Please fix protect

[Seraphor]

Better version...how? In dungeon content, that 15% boost helps when you have tanks doing wall-to-wall pulls. Make protect any higher than what it is, and it becomes a very mandatory role action. There are healers who will cast protect at the start of an instance, and then immediately switch out to a desire role action. It's not as if you need to keep protect on your role action the entire time.

I'll admit, I'm confused about the second weakness penalty. Can that be explained?

Its already a mandatory skill. Most dungeons won't start until the healer uses protect.
Like you said, they then have the hassle of changing their role skills.

It's a weakness penalty because that 15% additional defence becomes a baseline, and when you die, the healer isn't likely to stop and recast protect until the fight is over, if at all.

[KaivaC]

Its already a mandatory skill. Most dungeons won't start until the healer uses protect.
Like you said, they then have the hassle of changing their role skills.

It's a weakness penalty because that 15% additional defence becomes a baseline, and when you die, the healer isn't likely to stop and recast protect until the fight is over, if at all.

I ... see....

I don't have a counter argument for the weakness penalty thing. I don't agree with certain things, but can't really argue against the logic either.

But in regards to protect itself, wouldn't making it stronger turn it into a broken skill? I might have to wait for the OP to respond, though, as I'm waiting to see what exactly they think should happen with protect. I imagine that with all encounters in the game, simply lowering the damage by 15% (this includes up to Savage and Extremes), would be a bit more work than what the devs are willing to do.

[Seraphor]

I ... see....

I don't have a counter argument for the weakness penalty thing. I don't agree with certain things, but can't really argue against the logic either.

But in regards to protect itself, wouldn't making it stronger turn it into a broken skill? I might have to wait for the OP to respond, though, as I'm waiting to see what exactly they think should happen with protect. I imagine that with all encounters in the game, simply lowering the damage by 15% (this includes up to Savage and Extremes), would be a bit more work than what the devs are willing to do.

Fixing something doesn't mean making it more powerful. It needs some kind of functional change.

Perhaps reducing it's duration and making it instant cast, basically becoming part of a healer "rotation" (if there is such a thing) instead of a one-and-done skill.

Another thing they could do is introduce Shell. Have Protect mitigate physical damage and Shell mitigate magical damage, and make them mutually exclusive.
The problem with this however is you then have two mandatory role skills instead of one.

The real problem is that Protect is a role skill at all really. It should have remained a WHM job skill, with Shell, as instant cast mitigation spells that the WHM has to 'dance' around depending on if incoming damage is magical or physical, which would give WHM a unique instant cast mechanic to weave between GCDs. Then balance this with similar but different mitigation skills on the other healers, or increased healing potency to account for a lack of Protect.
But apparently 'balance' means 'homogenisation'.

[Tint]

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being forced to press the button more often is not really a fix.

and while switching between protect and shell may sound like a nice idea at first, the game design doesn't allow that.

all aoe damage is magical, or some kind of a fixed damage wich you can't reduce. the defense stats of the classes are balanced around that. meeles have more life, but less m-defense, while casters have less life and more m-defense. a physical aoe will wipe out the casters, while meeles with their higher physical defense and life will survive with no problem.

so shell > protect in nearly all cases, except on the tank maybe, but then it should be better turned into a single target shield (but do we really need any more of them?).

[Seraphor]

being forced to press the button more often is not really a fix.

But it will feel like you're actually doing something with it, it'll be more satisfying to use.
That's the idea around every single skill in the game.
You could boil all healers down to one mitigation skill with a 30m duration, one HoT with a 30m duration and a GCD heal and it would all work out fine and balanced, but it wouldn't be interesting or satisfying to play.

On Shell/Protect mutual exclusivity and damage types: You're right, if these were still role skills.

But I think if they were a WHM only mechanic, they wouldn't be seen as strictly mandatory (because AST doesn't always get the Bole out and SCH doesn't always get a Critlo) so it would simply be a weaving skill used as a bonus, and would make WHM more interesting to play.

[Shurrikhan]

But it will feel like you're actually doing something with it, it'll be more satisfying to use.
That's the idea around every single skill in the game.
You could boil all healers down to one mitigation skill with a 30m duration, one HoT with a 30m duration and a GCD heal and it would all work out fine and balanced, but it wouldn't be interesting or satisfying to play.

On Shell/Protect mutual exclusivity and damage types: You're right, if these were still role skills.

But I think if they were a WHM only mechanic, they wouldn't be seen as strictly mandatory (because AST doesn't always get the Bole out and SCH doesn't always get a Critlo) so it would simply be a weaving skill used as a bonus, and would make WHM more interesting to play.

This.

Hotshot felt most like pointless bloat after it was turned into a 60-second buff. Straight Shot felt silliest and most lackluster after being extended from 20 to 30 seconds.

[Limonia]

They should just make Protect a WHM only ability that works similar to the PVP version. Increase defense or reduce damage taken for a few seconds for all party members on a 60 seconds cooldown or so. Like an AoE Divine Benison.

And as WHM already has less buttons than AST and SCH (as WHM I have space for all cross role skills while as SCH and AST I need macros to switch the hotbar slot between some of them), they could actually also make Protect AND Shell as separate abilities, one for physical and one for magical damage. I don't think that it would be so overpowered if the buff wasn't that strong. AST and SCH both have access to regens AND shields, so why should WHM not also have an AoE shield-like ability?

[KaivaC]

I don't think that it would be so overpowered if the buff wasn't that strong. AST and SCH both have access to regens AND shields, so why should WHM not also have an AoE shield-like ability?

Because whereas you are suggesting that WHMs can carry Protect and Shell as separate abilities in their kit, AST at the very least do not have the option of switching between regen and shield while in combat. Outside of the 4-man dungeons, ASTS are screwed because we are already limited to a single sect in combat. It wouldn't balance out very well at all.

[Limonia]

Collective Unconscious has a very strong regen AND also a shield effect and you can even make it last longer. And it doesn't cost any MP, like Whispering Dawn. It's a bit more annoying to use, but in content where it matters there are usually many times where people are stacked. So I don't think it couldn't be somehow balanced to give WHM small physical and magical AoE shields. They don't even have to be as strong as Protect is now. They could also make the cooldown long. It would still be better than the current Protect.