Quote Originally Posted by Hezzlocks View Post
Yeah, I know why it exists, but I really want that green dps mentality to die a horrible death. It's perfectly fine, encouraged in fact, for a healer to dps when there's no healing needed, but healing should be the top priority. Outside of savage progression and ultimate, healer dps isn't even needed, it's just a nice bonus for groups playing well.

Of course is Squeenix ever decides to make healing a more challenging experience where healers will need to focus more on topping people up instead of just dps and use oGCD heals to get people just healthy enough to survive the next unavoidable damage burst, the transitory period will be VERY rough, since most healers are stuck in this all encompassing must dps at all times attitude.
We've seen no proof that they will ever "make healing a more challenging experience" and their only trends thus far have been to make healer DPS easier with each expansion.

And within any given GCD outside of emergencies, DPS should be the priority, not healing. There are no immediate unmarked two-shots in this game avoidable only by precasting or oGCDs; there's nothing to hold your attention in anticipation of.

Thus, healing ends up much like enmity (if enmity also had massive oGCD boosts via CDs that were largely wasted in held); you need only a maintain a certain margin (1 or more HP) while maximizing damage. The only further limitation is that HP is capped while enmity is not. Prioritizing healing for unnecessarily immediate or GCD-based response therefore reduces the output over time of your healing abilities (not Spells, Abilities -- oGCDs). Given how scripted fights are, a schedule-according-to-dps mentality often tends to create simpler and more reliable responses to mechanics for the healing, as well.

You have one output which is uncapped but for which time opportunities for optimization are far more narrowly defined, and another which is capped but with less defined opportunities for optimization so long as its abilities are being used on CD. Prioritize by the stricter one and flesh out the other as needed, leaving space for your oGCDs.