Healers need an overhaul

[FatalCharm]

The only healer I have played to 90 so far is WHM and for the record I am perfectly ok with "1-button spammed DPS rotation"
But I definitely agree with the OP's comments about consolidating redundant healing actions and having them simply evolve into higher forms. But then I feel that way about almost all jobs, would rather have actions evolve rather than keep adding more and more buttons. Two combat Hotbars should be plenty, not three.

[Deceptus]

Something that they should honestly do at this point is just get rid of mits from melee and casters and just give them to healers. Man those were the days when sch still had virus and astro disable. They couldn’t think of anything to give whm so they just got rid of both.

Feint - Given to healers as a role action, "Protect"
Addle - Given to healers as role action, "Shell"

[Punslinger]

...but if I have to say anything on this matter what I am able to say at this point is "please give healers a try", and that's what I want to convey, since this is a game where you are allowed to handle multiple roles, and when you try playing a completely different role you'll definitely find something interesting through that experience...

You first, Yoshida.

Didn't your famous GDC slide say that developers should play the game alongside their players? Of the nineteen non-limited jobs in this game, eighteen of them are not named Black Mage. Maybe you should try one of them sometime.

[Irenia]

To be fair, playing a healer and maining a healer are two very different experiences. Maining one and occasionally playing the rest is a very reasonable expectation.

...that said, who are the healer mains, and what are they doing? Actually, since the healer experience breaks down at high skill and knowledge levels, is there a person who tests extremes+ on exclusively healer? If there isn't, perhaps there should be one, since players tend to latch on certain jobs and that's how mains are made. The experience of that tester might be a good enough simulation of a healer main under repetitive farming conditions.

[Liam_Harper]

Feint - Given to healers as a role action, "Protect"
Addle - Given to healers as role action, "Shell"

To be honest I'd give Shell and Protect to WHM, give AST Noct sect again and drop the whole Shield/Barrier healer nonsense.

[ty_taurus]

This tier I finally ditched being a healer main ^^ much more content on dps. That said this tier looks like it's more engaging as a healer but it's too little too late for me and I guess a few other former healers. I have no plans to return to healing esp not since they pushed back the astro mini rework I was waiting for.

Welcome to the light. It's much nicer on this side of town.

[ForteNightshade]

To be fair, playing a healer and maining a healer are two very different experiences. Maining one and occasionally playing the rest is a very reasonable expectation.

...that said, who are the healer mains, and what are they doing? Actually, since the healer experience breaks down at high skill and knowledge levels, is there a person who tests extremes+ on exclusively healer? If there isn't, perhaps there should be one, since players tend to latch on certain jobs and that's how mains are made. The experience of that tester might be a good enough simulation of a healer main under repetitive farming conditions.

This is a good point. I've recently dabbled in healing Savage last tier and I'd be lying if I didn't say I enjoyed playing Sage. I suspect the devs testing it may have a similar experience. Occasionally dipped into a job or role can be fun just due to your unfamiliarity with its mechanics. What the devs need to do is play healer for several months, consistently, through a farming experience to get the full picture on why the role feels lacking.

Granted, I refuse to believe they haven't gone through 24 mans and failed to notice how little you actually heal.

[Deceptus]

To be honest I'd give Shell and Protect to WHM, give AST Noct sect again and drop the whole Shield/Barrier healer nonsense.

If anything you want to give Protect to one set of healers (i.e. Regen) and Shell to the other (Barrier) to incentivize bringing one of each

[RyuDragnier]

To be honest I'd give Shell and Protect to WHM, give AST Noct sect again and drop the whole Shield/Barrier healer nonsense.

So a reason to drop SGE and never take it into raids, gotcha. /jk

[MintnHoney]

give AST Noct sect again

From your fingertips to God's eyes...