Dear SE, I am a Healer

[Marionette]

So you really love healing, meaning you must love the current healing jobs.

...why not just keep on going on with what you love?

Because you can fall out of love with a job and role. Healing has been getting increasingly stale to the point that people often joke that it's a discount dps with extra responsibilities instead of being a full on role in it's own right. At the moment all red mage is missing is a AoE heal then it would be just like any other healer right now.

Breaking it down;
We will have 4 tanks
We have 4 melee dps
We will have 3 ranged/support dps
We have 3 magic caster dps (4 if you choose to include BLU, which for now I won't since we'll look at this as a max level spectrum)
We have 3 healers

Really, Dancer being a ranged dps/support makes sense since it was the class that had the least when it came down to numbers specifically. Plus I think its nice to have a ranged member who will bring more slashing damage in so it should fit decently well in groups, just my two cents really.

If that arguement was to hold water, then why didn't they make a ranged dps for stormblood so then everything would've been 3? That's obviously not the reason behind their decisions that they claim it to be.

But this is of course assuming you count the sub roles of dps to carry equal weight as the heal role in it's entirity. By using that same logic, we only got 1 pure healer role, one shield healer role, and one buff healer role. So now we need 6 more healers to address the balance, and need 2 more tanks so all of the sub roles are fully catered for. Breaking up the dps doesn't stop them all being at the end of the day, dps.

Which when we get down to it. We've had 2 new tanks from ARR on (Drk Gun) 2 new healers (sch ast "Counts less since we only had 1 healer to start with) And 6 new dps. (Smn nin mch sam rdm dnc) to have a total of 4 tanks 3 healers 10 dps. So... Dps has had 3 times the jobs releases 3 times the jobs total. Yet were being told "But it was soooooooooo important we had a extra ranged dps with supporty elements! What kind of new healer could we need anyway!?"

It's not just that were not getting a new healer, but the excuse given is the same reason we were given 2 years ago. With every balance change making the healers more samey.

Also don't conflagurate people who are actively unsubbing in some form of protest. I personally am unsubbing because I was hoping for a reason to remain subbed. As it stands the only thing that is keeping me going is the story. Am I being a child because I'm just not really enjoying the game in it's current state and was holding out for fanfest to give me a reason to keep playing?

I'm holding out for the job rework live letter. But unless the changes are particularly significant, and getting healers back on the right track. Best case scenario, I'll be taking off my heal main mantle for something else.

[rachcouture]

Because you can fall out of love with a job and role. Healing has been getting increasingly stale to the point that people often joke that it's a discount dps with extra responsibilities instead of being a full on role in it's own right. At the moment all red mage is missing is a AoE heal then it would be just like any other healer right now.

This is the crux of the issue for me. I've played two of these jobs for six years, and one for five. I find the existing DPS roles to be incredibly boring (3.0 BRD was my absolute favorite, but the direction they went in 4.0 ruined it for me; all I wanted was more songs for the priority-based bowmage), and while I like tanking, none of the current three really 'fit' my style or character considering they're all of the tin can variety, PLD being the most tolerable 'cause of the spell casting.

Healing and support are my favorite roles. Since the latter doesn't exist in this game (and no, ranged DPS doesn't count), that leaves only one option. The one option that's been criminally ignored despite being the most important piece of any party comp.

It's hard to feel inspired going into the next expansion when the only thing keeping you here is the story (which could turn south at any patch number; some of the 4.1-4.56 plotting choices were... questionable) and your character.

[Chiami]

Would I have liked a 4th healer, given healing is my main jam, too? Of course.

And I would have liked removal of all gender locks, inventory increase, more glam, expansion of the glam dresser, more options for the character creator, and and and.

We ALL, always want MORE. That's normal and fine, and it's good to keep asking. It's even okay to be disappointed or sometimes angry for a bit if our biggest dream doesn't come true.

But I think it's also good to remember that games have budgets and finite resources, and sometimes need to first focus on fixing existing problems before expanding in new directions based on that. We are not entitled to see all our dreams come true, and have to accept that our personal desires, or even priorities aren't always the priorities for a well-balanced game enjoyable for the biggest possible number of players.

So honestly... as much as I would have liked, scratch that, LOVED a new healer job... I approve they didn't do it. In recent interviews Yoshi-p himself said that they are struggling with healer balance as it is with these three existing jobs, and that they need to look at how they approach healing in this game. I agree with him there 100%, this is what they NEED to work on right now and first regarding healers. Once they got THAT right they can think about adding a 4th healer. 5.0: Healer Balancing done right. 6.0 or so: 4th healer pleaaase.

We can argue endlessly about how they caused the problem in the first place with bad design decisions and what not. I have heavily criticized them myself for things that happened with healers in 4.0 onward, baaaaad ideas.

