WHM getting progressively more unnecessary in content?

[Yeol]

And then that brings you to the point I made. If they granted WHM a better way to regen MP they would still lack the utility of the other two healers. So instead of a WHM being 2/4, they become 3/4. Both other healers are 4/4.

Granted that may be a crude way of looking at it, but it kind of puts it into prospective.

3/4 is better than 2/4. It is a step toward the right direction at least.

Don't forget WHM is suppose to be the simplest healer to play. If you add utility to it people will be expecting you to use it, and if you don't oh boy all the bad things that are coming your way...

It will be like running a dungeon with AST not drawing a single card. You won't like it.

Aslo, adding utility to it would have to be something that fit 'pure healer' image the WHM has. Because you don't want to have something that changes the job completely.

AST has cards since level 30.
SCH has their fairy since level 30.
WHM will have (something) at level 60+ ? Sounds like rebuilding a job.

If you have an idea, it could be a new healing job with this certain utility and leave WHM the way it is.

In the end, all games have simple and complex roles to play. Trying to make all of them on the same level is bad.
You are taking the easy choice away from players that need it.

Look back at SCH and AST. They were not changed but rather there were buffed/nerfed.
What WHM needs is a buff, and the only thing I can think of is better MP recovery.


Edit:
Just to clarify I am not against WHM improving or being more useful.
It is just hard to think of something, buff an ability to do something different. because changing the job to do something different at level 60+ doesn't seem logical.

[bswpayton]

3/4 is better than.

If you want more mitigation they could go the route of adding some tweaks to stone skin two make it easier to apply cause most tanks dont even wait on it , allow us to use it in battle and also fix the mp issues but my thing is this and people may disagree instead of changing the job why not just change the long cool down on high either or elixers I think that would be a very simple solution

[Yeol]

If you want more mitigation they could go the route of adding some tweaks to stone skin two make it easier to apply cause most tanks dont even wait on it , allow us to use it in battle and also fix the mp issues but my thing is this and people may disagree instead of changing the job why not just change the long cool down on high either or elixers I think that would be a very simple solution

They can add healing skills that make WHM unique at level 60+ (like the examples you mentioned) but not change the job completely.
Looking back at how BRD play-style changed from level 52+. Man did people hate it when that happened. Till today they are asking for it to be changed back.

That is the only thing I wish from people asking for a change to consider.

[Cynfael]

instead of changing the job why not just change the long cool down on high either or elixers I think that would be a very simple solution

I don't like the idea of WHM suddenly having a drinking problem. Yoshi would never go for this, anyway; he deliberately steered the game away from Jobs requiring the use of consumables.

And Yeol, I do get what you're saying about WHM's relative simplicity vs. the complexity other Jobs offer, and I agree. I do think that there is room to give WHM more unique flavor while keeping it viable and not overly complicated, though. The devs could probably do more to explore WHM's indirect healing options and also to upgrade their DPS options with useful additional effects. The fact that they are saying they will consolidate skills to reduce button bloat in 4.0 gives me hope that they can make improvements without further clogging our action bars or changing WHM in a way that completely alters their gameplay.

[VanilleFang]

Just give WHM Proshell and Granite Skin again. That'd all I ask. T_T

I know why they removed Proshell (made basic Protect Proshell) but if you're going to buff AST into a God and give SCH more direct healing option you could at least give WHM some better mitigation.

[Arale]

I think they should remove SS/Protect from cross class, then rebuff them again. This would be a good step in the right direction. Give WHM's their own raid buffs/utility that no one else would have. Right now, the other 2 healers can get those skills and that hurts WHM in my opinion. It made sense in ARR,but now I think it should be changed so that WHM's can bring increased defense and more utility. Fix their MP issues, and maybe add a new lore based system around nature and they would be in a good place.

[Billiam149]

the only thing I'd like for whm is better mp management as well as mp regen. mitigation wise maybe let just whm have access to ss2 in combat.

[technole]

At Las Vegas Fanfest Yoship mentioned common cross-skills are being changed in 4.0, each role will have minimum skills necessary for their job. Like tanks and provoke, so it's likely that protect/stoneskin will be available for all healers regardless.

I'd prefer they keep with the idea that White Mage does the most DPS of all the healers, along with superior AoE damage, and address the MP regeneration with more MP restore/instants like Assize, so that it's not behind Astro (it really shouldn't be, but Aether+CO is pretty darn good). Adding more mitigation is a grey-area, since it would step on the toes on the shielding healer. Astro gets a it's mitigation today to also make up for its lower dirunal regen potency.

[Billiam149]

I'll just be glad to have better mp regen. Healers dpsing is still a foreign concept to me. i dont think any of the previous mmos i played expected healers to contribute to damage, of course this is a different mmo. If there is no damage going out then I'm not going to just stand there, but im not going to actively dps though. It's waste of mp when you already have poor mp regen. Thats just my opinion form being on my 6th mmo.

[Miste]

Just give WHM Proshell and Granite Skin again. That'd all I ask. T_T

I know why they removed Proshell (made basic Protect Proshell) but if you're going to buff AST into a God and give SCH more direct healing option you could at least give WHM some better mitigation.

WHM could use some stuff but too many fights have high magic damage in savage content (just unsure if you are aware of this) making WHM have a one time cast higher magic defense Protect for the whole fight would be just as imbalanced.

It would make AST and SCH pair not very viable for savage content (they already lack the MND buff so they heal/dps for less and now magic tank busters and raid wide aoe magic damage is going to hitting harder with no WHM)...the only best options would be WHM and SCH or WHM and AST because magic defense helps a lot especially when the content has just come out and you need survivability to push clears without better gear/higher HP.

This is why they changed it so all healers get it so that you aren't locked to having to have a WHM in every party at all times to get the highest passive magic defense at all times during the fights. Yes, AST has Bole they could AoE but Bole is not a one time cast (it only lasts 30 seconds), it relies on RNG, and you are giving up the possibility of AoEing an offensive buff for being more defensive. WHM doesn't have to sacrifice anything to use Protect and they only need to cast it once the whole fight unless someone dies. Giving WHM more mitigation in general doesn't really fit the job. It's a reactionary healer not a shielder

I was thinking like I don't want them to change WHM to be too complex...so if they add some extra utility to it I feel it should be attached to skills already available. A boost to shroud would be a good start and then maybe add like a tp refresh to Asylum (while in it) and maybe like Assize giving a skill/spell speed up buff for 20 seconds to whoever you hit with it. Just some ideas. I am sure there is more abilities they have you could tweak to give a few bonuses to the party besides just healing.

I agree with Yeol though that WHM needs to stay simple and less complex for the same reasons he stated. Which is why I offered some ideas which don't over complicate WHM since it is using abilities they already have right now and not adding a new mechanic completely. The only problem with it is it isn't new utility, it is just similar things the other healers can do also.