A question about healing!

[IDontPetLalas]

1- I think that it's very important to say that healing at low levels isn't the same as at end levels, with all of the skills that you will get, no matter which healer you pick. So it's fair to say- don't stress at the very beginning with too much DPS, just throw out a dot (if you're very nervous)

2- saying that DPS is "not necessary except for savage content" while being technically true, would also end end up being incredibly boring, and potentially cause a wipe. That is because, dear friends, it has happened that you (a healer) can potentially do more DPS than the occasional DPS. Many strange and wonderful things can happen in DF.
3 - By the time that you get to higher dungeons, the more you can personally contribute, the less stress you can actually have. Tank CDs only last so long. If combine prep pre-pull then do damage during the pull then you can deal with larger pulls. Otherwise, if you weren't to add your damage large pulls can be hell.

[Seoulstar]

1- I think that it's very important to say that healing at low levels isn't the same as at end levels, with all of the skills that you will get, no matter which healer you pick. So it's fair to say- don't stress at the very beginning with too much DPS, just throw out a dot (if you're very nervous)

2- saying that DPS is "not necessary except for savage content" while being technically true, would also end end up being incredibly boring, and potentially cause a wipe. That is because, dear friends, it has happened that you (a healer) can potentially do more DPS than the occasional DPS. Many strange and wonderful things can happen in DF.
3 - By the time that you get to higher dungeons, the more you can personally contribute, the less stress you can actually have. Tank CDs only last so long. If combine prep pre-pull then do damage during the pull then you can deal with larger pulls. Otherwise, if you weren't to add your damage large pulls can be hell.

It may be boring, but at the same time. They are playing at their own pace..and a healer not DPSing in a dungeon won't result in a wipe..at least so far I haven't seen in my entire time of playing this game. But who knows..I can not speak for everyone. But anyways, I say it's not necessary because it truly isn't. I also said they can ease their way into it when they are comfortable. It is better to tell someone that than to say it is expected all the time. I use to be a healer that was extremely nervous to DPS. Until someone told me the exact same thing. Now, I DPS all the time. It doesn't hurt to be truthful to someone that is new than to give them this impression that it's DPS or be severely punished for it. Which sadly..I have seen far too many times on this forum.

[Saefinn]

It may be boring, but at the same time. They are playing at their own pace..and a healer not DPSing in a dungeon won't result in a wipe..at least so far I haven't seen in my entire time of playing this game. But who knows..I can not speak for everyone. But anyways, I say it's not necessary because it truly isn't. I also said they can ease their way into it when they are comfortable. It is better to tell someone that than to say it is expected all the time. I use to be a healer that was extremely nervous to DPS. Until someone told me the exact same thing. Now, I DPS all the time. It doesn't hurt to be truthful to someone that is new than to give them this impression that it's DPS or be severely punished for it. Which sadly..I have seen far too many times on this forum.

I very much agree here. I think the concept can seem scary to somebody who has little to no confidence, but there's oodles of space to build it before it becomes an issue.

I think my only requirement is that people aren't being lazy. If there's less or no DPS from the healer because they're new and aren't confidence enough to manage the two, I say "no worries".

But I think when there's only a handful of healing abilities too and if you've got the core understanding of how to heal, it could be good practice to throw in DPS attacks before that kit expands too, rather than trying to learn it when you've got more to juggle.

[IDontPetLalas]

I very much agree here. I think the concept can seem scary to somebody who has little to no confidence, but there's oodles of space to build it before it becomes an issue.

I think my only requirement is that people aren't being lazy. If there's less or no DPS from the healer because they're new and aren't confidence enough to manage the two, I say "no worries".

But I think when there's only a handful of healing abilities too and if you've got the core understanding of how to heal, it could be good practice to throw in DPS attacks before that kit expands too, rather than trying to learn it when you've got more to juggle.

We all have our own personal experiences, but I have seen (albeit extremely rarely) where the only DPS left was yours truly (the healer) and the tank, and while I give full credit to said tank- he would not have been able to solo the boss with both DPS floor-tanking.

That being said - my response was not to say that someone new to healer should think about doing better DPS that the DPS in there party. In fact, I clearly am saying - if you are new- add DPS slowly as you learn to heal.

Your last line expresses it extremely well.

If someone says that people are severely punished for not DPSing on the forums? I'm sure we can find all kinds of opinions, but the majority of people that I've talked to would expect both DPS and healing from a healer who has some knowledge of a dungeon, and outside of specific content that most players don't ever touch they aren't very demanding at that. As long as the party is alive we just have 3 simple DPS buttons to hit and perhaps 1 buff or debuff. It really isn't onerous. I just have to look at my summoner in comparison (that DPS rotation is a nightmare imo).

[Tweets]

You should deal damage whenever healing is unnecessary. Naturally, it's okay to start off skittish and unsure when healing is and is not necessary, and if you dedicate yourself to it I'm sure you'll be able to get used to when it is and isn't. Of course, try not to be so skittish that you never deal damage - the best way to get used to when you should and should not is by taking risks and trying it.

Worst case? You wipe, say "Sorry, pushing my limits a bit, I'll reel it back in there!" and move on.

As for when to use Cure I vs Cure II, you use Cure I when your MP is stretched so thin that you cannot afford to use Cure II, as its MP:Healing ratio is better and it has the chance to proc a free Cure II.

However, since Cure I's healing-per-cast is so much weaker, you generally want to avoid using it (Freecure is generally a trap) wherever you can, and instead use Cure II, Afflatus Solace (an equivalent to Cure II that costs a Lily instead of MP and has no cast time), Tetragrammaton (an equivalent to Cure II that has no cost but can be used only once every minute) and so on. This is because to heal the same as (technically slightly more than) a Cure II you need to cast Cure I twice, meaning if you instead cast Cure II you could have cast Holy, Stone, Aero, and so on as well, provided your MP can sustain this (it usually can).

As you level you will get more and more tools that both reduce the number of times you need to cast Cure II (sparing you from spending MP on it) and increase your MP efficiency (meaning spending MP on it is less draining on your overall reserves). This means that generally over time Cure I will see less and less use, unless you hop into super-hardcore Ultimate raiding or similar, where I hear the world-first players resorted to using Cure I to spare their MP... But if you're taking on the toughest content in the game, then you're probably experienced with and good enough at your class that you don't need my advice any more!