How would you make each healer dps rotation unique?

[Atmaweapon510]

So a common sentiment going around is that healers need a more engaging dps rotation other than spamming 1 spell and 1 DoT. How would you go about differentiating how each healer plays in a way that gives them leeway to pause their rotation in the event they need to heal?

As a bonus given the recent healer-less EX trials, is there a mechanic you could introduce that would allow healer dps to at least match tank dps in the event that there's literally no healing to be done while also not hampering your ability to immediately switch back to casting heals (No cleric stance as it existed)?


Edit: Actually getting a lot of suggestions around here so I may as well just go ahead with mine.

General:

-Add the instant ability Aethercharge as a role action. Aethercharge costs 1000 MP and can only be used while above 90% MP. Aethercharge increases the damage of the next X filler spells by Y potency. Filler spells being Glare/Broil/Holy/etc...

This is a similar concept to Seraph Strike from Bozja, but constrained in a way where you can't accidentally sabotage all of your healing potential. This is basically just an MP dump whenever you aren't casting anything other than filler spells.


White Mage
-Simple builder spender system like how Lilies build into Afflatus Misery. Casts build a gauge which lets you cast another ability.
-Spender comes with a small Medica effect like a GCD Assize.


Scholar
-More DoTs whose timers don't line up so you have to keep conscious track of each different one.
-Easily replaceable ground targeted DoT so you have to keep track of when the boss moves
-DoTs build up to Ruin IV for builder/spender cash out dopamine.



Astrologian
-Make Astrodyne feel more impactful.
-Astrodyne is now a damaging ability that generates 15% MP.
-With 3 of the same or 3 different seals, Astrodyne deals major Single target damage to the target.
-With 2 of the same and 1 different seal, Astrodyne deals major AoE damage around the target. Potency is 70% of the ST version



Sage
-Uses fast burst windows like MCH and RPR. Does not use DoTs like other healers to shift power into this window.
-Phlegma generates Addersting to enable burst window. Eukrasian Dosis consumes Addersting to initiate burst window. Toxicon is now an ogcd ability that's constantly weaved inside of burst window.
-Burst window is very short and increases healing output by virtue of triggering Kardia more often.



Outside of SGE's mini burst windows (that still improve healing output in a roundabout way), all of these are designed to be unobtrusive or complement what healers currently have and give each healer plenty of leeway to drop whatever their doing and spam their version of Medica for when their party just can't stop getting hit by mechanics. The healer that would otherwise be the most penalized, White Mage, even has their dps system spam Medica for them.

[RinaShinomiya]

A simple diet coke BLM rotation for WHM for example. You can make aero work similarly to Thunder, AoE version that doesnt stack, stance change button, stone 1 & water 1 for single target, stone 2 and water 2 for AoE. Make stone and water spells be the same button based on stance to reduce bloat. change free cure to proc off of Water spells and reward a lily. holy can be your foul equivalent. At the same time move lillies down into ARR level range and build their healing kit around it so a WHM's MP economy is mostly used for DPS while lillies give plethora MP-free heals. Yes its still a 1 button rotation but having stuff to micromanage makes it better to play.

As for AST honestly just copying dancer with their RNG feather procs and card themed standard and technical staps sounds most fitting rn but i also toyed with the idea of making a card themed Ninjutsu from NIN.

SCH will be a little difficult since the current iteration of Arcanist doesnt fit SCH gameplay at all. Maybe make it a dot themed class with Bio Miasma etc. Kinda like bard, with tacticts skills that proc off of dots.

[Silver-Strider]

A simple diet coke BLM rotation for WHM for example. You can make aero work similarly to Thunder, AoE version that doesnt stack, stance change button, stone 1 & water 1 for single target, stone 2 and water 2 for AoE. Make stone and water spells be the same button based on stance to reduce bloat. change free cure to proc off of Water spells and reward a lily. holy can be your foul equivalent. At the same time move lillies down into ARR level range and build their healing kit around it so a WHM's MP economy is mostly used for DPS while lillies give plethora MP-free heals. Yes its still a 1 button rotation but having stuff to micromanage makes it better to play.

I'm thinking something similar as well but have the stance also turns our healing skills into their Lily Equivalent. So Cure 2 into Afflatus Solace, Medica into Afflatus Rapture and Afflatus Misery takes over Holy. This makes room for Afflatus versions of Medica 2, Cure 3, and a Single Target version of Misery to take over Glare. Essentially make Cleric Stance into Eukrasia and have Aero be WHM's version of Thunder and WHM would be fine.

[Sylve]

How about instead of turning healers into pseudo DPS jobs, we instead boost the frequency of unavoidable damage.

Second boss in Panda has been absolute blast to heal specifically because pugs fail mechanics regularly along with consistent frequent unavoidable damage.

I barely have the GCDs spare to drop my Dot on the boss, let alone be upset at spamming Dosis.

The only time we healers are "spamming our 1 button" is in groups that never fail mechanics and have good coordination.

We need the content to put our entire healing kit, including GCD heals, to use throughout an entire encounter.
We only get reduced to spamming our single DPS button for any length of time when the fight is fully optimized/overgeared.

[RinaShinomiya]

How about instead of turning healers into pseudo DPS jobs, we instead boost the frequency of unavoidable damage.

