Why you should play a healer!

[Ghishlain]

So please, do enlighten me on what exactly is different to your vague statement of "timers" and reacting to any other condition in an encounter. You're the one stating there's some significant difference in your original post.

I believe Cynfael is talking about unique job timers such as Greased Lightning, Hot Shot, Straight Shot, Huton, Heavy Thrust, etc.

AKA, things that a DPS class need to maintain to increase their effectiveness. Healer's don't really have any buff up time to maintain or rotation for optimal DPS / HPS.

The type of timers you're talking about are mechanics, IE:









Every single member of the party has to respond to these mechanics. They will respond differently, but it doesn't change that every single person has to respond to them and are not unique to an individual job.

[Jerichai]

Snip.

You mean the maintenance of class buffs that are built into literally any DPS rotation? An inherently scripted action? It's amusing if that's what he means, considering the basis for his argument that healers aren't complex was that their play style is...scripted.

This also ignores the fact that most healers have unique class timers they're paying attention to. Or should SCHs not pay attention to their AF CD? Should ASTs not pay attention to their card CDs to get as many buffs out? Should all the healers ignore their DOT uptime?

[Cynfael]

So please, do enlighten me on what exactly is different to your vague statement of "timers" and reacting to any other condition in an encounter. You're the one stating there's some significant difference in your original post.

I'm probably going to regret this, but let me attempt to explain (once more) in good faith:

Encounter conditions, as you call them, are not unique to the Healer role; every combat Job in the game deals with boss mechanics and such, and I think most would recognize that this goes without saying. The discussion about how other players' ability or inability to successfully execute mechanics affects the healer role is a valid one, but clearly not the point I was making. I think I've made my opinion very clear that the healer role is fairly uncomplicated as far as Job (emphasis: Job, not encounter) mechanics go, and that the main challenge of playing healer is in planning encounters and knowing how to adapt when necessary.

As for timers, I truly don't understand how you interpreted that to mean encounter mechanics, especially in context of the ongoing discussion. There was even a series of posts where someone else got weird about my statement, which prompted me to further clarify. There was a mini-discussion about the difference between "timers" and "timing." I suppose you stopped at my post, took offense at what you thought I was suggesting, and went straight to reply?

Kabzy framed it nicely:

He said timers, not timing. Timing is something every job has to deal with, so it can't really be applied to healers specifically. As for positioning, not sure I agree with you there. I stand close enough to the boss/middle and that's about it. Literally only have to move for mechanics (again, like every other job) and nothing else. DPS jobs have actual positionals and tanks do whatever tanks do.

I agree with the point that healing in execution is far easier than the other roles. We literally have 3 DPS buttons, don't even have to worry about Cleric anymore and our heals are ...heals. In the case that we make a mistake, we often have emergencies to rectify them, no other role can do that. In execution it's easy, in everything else you can argue that it's one of the more tougher roles.

TL;DR: Every Job is concerned with encounter mechanics. Healer is the only role that is not specifically concerned with executing combos, watching to make sure that their timers aren't falling off and restricting access to their abilities, and/or attacking a target specifically from the flank or rear to activate the secondary benefit of an attack or continue a combo.

You could continue to argue against what you wrongly assumed I said some pages back, or just maybe you could admit that you jumped to conclusions and had nothing to be concerned about in the first place...?

[Cynfael]

You mean the maintenance of class buffs that are built into literally any DPS rotation? An inherently scripted action? It's amusing if that's what he means, considering the basis for his argument that healers aren't complex was that their play style is...scripted.

This also ignores the fact that most healers have unique class timers they're paying attention to. Or should SCHs not pay attention to their AF CD? Should ASTs not pay attention to their card CDs to get as many buffs out? Should all the healers ignore their DOT uptime?

All classes have CDs to observe. Again, not a unique healer mechanic.

And no, healer playstyle is fluid, not scripted; what I correctly noted was that encounters are scripted. You know what's coming your way; it's up to you to respond as you feel appropriate.

[Jerichai]

Ah yes combos. Truly the most skill intensive mechanic in any game. Only the greatest of the great can handle pressing the button highlighted on their UI...

All your effectively done is once again tell me all DPS have a rotation they follow for optimal output. Or put otherwise, they're following a script. Your original statement for why healers aren't complex is that their play style is scripted. But you yourself just stated that DPS are the same...

(Should we also go into how a healer playing optimally and pushing as much DPS as their healing requirements allow make DPS job easier?)

[Cynfael]

Ah yes combos. Truly the most skill intensive mechanic in any game. Only the greatest of the great can handle pressing the button highlighted on their UI...

