The Healer Double Standard

[LashL]

Why is hitting your damage button intrinsically more interesting than hitting your heal button?

Mostly because you get a mix of gameplay and things to do, mind you im under no illusion that these changes will kill dpsing they wont they just make it more boring like ast.

[Ilenya]

Why is hitting your damage button intrinsically more interesting than hitting your heal button?

As a healer, it's knowing when to do either. Healers don't get interesting DPS combos because SE says so.

[Kabooa]

As a healer, it's knowing when to do either. Healers don't get interesting DPS combos because SE says so.

I mean, most of us don't get interesting DPS combos.

Much of the engaging part over at the DPS camp relies on the encounter to force varying constraints upon us. We rely on the encounter, because there's a point where even the most convoluted DPS jobs (Hey there Ninja and Summoner) don't take much for dummy scenarios.

[BiffWellington]

I've always thought the reason the roles and the whole party dynamic were set up the way they were in this game is, it's a Final Fantasy game.

In most FF games, you have four characters in your party. I've typically used two heavy hitters, one healer, and one character who's, well, sort of like a tank (he deals damage but is mainly set up to be tough enough to withstand those hard-hitting AoEs the bosses like to throw out there, and then help get the rest of my party back on their feet). Very similar to a standard party here.

Sometimes my healer's turn comes up and nobody needs any healing, so I'll have her throw some damage instead.

I think the healer not pumping out heals constantly, and having time to DPS, was meant to mimic that standard Final Fantasy party dynamic.

[Reiryuu]

I'd like to throw this on the dumpster fire.

Mr. Happy interview with Yoshida NA media tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uFvDXs-rLk&t=119s

~1:55-- He asks Yoshida a question about why certain abilities for tanks, such as the Paladin gap closer, are available at higher levels. Yoshida's response is that they were placed in there so that higher level skills are further from the core identity of the job or less pertinent.

WHMs had protect at level 7/8 in ARR (2.0). Divine Seal at level 40 (2.0). Temperance is a combination of Protect (PVP) and Divine Seal. It's level 80. So 2 skills that were core to WHM from the very beginning are combined and then are considered to be so far from WHM's core identity and so unpertinent to it that it's a level 80 skill. W.T.F?

[reyre]

Why is hitting your damage button intrinsically more interesting than hitting your heal button?

Are you joking? How is this still somenthing that people dont get? This game doesnt support "pure ____" very well, lets start with the fact that a lot of fights are with a timer, so dealing damage will always weight more than well almost anything, moving on from that, the rest of the fights simply dont do enough damage to require a healer being glued to whatever heals it has (and if we go by what some reports are saying about titania it will be nerfed to obvlion since just a few number of parties could clear it).
So a lot of the dps engagement comes from how the fight plays out? That is great since a dps has to be CONSTANTLY attacking and adapting to what the boss does from a 100% or a number very near to 100% of the time, now for the sake of argument let me ask you this, in the toughest, most healing intensive fight, how active is a healer? and of that time how much is just healing? Now if memory serves every fight is extremely predictable so damage doenst just appear out of thin air, this fact alone makes healing always a burst deal, and since its a burst kind of healing (with some exceptions), out side of those burst phases, other than the tank(super dependadnt on how good the tank is) what is there to heal? what else does a healer do? The damage is scripted and so is the healing, making the "engagement" part of healing be outside of healing, sadly.

[Kabooa]

Are you joking? How is this still somenthing that people dont get? This game doesnt support "pure ____" very well, lets start with the fact that a lot of fights are with a timer, so dealing damage will always weight more than well almost anything, moving on from that, the rest of the fights simply dont do enough damage to require a healer being glued to whatever heals it has (and if we go by what some reports are saying about titania it will be nerfed to obvlion since just a few number of parties could clear it).
So a lot of the dps engagement comes from how the fight plays out? That is great since a dps has to be CONSTANTLY attacking and adapting to what the boss does from a 100% or a number very near to 100% of the time, now for the sake of argument let me ask you this, in the toughest, most healing intensive fight, how active is a healer? and of that time how much is just healing? Now if memory serves every fight is extremely predictable so damage doenst just appear out of thin air, this fact alone makes healing always a burst deal, and since its a burst kind of healing (with some exceptions), out side of those burst phases, other than the tank(super dependadnt on how good the tank is) what is there to heal? what else does a healer do? The damage is scripted and so is the healing, making the "engagement" part of healing be outside of healing, sadly.

Sure, that's why hitting the damage button is -better- but why is it more -interesting-? It's not. They're both the same, the default decision when you have no other alternative in the flowchart of "Should I Hit or Heal".

It would be a shame if they nerf Titania. It'd completely invalidate the point of shoring up Astro and Scholar's healing kits.

[reyre]

Sure, that's why hitting the damage button is -better- but why is it more -interesting-? It's not. They're both the same, the default decision when you have no other alternative in the flowchart of "Should I Hit or Heal".

It would be a shame if they nerf Titania. It'd completely invalidate the point of shoring up Astro and Scholar's healing kits.

You know what let me ask this before i even try to write a retort otherwise it would be a waste of time.

What is your point?

Let me repond your question directly. "Why is hitting your damage button intrinsically more interesting than hitting your heal button?" Is not, no one is saying that. Its not the effect, its the quantity and the frecuency. Its not X is "better" than Y, is you only have to press X some times, the rest of the time? you have nothing to do.

[DiznypKC]

I've always thought the reason the roles and the whole party dynamic were set up the way they were in this game is, it's a Final Fantasy game.

In most FF games, you have four characters in your party. I've typically used two heavy hitters, one healer, and one character who's, well, sort of like a tank (he deals damage but is mainly set up to be tough enough to withstand those hard-hitting AoEs the bosses like to throw out there, and then help get the rest of my party back on their feet). Very similar to a standard party here.

Sometimes my healer's turn comes up and nobody needs any healing, so I'll have her throw some damage instead.

I think the healer not pumping out heals constantly, and having time to DPS, was meant to mimic that standard Final Fantasy party dynamic.

Thank you! I’ve been saying this for ages. There’s never been a “pure healer” in any Final Fantasy. They’ve all had hammers and bows and Holy and what not. Hell’s bells even the OG White Mage could equip the Masamune.

[DiznypKC]

You know what let me ask this before i even try to write a retort otherwise it would be a waste of time.

What is your point?

Let me repond your question directly. "Why is hitting your damage button intrinsically more interesting than hitting your heal button?" Is not, no one is saying that. Its not the effect, its the quantity and the frecuency. Its not X is "better" than Y, is you only have to press X some times, the rest of the time? you have nothing to do.

Kabooa doesn’t really have anything constructive to add to this thread. I’d recommend just ignoring them.