Healer DPS - enjoyable or a chore?

[MoroMurasaki]

The decision making between damage and healing is just different.

I can't understand how you can just equate them as just being, essentially, a button press. At that point every role and job in the game is exactly the same and choosing any of them is entirely arbitrary.

It isn't about being a button press. I still completely agree that there is a different set of priorities and a different thought process that goes into healing (or tanking, or to a lesser extent playing support dps instead of selfish dps) but the distinction is in the playstyle overall not in which direction you make HP bars move.

I enjoy healing (and am admittedly worse at it in endgame) because I like making sure people are safe to perform their best. In HW my fc leader was a really great BLM and I played SCH and there were times I shielded her so she could eat damage because the synergy of sacrificing a Ruin cast so she could retain enochian was satisfying to me. The mindset of healing is comfortable for me even if I personally take it too far in the defensive sometimes.

You are the one who is reducing it to just a button press - saying casting a heal is inherently more satisfying or fulfilling than casting a dps spell. That makes no sense. Casting the right spell for the situation you're in (like me shielding that BLM for instance) is the most satisfying part of healing. Sometimes that means the best spell is Stone and just because it deals damage doesn't mean it's any less important or meaningful.

[Mutemutt]

You are the one who is reducing it to just a button press - saying casting a heal is inherently more satisfying or fulfilling than casting a dps spell. That makes no sense. Casting the right spell for the situation you're in (like me shielding that BLM for instance) is the most satisfying part of healing. Sometimes that means the best spell is Stone and just because it deals damage doesn't mean it's any less important or meaningful.

You keep bringing it back to that actually (as you've done right here). I've been speaking in broad terms of healing vs dps.

Let me be blunt so there's hopefully no confusion: I'm saying casting a heal is different than casting a dps spell because they are not simply button presses, the difference between them leads to a difference in playstyle, therefore I can prefer one to the other.

[Maeka]

Would giving healers DPS combos and rotations make the job more fun? Or less fun?

I think that having at least two buttons that react with each other, or perhaps as Moro said, having 2-3 damage abilities that are meant to be used inconjunction with certain healing abilities, would be awesome.

Nothing complex like a 6-button 2-combo rotation, but at least something better than casting the same damage spell several times in a row.

Maybe Medica makes your next Stone spell automatically apply Aero, or perhaps Cure2 makes your next Aero III instant-cast or something along those lines. Maybe 1 more damage spell to mix it up a bit, maybe a combo-like thing that maybe you have a Water spell and maybe Casting Stone gives you a 15 second buff that makes your next Water spell do something different, and maybe Water gives you a buff that makes Aero apply it's full damage instantly or something along those lines.

I mean, Water is supposed to be a part of conjury, and the 1-and-only Water spell WHM has, hardly anybody ever uses, like, ever.

[Mutemutt]

Would giving healers DPS combos and rotations make the job more fun? Or less fun?

I'd find it more as a disappointment really; a distraction away from what I'd really want which is more active healing gameplay. I don't even think the healer dps options are even bad; the main problem is you spend long stretches of time using them.

[Wyndam]

Healer DPS could be slightly more engaging but I like that I'm not stuck playing whack-a-mole. I am not a strong healer, it's my least played role. The really bad groups where it DOES become a game of whack-a-mole to keep people alive usually end up getting me killed along with them because I'm so focused on healing I start missing mechanics coming from the boss. If I actually have time to DPS I get to target the boss and see those casts coming out.

I would kinda like to see some expanded options similar to assize and earthly star where you're pushing the button to DPS but you also happen to get a little bit of healing out of it.

[Sebazy]

I've seen this sentiment echoed several times in this thread and I'm curious - what would be more engaging about spamming heal spells instead of dps spells?

Edit: Not just aimed at you of course, I'm curious why anyone feels this way.

Got a raid in a bit, but I'll put my thoughts on this one later <3

[Jade3173]

I'd find it more as a disappointment really; a distraction away from what I'd really want which is more active healing gameplay. I don't even think the healer dps options are even bad; the main problem is you spend long stretches of time using them.

Very much agree with that, take all my Likes

but to elaborate further on what I've said before. The reason seeing HP bars go up is more satisfying to me is cause it lets the other classes do their job. A healer's main role, the reason it's called "healer" even, is to be there to help fix mistakes of the party and make sure they live through the unavoidable stuff or they won't be able to do their job. In my mind a healer is inherently a supporting role that is there to help the DPS and Tank live through the fight so they can get their jobs done. So when I see that HP bar go up, it's just nice. Also is easier to see what I did/didn't do correctly with healing than it is as a DPS.

"Did that guy die to unavoidable damage? Yes, well then I messed up"

So it's not so much the simplicity of "HP bar going up vs the HP bar going down" as it is what that HP bar going up means to the group

[silverlunarfox]

I play scholar simply for the reason it feels like i can press at least one more extra button for dps...

But on a whole esp as whm or ast...dps is just plain boring....

[Voidedge_Ragna]

ABC always be casting.

If not a heal or support speel manage your dots when you know the fight or tank.

To me its real fun as sch to dps, runs also "feel" faster cuz you keep on your toes and have something to do.

[MoroMurasaki]

You keep bringing it back to that actually (as you've done right here). I've been speaking in broad terms of healing vs dps.

Let me be blunt so there's hopefully no confusion: I'm saying casting a heal is different than casting a dps spell because they are not simply button presses, the difference between them leads to a difference in playstyle, therefore I can prefer one to the other.

I think it's best we agree to disagree here. We're both repeating the same things so perhaps neither of us is fully, properly expressing our points. No need to further this conversation if it isn't going anywhere. I disagree that healing intrinsically holds more value than dpsing and I think the value of your spells is determined not by their function in a vacuum but in their function towards completing the content in which they're casit. This often means dps spells are just as crucial as heals and often more so in the case of wasted GCD healing.

Got a raid in a bit, but I'll put my thoughts on this one later <3

I look forward to it! Perhaps you can shed some light on this that hasn't been explained before. I am really just confused by this, I'd love the input.

Maybe Medica makes your next Stone spell automatically apply Aero, or perhaps Cure2 makes your next Aero III instant-cast or something along those lines. Maybe 1 more damage spell to mix it up a bit, maybe a combo-like thing that maybe you have a Water spell and maybe Casting Stone gives you a 15 second buff that makes your next Water spell do something different, and maybe Water gives you a buff that makes Aero apply it's full damage instantly or something along those lines.

I mean, Water is supposed to be a part of conjury, and the 1-and-only Water spell WHM has, hardly anybody ever uses, like, ever.

All very interesting, I'd love some integration like this.