A summary of healer issues

[Semirhage]

So, looking at https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/comme...eb2x&context=3, it looks like yeah, shields were constantly the red-headed stepchild. The easy fix of course being to punch up the potency on them. Or, you know, push down the potency on Regen.

Uh. Is regularly completely nullifying incoming damage to zero and cheesing mechanics through blocking debuff application *really* a desirable state of affairs?

If you make regens more powerful than shields, shields have a use (can be frequent or niche, dependent on encounter design). Because shields do something regens can't.

You make shields more powerful than regens, you never touch a regen again. Because regens don't perform a function that shields can't too. *That* is why regens are more total potency/cheaper than shields. Because at the end of the day, they have to be.

[Boomsmash]

Uh. Is regularly completely nullifying incoming damage to zero and cheesing mechanics through blocking debuff application *really* a desirable state of affairs?

If you make regens more powerful than shields, shields have a use (can be frequent or niche, dependent on encounter design). Because shields do something regens can't.

You make shields more powerful than regens, you never touch a regen again. Because regens don't perform a function that shields can't too. *That* is why regens are more total potency/cheaper than shields. Because at the end of the day, they have to be.

700 potency shields vs 1200 potency regen, and the shields cost more (or used to). We can argue it back and forth, but the simple fact of the matter is that a shield-focused healer is at a flat disadvantage vs a regen-focused caster. It's perfectly fine if they have both sorts of answers at their disposal and are able to cover for weaknesses in one part of the kit using another part of the kit. But a shield healer that can't stack their shields or takes too much inefficiency from their kit is a bad healer.