Goodbye cleric stance.. you will be sorely missed

[tehomegaking]

To improve PvP game balance, the ability Cleric Stance will no longer be usable in PvP areas.

I can't believe they've done this. Healing in FF pvp was the most fun I've ever had as a healer due to the dynamic switching between offense and defense. They just removed half the skill of the class. Why couldn't they have just toned it down? Flat out removal is a major slap in the face.

There is no doubt this will cause us to see far less healers in FL, probably to the point where it will be a major concern.

Most MMO's I've played it's ridiculously easy to stay alive on a healer vs harassers, but you can't put out much damage. In ff 14 due to the nature of casts interrupts, we can be easily nulled out and thus have to really fight for survival. I always figured our DPS potential was our means of countering this, a way to ward of players who decide to chase you down indefinitely. But now? Cast interruption on nearly every hit? Pitiful DPS? Essentially they've just made us giant punching bags that you can harass all day without the fear of dieing. Again, this is going to result in far less people wanting to heal in FL which could ultimately pose a serious threat to FL's activity.

EDIT:

Now that I'm thinking about it, this is a much bigger blow to scholars. WHM's can still disable you and get away to safety, what about scholar? No reliable CC's... not much ways to get dps away from you... your bio2/miasama which you probably had to blow a swift/sure or both to get out will wear off long before your opponent gets close to dieing... they've got very little means of fending off harassers and no longer will they have the fear element to keep players from trying to solo them. Yeah.. giant punching bags. Seems like it'd be a good idea to bring back the slow on Misama 1 now.

[Amused]

Looks like SE agreed that healers were too strong, but I don't think this was the right solution.

[Zyphione]

Where is Gor?~
I want to see Gor's reaction!

In addition to this, I believe one of the problems if the 8 white mage party that is common in the JP frontlines where they will use cleric stance and equanimity to destroy the entire of the other party in seconds. If they come back, they would swiftcast a holy for the stun and everyone will organize to do chain holy to destroy the other party again.
This is just my assumption however.

[Atreus]

Where is Gor?~
I want to see Gor's reaction!

Something about a volcano of blood... 8(

[Zyphione]

Something about a volcano of blood... 8(

or another very large tableflip emote!

[DenariusJay]

In addition to this, I believe one of the problems if the 8 white mage party that is common in the JP frontlines where they will use cleric stance and equanimity to destroy the entire of the other party in seconds.

Makes sense. Fact is you can't have the best of all worlds, and white mages did. Massive heals? Check. Tankability? Check. Do great DPS? Check. You can't have any balance in pvp with a class like that. Why play anything else? Removal of cleric stance just defines the role of healers as just that - healers. You keep the group and yourself alive, thats your role. Not "destroy everything in your path when it feels convenient to do so.."

[Lucke]

Makes sense. Fact is you can't have the best of all worlds, and white mages did. Massive heals? Check. Tankability? Check. Do great DPS? Check. You can't have any balance in pvp with a class like that. Why play anything else? Removal of cleric stance just defines the role of healers as just that - healers. You keep the group and yourself alive, thats your role. Not "destroy everything in your path when it feels convenient to do so.."

Better edit that post. That's sacrilege to healers that think they should be the best at everything, and that's not OP at all.

[Shake0615]

Do great DPS? Check.

Uncheck. I have yet to see a single person post a screenshot of a WHM pulling better damage than a traditional DD. On average, you won't see them coming anywhere near breaking the 15k mark. Pics or it just didn't happen.

[Zyphione]

Uncheck. I have yet to see a single person post a screenshot of a WHM pulling better damage than a traditional DD. On average, you won't see them coming anywhere near breaking the 15k mark. Pics or it just didn't happen.

This is relative to your experience only? It is possible in JP servers that white mages and scholars are doing very high damage some game exceeding 100000 as blanket number for both class. This is because flag is already taken due to strong holy spam and there is no need for long fighting to build numbers on damage scoreboard.

[Shake0615]

This is relative to your experience only? It is possible in JP servers that white mages and scholars are doing very high damage some game exceeding 100000 as blanket number for both class. This is because flag is already taken due to strong holy spam and there is no need for long fighting to build numbers on damage scoreboard.

It is my experience on the Primal DC which is the most populous in NA, yes. In burst situations I would want to see a combat log readout that shows Holy hitting for numbers higher than Flare, Bane, or any other caster skill. I just don't see the issue with WHM/SCH damage as being nearly as threatening as people say. The majority of my evidence is anecdotal, I'll admit. But the burden of proof should have been on the people claiming that healer dps was so overpowered, and to this point their claims are tenuous. I'm not at all convinced.