"Barrier Healers" aren't barrier healers

[ty_taurus]

Ultimately, they are barrier healers because the majority of casual players use them that way, despite that many raider healers don't.

You could make that argument for a lot of things, potentially. You could argue that Black Mage is thematically an ice mage because anyone can ignore their fire spells and spam Blizzard IV. You could argue that Red Mage is a pure healer because anyone can focus on topping players off with Vercure instead of DPSing. You could argue that Dancer is a melee DPS because anyone can use their AOE rotation instead of their single target rotation even when there's only one enemy. You can do those things as silly as they may sound. Outside of Savage, you are still going to clear dungeons, normal raids, alliance raids, variant dungeons, etc. even if you play that way on those examples, amongst many other possible alternative play styles you can think of.

But the point is to describe how the play style of Scholar and Sage work when played correctly. No matter how you slice it, Scholar and Sage both benefit from ignoring their GCD barriers as much as possible and relying on everything else instead, because everything else is vastly superior.

I spam barriers as Sage if only to do more DPS when it breaks. Other than that I use the regular heals unless I want to shield from an incoming raid wide or tankbuster.

Unfortunately, every time you spam a barrier to gain Addersting, you are losing damage, not gaining damage.

Dosis + Dosis = 660 potency damage
E. Diagnosis + Toxikon = 330 potency damage

E. Diagnosis and E. Prognosis are also some of the weakest ways you can handle raidwides and tankbusters. Does this matter at a casual level? No, not really. But there are other tools far better suited for addressing those mechanics than your GCD heals which otherwise clash with the entire rest of your kit.

[Jeeqbit]

You could argue that Black Mage is thematically an ice mage because anyone can ignore their fire spells and spam Blizzard IV.

I don't think that is as widespread as barrier healers spamming their barriers. Is it? If it is, I've never noticed it being common among BLMs in dungeons. Whereas almost any healer I get in dungeons spams barriers on me.

You could argue that Red Mage is a pure healer because anyone can focus on topping players off with Vercure instead of DPSing.

Ok, now I never see this at all. I only ever see a RDM vercure when they just died and want to restore their HP before a raid-wide.

Outside of Savage, you are still going to clear dungeons, normal raids, alliance raids, variant dungeons, etc. even if you play that way on those examples, amongst many other possible alternative play styles you can think of.

Arguably many healers use shields excessively in Savage as well and still clear. Although it's more justified because they just want to clear and don't want people dying of lack of heals which is more likely to happen in Savage. But I still see plenty of moments where we could just use our self-heals like Equilibrium, Bloodwhetting, Bloodbath, Second Wind and so on, or where tanks could time a Shake It Off/Divine Veil so healers don't need to. Which is only likely to happen in a static.

But the point is to describe how the play style of Scholar and Sage work when played correctly.

Although I would like to agree, if you were around prior to them being designated a "Barrier healer", such as in Heavensward and Stormblood, which it seems like you were?, the entire community used to perceive Scholar as a barrier healer even in Heavensward.

Their Adlos were seen as extremely powerful and long-lasting, especially when they crit, allowing them to DPS lots, while White Mage's Stoneskin was seen as weak and useless, disappearing the moment they were applied, but their pure heals seen as very strong. Which led to Stoneskin being removed in Stormblood.

That reputation just continued and AST being able to switch between Barrier and Pure healer in Heavensward added some official support to the concept of a Barrier and Pure healer distinction.

But they always avoided the actual distinction in any other ways until Endwalker released, where they finally accept what the community had perceived for most of the game's life.

I'm not saying it's right. I'm not saying I agree with it. But the concept of a "barrier healer" has been widespread and even widely accepted among most of the community, unlike things like "ice mage" and "RDM vercure".

Unfortunately, every time you spam a barrier to gain Addersting, you are losing damage, not gaining damage.

Oh, I assumed it would be DPS neutral like WHM. Good thing I've never used it then.

[CVXIV]

Unfortunately, every time you spam a barrier to gain Addersting, you are losing damage, not gaining damage.

Dosis + Dosis = 660 potency damage
E. Diagnosis + Toxikon = 330 potency damage

E. Diagnosis and E. Prognosis are also some of the weakest ways you can handle raidwides and tankbusters. Does this matter at a casual level? No, not really. But there are other tools far better suited for addressing those mechanics than your GCD heals which otherwise clash with the entire rest of your kit.

Does it? I enjoy sage but I mostly tank or do DPS, so I really had no idea. I'll have to look into it some more so I can perform better. While I might just do casual content, I still enjoy playing the best I can with these jobs.

[Rein_eon_Osborne]

Does it? I enjoy sage but I mostly tank or do DPS, so I really had no idea. I'll have to look into it some more so I can perform better. While I might just do casual content, I still enjoy playing the best I can with these jobs.

Unfortunately it is. Only the first three free stacks and maybe the stacks you get from downtime shields that would really benefit you. The rest are a loss however 'fun' they might feel.

I.e. Putting Krasis before dumping Kerachole+Haima (or Panhaima if Haima is down) on your tank alone is pretty much a single target tank LB equivalent of your own, assuming they take enough damage to consume every layers of shields. Holos on itself is cracked it turns any instance of damage from casual content mechanic to nothingness. Addersgall on itself recharges so frequently it renders 90% of your other free tools unused unless your party is a clownfest.

Many more can still be used before having to actually use E.Diagnosis/Prognosis, it's hilarious how much HPS a SGE is giving out like candies just for existing. SCHs can do as much if they completely ignore Energy Drain too but I guess we just have to waste an entire design space to appeal the meta slaves.