Cleric Stance Rework (Suggestion)

[CorbinDallas]

DPS as a healer has become a complete bore since Stormblood stripped away a bunch of our abilities and destroyed Cleric Stance.

Basically, I hate new cleric, I preferred the old cleric. I feel the old cleric was a way better expression of skill than the bog standard cooldown we have right now. People claim it was clunky, that it was too punishing and caused wipes. I say yeah right, more like you just weren't playing healer correctly. Healing should be proactive, not reactive. You should know what to expect from a given encounter and when it's safe to dip into cleric for a few seconds. It was super fun and satisfying learning to master the stance dance. It made you feel great.

After playing in Pyros with Wisdom of the Aetherweaver, which is a fantastic ability and I highly recommend everyone give it a spin, I feel a modified version of that ability would be a perfect take on Cleric Stance.

- Keep the current mind scaling on damage, so people aren't pressured into using cleric if they're too scared that people will die and their 5 second Cleric cooldown will cause a wipe. They can still deal ok damage.

- Revert Cleric back to a toggled stance which reduces your healing output while active.

- Increase the damage bonus of Cleric Stance to 25-35% or so.

Basically, make DPSing as a healer other than SCH fun and interactive again, risky but rewarding, satisfying to master the role. Applying a DoT or two then spamming a single button for 20s isn't fun. Changing Cleric this way, while retaining the current mind scaling, allows those who wish to do so the opportunity to challenge and push themselves to to better, while also making DPS accessible to anyone who either can't or won't use Cleric out of fear of whatever.

[Jollyy5]

Old Cleric Stance was bs, sure mechanics are predictable but you would still need to clear the dungeon/trial multiple times before you have it somewhat memorized, and can effectively start using Cleric Stance.

The bigger issue is that while mechanics are predictable, players in PUGs aren't, you do your usual groundwork and give the tank regen/mitigation you always do before switching to Cleric Stance to get some DPS in, only for the tank to not use their tools and die anyway. That, or the DPS players in your group getting hit by something as you switch to Cleric Stance, and then having no way to save them due to you being stuck in Cleric Stance for a bit.

And personally, I always saw Cleric Stance as pointless busywork, having to press a button to get into and out of "DPS mode" doesn't suddenly make playing a healer interesting.

[CorbinDallas]

Old Cleric Stance was bs, sure mechanics are predictable but you would still need to clear the dungeon/trial multiple times before you have it somewhat memorized, and can effectively start using Cleric Stance.

The bigger issue is that while mechanics are predictable, players in PUGs aren't, you do your usual groundwork and give the tank regen/mitigation you always do before switching to Cleric Stance to get some DPS in, only for the tank to not use their tools and die anyway. That, or the DPS players in your group getting hit by something as you switch to Cleric Stance, and then having no way to save them due to you being stuck in Cleric Stance for a bit.

And personally, I always saw Cleric Stance as pointless busywork, having to press a button to get into and out of "DPS mode" doesn't suddenly make playing a healer interesting.

Completely disagree. Those party member errors would have happened regardless and it's on you to recognise when it's safe to toggle cleric. You don't just go into a pug and mindlessly start cleric stance DPSing till after the first trash pack and you get an idea on the ability of your team mates. If later in the dungeon they die to stupid while you're in cleric, it's on them to learn to not do it in future. It's things like this "what if?" that cause the general playerbase to be so coddled to the point healers feel obligated to babysit them and it's why you see level 70 players in old, outdated content to just sit there spamming Cure. Take a risk and learn from it. I don't buy the "we only have DPS abilities for MSQ" excuse either from the non-DPS purists. Nothing in the MSQ warrants anything more than Stone spam.

This is also why I suggest keeping the current mind scaling, so that even if those kinds of people don't want to use the stance, they can still put out respectable damage.

[Niceville]

And personally, I always saw Cleric Stance as pointless busywork, having to press a button to get into and out of "DPS mode" doesn't suddenly make playing a healer interesting.

Man, I don't like to put in any effort either.

[Jerrkazoo]

I was actually thinking of something similar which can also be used as a nod to past FFs:

Zombie: inflicts a debuff on one target that allows healers to damage using their healing spells and abilities. Shields have no effect on the target. Benediction has no effect.

This would be a powerful, but limited, way to increase healer DPS drastically (since healing tends to have higher potency than damage spells), while also not messing with the rotation of anyone else. Healers would have a reason to spam their Physick, Benefic, or Cure again (OMG!). But WHMs would definitely benefit more than the others:

SCH: Adlo is expensive and the shield doesn't do anything. They can spam Lustrate, but then they wouldn't be using Energy Drain. They would benefit from free damage with Indom, though. Maybe the fairy can Embrace for some free damage?

AST: Can use Benefic or Benefic II, but with a 2.5 sec cast time they'd lose their mobility and weaving abilities if used alone, and Benefic II spam is expensive unless they use Lightspeed. They would benefit from free damage with Earthly Star, though.

WHM: Can use Cure, and with Freecure they'd get an occasional free 700 potency nuke, or spam Cure II with Thin Air. Regen would be an efficient, more powerful version of Aero. Assize would become 600 potency of damage. Under the current system, this would also generate Lillies...I guess.

This would probably have to be on a very long cooldown, though. What do you guys think?

[Doozer]

If you want to DPS so bad, be a DPS.

[CorbinDallas]

If you want to DPS so bad, be a DPS.

Fantastic counterpoint, 10/10 would consider again.

[Mansion]

Actually, I think I'd prefer DPS additions to healers' kits more than a clunky Cleric Stance system. Just allow us to do more things, have parts of DPS rotation that generate healing or buffing, I don't know.

[Doozer]

Fantastic counterpoint, 10/10 would consider again.

You're welcome, I do what I can.

I mean, people in any game that let you change stats or builds insist on going Max Damage Per Second and nothing else matters. Everything else is a wasted attribute because it doesn't increase damage. That doesn't work when there are certain roles required. Therefore, in conclusion, if you want those Sick Deeps, be a DPS. That's not the healer's main job. Sure they're encouraged to, and often do, but their priority is healing. Just like how some DPS classes (like SMN and RDM) can heal and rez. It's not their main job, but if it comes down to it, they can help in a pinch. But their job is doing damage. Ya dig? Or is that just another 10/10 counterpoint?

[Tint]

You're welcome, I do what I can.

I mean, people in any game that let you change stats or builds insist on going Max Damage Per Second and nothing else matters. Everything else is a wasted attribute because it doesn't increase damage. That doesn't work when there are certain roles required. Therefore, in conclusion, if you want those Sick Deeps, be a DPS. That's not the healer's main job. Sure they're encouraged to, and often do, but their priority is healing. Just like how some DPS classes (like SMN and RDM) can heal and rez. It's not their main job, but if it comes down to it, they can help in a pinch. But their job is doing damage. Ya dig? Or is that just another 10/10 counterpoint?

I am not too sure, I often cast more dps than healing skills on a healer job. Dealing damage is a huge part of the healer job, it should be more fun. Granted old Cleric Stance was BS and I don't want it back and I don't like OP's idea either. But right now dps abilities on healers feel like an afterthought, they could be more interesting.

- Keep the current mind scaling on damage, so people aren't pressured into using cleric if they're too scared that people will die and their 5 second Cleric cooldown will cause a wipe. They can still deal ok damage.

- Revert Cleric back to a toggled stance which reduces your healing output while active.

- Increase the damage bonus of Cleric Stance to 25-35% or so.

25-35% damage bonus is huge. And you think people will not be pressured into using this stance?