But after that critique I think it's also time to remember that devs are humans and sometimes make bad mistakes, just as all of us. What I give them kudos for is recognizing they DID make mistakes there with healer balance/designs, and are now -- going by what was said in recent interviews -- at least TRYING to fix it (#MakeWHMGoodAgain ;p). And then maybe we finally get a new shiny toy (4th healer) in 6.0.

[Miste]

But after that critique I think it's also time to remember that devs are humans and sometimes make bad mistakes, just as all of us.

I don't think anyone forgot this. I am happy to say most of the people in this thread have been thoroughly polite and respectful with their feedback to SE about it. There hasn't been any vulgar terms or derogatory comments thrown at any of their team as far as I saw. It was some harsh criticism at some points, but it was just honest, and written in the most polite way possible.

[Physic]

This is the crux of the issue for me. I've played two of these jobs for six years, and one for five. I find the existing DPS roles to be incredibly boring (3.0 BRD was my absolute favorite, but the direction they went in 4.0 ruined it for me; all I wanted was more songs for the priority-based bowmage), and while I like tanking, none of the current three really 'fit' my style or character considering they're all of the tin can variety, PLD being the most tolerable 'cause of the spell casting.

Healing and support are my favorite roles. Since the latter doesn't exist in this game (and no, ranged DPS doesn't count), that leaves only one option. The one option that's been criminally ignored despite being the most important piece of any party comp.

It's hard to feel inspired going into the next expansion when the only thing keeping you here is the story (which could turn south at any patch number; some of the 4.1-4.56 plotting choices were... questionable) and your character.

An interesting thing i notice, is you want a certain theme/feel from your healer. Would you be satisfied with a healer that doesnt exactly fit your theme, but it still does the job of healer?

also, it seems like you feel healing as a whole is not that interesting in this game, would you have been ok if they added a new healer, but it played similar to current healers? (for reference, about as different/similar as the healers we have now)

Also, you basically said all classes seem a bit underwhelming to you now. Do you think they need a dramatic shift from the current job/class/combat design? Basically do you feel like, as long as they use the formulas they have been using the past 6 years, no job they create will be that entertaining?

[Barraind]

An interesting thing i notice, is you want a certain theme/feel from your healer. Would you be satisfied with a healer that doesnt exactly fit your theme, but it still does the job of healer?

also, it seems like you feel healing as a whole is not that interesting in this game, would you have been ok if they added a new healer, but it played similar to current healers? (for reference, about as different/similar as the healers we have now)

Also, you basically said all classes seem a bit underwhelming to you now. Do you think they need a dramatic shift from the current job/class/combat design? Basically do you feel like, as long as they use the formulas they have been using the past 6 years, no job they create will be that entertaining?

14s bard is one of the worst implementations of bard in any game I've ever seen, and it's still pretty popular. Dancer is going to be completely different from any incarnation of dancer in any game, and will probably be popular. (They really should have gone with bard as a healer and have range jobs be Hunter/sniper, Mech, Mediator / Juggler, but that ship long since sailed)

Blue mage... is blue mage. Red mage is really just dark gray mage.

People are used to 14s class system not being what they want or expect.

A lot of it comes down to watching new toys being handed out to everyone else (despite the two other roles that got additions in 5.0 having relatively garbage balancing for long stretches of time, including BOTH of those roles having a class set for a complete rework in 5.0 along with healers) while the healer role cant even get the balance changes it's been told it needs for 4 years.

I spend 80% of my time tanking, 19.9999% healing and the remainder as a dps, and it's been really silly watching us get more red jobs than the other two combined when the game is balanced around a 1:1:2 split at every level of content (which is one of the biggest problems with having 4 party groups and 8 party raids).

14 isnt like other mmos where every new class that's been added has at least 1 non-dps option. A dps job is a dps job is a dps job. Theres no emergency off-tanking or swapping gear and healing or tanking a boss fight in a pinch to let your raid run with 1 fewer tank or healer than youd normally need.

[rachcouture]

An interesting thing i notice, is you want a certain theme/feel from your healer. Would you be satisfied with a healer that doesnt exactly fit your theme, but it still does the job of healer?

If I enjoyed playing it, and it wasn't a repeat of what we already have.

also, it seems like you feel healing as a whole is not that interesting in this game, would you have been ok if they added a new healer, but it played similar to current healers? (for reference, about as different/similar as the healers we have now)

I never said that, and I have no idea where you got that impression. There is a significant difference between being burnt out and dislike. And no; what we need is something that excels at something our existing healing jobs don't.

Also, you basically said all classes seem a bit underwhelming to you now. Do you think they need a dramatic shift from the current job/class/combat design? Basically do you feel like, as long as they use the formulas they have been using the past 6 years, no job they create will be that entertaining?

