"Barrier Healers" aren't barrier healers

[Gemina]

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.



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?

I remember when I started playing the game back in late 2014, burning down the nails in The Bowel of Embers HM was a true mechanic that was facilitated with SCH succor to avoid the KB from Ifrit's eruptions. I specifically remember some close calls where if the SCH was not casting them, we likely would have not gotten them down in time. It made the EX version where there are more than double the amount of nails than in HM quite a daunting task. Without HP shields to absorb those blasts, we're talking interruptions to seven players and arms length/surecast wasn't a thing back then either. That is a ton of damage tied into those GCDs that also reduces the damage Ifrit receives even without the nails. Eruption also doesn't have a cast bar. Good times.

All gone now. As you said, there are still some isolated situations where shields can negate certain status effects, and even fewer where those situations can't be ignored completely. I know you want to believe there is a distinction between barrier and shield healers, and there is, but it's tied into their GCD abilities, which is negated by their oGCD skills. This game in terms of job and encounter design is so much different now than 10 years ago.