Adventurer in need

[kaynide]

What blows my mind, is Square Enix looked at all the other MMORPGs that came before -- with five-person parties of one tank, one healer, and three DPS -- and said: "How about we take this bad situation, and make it even worse? How about two DPS!?" Although, I assume they were forced into this decision due to "PS3 limitations" or server issues, or some other variety of hellish FFXIV 1.0 curse that they inherited.



I have to disagree there. I love healing, I feel quite comfortable in that role, and I don't feel like "lack of pressure" equates to fun. On the contrary, the sense of responsibility is exhilarating and makes me feel important. I prefer having a more holistic perspective of my party and how everybody is doing, and having to improvise on the fly, rather than succumbing to a preordained DPS "rotation." Plus, it feels good to be able to lend a safety net to newbies who are struggling with mechanics. I just feel compelled to take care of all my little dungeon babies!

Also, as someone who doesn't always have the greatest self-esteem or confidence in real life, healing is an extremely rewarding gameplay style. It tends to stamp out self-doubt real quick, because there is just no denying when you did a damn good job. You can feel it in your bones, and it doesn't matter what anybody else says or if you get any commendations.

That said, I do understand the shift in responsibilities when you play DPS. There is a certain weight taken off your back, but on the other hand it comes with other stressors. For example, doing primals as a melee DPS freaks me the f*ck out. I don't have the complete view of the area I would prefer, I'm running around like a chicken with its head cut off, I just want this whole thing to be over. Also, every single time I play my ninja character in a dungeon -- I swear, the tank pulls a bunch of mobs, pauses to wait for me to place down Doton, and then sprints away just to spite me. I consistently ask myself, "Why should I even try?" I have no idea if I'm a good or a bad DPS. Whatever the case, it all feels the same. There's no feedback, no appreciation. I could be doing a phenomenal job, executing mechanics perfectly, and no one cares.

This is a good attitude to have for healer- it's not really that hard, and exactly as you said: done well you do indeed feel great (and often get lots of commendations). Tank as well!

For some players (myself included) there is some pride in being able to take a "lead" role, but for a large amount of people, not so much- it can be debilitating even. My point was that given the option between playing the main lead and a backup dancer, a lot of people opt for backup.

In response to your DPS skill.. ehh.. if it's casual content, and you're clearing it in a reasonable amount of time, you're probably good. An alternative measure is to just see where you are in the enmity line. Party of 4 and you're #3/#2 most of the time..probably ok.

This is probably spillover from being a healer- you're used to doing your best and paying attention to what you're doing very well, so when you do DPS you're looking for that level of feedback to see if you're "doing it right" and there just really isn't anything there.