White Mage - Skill Acquisition Changes

[Kyeria]

I've recently started playing White Mage and am really enjoying it despite all its flaws. I'm an Astrologian main and I've read quite a bit of the complaints/feedback on the forums in relation to White Mage. However, my biggest issue with the job doesn't really seem like it's brought up much and I'm curious if it's just me or if others are feeling this too.

One of my biggest frustrations with White Mage is that in my opinion, it doesn't begin feel like a complete, coherent job until around Lv.60. White Mage doesn't learn its core mechanics and abilities that are comparable to the other two Healers until so late in the game.

A few examples are;
Astrologian - Essential Dignity Lv.15 vs White Mage Tetragrammaton Lv.60.
Astrologian - Aspected Helios Lv. 42 vs White Mage Medica II Lv.50
Astrologian - Benefic 2 Lv.26 vs White Mage Cure 2 Lv.30

I realize that White Mage has other glaring issues and this is probably a minor one, but I feel like their Skill Acquisition is completely jacked up. Abilities like Assize and Tetragrammaton feel like they should be learned far, far sooner than they are. The overall ability acquisition really makes playing a White Mage so unenjoyable at low LV content or during roulettes etc. I've hit a point that I dread doing content below Lv.60 and Lv.50 below content I completely despise. I feel like this is just another area where White Mage has to struggle to compete.

I'd love to see some love come White Mage's way with Shadowbringers, but I'd also really like it if they'd re-evaluate their skill acquisition to allow them to obtain some of their core skills earlier on.

[Kabooa]

This is a valid concern, and white mage isn't alone in its early kit feeling empty.

5.0 would benefit greatly by making a pass at the early leveling of several jobs.

[Seraphor]

I'd say Benediction is the Essential Dignity analogue, WHM actually gets two of these skills.

I wouldn't say Cure II is an issue, it's 4 levels difference and effects probably 2 dungeons?

Medica II is a bit of a pain, but you at least getit for level 50 where the majority of content starts, and where you're more likely to actually need it.

On the other hand, AST doesn't get Gravity until level 54, making all level 50 content a chore for big pulls.

[Kyeria]

While I don't think there's a right or wrong answer here, I personally put "Tetragrammaton" more on par with Essential Dignity than Benediction because Benedictions cooldown is ridiculous making it far less versatile. However, even if we use Benediction as the analogue, it's still Lv.15 vs Lv.50 which is a huge difference. The abilities I listed were more or less just a comparison in terms of Astrologian, but I wasn't necessarily trying to compare the two page for page.

I guess more of the point I was trying to make is that the other two Healers feel more complete at low levels while ( Imo ) White Mage doesn't even begin to remotely feel like a complete concept until around Lv.60. The other two healer's abilities feel so much more impactful even at lower levels and it's not even really a "Buff or Nerf" type of situation. It's just that White Mage's core abilities are literally gated behind incredibly high levels for no real apparent reason. The abilities they get at Lv.60+ are basic abilities most other jobs have far earlier on and the White Mage's versions, for the most part, feel pretty underwhelming. For example, ( again Imo ) Assize, Tetragrammaton and Divine Benison are not all "such" groundbreaking abilities that they all three need to be gated behind Lv.56+

This is especially painful when you consider that White Mage's core mechanics & gimmicks ( Regardless of how underpowered or underappreciated ) are all based around these abilities. When in comparison Ast & Sch have access to their job defining mechanics by Lv.30.

[Jonnycbad]

Tetragrammaton is more on par with Lady of Crowns.

By the same token, AST only has Malefic 1 at 54. And Whm gets holy at 45 but AST doesn't get gravity until 52.

[Gemina]

A non-issue for WHM. They don't even need these abilities at the levels AST gets access to the equivalents. Cure vs Cure 2 is all about gcd efficiency. The two skills should quite honestly be consolidated into one via the mastery system, and cure 1 simply becomes cure 2 @lv30.

Essential Dignity is a unique skill for AST and not really comparable to either Benediction or Tetra. ED is an ogcd just like Bene and Tetra, but it works differently in that it's potency goes up the lower the player's HP percentage is. You have to remember that ED is ASTs only ogcd heal that is truly instant. They do get Earthly Star and Lady of Crowns later, but these have to be set up.

As for A. Helios vs Medica II, AoE regen isn't even needed until 50+ for AST and WHM because both get access to their single target regens at lv.34(AST) and lv.35(WHM). You should be using these instead patch players up pre lv.50. Even after that, you should be using AoE regen only under certain circumstances. Too many healers stack their regens when the damage isn't even that high, which can potentially keep a tank in tank stance when they don't need to be.

