DPSing as a healer

[Gemina]

I can't play badly on purpose. I'm leveling a Scholar solely because healers are so bad of late. It's level 45 now. It'd be 60 if not for Yo-Kai.

Yesterday in Void Ark (READ VOID ARK FFS) we had TWO healers do ZERO damage the entire run (one had 4.44 DPS one fight, the other's highest was 1.2 DPS pretty they just did it by accident) and they still let FIVE people die from completely preventable deaths (the towers on Cuchalaine for example-took over 15 seconds for me to die). These weren't standing in the stupid either, these were just regular damage deaths. Healers are just becoming worse and worse because people keep defending terrible play on the forums and in-game.
At this rate, end game will eventually be impossible as the healer skill drops like a rock.

I don't think anyone is defending a healer who isn't healing. Not from what I have seen. If these healers were letting people die and also not DPSing, then what were they doing and why weren't they kicked? Allowing a shit player to play shitty is going to do far more damage and a lot more to promote horrible play than anything you read here. And trying to beat it into a healers head that they are shit if they don't DPS isn't going to help either. I would also wager that more than capable healers stay away from raid/EX content simply because they don't want to deal with the attitudes from either side of this argument.

When you boil things down, it's about playing a caster class, and while engaged a caster (unless OoM or avoiding damage) should always be casting. This is what the heals-only healer needs to realize along with the detriment of overhealing. If they are worth their salt, they will undoubtedly conclude that (no heals needed + I should always be casting something) = DPS

[FunkyBunch]

I don't think anyone is defending a healer who isn't healing. Not from what I have seen. If these healers were letting people die and also not DPSing, then what were they doing and why weren't they kicked? Allowing a shit player to play shitty is going to do far more damage and a lot more to promote horrible play than anything you read here.

I was just using a recent example that players who don't use Cleric Stance are just worse healers, as they never learn to be good, and as such, let people die.
I never said anyone was advocating that, but I am giving an example of the ACTUAL outcome of those arguments stating no DPS is fine. You just make bad healers who can't keep up in what some would consider moderate content.

[Gemina]

I was just using a recent example that players who don't use Cleric Stance are just worse healers, as they never learn to be good, and as such, let people die.
I never said anyone was advocating that, but I am giving an example of the ACTUAL outcome of those arguments stating no DPS is fine. You just make bad healers who can't keep up in what some would consider moderate content.

Understood. But in the example you provided I am still at a loss at what the healers were doing if they were not DPSing and people were dying. From the outside looking in, it sounds like the healers weren't the only ones not doing their job. Anyone unwilling to improve, and can't even do the bare minimum to complete an instance doesn't belong there, but those willing to improve are always doing more than the bare minimum. They're synonymous.

I feel that stating 'no DPS is fine' is right on par with stating 'no DPS = bad healer'. Neither of them are true, nor do what needs to be done and that is encourage healer DPS. Not demand. Not require, but encourage. I have no idea how many players also browse the forums, but I do know that bad players don't level up on this site.

[_slowpoke_]

I feel that stating 'no DPS is fine' is right on par with stating 'no DPS = bad healer'.

It's not, because the first one is encouraging lazy play, while the second is stating a hard fact. You can call no DPS healers whatever you want if you don't want to call them bad, but they're not good either. At best, they might be mediocre, and I don't think encouraging mediocrity is a good thing.

Not demand.

I very much demand healer DPS, because I also demand all other jobs to not stand around doing nothing constructive for extended amounts of time.

[Gemina]

It's not, because the first one is encouraging lazy play, while the second is stating a hard fact. You can call no DPS healers whatever you want if you don't want to call them bad, but they're not good either. At best, they might be mediocre, and I don't think encouraging mediocrity is a good thing.



I very much demand healer DPS, because I also demand all other jobs to not stand around doing nothing constructive for extended amounts of time.

I'm not getting into this again with you. We CLEARLY have different views and what is and isn't a bad healer, and getting you to open up to a different perspective will always be next to impossible so long as you see your arbitrary views as "facts".

Good day to you sir.

[Fevelle]

I very much demand healer DPS, because I also demand all other jobs to not stand around doing nothing constructive for extended amounts of time.

What you demand or not has zero significance. The GAME doesn't demand healer DPS, only encourages. To put things more clear: the game says you should, but it's completely OPTIONAL.

[Rennies]

What you demand or not has zero significance. The GAME doesn't demand healer DPS, only encourages. To put things more clear: the game says you should, but it's completely OPTIONAL.

Yup, the same way the game doesn't demand the Summoner to keep its pet out, or the Black Mage to keep Enochian up/use anything but Ice spells.

[Fevelle]

Yup, the same way the game doesn't demand the Summoner to keep its pet out, or the Black Mage to keep Enochian up/use anything but Ice spells.

False symmetry. Their roles are DPS, so it's not optional for them to actually do damage. It is optional though, for a Summoner to Raise in battle or a BLM use E4E.