Any end-game healers use a controller?

[Xbob42]

Heya! I mainly play tank, which is very easy to play with a controller, DPS is similarly simple. Healing, on the other hand, looks like it'd be a much bigger challenge due to targeting, as you'd need a rather complex set of macros to be able to reliably target as quickly as someone using mouse-over macros.

For my secondary job I'd much rather go healer than DPS, as I never enjoy playing DPS, but I also want to be able to play with my 360 pad since I just find this game in particular much more comfortable with one.

My question is simple: Any of you do Binding Coil healing with a controller? If so, mind sharing some of your macro setups? I'm aware that thanks to the very long GCD, you can usually keep up, but for specific instances that isn't always the case, and I'd like to be as efficient as possible as to not hold anyone back. (For example, it always comes as a tremendous shock to people when they hear I use a controller, rather than "Oh, THAT explains it." I'd like to keep things like that.)

[YanDere]

I'm WHM and I got down Caduceus now, I know it's nothing, but it's still the Coil.
Well, I just need my hotbar, I have one for attacking and one for focused healing.
I have Swiftcast and Virus for the worst moments, but with some coordination you can manage to heal everything well.
I think SCH is a bit harder though, due to the pet managing...
If you want to do the healer, just remember two things:
1. Don't underestimate the work you do, if a dps fails you just deal a bit less damage, if a healer fail the whole party dies.
2. Don't panic, just learn step by step and find your own way to heal.
And please, don't do like some assh*les I encountered on DF, that have some other class at lv50 and don't want to leave their precedent job, like lv50 BLMs that join dungeons as WHMs and dps mobs making everyone die XD

[Xbob42]

I'm tremendously familiar with MMO healing as it's been my primary role in MMOs for years and years now, but with this game in particular if I want to do it, I have to be able to do it with my controller, and if I'm gonna do it with my controller, I have to get it absolutely right or not try at all.

[m3eansean]

Healing with a controller is laughably easy. Just press up or down on the DPAD to select the members in your party and Voila! You only have the option of healing the people currently partied with you doing this method, so you don't need to scroll past enemines, pets etc and waste valuable healing time.

Now healing people in the open world who aren't partied with you, thats a different story.

[Tivonna]

I think the issue may be toggling. It is a bit tough for me...I keep a potion and ether on my healing bar in case I need em...I also have my DoTs and stun...rest I have heals. It's hard to pick which 16 to have up for the controller and which to have to the backup....I turn off the menu bar when my weapon is drawn so I just have 2 bars.
Do you keep swiftcast on main bar or second bar. (second bar is protect, raise, and things not used too often.)

[Zaresin]

I found healing with a controller very difficult. So I use a mouse and keyboard and use mouse over macros for healing. I also use razor synapse to key bind my pets embrace with adlo and physick so when I heal whoever I'm targeting is getting embraced while I heal another target. I also use synapse when using Selene. I alternate her two spells with a wait time of 31seconds. I couldn't do this easily if I was controller only. I found my reaction time lacking.

[Estellios]

I heal w/ WHM on gamepad.

Really if you are fine using it on other classes you will be fine using it while healing. Really the biggest thing is to remember is that if you have to change targets do it while a spell is casting or the GCD is ticking away (usually the same thing).

One thing I strongly recommend is to keep long-cooldown abilities off your main bar, and use the HUD customization to enable one of the horizontal or vertical bars and put your long cooldown abilities on there. While you won't be able to hit them there while using a gamepad, you can use this to see the cooldowns when you aren't on that 2nd bar.

[YanDere]

I have just 1 bar with cooldown and non-cooldown abilities, I don't have problems :3
But, as I said earlier, everyone has his own way to heal, if you're wont to this kind of videogame I'm sure you'll easily heal with a gamepad.

[Vincible]

As a Scholar who uses a controller, I know the importance of your hotkey lay-out.

Personally I keep my first row for pet stance / heal moves. I find it helps best though if you keep 3 or 4 hotkeys the same no matter which hotkey bar you're on. Such as "Sprint, Cleric Stance, Swiftcast, target enemy." Those are the one's I find most useful spread out between the bars.

[SeraviEdalborez]

I feel controller SCH is at a disadvantage compared to KB+M just for precision+speed when aiming Shadow Flare, Sacred Soil, and Place. But in all other regards it doesn't matter.