Do i need to DPS?

[Astral145]

I only dps if the tank is rotating cd's properly, dps's avoiding aoes or during certain phases in a boss fight. A healer DOES NOT have to dps. If groups are not clearing content due to dps checks then the group needs to look at the dps's... That's with ALL content including savage raids.... either GET GOOD or GEAR UP. Not all content is suppose to be cleared the same day it comes out. Too many players are in a hurry to clear all content ASAP then are left standing around with their thumbs up their butts.

Play the way you feel you need to play. If you like to be conservative with mp to make sure the party is still standing at the end of the dungeon then by all means play that way. A dead dps cant dps and if the party wipes bc the healer had no mp well that will make the run last a lot longer. So do whatever makes you feel comfortable.

[DarkerOrange]

If groups are not clearing content due to dps checks then the group needs to look at the dps's... That's with ALL content including savage raids.... either GET GOOD or GEAR UP. Not all content is suppose to be cleared the same day it comes out. Too many players are in a hurry to clear all content ASAP then are left standing around with their thumbs up their butts.

Ahaha...ahahaha. Oh man, thanks for a great laugh. The idea that Elysium's DPS need to get good is priceless

Healer dps is not required for casual play, but there is content for which it is currently required, (I.e. Alex Savage), so telling someone that it is always the DPS's fault if you don't meet a DPS check is garbage. If you don't like the challenge of end-game content when it is freshly released, then that is fine, but please do not go around telling people that healer DPS is never required, because I am currently working on A3S, and I can assure you that healer DPS is most definitely a requirement to clear that fight.

[Astral145]

Ahaha...ahahaha. Oh man, thanks for a great laugh. The idea that Elysium's DPS need to get good is priceless

Healer dps is not required for casual play, but there is content for which it is currently required, (I.e. Alex Savage), so telling someone that it is always the DPS's fault if you don't meet a DPS check is garbage. If you don't like the challenge of end-game content when it is freshly released, then that is fine, but please do not go around telling people that healer DPS is never required, because I am currently working on A3S, and I can assure you that healer DPS is most definitely a requirement to clear that fight.

Sounds like you are in hurry to clear the content. Why not role with 5 dps's, 1 healer and 2 tanks if you feel that the dps checks are to difficult to get past. A healers main job is to heal anything else is just sprinkles on the cup cakes.

There are many types of players out there and not all players can multitask or at least feel comfortable with multitasking. Personally I like to throw some dps when I can as a healer or stance dance as a tank during certain phases of a boss fight but not all players will feel comfortable doing that. The best thing any player can do is to be patient and understanding toward other players abilities.

[Sleigh]

Sounds like you are in hurry to clear the content. Why not role with 5 dps's, 1 healer and 2 tanks if you feel that the dps checks are to difficult to get past. A healers main job is to heal anything else is just sprinkles on the cup cakes.

If "in a hurry" is before they raise the iLVL cap or add echo, then sure. Otherwise it's not really in the cards to beat something like A4S with just the hopes and dreams of 4 DPS.

It sounds like in your universe only DPS should do good damage and SE has molded their raids around this fact ... unfortunately for the less stoic healers/tanks out there, that's not what the devs went for, this time around.

[Astral145]

If "in a hurry" is before they raise the iLVL cap or add echo, then sure. Otherwise it's not really in the cards to beat something like A4S with just the hopes and dreams of 4 DPS.

It sounds like in your universe only DPS should do good damage and SE has molded their raids around this fact ... unfortunately for the less stoic healers/tanks out there, that's not what the devs went for, this time around.

Well dps's main job is to dps. A dead dps cannot dps. You can always save your i190 - i210 gear if you want hardcore mode. BTW echo will not be added to savage for a long while and who knows if the devs will add echo to savage this time around. The devs are creating 2 modes for each raid (story and savage). So echo may not be added... nobody knows at this point in time. All I'm saying is if the healers in your group feel comfortable throwing down the deeps then by all means dps away. There is no wrong or right... play the way you feel like playing.

[PetiteMalFleur]

Sounds like you are in hurry to clear the content. Why not role with 5 dps's, 1 healer and 2 tanks if you feel that the dps checks are to difficult to get past. A healers main job is to heal anything else is just sprinkles on the cup cakes.

