Will WHM be getting a new trait to replace ProShell?

[Lyrica_Ashtine]

The aren't "stronger" they're just in possession of a particularly marketable skill. WHM, realistically speaking, is the weaker of the two by a wide margin (poor raid dps, accuracy, overhealing).

None of those things are really a class issue, more of a mechanic thing.
"poor raid DPS" - While not exactly the high, it's not poor either.
"accuracy" - This is more on Square-Enix's mechanic design:
1) For some reason Bio, Bio II and Shadowflare requires no accuracy, but a giant explosion of light can actually miss while you're right on top
2) Accuracy isn't readily available bar some very minor numbers on every piece. Unless resorting to crafted gear, neither healer can reach the accuracy cap for the harder content. But this applies to both healers. Scholars simply don't need accuracy to deal decent damage - They'll want it to deal good damage, though.
"overhealing" - And this is more of a player's fault, rather than the class fault. Overhealing will always be there. Be it on Scholar or on White Mage. It's higher on Scholar in some cases, where the scholar's the type that shields everything before impact.

[Cynfael]

None of those things are really a class issue, more of a mechanic thing.
"poor raid DPS" - While not exactly the high, it's not poor either.
"accuracy" - This is more on Square-Enix's mechanic design:
1) For some reason Bio, Bio II and Shadowflare requires no accuracy, but a giant explosion of light can actually miss while you're right on top
2) Accuracy isn't readily available bar some very minor numbers on every piece. Unless resorting to crafted gear, neither healer can reach the accuracy cap for the harder content. But this applies to both healers. Scholars simply don't need accuracy to deal decent damage - They'll want it to deal good damage, though.
"overhealing" - And this is more of a player's fault, rather than the class fault. Overhealing will always be there. Be it on Scholar or on White Mage. It's higher on Scholar in some cases, where the scholar's the type that shields everything before impact.

Agreed on all points.

Lack of native ACC really hinders WHM more than it does SCH for no obviously good reason. I'm curious to see what happens with this heal-while-DPS skill. My hope would be that they overhaul healer gear to provide options for more native ACC, but I'm thinking it's more likely that A) this ability won't require a hit check or B) it will require a hit check and thus be marginalized for raid use by any WHM not stacking ACC with crafted/relic.

[Yhximott]

None of that makes sense.

I main a WHM so I'm not speaking from a bias:
-We (WHM) have to change stance to deal any reasonable damage, which prevents us from being able to pinch heal if we use it out of turn.
-Our damaging spells can miss.
-If we heal for 2000 on a party member who needs 1000, 1000HP of healing just disappears, never to be seen again.

-SCH can deal damage and heal at the same time.
-SCH spells don't even require the calculation of accuracy.
-If a SCH heals for 2000 on a player who needs 1000, that player gains an additional 2000HP in the form of a shield. (this is an exaggeration of the shields power)
-All that aside from having 3 insta-heals every minute, the power to soak up MP in an instant, granting haste to the entire party, having their own HOT, and damage mitigation with supervirus and e4e.

Regardless of weather it's programming, or mechanics, etc. the end result is that SCH lacks many of the disadvantages that WHM has to deal with.

[Lyrica_Ashtine]

I main a WHM so I'm not speaking from a bias:
-We (WHM) have to change stance to deal any reasonable damage, which prevents us from being able to pinch heal if we use it out of turn.
-Our damaging spells can miss.
-If we heal for 2000 on a party member who needs 1000, 1000HP of healing just disappears, never to be seen again.

One: Scholars have to do the exact same
Two: While Bio, Bio II and Shadowflare technically cannot miss, Ruin, Ruin II, Aero (if cross classed) and Energy Drain still can
Three: If you're healing for 2000, it's either: You crit or you're using Cure II. If the party member only needed 1000 healing a Cure would have sufficed. You're just stating a poor choice of spell here.

-SCH can deal damage and heal at the same time.
-SCH spells don't even require the calculation of accuracy.
-If a SCH heals for 2000 on a player who needs 1000, that player gains an additional 2000HP in the form of a shield. (this is an exaggeration of the shields power)
-All that aside from having 3 insta-heals every minute, the power to soak up MP in an instant, granting haste to the entire party, having their own HOT, and damage mitigation with supervirus and e4e.

Regardless of weather it's programming, or mechanics, etc. the end result is that SCH lacks many of the disadvantages that WHM has to deal with.

