning, Hot Shot, Straight Shot, Huton, Heavy Thrust, etc.

AKA, things that a DPS class need to maintain to increase their effectiveness. Healer's don't really have any buff up time to maintain or rotation for optimal DPS / HPS.

The type of timers you're talking about are mechanics, IE:









Every single member of the party has to respond to these mechanics. They will respond differently, but it doesn't change that every single person has to respond to them and are not unique to an individual job.

[Cynfael]

So please, do enlighten me on what exactly is different to your vague statement of "timers" and reacting to any other condition in an encounter. You're the one stating there's some significant difference in your original post.

I'm probably going to regret this, but let me attempt to explain (once more) in good faith:

Encounter conditions, as you call them, are not unique to the Healer role; every combat Job in the game deals with boss mechanics and such, and I think most would recognize that this goes without saying. The discussion about how other players' ability or inability to successfully execute mechanics affects the healer role is a valid one, but clearly not the point I was making. I think I've made my opinion very clear that the healer role is fairly uncomplicated as far as Job (emphasis: Job, not encounter) mechanics go, and that the main challenge of playing healer is in planning encounters and knowing how to adapt when necessary.

As for timers, I truly don't understand how you interpreted that to mean encounter mechanics, especially in context of the ongoing discussion. There was even a series of posts where someone else got weird about my statement, which prompted me to further clarify. There was a mini-discussion about the difference between "timers" and "timing." I suppose you stopped at my post, took offense at what you thought I was suggesting, and went straight to reply?

Kabzy framed it nicely:

He said timers, not timing. Timing is something every job has to deal with, so it can't really be applied to healers specifically. As for positioning, not sure I agree with you there. I stand close enough to the boss/middle and that's about it. Literally only have to move for mechanics (again, like every other job) and nothing else. DPS jobs have actual positionals and tanks do whatever tanks do.

I agree with the point that healing in execution is far easier than the other roles. We literally have 3 DPS buttons, don't even have to worry about Cleric anymore and our heals are ...heals. In the case that we make a mistake, we often have emergencies to rectify them, no other role can do that. In execution it's easy, in everything else you can argue that it's one of the more tougher roles.

TL;DR: Every Job is concerned with encounter mechanics. Healer is the only role that is not specifically concerned with executing combos, watching to make sure that their timers aren't falling off and restricting access to their abilities, and/or attacking a target specifically from the flank or rear to activate the secondary benefit of an attack or continue a combo.

You could continue to argue against what you wrongly assumed I said some pages back, or just maybe you could admit that you jumped to conclusions and had nothing to be concerned about in the first place...?

[Jerichai]

Ah yes combos. Truly the most skill intensive mechanic in any game. Only the greatest of the great can handle pressing the button highlighted on their UI...

All your effectively done is once again tell me all DPS have a rotation they follow for optimal output. Or put otherwise, they're following a script. Your original statement for why healers aren't complex is that their play style is scripted. But you yourself just stated that DPS are the same...

(Should we also go into how a healer playing optimally and pushing as much DPS as their healing requirements allow make DPS job easier?)

[Cynfael]

Ah yes combos. Truly the most skill intensive mechanic in any game. Only the greatest of the great can handle pressing the button highlighted on their UI...

All your effectively done is once again tell me all DPS have a rotation they follow for optimal output. Or put otherwise, they're following a script. Your original statement for why healers aren't complex is that their play style is scripted. But you yourself just stated that DPS are the same...

(Should we also go into how a healer playing optimally and pushing as much DPS as their healing requirements allow make DPS job easier?)

I'm bowing out of this debate over nothing. I call it when I'm now being challenged on healer DPS and being asked to repeat things I stated literally one post up on the page and in many previous posts. I'm not sure what point you are trying to make or what you are trying to prove, but I'm getting off of this trollercoaster.

Ghish, thank you for attempting to explain, but I don't think anything is getting through.

[MoroMurasaki]

Ah yes combos. Truly the most skill intensive mechanic in any game. Only the greatest of the great can handle pressing the button highlighted on their UI...

All your effectively done is once again tell me all DPS have a rotation they follow for optimal output. Or put otherwise, they're following a script. Your original statement for why healers aren't complex is that their play style is scripted. But you yourself just stated that DPS are the same...

(Should we also go into how a healer playing optimally and pushing as much DPS as their healing requirements allow make DPS job easier?)

I see your class right now is listed as BLM (well, THM, but at level 52 so I'm going to assume BLM) so I'm going to compare with that because I'm going to assume you have a reasonable understanding of that job.

On WHM the only time-sensitive part of our job we contend with outside of CDs on buffs/oGCD heals would be Freecure and Overcure, the latter of which goes unused more often than not. The only effect of Freecure is (as it sounds) making Cure II free to cast. Handy but by no means crippling if it falls off without you using it. It has virtually zero effect on our ability to heal and literally zero effect on our DPS. Two DoTs, an AoE or a single target nuke.

On SCH you may get the buff to make a Succor free (reduced? I don't even know, proves how integral it is I guess) when you use Sacred Soil. Everything else is a CD/oGCD on you or your fairy. No buffs to maintain. You get an extra DoT at least. It doubles as your AoE nuke though.

AST actually approaches something resembling a timer though since it operates exclusively off of RNG with very little ability for the player to manipulate results (basically all we can do is extend card buffs when they're good and CO/TD happen to be off CD) and only one DoT. One single target and one AoE nuke. Everything else is a CD or an oGCD heal.

Now let's look at BLM. I am no expert so BLM enthusiasts out there please don't hang me if I butcher a bit of this. First up we have Astral Fire and Umbral Ice, basic timers but already more integral to the class's effectiveness than any healer timer is. Ask any player with common sense and they will take a WHM who doesn't watch for Freecure over a BLM not paying attention to their AF/UI any day. The timers make the class.

Later on you get Enchain (sp?) which, again, if you don't cast enough during it you kill your own DPS. Even leaving out the new mechanics (with which I am even less familiar than the old ones, honestly the complicated buff maintenence and timers have kept me from leveling past 28) BLM gameplay is more technically complicated by 60 than any healer at 70.

I understand that healing is hard for some people. Some groups make healing hard for me and its my comfort zone. Just because its challenging sometimes doesn't mean it requires a higher level of technical ability.

Also for the love of god stop acting like healers are the only ones with basic CDs like AF to watch for. AF specifically even exists on a DPS class - SMN! Cooldowns and oGCD abilities exist on every class in the game, they are not specific to healers.