I'm not sure what ilvl a group needs to sacrifice healer dps but people doing a3s progression do not meet the 6.1k raid dps requirement from 4 dps alone. It's just mathematically impossible. You also need about 5k+ hps which cannot be managed by one healer. Half of my group is ilvl capped until we clear a3s. We will not be able to clear it without healer dps until we clear a4s to get the 210 weapons. It isn't about being in a hurry to clear content; the fights this expansion are just designed to require healer dps.

[Sleigh]

In low level content, sub-Stone Vigil normal mode: PLEASE DPS. Healers can do extremely competitive DPS at that point, single target or multi-DoT, to the point where it's not uncommon to beat PUGs with just Stone spam in CS. SCH is straight up one of the top DPS of anyone from Haukke on with Bane.
Stone Vigil - level 50 dungeons: dependent on what healer you are and speed of the run but yes unless your tank is woefully bad or undergeared you can at least get a little bit off.
Level 50 dungeons on: yes, DPS, even in big full pulls. AST starts really losing its edge and you won't be able to do too terribly much without good CDs from your tank, but it's still doable.

Any dungeon boss you can Regen/AB the tank or Embrace spam the tank and DPS about 70% of the time. It won't be incredible DPS but you can knock off 15% of the boss's HP that otherwise would have been untouched.
For raids, serious raiding, the damage output on the MT is usually very low ... as we approach i210 once again Regen + forced Embrace spam + tank CDs virtually cancels out the majority of AAs. You can and should DPS, especially in A2-4 Savage.

Tips for DPSing? It's pretty easy actually. Identify the times when a tank or the raid will get bopped by mechanics or a tank buster/cleaves. Use E4E/Virus to help counteract those things. Keep Regen/AB/Embrace spams up fulltime, buffing them if you don't need DS/Syn/Rouse for anything else. If in an 8 man, if you as the main healer would like to get up your DoTs but there's some dedicated healing required, tell your off healer (SCH almost always) to take over so you can get your stuff up then take over healing once they're up. Ride HoTs out, they're godly in FFXIV ... don't be a lamer who stands there with HoTs that negate AAs and Cure spam on the tank or stand there. That's not cool.

[Negafox]

I was looking at other threads and i seen people talking about healers being "lazy" for not dpsing any. And I am not being lazy just don't want people to die also I want to save as much mana as I can. So I want to know am I just being a bad healer or people just being upset that things are not dying a few seconds faster?

No. But you should help out for DPS intensive triggers which can wipe a party member or the entire party if the DPSes fail, if possible. For example, Nidhogg.

[Lyrica_Ashtine]

This is about to turn into a debate that started a few months back where "casuals" branded those who put in some extra effort as "elitist" and/or "nerds" (or whatever negative image you can imagine for either group).

As for the query from the OP:
If you're not DPSing and there's no need to heal within a certain time frame, what else do you plan to do? There is no single encounter where you are required to keep any HP bar at 100% at all time. Here's a bit from the healer handbook I wrote for my FC

2.1 Primary- and secondary objectives as a healer
Your primary objective as a healer is to keep your party in good shape, not as black and white as keeping them alive. Staying alive is an individual job, rather than yours. Keeping your party in good shape involves:

• Having sufficient HP at the right time

• Is free of most, if not all, negative status effects

• Being prepared for sure-kill attacks unless properly mitigated

Your secondary objective would be to make the encounter as forgiving as possible, although opinions on this may vary. Making an encounter more forgiving involves handling mechanics or contributing with damage. For most encounters, especially when progressing, the dps checks is one of the main causes for failures. Assuming your primary objective is achieved till the dps check fails. By taking duties handling mechanics from other players would improve the overal damage output. Alternatively you could help contribute with some damage as a healer.

Obviously, you should focus on your primary objective. While secondary objectives are optional, it may make or break an encounter depending on the amount of time and effort you (the healer) put into it.

[DawnSolaria]

Before you enter CS to dps make sure you have something to save tank. Tetra for whm, lustrate for sch and ED for Astrologian. Let tank drop as low as he can go, pop out of CS then use those instant heal.