Has anyone quit healing?

[Risvertasashi]

To be fair, if both healers are spamming Shields it wouldn't matter if they were Pure + Shield instead, they'd just be spamming Medica II overheals. I have seen some absolutely dreadful WHM + Shield comps in PF, so that issue isn't really solved by restricting role. You're in trouble regardless if you get 2 GCD heal spammers.
There's also a reasonable chance that if a shield healer joins a PF knowing their co-heal is also a shield healer, they'll know what they're doing. Inexperienced players would avoid that party like the plague.

I'm not talking about that extreme. It can be as simple as "for the 8 major mechanics of the fight, each healer tries to put up a GCD shield" that can make things uncomfortable - and that's hardly spamming. Or, alternatively, each healer assumes the other healer will shield and so doesn't.

Basically, healers can be competent and it can still be a problem that can push people towards a more traditional setup in pugs.

[ty_taurus]

I'm not talking about that extreme. It can be as simple as "for the 8 major mechanics of the fight, each healer tries to put up a GCD shield" that can make things uncomfortable - and that's hardly spamming. Or, alternatively, each healer assumes the other healer will shield and so doesn't.

Basically, healers can be competent and it can still be a problem that can push people towards a more traditional setup in pugs.

Well, if we're talking about savage, then all you have to do is have a 15 second conversation with your cohealer. You could argue that some players still wont' do that, but that's user error, not a design flaw. Jennifer's apathetic inability to say "hey, you're a Sage, I'm a Scholar, let me handle the barriers for raidwides" is not a valid criticism of the system. If it's not savage, then it really doesn't matter anyway.

[Rilifane]

I'm not talking about that extreme. It can be as simple as "for the 8 major mechanics of the fight, each healer tries to put up a GCD shield" that can make things uncomfortable - and that's hardly spamming. Or, alternatively, each healer assumes the other healer will shield and so doesn't.

Basically, healers can be competent and it can still be a problem that can push people towards a more traditional setup in pugs.

Worst case: both healers use a GCD shield each and wasted a GCD; that's hardly what I would call problematic, let alone reason enough to stick to a regen/ shield over dbl shield comp.
Succor and EProg shield are about the same and raidwides aren't balanced around a crit Spreadlo. It's not a problem, it's just PF being extremely stubborn about some things for no good reason such as locking comp to double melee, excluding double classes that don't interfer with each other for raid buffs, willing to take double regen but double shield is somehow cursed.

A competent healer will never be a problem in this scenario.

[pinkbubblegum]

idk what the current discourse is but man, I love the healer gcd change xD
Now every healer has the power of AST slide casting and weaving. It's so nice... Also I damn love Sage. Such a fun and chill class. Overall I'm really happy with the healer changes this Expac!!!

[ty_taurus]

Worst case: both healers use a GCD shield each and wasted a GCD; that's hardly what I would call problematic, let alone reason enough to stick to a regen/ shield over dbl shield comp.
Succor and EProg shield are about the same and raidwides aren't balanced around a crit Spreadlo. It's not a problem, it's just PF being extremely stubborn about some things for no good reason such as locking comp to double melee, excluding double classes that don't interfer with each other for raid buffs, willing to take double regen but double shield is somehow cursed.

A competent healer will never be a problem in this scenario.

I feel like double regen is the one you don't want to have in savage, at least not at lower ilvls. Savage requires a lot of mitigation which WHM just can't keep up with. Double AST might be able to though with good communication, but the overlapping raid buffs would not be ideal.

[Risvertasashi]

-snip-

-snip-

I mean, you two and Liam can argue that all you like. I'm not saying I'm favor of traditional setups in pugs. I'm just conveying the reasoning I've come across in talking to people - wherein it's basically an issue of comfort and coordination. (And, yes, a 15 second conversation is asking a lot of pugs :P Even for savage)

[MiaShino]

Uncertain what was going through the mind at Square HQ when they decided to attempt enforcing barrier/pure healer composition.

Shields can be exceptionally powerful tools when properly utilized, example;

1.) To prevent lethal damage
2.) Assisting in circumventing mechanics
3.) Provide buffer during major triage situation

GCD shields that did not fulfil the above are wasted gcd that could have been better spent on more deeps unless during downtime.

