Is It Even Possible To Have A New Healer Job?

[Kacho_Nacho]

Looking at the three current healers, white mage, scholar, and astrologian, it seems like all the possible healing strategies have been covered. We have healing by raw power, we have healing and mitigation with the help of a minion, and we have healing, mitigation, and buffs with the help of cards.

What else is there? Every idea of a new healer expressed on this forum ends up stepping on another healer's toolkit or is simply unplayable.

So, has Square Enix painted themselves into a corner where no new healing classes can be developed?

[Sebazy]

I think there is, but it’s either going to be a SCH clone or something properly fresh (to ffxiv at least). Warhammer Online is a good example of how diverse healers can be.

[Alien_Gamer]

If DPS can have a wide variety, why can't healers? What they do doesn't change but there's a lot of room for different class mechanics.

[Kacho_Nacho]

I think there is, but it’s either going to be a SCH clone or something properly fresh (to ffxiv at least). Warhammer Online is a good example of how diverse healers can be.

I attempted to do some research but all I could find is that Warhammer Online was sunsetted. Could you give me an example, Sebazy?

[Ilyrian]

If DPS can have a wide variety, why can't healers? What they do doesn't change but there's a lot of room for different class mechanics.

Well there are only so many ways you can fill a health bar - and we have those all covered. Only difference is the window-dressing of the effects.
Same with dps - melee or ranged ; everything else is just cosmetic. DoTs or direct damage. Keep a buff running. Do a combo.
Adding a new healer won't up the amount of people healing after the first few weeks.

[Zojha]

Well there are only so many ways you can fill a health bar [...]

Worse than that: There are only so many health points you need to fill in that bar and there are only set times in which you need to fill that bar. It is extremely rare that a DPS has to think about Overkill, but a healer needs to constantly think about Overheal.

More generally, healers are defined by healing, which is a fancy way of saying they are undoing damage that has been caused. That in turn means they are defined by the damage they are undoing and the way it is delivered dictates how diverse healers can be.

That's why looking at other games for concepts only really works if their content also delivers damage in a similar way. You cannot have a pure HoT healer if all content requires burst healing, the entire slow and steady line of healing designs is instantly shut down by burst requirements. And if healers are only healing 50% of their time anyway because their heals are tuned so high, healer designs that rely on combos, stacks or similar skill interactions are out as well, because they're going to be overhealing a lot and cost the group otherwise free DPS. Skills that do more damage than a person can take in one hit throw healers (or healer combos) without mitigation right out the window.

I personally think SE designed themselves into a corner. They definitely "will" implement more healer jobs, but they will probably fall into the line of:"White Mage with Gimmick X" or "Scholar with Gimmick Y". Their encounter design was based on that Duality, they haven't really changed it up since and it's painfully obvious that Astro isn't a healer job that stands on its own but rather is meant to fill the respective missing role.

[duvvvv]

I'm yet to read on the previous suggestions, but I'm interested on this topic.
I usually play a support class in MMOs, and a pure buffer/debuffer type of "healer" is something I've yet to see in this game. but as already said, the game design has restricted the role somewhat.
if there will be a new healer job someday I'd love to see more CC-focused skills

[Mimilu]

I usually play a support class in MMOs, and a pure buffer/debuffer type of "healer" is something I've yet to see in this game. but as already said, the game design has restricted the role somewhat.
if there will be a new healer job someday I'd love to see more CC-focused skills

AST is going to be the closest thing you are going to get to a pure buffer healer. :B
As for CC-focused, he problem with CC skills is that boss-enemies (like in raids, trials, and dungeons) are immune to most CC-effects besides the few stuns or silences, both of which are usually the tanks job anyway. :B

[Claire_Pendragon]

-shortened-

There is truth to this, but there's work arounds. (Such as SMN, for bursty situations in 2.0, and changes made to SMN to make them work better for burst DPS moments)

A HoT healer would focus on keeping 4 HoTs up, with maybe 1 or 2 being the more important/strong ones.
Then when a person is at cap or close to it, an ability to remove all HoTs, and gain a small def/att buff per HoT. (something like .5% bonus)
(AoEs would work a bit differently.)
An oGCD would increase how much it heals for, based on the number of HoTs up, and remove them. (Emergency heal)
A GCD would heal based on the number of HoTs up, w/o removing them.

Things like small MP refreshes based on the HoTs of a target, etc.

Direct DPS would have to suffer, with their ability to increase straight DPS.
(And a sort of cleric stance, that works more liek AST stances, so u cant turn it off, to help with solo DPS.)

But honestly SE has an issue making what jobs it does have, cover a LOT of various mechanics, rather than making jobs who specialize in 1-2 mechanics with unique ways.
(Considering Pets act like DoTs/HoTs, SCH should have been the HoT healer, not the shield healer. But going by lore, AST being Time Mage, should have been the HoT healer, though cards arent too bad an idea.)

[Mimilu]

A HoT healer would focus on keeping 4 HoTs up, with maybe 1 or 2 being the more important/strong ones.

With 4 HoTs you would have to worry about casting them all and all the aggro they would bring you... D;

For your idea, I think it might be better to use 1 big and 1 small HoT instead of 4. Like a mini-SCH Fairy + a normal Regen. The big one could have a potency of around 300 and last for only like 6-or-9 seconds (6 seconds is already going to give it the potency as Lustrate) and the usual 2 second cast time like Cure, Benefic, and Physick. Then use the oGCD emergency heal you made for "Oh Sh*t" moments.