The true issue is actually for AST, which is so mind-numbingly dull pre-lv.52. Once you get Gravity then you can actually cause some respectable damage during dungeon trash pulls. But by the time AST actually gets good @lv.60, WHM has access to not one, not two, but three AoE skills for offense.

[CorbinDallas]

White Mage is busted at low levels, I don't know what you're talking about. You don't need those abilities, since their GCD kit is already strong. Let's not even talk about how disgusting it is that they get Stone 2 at such a low level, making them on par, if not better than an actual DPS at those levels.

[Eloah]

You seem to be mentioning the "other two healers" but there is no SCH comparison. My main guess is because below 30 SCH has no "healer" skills to compare, aside from Physick. One important thing to remember is that not all skills are a 1:1 ratio. Take the basic heals for example, Cure is a 450 potency, whereas Benefic is 400 and past level 30 440, and Physick is only 400. But Cure II is 700, Benefic II is 650, 715 past level 30, surpassing WHM second tier heal; and SCHs don't even have one. So you see if you take those other factors into consideration, how the heals are laid out make a bit more sense. This isn't the case for everything however, like prior to 4.0 SCH didn't have an Esuna until level 40. But SE is streamlining things, so one can hope more can happen, maybe.

[Kyeria]

I feel like everyone is reading into this as a "White Mage is too weak at low levels and it's unfair from a design standpoint" Which wasn't really the point of this thread. I'm not comparing the three healers in terms of raw power, or whose heals is better, or who has a better AoE pull at what level.

My complaint isn't a "Buff vs Nerf" situation, it's an ( Imo ) White Mage feels incomplete at lower levels because their job mechanics are gated behind high levels. The job, again just doesn't feel rewarding or fun to play until around Lv.60+ Where you start to gain access to the mechanics and abilities they interact with and actually make them fun. Sure, if your idea of fun and engaging gameplay as a Healer is who can spam a single button ( Stone ) fastest and most effectively then I'm sure we can argue that White Mage feels complete, but this isn't why I flock to healers. I understand that DPS is necessary at some point, but unlocking my "Next mindless spam" ability isn't what I really constitute as engaging or fun.

Astrologian has its cards and sects early on, Scholar has access to their pets, shields and micromanagement tools early on and White Mage has to wait to actively engage in their unique job mechanics until Lv.60+
And again, this was really just my opinion, but White Mage just feels bland to me until this content is unlocked. Where with the other two Healers felt more complete and more fun to play at lower levels.

[Rosa_Frandlia]

I feel like everyone is reading into this as a "White Mage is too weak at low levels and it's unfair from a design standpoint" Which wasn't really the point of this thread. I'm not comparing the three healers in terms of raw power, or whose heals is better, or who has a better AoE pull at what level.

My complaint isn't a "Buff vs Nerf" situation, it's an ( Imo ) White Mage feels incomplete at lower levels because their job mechanics are gated behind high levels. The job, again just doesn't feel rewarding or fun to play until around Lv.60+ Where you start to gain access to the mechanics and abilities they interact with and actually make them fun. Sure, if your idea of fun and engaging gameplay as a Healer is who can spam a single button ( Stone ) fastest and most effectively then I'm sure we can argue that White Mage feels complete, but this isn't why I flock to healers. I understand that DPS is necessary at some point, but unlocking my "Next mindless spam" ability isn't what I really constitute as engaging or fun.

Astrologian has its cards and sects early on, Scholar has access to their pets, shields and micromanagement tools early on and White Mage has to wait to actively engage in their unique job mechanics until Lv.60+
And again, this was really just my opinion, but White Mage just feels bland to me until this content is unlocked. Where with the other two Healers felt more complete and more fun to play at lower levels.

Pre-SB, it did have many of the things which is when I think most responding to you are thinking of. Of the role skills, WHM had the most moved over into role skills. Protect, Ensua (although that was for all), Largess, Lucid Dreaming, and Cleric Stance were all WHM skills when I hit 60. I agree, going into dungeons and having nothing to put on the tank pre-pull on bosses does feel incomplete.

I think most responding likely leveled to 60 pre-SB and have told me before that it should only be judged at 70 for getting its first and only shield at 66. Heal a drk in a pre-58 dungeon... ouch. Only Rampart for a shield beyond how paper thin most feel. I have to use cure 1 and cure 2 a lot with that combo as regens and oGCD's are nowhere near enough alone.