DPS or no DPS isn't the problem

[Darkmoonrise]

Hi all,

Sounds a little bit provocative, but it's on purpose. To start the debate, because yes it’s a debate ( I hope, but it’s the internet so…). I’m not foolish enough to think SE will take this thread into account, furthermore 1 month before ShB release. But see it like an exercise, what are your ideas? I’ll start by exposing the problem and then add my ideas. I’ll be happy to read yaours.

We all know there is a war between two ideologies: Should healer DPS or not? First let’s begin by setting aside people who don’t want to play, don’t want to push buttons. Those are… I don’t know… why are you playing again?

Now the problem is obvious: it’s not DPS vs no DPS. It’s: what am I doing when my party is full HP? Nothing new here, every healer on both sides already know that. But let’s dig a little bit deeper.

I see 2 separate problems here.

1. Currently the only possibility to fill this gape is DPSing. Because, there is nothing else to do. The only specific role of healer is to keep the HP bars full. Ok some esuna from time to time but, yeah…
2. There is only 3 ways of healing: direct, hot or shield. There are multiple ways to apply those type of healing: casting, instant, pet, aoe, zones, single target but at the ends it’s only 3 ways and it’s a little bit boring.

Here are my ideas, suggestions about those 2 problems.

Firstly, for the down time. Aside of needing more heal, either by mobs hitting harder or less effective heals, another solution is to add other mechanics that only healers can take care of

• add heal rotation, with either heal bonus the more you follow the rotation or buff at the end of the rotation.
• Stack of debuff that needs to be cleaned in a certain order (with different skills)
• Debuffs which needs a combination of skills to be cleaned
• Debuffs on 2 people which needs to be cleaned in a given order
• Debuffs which change incoming healing into damage.
• Debuffs that cannot be cleaned but must be absorbed by the healer with a skill and then be cleaned.
• A mechanism that allows to transfer none cleanable debuffs on other players.
• Debuff that increase by a lot the aggro of the healer when the target is healed.
• Uncleanable dot that ticks really slowly but really hard and each tick can be nullified by a skill.
• A dot that ticks harder and harder but can be reset by a skill.

Secondly, only 3 types of heal, but there is so much more possibility.

• Canalisation heal, as long as you cast there is healing (like the Fey Union but for the healer)
• Leech heal, you put a mark on someone and then DPS mobs. A percentage of the damage is transformed into healing.
• Buff on a DPS which changes its damage into healing (yeah, I know, my ideas are becoming worst)
  

And here are some ideas of how to add variety in how to apply those heal:

• For full party, skills that can only be activated when both healers use it. (in a time window)
• A short radius hot aoe following the healer for 10 sec, forcing him to go at melee range to apply heal and thus take risk
• A heal with potency related to the distance of the target (either the further the better or the opposite)
• A heal with potency related to the number of people around the healer.
• A weak hot that can stack to get stronger and stronger.
• Skill which you can be applied on the mobs which transform the next attack into heal (not all of them)
• For shields, more than one type of shield : hot shield, debuff shield, magic shield, physic shield.
• Strong shield which prevents healing while applied.
• Shield that deals damage if not deplated at the end of its timer.

That’s the ideas wandering in my head right now. I’m interested into yours and your comment about mine (oh god, why am I asking that on the internet).

Darky