Thread: Consolidated White Mage 4.0 Feedback Thread

Just want to throw my idea out there for WHM.

Basically everyone's problem with WHM is that they are the king of raw healing, but the game doesn't need that much raw healing power, so they just end up overhealing and they don't have anything else to contribute to the group.

So I think a good gimmick would be to use WHM's overhealing to trigger some sort of effect. For example, the target receives a short duration shield equal to the amount of HP overhealed. Or perhaps the amount of HP overhealed converts into damage dealt to nearby enemies. Maybe a combination of the two, where overhealing applies a shield to your target which reflects damage back to the enemy equal to the amount of HP overhealed when the effect wears off.

I personally favor the idea of overhealing converting directly into damage dealt to the enemy, because it means that WHMs can effectively become the only class that can dps and heal simultaneously. It solves all of the problems and critcisms of WHM with one simple change while still maintaining the WHMs identity as a strong wielder of white magic. In fact I think it strengthens that identity by giving them an image of a healer whose "healing is so strong, it actually does damage!". This would also satisfy both sides of the healing community. Those that believe healers should just be healers and don't need to do damage that's fine, they can just heal, and you know what, you'll probably do some damage anyway. In fact, the people on the other side of the community will start telling you that you're not healing enough and you need to heal harder, which is a concept I would think many healers would actually embrace.

Basically I think that WHMs gimmick should be that overhealing becomes its strength instead of its weakness.

In case someone doesn't know: Overhealing refers to any HP healed over 100% of the target player's HP total. So for example, if a player has 21,345/22439 HP, and I get a heal off that heals for 7349 HP, the player would only technically receive 1,049 HP of healing and the rest goes to waste. Under my proposed change, that remaining 6300 HP would convert into 6300 damage divided amongst all surrounding enemies (i.e one target takes 6300 dmg, 2 targets 3150 each, 3 targets 2100 each, 4 targets 1575 each, etc.)

I don't play WHM or really healers that much, though i have experience with 2.0 SCH and 3.0 AST. It seems to me WHM lacks any utility buffs that those other two jobs have. In 2.0 this worked out because WHM was main healer and SCH was back-up, but now AST is in the mix and all healers have to be able to fulfill both spots.

I think SE needs to look at WHM elemental abilities; Stone, Wind, Water, and design buffs around those.
Stone = Damage reduction buff, Wind = Action speed buff, Water = magic potency buff. A ground placed AoE spell that you can drop and players can move into for buffs. You can even use the lily system to strength these buffs.

It would also be nice to see the Twelveswood's Elementals come back into play with WHM. Maybe have a spell that would ask the elementals to cast woodsin debuff.

If this party only has two White Mages in DF such as Dun Scaith and a few party members get weakness.. Then what?
DF has alot of terrible players, If they don't do mechanics properly they gonna die they get weakness would mean White Mages won't be able to keep them alive for Big Hits.
Do you expect another Alliance Healer to Shield the baddies? Kick the Whms?
It doesn't have to be Dun Scaith specifically but DF is where baddies are and more often then not they die to the dumbest Mechanics.
In a premade group it is different.
Some White Mages could spend some Gcds casting Stoneskins but what about our new shield hm... Guess if two players now have weakness we save one and let the other die now. During HSW all we had to do was top them off and spend two gcds casting a SS on both party members and they would both live even if they were bad.

Originally Posted by Jxnibbles

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There's probably more than one option here:

Personally: If there's a BLM, raise them (for MP)...and if there's a Red Mage, hopefully they're helping just a tiny bit. all we can ask for, i guess?

Maybe there is still hope?

The PvP lily system touts a much more attractive recast reduction system than the media tour iteration.

• 1 lily 10% - effective 11% faster
• 2 lilies 20% - effective 25% faster
• 3 lilies 50% - effective 100% faster

These numbers are much cuter than before! However there are still minor/big issues with these rewards in a highly scripted raid environment...

1. How are we certain we'll be able to make use of this recast reduction and STILL be able to line up all our cds for each of the mech's we've mapped out?
   
   
   
2. Since efficiently managing GCDs forces the lily system to reward sporadically, we can't nominally anticipate this reward that's suppose to be helping us manage TIMINGs!!

There isn't enough time for a "startover" solution to this problem, unless you guys don't mind waiting until the next tier of savage after Omega in 4.3-4.4x





...we would like our bonuses now!!!



Here is an easier fix we can have now or by 4.1 when Omega comes out! Make the effective potency gain front loaded! So instead of getting a 10% recast reduction on a CD requiring timely subsequent use of that CD, make it so we get that 11% effective increase in potency on our initial CD usage!

Ex:

Assize- with the current PvP lily recast reduction rates, using Assize with 3 lilies will reduce the recast time down from 60 sec to 30 sec!! Which means you'll use the first one at time zero for 300 potency and if you use the second exactly 30 sec later for another 300 potency, you would have effectively had the same amount of potency/time as: using the first one with 3 lilies for 600 potency (100% buff) and not gain access to another Assize for 60 sec (regular recast time). Both scenarios avg out to 600 potency/60 sec. But the second scenario isn't dependent on when you execute your consecutive CD!!
(In the first scenario had you used the second assize any time later than 30 sec you would start to lose the effective 100% potency increase gained thru recast reduction.)



...make the lily system directly impact the current potency for the same amount effectively gained thru this recast reduction method...




My suggested changes still has its drawbacks.

1. Efficient GCD management will still dispense the lily rewards sporadically keeping the system at best a passive trait reward like freecure/overcure/crit heals (exceptions to the RNG are during openers and fixed cure/cure II sequences throughout a fight).
   
   
2. Over healing that occur from stronger potency is comparable to gaining a recast reduction and not using the next CD as soon as possible. Both effective potencies are partially or completely wasted.

The current version of White Mage going into Stormblood is uninspired, the design was good but compared to AST and SCH we are, and will remain, miles behind. The public build for 4.0 has no viable DPS, 1 shield ability, and the overheal-focused lily proc system. Nobody asked for this for this sort of exaggerated healing proc system. Our best new ability, Thin Air, would have been negligible by 3.5. Starting with the Holy nerfs in 3.0 it's been downhill for us White Mage players.

Why didn't we get any raid utility and why did some of our most characteristic abilities get removed? Why do we still have repose? Stoneskin did something very tangible (although not potent enough) but now it's gone? Fluid Aura had its damage removed? Come on, that was free damage and I used it every 30 seconds. Knockback effect is simply annoying and has no place in the game. Compared to the utility SCH and AST have, WHM is just weight—the main question is "why wouldn't you take The Balance".

A note on WHM lore too: obviously, we don't know where the story is going but the Heavensward White Mage job story was completely boring, badly written, and predictable. It felt as though it had been patched together in 15 minutes. It lacked any compelling details, interesting new characters, or interconnection to Heavensward. Don't let this become a trend, please listen to the community and make one of Final Fantasy's most iconic jobs a gameplay experience to remember. Because right now, we pale in comparison to everything. I'll never forget how crucial my White Mage was to my first Final Fantasy 3 playthrough, or Yuna in Final Fantasy 10—we're very far from that presently.