Healers need an overhaul

[NekoMataMata]

The Devs already said they weren't going to make healing harder so there's really nothing left to discuss.

You're right, there absolutely is no discussion left then. They've essentially killed off the healer's role in that case. Turning the role into a dps is not the answer.

[Jovakim]

That's the thing though, it's a problem with the whole design. If healing is already so insignificant in this game, the solution is ... let's make even less of a focus? This sound like the joke of "a solution to the poor is to let's kill all the poor".

There are two big reasons why so many here in the forums have already given up on asking for more incoming damage/things to heal:

1. The devs explicitly said, multiple times (?), that they won't be increasing healing requirements;
2. If they DID increase them, they would either change nine years worth of content or leave everything outside of Endwalker as is;

Yes, making changes for nine years worth of content is a ridiculous thing to ask for, as well as asking for sudden changes on how healing works from Endwalker and onwards.

Believe me, I would love tank incoming damage and raidwides to hit much harder and be more frequent. But alas, the "damage" has already been done, and asking for more DPS skills seems to be the only feasible way to quench our boredom when it comes to healing in this game.

Also, I'm going to go ahead and assume that the devs mentality is something like this: "Everyone taking higher dagame increases stress on newer players!"
That's probably why they have been refusing to change things. As AngeliouxRein puts it well:

This game didn't attract the usual MMO crowd that would like all of the increasing dangers the higher level we got but a really casual/first time playing an MMO crowd instead. And some give vibes of this being their first game ever or something.

The casual/first-time MMO player is probably only going to brush off all the extra DPS buttons we've been asking for as being useless garbage, and they'll keep doing their "EZ clap" content stress-free! Can't you see that as a win-win situation?

[Deceptus]

You're right, there absolutely is no discussion left then. They've essentially killed off the healer's role in that case. Turning the role into a dps is not the answer.

Ok, that's fine. It's their game to develop. But we, as healers, need something fun to do in the downtime.

We used to be Buffers (AST) and Debuffers (SCH) but that was taken away. That needs to return if DPS options are off the table.

Perhaps regen healers can be the buffers and shield can be the debuffers.

[Shurrikhan]

You're right, there absolutely is no discussion left then. They've essentially killed off the healer's role in that case. Turning the role into a dps is not the answer.

Returning to having more than a mere 2-3 rotational single-target spells that aren't (virtually never used) heals, as not to spend 91.7% of GCDs on a single button =/= "turning healers into DPS".

Or is, say, 5 offensive/supportive GCDs somehow the equivalent to having a full kit of them?


The devs refuse to give us more to heal.
The devs refuse to give us any support beyond mere shallow %dmg buffs.

So what else, then, is left if we want to use more than a single button for over 90% of our GCDs and the majority of our CPM (all oGCDs, pots, and Sprint also included) on that single button?

[NekoMataMata]

Returning to having more than a mere 2-3 rotational single-target spells that aren't (virtually never used) heals, as not to spend 91.7% of GCDs on a single button =/= "turning healers into DPS".

Or is, say, 5 offensive/supportive GCDs somehow the equivalent to having a full kit of them?


The devs refuse to give us more to heal.
The devs refuse to give us any support beyond mere shallow %dmg buffs.

So what else, then, is left if we want to use more than a single button for over 90% of our GCDs and the majority of our CPM (all oGCDs, pots, and Sprint also included) on that single button?

You seem to be forgetting that in this current situation adding a full rotation is essentially turning healers into a DPS.

Maaaaaybe if content was balanced properly so healing was actually more necessary it wouldn't be as you'd be balancing heals with DPS. But content isn't balanced for healers right now. Giving them even a single rotation is basically turning them into the party's third dps right now.

Ignoring the root of the problem is only going to make the issue worse over time.

[Silver-Strider]

You seem to be forgetting that in this current situation adding a full rotation is essentially turning healers into a DPS.

Maaaaaybe if content was balanced properly so healing was actually more necessary it wouldn't be as you'd be balancing heals with DPS. But content isn't balanced for healers right now. Giving them even a single rotation is basically turning them into the party's third dps right now.

Ignoring the root of the problem is only going to make the issue worse over time.

So why do Tanks get a rotation if they aren't DPS? Get that double standard crap out of here.

[Raven2014]

So why do Tanks get a rotation if they aren't DPS? Get that double standard crap out of here.

Because DPS tie to their job? How do a tank "tank" a target? By keeping the boss on them. How do they keep the boss on them? By generating threat. How do they generating threat? By DPSing. How they can generate a lot of threat? By having high DPS!

In another word, DPS directly enhance the role of a tank. DPSing on a healer is the exact opposite of that, unless of course, you want to make every AOE acts like assize/macro and every single target heal act like Kardia?

Like ... seriously, this is not a rhetoric question, if anyone know there is any other MMO where the "main" role of a healer is DPS first, and healing is a distant second, tell me. I will definitely go check it out even briefly just to see how it's done. The issue with healer in this game went far beyond of being simply boring/exciting, it's outright an identity crisis.

[Silver-Strider]

Because DPS tie to their job? How do a tank "tank" a target? By keeping the boss on them. How do they keep the boss on them? By generating threat. How do they generating threat? By DPSing. How they can generate a lot of threat? By having high DPS!

In another word, DPS directly enhance the role of a tank. DPSing on a healer is the exact opposite of that, unless of course, you want to make every AOE acts like assize/macro and every single target heal act like Kardia?

That doesn't mean you need a rotation to pull that off. You could literally have 1 skill that builds Aggro and be fine. Back in the day, Tanks used Flash to get initial aggro, a skill that did 0 damage and it worked so this is a BS argument. It's a Double Standard and a bad one at that.

[Raven2014]

That doesn't mean you need a rotation to pull that off. You could literally have 1 skill that builds Aggro and be fine. Back in the day, Tanks used Flash to get initial aggro, a skill that did 0 damage and it worked so this is a BS argument. It's a Double Standard and a bad one at that.

No it's not double standard. If that is your argument, then not even the DPS would need more than one button because they can DPS "just fine!". That is a silly take and you know it. Tank and DPS are fine because they don't have to worry about anyone else but themselves in a fight. Healers is the only role that watching other people are part of their jobs, hence they stand to suffer the most from having integrated distraction (like a DPS combo). Like ... seriously, this claim is as silly as someone who caught texting whilen driving saying "but you text to when sitting at your desk, take that double standard out of here!".

Jebrus, the combo itself isn't the problem here.


And before you claim that's not a problem with you, history had shown that's a problem for most of the average players, hence while Healer being what it is these days. The point is a rotation will always gonna introduce a distraction to some degree, depending on the skill of a player (that's why tunnel vision is a thing). But for a tank/DPS that does not distract from their main directive. A tank will lose nothing if he focus on his combo, a healer tunnel vision on their combo is a risk of someone else dying.

[Shurrikhan]

if anyone know there is any other MMO where the "main" role of a healer is DPS first, and healing is a distant second, tell me.

Unless said healing contributes as directly as possible to the party's dps... all of them?

Healing more than is needed for survival (or for a deliberate rDPS-increasing overextension) has never been the job of a healer.

Unless the encounter is one of the few not won by depleting enemy HP to zero (of which there are none in XIV), all healing has only ever been a means of dps -- and when that more efficient but bottlenecked means of increasing rDPS has hit its cap, healers switch back to direct contribution.