DPSing as a healer

[Namill]

Hi, I'm a newbie playing a White Mage and there's one issue 'd like to clarify. I know that generally I am expected to DPS whenever I can, but I was wondering whether doing it isn't a "waste of mana" in some cases. I'm talking about long boss fights. DPSs do more damage than me, right? So in a sitution when there's no time limit/enrage mechanics etc, but mana can become an issue, wouldn't it be better to focus solely on healing to keep other ppl alive for longer, and therefore allow the party as a whole to deal more dmg (and hopefuly kill a boss) before I run out of mana and ebcome unable to heal? Wouldn't mana spent on Stone II eventually result in more dmg if it was used on Cure?

[Mattelot]

You are never required to DPS. People can expect it out of you all they want but it's your game. Play how you want. You are always welcome to DPS and I don't think anyone would complain about it unless you're one of the people who do it and let people die which I see more commonly in lower levels. If mana becomes an issue, back off on anything but healing since that is the focus of your job. Don't wait until you're out of mana to use Shroud of Saints which I see more often than not. There are other factors that would not be your fault such as others being under-geared or not using CDs which can cause you mana issues. I can't say those scenarios are too common, at least in my experience.

[Garotte14]

There are two ways to look at it. 1) You're a healer, and if you keep people alive, then you're doing your job. If you don't feel comfortable dps'ing, then it's not required. 2) You should never be standing there doing nothing. You can start small. Apply your DoTs without cleric stance, then work your way up to switching to cleric and applying DoTs. Then once your comfortable with that you can add Stones in, and Holy.

The Mana thing isn't an issue unless you have a bunch of unnecessary raises. The only "long" fights are in raiding, and you'll have other members that can regenerate your mana.

[bounddreamer]

If you're playing optimally, you'll be making regular use of the tools that help you replenish your mana - shroud of Saints and assize. Yes, healing the party is your first priority. But adding dps when you can, and if you feel comfortable doing so, helps things go faster and it gives you something to do when otherwise you might just be standing around waiting to cast a heal.

WHM dps is pretty good, especially single target which most bosses tend to be.

Others have already covered pretty good WHM rotations but you start out with a lot of proactive healing, then once the tank and party have those up, you can turn to dealing some damage then switch back after you've thrown dots up and some stone IIIs and be ready to refresh regen and take care of any damage the party took.

[_slowpoke_]

It really depends on the content you do. In experts, you can keep the party alive for extended amounts of time while at literally zero MP. You have Asylum, Tetra, Bene, Virus, E4E, and even Assize (though Assize should basically never be used to heal in experts, it's too good for AoE damage). In most situations, you can safely spam away your entire MP pool on Holy or your DPS rotation and never worry about anyone dying ever.

In actually challenging content, healer DPS can make a world of a difference and will often actually save you MP in the long run (if you utilize your toolkit fully). Take Nidhogg Extreme as an example. The earlier you can bring him below 80% and thus skip into add phase, the less healing you will have to do on Bellowing Roars and cleaves. The faster you can kill him in the last phase, the less you have to worry about being unable to heal through more (and longer) Ahk Morns. Coordinate with your co-healer (if you have one ), know when to expect what heal/shield from them, this will help enormously in reducing overheal and thus conserving MP you can spend on DPS instead.

[lulunami]

Focus on healing first and conserving MP. Once you understand the encounter better and you and your team play more efficiently, you can find spots where you can help supplement DPS safely. Healer's main role is to still primarily heal as best as possible and minimize healing related wipes as best as you can. WHM is usually in the main healer role so there is not usually another healer to rely on if you make a critical healing mistake.

[DarkmoonVael]

Learn to heal first then learn where you can fit dps in. You will find lots of down time in healing in trials where you can dps. Being able to judge how far your mana will stretch just comes from experience. In dungeon runs, esp 50+, you will find you can contribute a lot of aoe dps as a healer, making the run far faster. As a WHM your main aoe will also stun mobs, making it so very little healing is needed in a dungeon if you use your aoe dps rotation.

It is commendable that you are already trying to figure out how and where you can dps as a healer. The truely skilled healers in this game can oush out a filthy amount of dps whilst keeping everyone alive. .

[Judge_Xero]

Hi, I'm a newbie playing a White Mage and there's one issue 'd like to clarify. I know that generally I am expected to DPS whenever I can, but I was wondering whether doing it isn't a "waste of mana" in some cases?

Any time you DPS you are making a fight shorter regardless if there is an enrage mechanic etc. This results in less healing overall and less room for errors. Also consider that other classes have finite resources the same as a healer, whether it be TP, MP, CD's (specifically Tanking CD's) and the longer a fight goes on the less of those are available. Especially in the case of TP for melee classes because once they run dry their DPS really starts to plummet.

Healers are built to efficiently maintain their MP levels for both a combination of healing and DPS (outside of heavy AOE casting) so your contribution no matter what you are comfortable with is never a waste, or a waste of mana and if you are only able to DPS a little due to the nature of a fight requiring heavy healing, by design a healers most potent skills are also the most MP efficient.

[FoxyAreku]

You are expected to dps in serious groups in savage content, anyone who says otherwise probably hasn't been in a serious progression before, but in dungeons it won't make or break it, I would like to clarify on this point though-

DPSs do more damage than me, right? So in a sitution when there's no time limit/enrage mechanics etc, but mana can become an issue, wouldn't it be better to focus solely on healing to keep other ppl alive for longer, and therefore allow the party as a whole to deal more dmg (and hopefuly kill a boss) before I run out of mana and ebcome unable to heal?

Healer's DPSing is about equivalent to a DPS class that isn't using cooldowns, which is still quite significant. And there is very few instances where you will be so mana starved where DPSing will effect your MP pool in any significant amount, so don't worry about that.

[gehrtalert]

White Mage stance dancing is fun, especially when you get get good at it. It's what it was made for. Running low on mana is generally just a problem in lower content where people don't have the mana/hp pools like they do in end game stuff. Just be sure to use your Shroud of Saints before it becomes a problem. You can buy Ethers. They might not seem like much but they do help a lot. It's like having an Aetherflow for White Mage. Just don't ever blow your mp on dps when it's going to be needed for heals. Don't dig yourself in a hole because it's harder for a White Mage to dig themselves out of it.