Last legs of leveling WHM (Role question)

[Ninster]

I'm currently lvl 46 with WHM and I have SMN/SCH capped (through SMN) but haven't touched SCH much aside from keeping up with job quests. While I was certain for a time I could pick up WHM fairly well on the side, this happened (my post is on that page):

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...tories./page86

On the flipside, I've played as healer on Cutter's Cry as my first run ever and did fairly well (no wipes). I know I'm incredibly prone to herping and derping until I get things down, so should I pursue WHM any more in endgame content or stick with DPS, where at least dungeon progress can still be made if I get roadblocked?

For example, I needed Dzemael Darkhold for the GC quest. I could've queued with WHM to get in quicker, but I opted to run with an FC mate as DPS because I wasn't quite sure what I was getting into.

[MartaDemireux]

I always advocate learning a dungeon as a DPS if you're going with seasoned adventurers. It's usually less of a liability. After you learn the mechanics of a fight and are comfortable is a good time to go healer. Of course if everyone is new then go as whatever you enjoy playing.

SCH is a bit more of a forgiving healer as well which you may want to dabble in. It's easier to shield the tank/party before an attack than it is to pre-cast a heal for an attack you aren't aware of/prepared for. Thanks to the fairy you also have additional heals in case your reaction times are slower from learning new attack patterns to dodge.

[AiChyan]

I main WHM, and frankly Stone Vigil is one of the more challenging dungeons in game. The mobs hit super hard and if everyone isn't performing well things could go bad fast.

My advice is to just keep trying if you enjoy healing. You won't learn a thing if you just chicken out. I nearly quit healing back when I sucked hard at Titan story mode, but I absolutely love healing, so I kept on trying and I'm doing very well now.

Go through the tips threads here, and watch pharazon's vids on youtube. He is a wonderful healer and I learned a lot from his end game videos (which are mostly healer centric), and he has videos on how to use whm & sch too.

We all have roadblocks which pop from time to time, but without practice and constant attempts we cant get past them. Now off I got before I type any similar cheesy sentences "[

[Ninster]

Thanks guys for the advice, and speak of the devil, guess what happened when I decided to go DR with White Mage?

As much as I dreaded going back to Dzemael so soon, I had a really awesome team that made my job sooo much easier and it was clean run: no wipes, no deaths. Still, it helped that I did it first as BLM.

[SummonerSenah]

I was intimidated to heal at first, too, but the key is to learn by doing. I initially picked up WHM on my main (Senah) because I already had all the DPS jobs at 50 and I wasn't ready to try tanking. Eventually I ended up playing WHM a lot because we would always have a tank and DPS but not a healer online. When I did ok on stuff like Halatali hard I became more confident. The thing that helped most was trying to do a Brayflox HM speed run when I was still only i77. It was rough but I did it, and honestly most other content feels like a cakewalk compared to the stress of healing through speedruns. I tackled CT and all the other 8 man content I had access to, and discovered I love being a healer. If my FC didn't already have two healers for our static I would probably main healers on both of my characters.

[micropanther7]

What everyone says is very true, I had the same experience as AiChyan with Titan Story Mode, thread here if you wanna have a read It really does get better with practice And don't give up! If anyone tells you you suck and gives you verbal abuse without offering advice or constructive criticism on how to improve, don't listen to them!!

Saw you went in Stone Vigil, I bet my death tally was a lot higher than yours (as in my own lol) :P For starters, the mobs hit hard as hell in there, pulling too many (and if he done it on purpose, that was daft, especially with someone who's new to healing the instance, I'd have given him a thick ear if that had happened to me) and wiping, that was NOT your fault for starters. Some of the mobs can be slept in there, not the Dragon aevis I don't think but the dragonflies can, that helped me a bit. If you really love healing, don't give up, and good luck!!

[PetiteMalFleur]

I did sv the other day with a brand new tank. It was a struggle but that's how it goes when you have a new player or someone unfamiliar with their class. Don't over think it. Just keep practicing and it will become easier. I'd much rather run with someone willing to listen to the group and improve than with someone who messes up and blames everyone else.

[Seryl199]

I actually have a tougher time learning roles on dps. I won't know if there's a mob with kill priority, like hornets with surprise spike damage abilities, or what abilities should be CC'd when applicable. Not to mention I have to fumble with unfamiliar mechanics while maintaining my rotation and avoiding tunnel vision when things get hectic.

Any time I heal, I know i have to survive, and keep people healed, which is much easier for me since I know the sch and whm toolkits inside and out. Just get in there neck deep with whatever you have fun with, tell people you're new, and learn from your mistakes and advice from the vets. Don't expect a perfect run, but get stoked when you have one!

[Estellios]

Stone Vigil is just a difficult dungeon depending on your team. A lot of the enemies hit kinda hard and there are some pulls that frequently result in wipes, not to mention the wandering aevis can catch your group off guard if your tank isn't aware of them or their aggro range.

If you enjoy healing as WHM just stay as WHM. You won't get better without practice.

[monochromicorn]

honestly, ive healed everything blind up to t5. you dont have to know the mechanics for a fight, as most of them are easy to learn anyways. for cutters cry, i didnt know what kiting was, they just told me to run in a circle, and for the final boss, they said blue out, violet in. for t4, the other healer only told me "stand by me" and he marked himself with X. as much as i hate to say it like this, healing really isnt that hard(im WHM), you just have to be confident that you can react according to the situation. thats what healing is, reacting to the situation. theres no rotation, its mp management, reacting, and being confident.