All your effectively done is once again tell me all DPS have a rotation they follow for optimal output. Or put otherwise, they're following a script. Your original statement for why healers aren't complex is that their play style is scripted. But you yourself just stated that DPS are the same...

(Should we also go into how a healer playing optimally and pushing as much DPS as their healing requirements allow make DPS job easier?)

I'm bowing out of this debate over nothing. I call it when I'm now being challenged on healer DPS and being asked to repeat things I stated literally one post up on the page and in many previous posts. I'm not sure what point you are trying to make or what you are trying to prove, but I'm getting off of this trollercoaster.

Ghish, thank you for attempting to explain, but I don't think anything is getting through.

[MoroMurasaki]

Ah yes combos. Truly the most skill intensive mechanic in any game. Only the greatest of the great can handle pressing the button highlighted on their UI...

All your effectively done is once again tell me all DPS have a rotation they follow for optimal output. Or put otherwise, they're following a script. Your original statement for why healers aren't complex is that their play style is scripted. But you yourself just stated that DPS are the same...

(Should we also go into how a healer playing optimally and pushing as much DPS as their healing requirements allow make DPS job easier?)

I see your class right now is listed as BLM (well, THM, but at level 52 so I'm going to assume BLM) so I'm going to compare with that because I'm going to assume you have a reasonable understanding of that job.

On WHM the only time-sensitive part of our job we contend with outside of CDs on buffs/oGCD heals would be Freecure and Overcure, the latter of which goes unused more often than not. The only effect of Freecure is (as it sounds) making Cure II free to cast. Handy but by no means crippling if it falls off without you using it. It has virtually zero effect on our ability to heal and literally zero effect on our DPS. Two DoTs, an AoE or a single target nuke.

On SCH you may get the buff to make a Succor free (reduced? I don't even know, proves how integral it is I guess) when you use Sacred Soil. Everything else is a CD/oGCD on you or your fairy. No buffs to maintain. You get an extra DoT at least. It doubles as your AoE nuke though.

AST actually approaches something resembling a timer though since it operates exclusively off of RNG with very little ability for the player to manipulate results (basically all we can do is extend card buffs when they're good and CO/TD happen to be off CD) and only one DoT. One single target and one AoE nuke. Everything else is a CD or an oGCD heal.

Now let's look at BLM. I am no expert so BLM enthusiasts out there please don't hang me if I butcher a bit of this. First up we have Astral Fire and Umbral Ice, basic timers but already more integral to the class's effectiveness than any healer timer is. Ask any player with common sense and they will take a WHM who doesn't watch for Freecure over a BLM not paying attention to their AF/UI any day. The timers make the class.

Later on you get Enchain (sp?) which, again, if you don't cast enough during it you kill your own DPS. Even leaving out the new mechanics (with which I am even less familiar than the old ones, honestly the complicated buff maintenence and timers have kept me from leveling past 28) BLM gameplay is more technically complicated by 60 than any healer at 70.

I understand that healing is hard for some people. Some groups make healing hard for me and its my comfort zone. Just because its challenging sometimes doesn't mean it requires a higher level of technical ability.

Also for the love of god stop acting like healers are the only ones with basic CDs like AF to watch for. AF specifically even exists on a DPS class - SMN! Cooldowns and oGCD abilities exist on every class in the game, they are not specific to healers.

[Jerichai]

FFS people, I'm not sure why you are all so caught up on the source of the timing. It all comes down to the same mentality regardless of role or source. Given event X, you will perform reaction Y, within time Z. Doesn't matter if it's a DPS refreshing a class buff, healers applying shields or healing within the timeframe leading to the next mechanic, or anyone using CDs at the proper moment. It's all cause and effect. Why some people feel the need to assign unnecessary classifications so they can claim center roles are brain dead to play is beyond me.

[MoroMurasaki]

FFS people, I'm not sure why you are all so caught up on the source of the timing. It all comes down to the same mentality regardless of role or source. Given event X, you will perform reaction Y, within time Z. Doesn't matter if it's a DPS refreshing a class buff, healers applying shields or healing within the timeframe leading to the next mechanic, or anyone using CDs at the proper moment. It's all cause and effect. Why some people feel the need to assign unnecessary classifications so they can claim center roles are brain dead to play is beyond me.

People are correcting you on your comments about timing because you've tried to equate managing complicated DPS rotations around mechanics with a SCH remembering to keep AF on CD. They aren't the same.

No one has claimed healing is 'brain dead' but by all means keep making things up to argue against because you can't respond to all the real points being made.

