The Healer Double Standard

[Absurdity]

There is another big problem with making fights less predictable, namely the netcode/server ticks/whatever you want to call it, the way the game detects whether or not you got hit by something.

In higher end content you often simply do not have the time to quickly react to mechanics without already knowing what is going to happen.
This would end up either making unpredictable fights either too hard because you simply don't have time to dodge it, or too easy because you have too much time.

[AmiableApkallu]

In higher end content you often simply do not have the time to quickly react to mechanics without already knowing what is going to happen.

If you already know what's about to happen, you're not reacting to anything. You're following a script.

This would end up either making unpredictable fights either too hard because you simply don't have time to dodge it

If the goal is to give healers something interesting to heal through, that sounds like a plus to me, not a minus. (I'm assuming that with unpredictable fights, mechanics are tweaked such that the fight doesn't come down to pure luck.)

Avoidable damage that everyone simply avoids as a matter of course isn't interesting. Scripted, unavoidable damage isn't interesting. That leaves unscripted, unavoidable damage — which, I don't know, is that interesting to heal through or just busy work?

[Absurdity]

If the goal is to give healers something interesting to heal through, that sounds like a plus to me, not a minus. (I'm assuming that with unpredictable fights, mechanics are tweaked such that the fight doesn't come down to pure luck.)

Avoidable damage that everyone simply avoids as a matter of course isn't interesting. Scripted, unavoidable damage isn't interesting. That leaves unscripted, unavoidable damage — which, I don't know, is that interesting to heal through or just busy work?

I'm not really disagreeing there, it is just not feasible to implement with the way the game currently works without making it either impossible to deal with or way too easy. Neither of which is good in a savage fight.

If you make the avoidable damage oneshot people and then make the mechanics unpredictable, with the wonky snapshotting that XIV has, it will entirely depend on your luck and end up frustrating.
If you make the mechanic not oneshot people or make the cast so long that you can resolve it, with both the additional time needed to figure out what mechanic the boss is doing and the wonky snapshotting, then it will be way too easy.


This game currently just can't really do mechanics that require split second reactions.

[vetch]

I'm not really disagreeing there, it is just not feasible to implement with the way the game currently works without making it either impossible to deal with or way too easy. Neither of which is good in a savage fight.

If you make the avoidable damage oneshot people and then make the mechanics unpredictable, with the wonky snapshotting that XIV has, it will entirely depend on your luck and end up frustrating.
If you make the mechanic not oneshot people or make the cast so long that you can resolve it, with both the additional time needed to figure out what mechanic the boss is doing and the wonky snapshotting, then it will be way too easy.


This game currently just can't really do mechanics that require split second reactions.

It can do automatic attacks that are light at first but compound into problems if not reacted to, though. Like slows, stacking poisons, petrification, or layering multiple attacks so that they overwhelm if you're not staying on top of them (like Urth's Fount or Karlabos). This could be a mechanic for healers specifically, or for everyone by way of a cleansing interactable/duty-specific action/consumable antidote.

Karlabos is actually a fantastic example of the kind of design we need so much more of, insofar as you can deal with his DoT+Tail Screw attack sequence in multiple ways:

-healers/bards can esuna the slime so Tail Screw is harmless
-tanks/melees can stun the Tail Screw so the slime is not fatal
-a shield can be used to give an eHP cushion against the slime since Tail Screw only reduces blue health
-or you can throw a potion/heal at the exact right second to not die before the slime ticks

[Sebazy]

I'm not really disagreeing there, it is just not feasible to implement with the way the game currently works without making it either impossible to deal with or way too easy. Neither of which is good in a savage fight.

If you make the avoidable damage oneshot people and then make the mechanics unpredictable, with the wonky snapshotting that XIV has, it will entirely depend on your luck and end up frustrating.
If you make the mechanic not oneshot people or make the cast so long that you can resolve it, with both the additional time needed to figure out what mechanic the boss is doing and the wonky snapshotting, then it will be way too easy.


This game currently just can't really do mechanics that require split second reactions.

IMHO the easiest solution there is to lean more on auto attacks persisting through casts with the ability to crit whilst also giving bosses short cooldown non-telegraphed tank busters and cleaves again.

Kaliya from Coil T11 during prog was a great example of how bosses should hit. It wasn't the hardest hitting boss of the time, but you needed both tanks to soak those cleaves initially and it was nothing like as predictable as what we have now because the bulk of the damage didn't have a huge long telegraph announcing it's arrival.

https://youtu.be/1WwRDVQotgo?t=15

[HyoMinPark]

IMHO the easiest solution there is to lean more on auto attacks persisting through casts with the ability to crit whilst also giving bosses short cooldown non-telegraphed tank busters and cleaves again.

They honestly should have never taken out the crit autos. But heaven forbid a healer have to actually monitor their tanks’ HP all the time instead of being able to mostly ignore them.

[GoatOfWar]

They honestly should have never taken out the crit autos. But heaven forbid a healer have to actually monitor their tanks’ HP all the time instead of being able to mostly ignore them.

Careful now, there might be some window lickers that would be incapable of playing healer with such a change.

[AmiableApkallu]

IMHO the easiest solution there is to lean more on auto attacks persisting through casts with the ability to crit whilst also giving bosses short cooldown non-telegraphed tank busters and cleaves again.

Kaliya from Coil T11 during prog was a great example of how bosses should hit. It wasn't the hardest hitting boss of the time, but you needed both tanks to soak those cleaves initially and it was nothing like as predictable as what we have now because the bulk of the damage didn't have a huge long telegraph announcing it's arrival.

I'm curious: When did that change?

[HyoMinPark]

I'm curious: When did that change?

Crit autos specifically were removed from most bosses after SB. Older content still has them, but none of the dungeons, trials, or raids in ShB or EW do.