"Barrier Healers" aren't barrier healers

[PyurBlue]

The differences between healers are more flavor than full on categories, but I still think they are distinct enough for the term barrier healer to have some meaning.

In terms of practical gameplay, shields do something that heals cannot, which is block status effects that require HP damage to be inflicted. This includes vuln stacks. This mechanic could make the distinction between healer types slightly more pronounced, but in practice it's not very noticeable in game. Casual content doesn't deal enough damage to make people care most of the time and higher difficulties will usually break shields.

In the very few instances where the shielding mechanic does apply, I like to use it, but getting other players onboard is difficult. I can completely negate some Expert dungeon mechanics with sage and I've tried announcing my intentions to do so in chat, but players still try to evade the AoEs even while I stand in them and suffer no ill effects because I can put a barrier too large to break.

At the end of the day, shields are just HP. The only time they are truly a shield is when they extend the maximum HP of the player. Otherwise it is no different than a heal. I cannot speak for savage or ultimate, but in all content through EX trials there is nothing unavoidable that requires a max Hp extension to survive it. This basically makes the idea of shields and by extension 'shield healing' completely redundant.

I'm in agreement with most of your post, but I think the ability of shields to negate status effects is an interesting difference. It exists now, but it seems like an unintentional fluke rather than something the developers really intended. I wonder if it could be expanded into something that is more noticeable in gameplay?