Second boss in Panda has been absolute blast to heal specifically because pugs fail mechanics regularly along with consistent frequent unavoidable damage.

I barely have the GCDs spare to drop my Dot on the boss, let alone be upset at spamming Dosis.

The only time we healers are "spamming our 1 button" is in groups that never fail mechanics and have good coordination.

We need the content to put our entire healing kit, including GCD heals, to use throughout an entire encounter.
We only get reduced to spamming our single DPS button for any length of time when the fight is fully optimized/overgeared.

You're not wrong but at this point they'd have to overhaul the encounterdesign of 8 years worth of content and I just don't see that happening so giving us more to do than just 1 button spamming is the easiest fix they could do rn.

[Adonan]

How about instead of turning healers into pseudo DPS jobs, we instead boost the frequency of unavoidable damage.

Second boss in Panda has been absolute blast to heal specifically because pugs fail mechanics regularly along with consistent frequent unavoidable damage.

I barely have the GCDs spare to drop my Dot on the boss, let alone be upset at spamming Dosis.

The only time we healers are "spamming our 1 button" is in groups that never fail mechanics and have good coordination.

We need the content to put our entire healing kit, including GCD heals, to use throughout an entire encounter.
We only get reduced to spamming our single DPS button for any length of time when the fight is fully optimized/overgeared.

I completed a run of the Tower of Babil about an hour ago. Only after reading this comment did I realize I never once used Seraph during that run. Even with heavy pulls from the tank, who was a Warrior I might add, I completely forgot I even had the ability.

[Silver-Strider]

How about instead of turning healers into pseudo DPS jobs, we instead boost the frequency of unavoidable damage.

Second boss in Panda has been absolute blast to heal specifically because pugs fail mechanics regularly along with consistent frequent unavoidable damage.

I barely have the GCDs spare to drop my Dot on the boss, let alone be upset at spamming Dosis.

The only time we healers are "spamming our 1 button" is in groups that never fail mechanics and have good coordination.

We need the content to put our entire healing kit, including GCD heals, to use throughout an entire encounter.
We only get reduced to spamming our single DPS button for any length of time when the fight is fully optimized/overgeared.

They'd have to do a lot more work in order to make this viable. You'd have to buff healer MP economy since instead of the 400 minimum that Healers do with their DPS spells, you're now looking at, on average, 700-1k, depending on the healer (why they all have different costs is beyond me) While AST might be able to slip on by, that might not necessarily be true for the other healers. It's much easier to just add a DPS skill or 2 to healers and be done with it.

[AceofRains]

How about instead of turning healers into pseudo DPS jobs, we instead boost the frequency of unavoidable damage.

Second boss in Panda has been absolute blast to heal specifically because pugs fail mechanics regularly along with consistent frequent unavoidable damage.

I agree with this sentiment but it does nothing for previous encounters that have already been designed. Unfortunately the answer cannot be to increase emergencies within encounters unless we’re talking “Unreal” content. The way they have made this game is to make even the newest encounters do-able in a casual sense unless it’s savage or unreal. Once people understand the mechanics, healing becomes an afterthought. Even if the rate of unavoidable damage went up, it would have to be ALOT more to warrant a dedication to nothing but healing in a fight. So much so that what should be causally comfortable becomes frustrating for the unskilled.

[Sindal]

My spitballing thoughts to encourage dps.
I can only speak on whm cause that's my main and I don't have an intricate enough headspace for the others.

-move affaltus solus to an earlier level (let's say 36) to smooth them out
-change freecure to the following

*Trait: Natural Flow (lvl 32)
'Whenever you successfully cast a spell, there is a 15% chance to gain the "Flow" buff for 15 seconds. While under the effect of Flow , Aero/Aero II transforms into "Flood"'.Flood consumes the Flow buff.

The chance is doubled when using an 'afflatus' spell.

*Flood
Spell
Mp cost:0
Cast time: 1.5 sec
'Deal 350 potency water damage to a single target.
Additional effect: restores 5% max mana (500mp)'

Lvl52 learn a ability named "Abundant Blossom"

*Abundant blossoms
Ability
Instant
'Consume a lily and gain the effect of "Flow".
Additional effect: nourishes thr blood lily by 1 stage, if it is unlocked.'

-Can only be used when 3 lilies are available-

Lvl 72 - Natural Flow upgrades to Enhanced Natural Flow
'Flood upgrades to 'Flood of Light'

*Flood of light
Spell
Mp cost:0
Cast time: 1.5 sec
'Deal 450 potency unaspected damage to a single target.
Additional effect: restores 5% max mana (500mp)'

Thoughts for the changes
- Gives a new dps skill without increasing button bloat
- encourages the use of the lily Guage and gives a lily spender (only available if overflow is happening to prevent the encouragement of just using lilies for damage)
- a bit of mana to help with WHMs lacking mp regen options.
-make sure it's not focused as this could be scholars tool, instead focusing on strong Gcd spells

[SWB]

What made scholar fun in ARR is they had numerous dots that you weren't just ruin spamming while managing their uptime, so perhaps spell 1 is a spam spell, spell 2,3, and 4 are all on cooldowns perhaps 3, 5, and 7 seconds respectedly and best dps rotation is keeping them all on cd while healing. More og scholar feel