Quote Originally Posted by Gemina View Post
A ways back, I was back and forth with another poster about optimization, because crazy black sheep-me decided to say that it isn't always about optimization in the context of vs fun. However, it was brought to my attention that some players get a great sense of enjoyment and accomplishment learning how to optimize not only rotations, but entire encounters, and that is fun to them. I think the same can be said about efficiency, which is really just another way to say "optimal".

.....

If this is truly the case, and I hope it is, then there is hope in 6.0. They did not fully acknowledge the balance issues with healing until late 4.0, and they went to work, but had to wipe the slate clean. They've had more time, and I think at the very least we can look forward to seeing what they do with that blank canvas. However, due to the polarity in the healer community, the dissatisfaction is unavoidable.
The main issue is, that our healers (and tanks as well) are, in their current form, just the same Job copypasted multiple times.

AST's toolkit during stormblood, with the different card effects for every card, was a great thing and idea to be had and should have been focused on even more. Surely it would make the Job more difficult, especially with the fact that you never know what card you draw, but that would create a great "high risk, high reward healer" which has to deal what fate plays into his/her hands.

As for SCH, i think it should have gotten more focus on the Pet aspects (just because our lord and savior yoshi p. tells us that he doesn't like pets, won't mean it is a bad thing). In my opinion, keeping both Selene and Eos unique from one another was a great start. If i had to make a suggestion, then i would say that Eos should be the scholar main source and catalyst of the Scholars healing abilities, while Selene, is being used for damaging enemies directly. The Scholar itself, would only keep physick as his direct way of providing healing, but instead, have ways to manipulate the fairy abilities in different and multiple ways, while having a more DoT focused toolkit of attacking.

As for everyones favorite healer WHM, designwise it could stay as the straightforward healer it is even today, but with a few quality of life changes, such as getting more focus on his nature based skills, both for healing and attacking (like water and wind magic). Those could also be provided in the form of telegraph's to create a more fleshed out way of playing. I would even say that potencywise, WHM should be the strongest of the three healers but having instead the drawback of having longer castingtime compared to the other two.