One: If regen is applied before going into Cleric's stance, White Mages can technically do the same. Although not as potent. Stoneskin is unaffected by Cleric's Stance, however. Lustrate doesn't come for free either and is not unlimited in it's uses.
Two: Energy Drain, Ruin, Ruin II and Aero (if cross classed) do require accuracy. Energy Drain being the most painful one to miss: Not only will you miss out on damage but 266 MP as well.
Three: This exaggeration is way out of bounds. Also: Why would you choose to use Adloquium on someone with no real purpose? If you were indeed to heal someone for 2000 HP with Adloquium, if that shield is not used then it's just as wasteful as overhealing.
Four: Lustrate heals for more over time, that much is true.
The power to soak up MP isn't much of a reason. MP should never be an issue in a competent party or with competent healers. Be it on White Mage or Scholar
The "haste" you're mentioning would be a 30 second 30% skill- or spell speed increase. Haste is something completely different. Actual results may differ from encounter and it's not a gigantic boost when it comes to damage. The only class who majorly benefits from this would be Black Mage. Summoner's hardly benefit from it and TP-reliant classes drain their TP slightly quicker: Resulting in that the bard needs to use Paeon earlier or even more, which effectively lowers the bard damage as well.
Their own "HoT" (Whispering Dawn) isn't always available, especially when the scholar uses Selene over Eos. Neither is as available as having Medica II: It has a 60s cooldown.
White Mages also have access to eye for an eye and so do black mages and summoners. The only difference would be that it has a shorter cooldown time on it, but it's actual effect is not more potent.

The current state of the game isn't actually that imbalanced when it comes to healing. Any content can be solo healed by either healer and the very same content can be healed with two of the same healing classes (see previous posts). But this is about the current state. If the game mechanics remain the same as it is now and we simply get some additional skills and/or minor tweaks. Then yes, White Mages would be at a disadvantage. But not because protect is being tweaked. It's the other classes getting skills to patch up their weak areas whereas White Mage is getting new abilities which will suffer from the issues as it has now.

Lack of native ACC really hinders WHM more than it does SCH for no obviously good reason. I'm curious to see what happens with this heal-while-DPS skill. My hope would be that they overhaul healer gear to provide options for more native ACC, but I'm thinking it's more likely that A) this ability won't require a hit check or B) it will require a hit check and thus be marginalized for raid use by any WHM not stacking ACC with crafted/relic.

inb4 the spell actually requires to hit before it heals (which is probably the worst case scenario for this ability/spell)

[VanilleFang]

inb4 the spell actually requires to hit before it heals (which is probably the worst case scenario for this ability/spell)

This would be horrible. It would make it pretty unreliable.

[Cynfael]

This would be horrible. It would make it pretty unreliable.

The worst part is that players who turn up their noses at Coil would never notice the issue since accuracy requirements outside of end game tend to be very low.

I'm betting on the spell being auto-hit simply because SE might be pressured to address healer accuracy issues if the general population started noticing their shiny new spell whiffing on this new, supposedly more challenging open world content in Heavensward. Less work for them just to waive the hit check unless they already have plans to give healers the choice of quest/drop gear with accuracy as a legit secondary.

[VanilleFang]

The worst part is that players who turn up their noses at Coil would never notice the issue since accuracy requirements outside of end game tend to be very low.

I don't do Coil myself but I understand some of the issues people have in it. I don't "turn my nose up" at it, I just have personal reasons for not doing it. But yeah, I understand what you mean.

I'm betting on the spell being auto-hit

I could see that. Since they are trying to address issues with the game, that'd be a good place to help healers in end-game content.

[Cynfael]

I don't do Coil myself but I understand some of the issues people have in it. I don't "turn my nose up" at it, I just have personal reasons for not doing it..

Yeah, I was thinking more of the people who jump out of the woodwork whenever a thread about Coil pops up in General Discussion and start in with how universally terrible raiding is and how they wouldn't want to do it anyway, usually before anyone has actually accused them of being filthy casuals. Off-topic, but I wish more people realized that Coil can be a "casual" activity; hell, I know people who are more hardcore about pony farming....

[VanilleFang]

Yeah, I was thinking more of the people who jump out of the woodwork whenever a thread about Coil pops up

Yeah, I didn't think you were directing it at me, I just wanted to clarify. lol

[Lyrica_Ashtine]

The worst part is that players who turn up their noses at Coil would never notice the issue since accuracy requirements outside of end game tend to be very low.

Well, there's one "casual" encounter where healers can't naturally reach the accuracy cap: Shiva Extreme. And you can only get remotely close by capping your accuracy on a zodiac/zeta weapon. With just dreadwyrm/ironworks you're a good 70 points of accuracy under cap.