Please fix protect

[KaivaC]

snip

If I'm wrong, I'll happily admit it, but wouldn't that suggestion change the overwhelmingly high potency of WHMs? Say protect does become an exclusive skill. I don't know enough about SCH to comment on it, but wouldn't that allow ASTs to get on WHMs level for heals, if not better, while bringing the extra buffs they already provide? While I like the idea as i heal main AST, that seems like it does more harm to the current healer balance than anything.

[Dualgunner]

My issue is its a fire and forget spell that the game puts baseline balance around you having. It doesn't add anything to gameplay.

[RopeDrink]

It's a weakness penalty because that 15% additional defence becomes a baseline, and when you die, the healer isn't likely to stop and recast protect until the fight is over, if at all.

Speak for yourself. I'm one of few who keep it on my bar (no swap-macros, no farting around) and apply it after raises. We're in a point in the game where so few cross-skills are even remotely useful (never-mind mandatory) that you can get away with it.

Not saying that fixes anything - just that not all Healers are as described.

[RopeDrink]

Because Joe Soap playing class X will complain class Y is encroaching on their playstyle/theme. Ludicrous, I know.

[Seraphor]

Protect
Becomes a WHM exclusive spell again.
Instant cast AoE 10% Physical Damage reduction on a 5m duration and 10s cooldown. Overrides Shell.

Shell
Becomes a WHM exclusive spell again.
Instant cast AoE 10% Magical Damage reduction on a 5m duration and 10s cooldown. Overrides Protect.

This gives WHM an oGCD to weave between heals, and a unique ‘damage type dancing’ mechanic, whereby you can anticipate the damage type you’ll most likely need to block and use the mitigation spell suitable for it. Could replace Fluid Aura and Repose.
You could just use it and leave it for 5m if you wanted to, and it probably wouldn't be an issue, but for players more inclined to optimise their healing/mitigation role, you could learn to anticipate the damage types, similarly to how AST has to learn card uses (but can get away with just throwing out a balance now and then) and SCH has to manage their pet (but can get away with just letting Eos do her thing).

How to balance the lack of Protect as a role skill? Increase SCH and AST’s basic mitigation spells by 5-10% depending on how accessible they are. Maybe knock Bole and Sacred Soil to 15% or 20% reduction.
Balanced against SCH/AST mitigation? Well it’s less potent (only 10%) and only protects against one type of damage at a time. I don’t see how it’s encroaching on either of their territories. Both SCH and AST can already do both HoT and Mitigation, and AST isn’t solely limited to its Sects, it has Bole and Collective Unconscious (which does both). Besides, Nocturnal is almost always more effective than Diurnal. I only ever use Diurnal when I’m paired with a SCH in a dungeon/raid.

[Ghishlain]

I am in agreement as well that Protect needs to feel more impacting in PvE content. As others have stated, it basically acts as a second form of weakness and should be brought as an essential buff but it doesn't feel like it has any impact on the fight after it's been reapplied, and it burns more than a GCD of the healer in the process.

I'd be very happy if it worked like the PvP and gave a temporary mitigation buff on the target, even if that buff may only be a 5% increase for PvE purposes to ensure it's not too busted as a cross role ability.

[Ceasaria]

The problem I have with healing, is all arround the Resurrection.
7,5 sec of cast time (remember the time where invocation of the fairy was the same, ouch) if there is no Swiftcast.
2,5 sec for Protect.
= 10 sec of time lost on my DPS

Something need to be done about this, specifically when Red Mage are better to Rez than Healers. It is normal ?

Either get ride of Protect or lower the cast time of Resurrection to 3 sec (like pet invocations).

[LeoLupinos]

The only way to "fix" protect is to change duration to 60 seconds, so healers need to keep the buff, and not just buff and forget.
FFXII protect was not that long duration too, I don't know why protect got so much duration on FFXIV.

[NobleWinter]

We need baseline Role Skills AND also truly optional Role Skills. Protect, Esuna, Lucid Dreaming, and possibly Largesse should be baseline skills that all Healers would get as they level with no option to discard or trade them. Role Skills would then be all the other junk we never use because of taking the mandatory ones. I wouldn't even mind being limited to 2 or 3 Role Skills if Sure Cast and Rescue weren't competing with Esuna and Protect. I hate that Healing macros to swap out skills are just accepted as common practice.

[NobleWinter]

Protect is the least engaging ability ever. I would be happy if the duration was reduced to like 5 minutes because then at least you would have to use it more. An entire Role Action that only gets used once per Instance is retarded. Its even worse that no one complains in casual content if they die and don't get protect again. It really needs to be more impactful and not just as a mandatory tool in top tier savage survival.