GCD and ogcd shields that were not fully consumed are wasted shields, would recommend all barrier healer mains attempt playing Dark Knight as will assist with understanding.

Causing even more of the confusion is that the majority of ogcd healing tools barrier healers possess are pure heals or regens... With experienced healers avoiding all gcd healing when possible means they will be using those off global pure heals more frequently than their shields.

Haima/Panhaima and Seraphic veil stack with gcd shields.

Two barrier healers paired together have access to some of most powerful triage tools in FF14.

Two scholars have between them; Twelve lustrates, two excogitations, two indoms, and two recitations plus seraph and fairy skills.
Two sages have eight Addersgall, can Kardia two people (if moved around equals ogcd regen with five second cooldown), and two fricken zoe boosted Pneumas.

Lower levels do nothing to aid in enforcing barrier/pure healer composition at'all. When you find yourself in Dun Scaith and everything is going great googly moogly, your party is scattered about the arena and will not benefit from aoe regens would you rather have; twelve lustrates or two essential dignities?

I knew this stoopid decision would end poorly when I was watching the Endwalker stream. It has done nothing but give players with lack of understanding fuel for nonsense arguments and further re-enforces Square's terrible healer design decisions.

The heck were they thinking? If this lala over here has not already said enough stuffs, Astro has incredibly strong gcd shielding capability under neutral sect and they gave white mage two charges of benison (one of best ogcd shields in the game)...

Is not helping friends who happen to both enjoy the barrier healers more than the regen healers or regen healers more than barrier healers who queue together. It does not make me wish to play healer more if others are going to have conniptions now over this when it has never been problem for us. Actually, the times I have seen friends struggle more they were not playing double barrier healer.

Properly used shields at the lower levels are completely broken. Shall never forget the time someone asked during wiping city, how did we survive that? Deployment tactics, that is how. I noticed that most of our party was not going to resolve Penetration properly and dissipation boosted a deploy as fast as the fingers could press those buttons. We survived with 100 hp.

If the argument is communication during Savage, why are you queuing for difficult content if communication causes discomfort? Higher level content is all about communicating with the party. This is non issue.

[Laphicet]

After that crap in the live letter. I quit, no more healing ever, not casual or high end, no helping FC mates or anything else. I quit. Never have I seen a developer be this flagrantly disrespectful since the "Don't you guys have phones?" stuff with blizzard.

I am also considering dropping the game altogether over this. It's a sign of terrible things to come, and I encourage others to quit healer entirely just the same as I have.

[SpiralMask]

Same really. Not going to be touching healing again unless theres some sort of fundamental change in the future, which as we as has been shown is not likely to happen at aany point.

[ArismontDailemont]

Might as well add my own voice on the pile. Been playing this game since Heavensward, raided several savage tiers to varying success and consider myself solidly midcore/leaning casual these days. My own life schedule does not allow me time nor opportunity to raid Savage, let alone Ultimate.

I can't heal anymore; the direction of the overall role design, let alone jobs, is just not for me anymore. Which is incredibly disappointing as someone who wanted to start playing because of Astrologian's showcase (my gripes with that design change are the stripping of buff variety from the job). Understanding and accepting that they willfully do not want to return to Heavensward design is perfectly fine. However, there's room for the role and jobs within to have varying amounts of downtime engagement, from slightly more interesting damage rotations (and no, I don't mean just add more DoT's) to something brand new entirely. I did also give Scholar at minimum the good ole college try to see if it does feel more satisfying at 90. Despite the EXTREMELY welcoming QoL adjustments to fairy responsiveness, shield application speed, weave space, and even Deployment's increased range, it feels nearly exactly the same as Shadowbringers Scholar. Just...slightly less clunk. But not enjoyable for me. It's also not about how easy content can be, or how difficult, but the engagement with the jobs themselves and how sweeping changes affected the role as a whole, rather than individual jobs for diversity.

For anyone new to the game and who enjoy the healing role as it currently stands, genuinely wish you the best at it. But the design trajectory is not for me, and it REALLY makes me sad to say that.