The Problem with Healer Feedback, and requested changes

[Connor]

This argument has gone on since literally like 2.0 with Cleric Stance.

‘If u don’t use cleric ur trash and don’t deserve to play this game’
‘I’m a healer I shouldn’t have to nuke how DARE you’
‘BUT ENCOUNTER DESIGN’
‘But ROLE/ JOB DESIGN’


Repeat for what, 6 years? Except replace Cleric Stance with ‘press healer dps button’ after 4.0.

If you ask me the real problem is that we’re having the exact same arguments we did when the game released. We’re still using the same tired arguments, either Sylphie logic or Raider logic (no dps vs all/some dps).

Isn’t the whole point of a balanced argument to acknowledge the opinions of both sides?

I don’t say this to lay blame on any particular side as well. Of course it’s natural to consistently give an opinion on something you’re passionate about. And unfortunately like every multifaceted argument there’s as much good as bad on any side of it lol

Like yes healers in their current state feel very underwhelming, like you’re barely contributing anything. I don’t dislike playing current healers personally since I’m drawn more towards support play styles, but that doesn’t mean they don’t still need major changes or ways to deal damage on their own.

Likewise, I get that healers are supposed to offer a different playstyle from dps. Which makes sense - otherwise it becomes functionally redundant as a distinct role. At the same time though, encounter design in ffxiv simply does not support a ‘support oriented’ playstyle for healers, necessitating the need for alternative playstyles, which then naturally gravitates towards dps oriented healers.

If nothing else can’t we all at least agree that there’s a gaping contradiction between encounter design and healer job design?

Whether people believe that gap should then be filled with dps rotations, support abilities, more healing, etc, everyone agrees that something needs to be done with the healer role. It feels like so much of this entire (and the healer argument in general) is players trying to ‘defeat’ each other’s arguments instead of accepting a difference of opinion.

The developers are not making their changes based on the arguments of a singular poster. (Unfortunately they seem to be making their changes based on pretty much nothing lol.) No argument anyone ever makes is ever going to single-handedly change the way healers are designed. The mythical ‘Sylphies’ are not destroying the healer role, nor are the evil elite ‘healer raiders’ twisting the role into a dps shaped peg for a healer shaped hole.

The ones to blame here are the developers for their nonsensical job adjustments that seem geared towards a completely different game. Warriors getting a regen added to Shake it Off is pretty good evidence of that. Who needed this? Who asked for it? Healers are already languishing on the heal requirement side of literally every encounter in the game, so the devs make a tank even closer to just flat out replacing them? As far I’m aware Warriors haven’t generally been saying that they desperately needed ways to heal the party lol