Problems with PvP abilities for tanks and heals

[Ranses]

To get right to the point, I think that while the new PvP abilities for many DPS classes are simple, fun, and embody the fantasy of the job they were designed for, the new PvP abilities for tanks and healers, especially healers, do not match the aesthetic and fantasy of their respective jobs.

Tanks do have PvE rotations for abilities but the fun in playing a tank comes from having a large set of abilities that allow a player to react to certain situations and control the battle field. While the old PvP ability set for tanks was fairly small compared to PvE, there were plenty of abilities that allowed tanks to react to different situations and change play styles when needed. With the new abilities, especially for Paladin, I feel play has been whittled down to an overly simplified rotation that is mostly just me hitting a single button. Sure, the limit breaks are great and provide amazing party buffs, but I currently feel like an underpowered Dps as a Paladin spamming one button most of the time until I finish charging my limit break.

While I feel that the new class abilities do not fully embody the fun of playing a tank like a Paladin, I feel the new abilities for healers completely neglect what it means to be a healer. This has been a severe problem for one particular healer friend of mine as they do not feel that they are a healer in PvP anymore, just a mediocre DPS with some heals and a nice limit break. They hate the way white mage plays in PvP so much that they refuse to PvP anymore. It appears as if the large healer tool kit has been replaced with healing spells on a cool down and DPS abilities. I know that healers should DPS but when a healer cannot spam a heal to keep some one alive then it does not feel like a healer. I know that the goal of these changes was to create more meaningful choice in PvP combat but if you cannot properly fulfil the job fantasy of being a healer then the choice you made to play a healer is being negated.

If the changes to healers in PvP were to limit healing overall then alter the abilities to do less healing as opposed to gutting the way the job plays. I really hope the ff14 developers reconsider the changes they have made to tanks and healers as the changes that were made kill the fun of PvP...for me and the people I know at least. How does the rest of the community feel about this?

[Bureda]

I think paladins should definitely have zone area denial. You know, like some holy consecration on the ground where you take extra damage if you stand in it. Warrior is on the right track, move offensive. When you think Paladin you think holy and holding your ground. It would add to their flavour.

I want Mug to be used in stealth since it's so short and it just makes no sense that we cannot. It's what I hope to see in the future.

[PangTong]

Healers having spammable heals was literally one of the single biggest reasons that the old PvP was so bad and why this PvP is better. I guess it's understandable that your friend prefers the old White Mage because they were actually god mode and ruined the entire game.

[Ranses]

Imagine you want to play a healer and then you are forced to DPS most of the time. If the problem is the amount of healing done then just reduce the amount of healing and not abandon the healer aesthetic. As a DPS I am sure it is annoying to try and kill someone only to be stopped by a healer but the game should not be balanced around DPS while forsaking the fun of other classes. This can be balanced without destroying class fantasy.

[Sindele]

Imagine you want to play a healer and then you are forced to DPS most of the time.

[looks at the entire rest of the game]

[looks straight into the camera]

[Iyrnwaen]

Imagine you want to play a healer and then you are forced to DPS most of the time.

We're still talking about FFXIV, right?

[TheTyrant]

The real problem with SCH, AST and SGE is that their limit breaks require the team for them to be used well. If you go them you are essentially griefing your team. WHM is the only one that is reasonable but with how other jobs are, it is "not good" instead of griefing like the other healers. AST's is the funniest, 30% dmg for the team that reduces over time! Awesome figure out how to time that effectively with your non-premade, quick chat!

They should get stacks of healing for damage they do. That is how you balance spam healing.

[Ranses]

"The real problem with SCH, AST and SGE is that their limit breaks require the team for them to be used well."

That is a good point. The limit breaks for healers are very hard to implement effectively in current PvP mode, especially with a random party trying to do Crystalline conflict on a 5 minute timer. Essentially this means that a large chunk of healer power in pvp is coming from a limit break that is hard to use effectively and may get wasted often.

[inhaledcorn]

The real problem with SCH, AST and SGE is that their limit breaks require the team for them to be used well. If you go them you are essentially griefing your team. WHM is the only one that is reasonable but with how other jobs are, it is "not good" instead of griefing like the other healers. AST's is the funniest, 30% dmg for the team that reduces over time! Awesome figure out how to time that effectively with your non-premade, quick chat!

They should get stacks of healing for damage they do. That is how you balance spam healing.

Me, a SGE: *uses Limit Break*

WHM: *changes me into an imp*

Sage LB: Understandable. Have a nice day.

[Corbeau]

If you think anything about healers is "mediocre" right now, yikes.

No, they don't just heal - and that's a deliberate and good design choice to prevent games from bogging down (like every prior version of pvp did). They're still all extremely powerful in their own individual ways. AST and WHM are both in contention (along with WAR) for top classes in the entire game.