Yoshi-P: "If you want more engaging content, go play Ultimate"

[Deceptus]

This is effectively what the lead designer of this game told Healers in the latest live letter.

Consider if he had said that about your role (tank / dps) for a second and how you would feel.

Forget the leveling experience, it doesn't matter.

Forget dungeons up to 90, they don't matter.

Forget normal raids, EX's, and Savage, they don't matter.

If you want your job to be engaging, play Ultimate, the hardest content in the game that only a few percentage of actual players do.

Engagement shouldn't be either 0% or 100%. It shouldn't be either braindead easy in 95% of content or pull your hair out in the hardest thing the game offers.

The same basic damage rotation from level 4 to level 90 (A 30s dot and a filler spell) is not acceptable gameplay or game design.

Edit:

Yoshi-P's statement is about as tone deaf as the Lead Designer of WoW flat out saying they didn't want players playing a certain DPS spec. (Language warning)

Background: Instead of properly balancing a certain DPS spec, the WoW devs nuked it to the ground so people would play other things.

Sound familiar?

[Skiros]

If you want more engaging content on any job other than BLM, go play Ultimate.

Job design across everything has been gutted.

[MisterNublet]

Job design across everything has been gutted.

That is also a problem.

But the healer role's dps rotation being limited to one DD and one DoT is inexcusable. If I was a game developer, I'd be embarrassed to think that is engaging gameplay.

[Deceptus]

That is also a problem.

But the healer role's dps rotation being limited to one DD and one DoT is inexcusable..

From level 4 to lvl 90.

[SenorPatty]

Their philosophy regarding healers is why people don't like playing it outside of high end duties. Hell, even in the latter, once you get past the prog stage where you were picking up mistakes left and right and head to farm stage where you end up dpsing more than healing, you start feeling underwhelmed again. Their refusal to try to meet even one-quarter of the way with healing and dpsing tools is why the role becomes the most unappealing of them all.

You know things get really ironic when people avoid the role not because it's a responsibility like they usually are in other mmos but because it's boring.

[MsQi]

He said that it was the beginning of the expansion when things are intentionally easier and that there would be adjustments as the patches come out.

[Deceptus]

He said that it was the beginning of the expansion when things are intentionally easier and that there would be adjustments as the patches come out.

They've been saying that for years now, at least 2 expansions, and it's has yet to happen. If anything, the problem has gotten worse over the years and healers are being sidelined more.

[Shironeko_Narunyan]

Not only healer gameplay is brainless, and if there were to be changes, they had to be across the board. Because if only healers have to work hard, their numbers will drop even more.

[ForteNightshade]

He said that it was the beginning of the expansion when things are intentionally easier and that there would be adjustments as the patches come out.

We already know their adjustments. They'll be exactly the same as they were in Shadowbringers: incredibly easy outside Savage prog.

He still dismissed the primary complaint that healers are bored and basically said to go do Ultimate if they still find things too easy. It doesn't actually address there are virtually no healing requirements in 90% of the content and that healers have one button to spam. Even in casual content where there's basically no tank mechanics, they can at least full back on a simplified rotation. Healers don't even have that. Outside Savage and Ultimate, they have absolutely nothing. For example sake, I got Copied Factory the other day and pressed Dosis II 513 times. That's ten more than almost all my healing combined. You wanna tell me the upcoming 24 man is going to be any different? If so then I have lakefront property in Arizona to sell you.

[MisterNublet]

He said that it was the beginning of the expansion when things are intentionally easier and that there would be adjustments as the patches come out.

Spams malefic harder.

They would have to rework the combat system and move away from timeline mechanics if they want to make healing truly difficult and engaging in this game. Even in Ultimate content, healers spend less time healing and more time spamming their one dps ability.