FFXIV Healer Role, a philosophical exploration

[CookieMonsta]

I'm bored
The purpose of this piece is to explore the philosophical mindset behind extremely effective healers in FFXIV. In this piece, I will attempt to briefly explore the concepts of energy, friction, initiative and momentum how they affect advanced healing.


Energy
In order to understand the role and to appreciate the impact of a healer, one must understand the objective of an FFXIV fight. Unlike many games, almost all the fights in FFXIV require the demise of an entity, a boss or a collection of mobs through the application of damage. There are minor variations such as the Stone Vigil HM turtle, Copperbell mines HM slime boss and Livia sas Junius.
Energy is not only tangible DPS, but also ephemeral. Energy is the state of the spirit, the willpower, tenacity and creativity of a player that drives them to perform. It can also be described is the dogged determination to succeed.
It is the combination of a party’s spirit and body that forms their energy needed in order to finish an encounter.
Application of energy is essential to enact change/progress

Friction
Theoretically, any fight is simply a function of energy output. However, the disparity between optimal and reality is best described:
“Friction - the disparity between the ideal performance of units, organisation or systems and their actual performance in real world scenarios” (Book I, Chapter VII), Carl von Clausewitz

Interpreted to FFXIV, friction can be seen as the force that acts against a party’s ideal energy output, and thus the ideal rate at which a fight is cleared. While the list is far from exhaustive, the most obvious sources of friction are:
1. Fight Mechanics
2. Party damage taken
3. Class/job/role Mechanics
However, friction can also take on more subtle forms which are no less potent:
1. Player spirit/state of mind, also known as team morale
2. Internet latency
3. Poor communication


Momentum
Energy will always be met by friction. This is the core tenet of every encounter.
When a team has sufficient energy during an encounter to overcome their friction, the team is said to have momentum, a forward movement in their energy that progresses towards a clear. Momentum takes time to build; it is also easily lost when the friction exceeds energy output. Effective teams maximize their energy while minimizing their friction in order to attain effective momentum. Elite teams will seek to conserve their momentum in the face of fluctuating energy and friction.
To master momentum, is to master the flow of energy.


Initiative
The timely application of energy in the face of unexpected friction.
Energy and friction are rarely constant. They ebb and flow within an encounter, to take charge of a situation, to trust in your energy to overcome friction. This is initiative, a quality that enables a party to be resilient in the face of unexpected friction and thus essential in preserving momentum.

Too many parties/players are too rigid, everything is mapped out and no contingencies are laid. While these entities may be highly effective, they are brittle in the face of the unknown. They cannot rapidly adapt and thus will waste much time forcing the encounter to adapt to them.

“Military tactics are like unto water; for water in its natural course runs away from high places and hastens downwards... Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing. Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions. He who can modify his tactics in relation to his opponent and thereby succeed in winning, may be called a heaven-born captain.” Sun Tzu


The role of the healer
We have now established a highly effective party has abundant energy, minimal friction. It can create overwhelming momentum and displays initiative in order to preserve it.
The healer is a microcosm of a party. The toolkits of all FFXIV healers allow a uniquely broad scope of impact with respect to executing an encounter. They are broadly equipped deal with party damage to varying degrees of effectiveness, they can output significant damage to contribute to party energy and they have the rotational flexibility to execute most mechanics. Additionally, they possess powerful support capabilities such as freedom of resurrection and potent party buffs (SCH and AST).

One can say that an effective healer has the capacity to influence the energy of the party through direct/indirect damage contribution, the ability to significantly minimize the forces of friction within an encounter and the initiative to respond to unplanned events. This means that to a greater degree than tank, the healer has the biggest influence on a party’s momentum. This is in stark contrast to DPS roles which can only significantly contribute to the party energy but little influence on friction or tank roles which can only display initiative but cannot sustain momentum for long. The most concise way to describe the role of healer in FFXIV is, force multiplier, the incredible flexibility to synergistically enhance the effectiveness of a party to a degree far greater than the mere sum of its individual contribution.

In my personal view, the Tank is the backbone, the DPS are the teeth and the Healer is the soul. A player who takes on the job of healer should take the time to appreciate their role within a party composition and the enormous potential it offers. Exceptional healers are defined by not only a broad repertoire of skills, technical competence and consistency of execution but also superb communication, creativity and tenacity.

[CookieMonsta]

(reserved)

[Deliciou5]

For some reason i felt incredibly relaxed after reading this. Thank you.

[Rivxkobe]

I keep coming here to post but I don't know what to say. This is accurate and informative. Thank you for posting such a thoughtful and in-depth analysis of the basics of the FFXIV battle system and the impact each role has with in it.

[The_NPC]

nice read & very informative, well done! personally I see the party as a "different" motif then teeth/backdone/soul but that analogy works (won't type my version as its un-important)

[Valmaxian]

I love the analogy of Tank = backbone, DPS = teeth, Healer = soul. When I play, I always feel like the group is an organic unit. The best experiences I have are when everyone is focused, and contributing 100% on the current goal. You really do feel like four (or 8, or 24) working as one.

[Ragology]

Went over my head a few times because #lalafell but now I get what you mean.

[Gemina]

Very good read. It is an elaborate and articulate expression of exactly why I play and love this role so much.

[Llynd]

Really Well done. This is actually definitely what a healer is. Contribute to dps is also a way to Protect your team ( the sooner the boss will die, the less you'll have to heal) and a lot of persons forget that....
Thanks for this awesome article. I hope it'll fall in the hands of a lot of persons.

[Mirch]

I can see now!