[Jerichai]

People are correcting you on your comments about timing because you've tried to equate managing complicated DPS rotations around mechanics with a SCH remembering to keep AF on CD. They aren't the same.

No one has claimed healing is 'brain dead' but by all means keep making things up to argue against because you can't respond to all the real points being made.

The only complication with any DPS rotation in any MMO is just the initial memorization. Beyond that is just following a script. Do things get a bit wonky when applying it to a specific encounter? Sure, but that's the same at any role.

Also, lol, at you saying I'm making things up when you literally did that in your previous post, like saying I asserted only healers had CDs to manage. Yes, I'm well aware that DPS have CDs as well, I spend much of my time in game switching between SCH and SMN (not idea why it's set to THM, haven't touched BLM in ages).

Let me make something clear, since a few of you seem intent on claiming I'm making an argument I'm not. By no means do I think healers are harder to play than any other role. That's not the argument I'm making. I just find it bloody stupid to try to argue that one role is any harder or easier than the others, and it irks me when I see people try to disparage the enjoyment/accomplishments of others because they feel the need to claim they're getting carried through harder content by virtue of the role they're playing. I see it happen far too often on these forums (or any MMO forum) and no it's not limited to healers (you see the assumption that DPS have it easy quite often as well). Seriously, if you're going to try and make the claim that your role is so much more challenging than everyone else's, you probably are in desperate need of a healthy dose of opposition in real life to put things in perspective.

And for the love of god, if you are going to try and make that argument, at least try to have better supporting points. What I've seen here is:

- Combos: I mean really...combos? It's literally the game suggesting what you should press as your next on GCD ability to maximize your output. I think most DPS don't even have to think about these too much with some practice of their rotation.

- Positionals: Going to assume we're referring to melee here, but we can talk about the other roles as well. With melee, positionals are the price you got to pay for having no cast times connected to one's ability...and honestly they're probably there to keep the role from feeling so boring at times. I mean, go and play a Paladin at a level range when all they have is their enmity combo (yes, I'm aware that Paladins aren't a melee DPS, I'm using them as an example for the point I'm making). And considering the length of the GCD in this game, most encounters it's not hard to reposition in time (and this is neglecting the number of fights where positional requirements are nullified). Meanwhile, ranged DPS like BRD and MCH are laughing about any positional requirement while never having to stop moving. Casters have to factor in movement, but now all those jobs have mechanics that nullify/mitigate that requirement (RDM: dual cast, BLM: triple cast, SMN: DWT; just to name a handful off the top of my head). Healers have to factor in casting times as well into how they act (can I get this cast off before the ability goes off or do I need to opt for an instant, off GCD heal...can I afford to burn the cooldown on that heal here). Not to mention ensuring you're in range of your whole party to mitigate movement time for your dps so they can focus on their output (I see you 75% of the BLM population that insists on attacking from the next county over...). Maybe melee dps's positional requirements are more strictly enforced by virtue of their rotation, but to argue that positional considerations are unique to DPS is just wrong.

- Timers: I still hold this is a silly argument that requires a needless hierarchy that people seem to insist on enforcing. All roles have some form of timer that they need to monitor to optimize their performance. I don't care if that's a class specific ability (and we've already gone through the fact that healers have these too to some degree) or role specific actions that must be taken in reaction to certain mechanics. Yes, everyone has a part play in following mechanics. But their are absolutely aspects to mechanics that DPS don't have to pay attention to. Let's take Shinryu EX for example. With abilities like Hypernova, Levinbolt, Hellfire, Judgment Bolt...yeah, everyone has to observe the basic positional requirements to survive those mechanics, but there are absolutely aspects of those same mechanics DPS can safely ignore. Unless you're trying to somehow argue DPS are responsible for healing up the damage received from those abilities before the next wave of damage goes out? Or if we're looking from an optimized play perspective, healers like SCHs and Noct ASTs are trying to get shielding out to the group prior to the damage hitting to lessen the burden afterwards, and well are healing through the damage ask quickly and efficiently as possible so as to maximize DPS time wherever possible. Not to mention, there's also the more unique aspect where healers often must coordinate these actions with their co-healers so as not to needless burn more CDs than what is needed at any given time and to ensure your group has something for the next big hit (admittedly DPS may look too coordinate DPS cooldowns like trick attack, embolden, etc...but these factors can also apply to healers in this game with abilities like chain stratagem and AST buffs).

Again, I say none of this to try to argue that healers are harder to play than DPS. Every role has factors they responsible for, and every role in any encounter are reacting to the same mechanics (some more than others). I'm just tired of seeing arguments on MMO forums that one role is superior to another, especially with such weak arguments.