Finding the DPS jobs boring and tanks homogeneous doesn't equate to all. A dramatic shift? Not necessarily, but some actual creativity would be nice. I mean just look at the past three DPS jobs added. MCH is an inferior version of BRD. SAM does damage, and... damage, like everyone else. RDM lacks most of the support you would expect, and the rapier barely even plays a role outside of one AoE and a single combo after an overly long meter charge.

14 isnt like other mmos where every new class that's been added has at least 1 non-dps option. A dps job is a dps job is a dps job. Theres no emergency off-tanking or swapping gear and healing or tanking a boss fight in a pinch to let your raid run with 1 fewer tank or healer than youd normally need.

This is actually something I really want in FFXIV. Jobs with multiple roles would alleviate a lot of the issues, and make it more in line with the free-form approach of past Final Fantasy games. Let Bard and Dancer heal. Let Monk and Samurai tank. More variety, but with less work than a whole new class.

[WaterShield]

If I enjoyed playing it, and it wasn't a repeat of what we already have.



I never said that, and I have no idea where you got that impression. There is a significant difference between being burnt out and dislike. And no; what we need is something that excels at something our existing healing jobs don't.



Finding the DPS jobs boring and tanks homogeneous doesn't equate to all. A dramatic shift? Not necessarily, but some actual creativity would be nice. I mean just look at the past three DPS jobs added. MCH is an inferior version of BRD. SAM does damage, and... damage, like everyone else. RDM lacks most of the support you would expect, and the rapier barely even plays a role outside of one AoE and a single combo after an overly long meter charge.



This is actually something I really want in FFXIV. Jobs with multiple roles would alleviate a lot of the issues, and make it more in line with the free-form approach of past Final Fantasy games. Let Bard and Dancer heal. Let Monk and Samurai tank. More variety, but with less work than a whole new class.

"what we need is something that excels at something our existing healing jobs don't."
Any ideas as to what that could be? Cuz I'm coming up blank on that point.

"Let Bard and Dancer heal. Let Monk and Samurai tank. More variety, but with less work than a whole new class."
I would suggest that the devs be careful with that line of thought. I am certain many people play today that like the current way Jobs work. I personally would be quite upset if I got my damage heavily nerfed on RDM in exchange for greater utility.

[Physic]

If I enjoyed playing it, and it wasn't a repeat of what we already have.



I never said that, and I have no idea where you got that impression. There is a significant difference between being burnt out and dislike. And no; what we need is something that excels at something our existing healing jobs don't.



Finding the DPS jobs boring and tanks homogeneous doesn't equate to all. A dramatic shift? Not necessarily, but some actual creativity would be nice. I mean just look at the past three DPS jobs added. MCH is an inferior version of BRD. SAM does damage, and... damage, like everyone else. RDM lacks most of the support you would expect, and the rapier barely even plays a role outside of one AoE and a single combo after an overly long meter charge.



This is actually something I really want in FFXIV. Jobs with multiple roles would alleviate a lot of the issues, and make it more in line with the free-form approach of past Final Fantasy games. Let Bard and Dancer heal. Let Monk and Samurai tank. More variety, but with less work than a whole new class.

So you are saying outside of healer, most classes are underwhelming to you.

and, you are fine with healing in this game, or even enjoyed it, but now you are bored with it because it all seems too similar to you.


for your last point, are you saying there should be more hybrid classes, or are you talking about like, a role switch, that alters some of your abilities so you can play a different role?

i have no agenda with these questions btw, i'm just curious what other players are looking for, and maybe SE might value the feedback as well.


personally i feel like they need to shake things up, and diffrentiate more, but i realize that might just me. Everyone else may be cool, or prefer things to stay the same.

[Gihwezi]

This is actually something I really want in FFXIV. Jobs with multiple roles would alleviate a lot of the issues, and make it more in line with the free-form approach of past Final Fantasy games. Let Bard and Dancer heal. Let Monk and Samurai tank. More variety, but with less work than a whole new class.

Just dipping in here, the last MMO that I was a part of allowed all "roles" I guess you could say (like Monk, Samurai, Ninja etc) to be DPS or a supporting role (healer/tank like what you're describing) depending on what you wanted to do and honestly it was straight up disgusting. It does seem fun I guess in theory, but in practice, phew. I gleaned a little of the current convo and I'm not sure if they did/do things like that in WOW or not but in the MMO I played that did this, people expected you to just 100% be absolutely willing to switch to your support side on the spot, and there was this general expectation that everyone should not only absolutely have their support role geared even if they queued up as a DPS, but should 100% know how to be the support side of their role. You were straight up kicked if it got out that you didn't have gear for the support side of your DPS, or if you didn't know how to tank or heal even if, again, you queued up as a DPS. I'd really rather not even open up anything remotely similar to that can of worms in FFXIV, that's one of the reasons why I left that game and came to this one.