Possible fix for more dps actions for Healers.

[Super_Smiley]

Just want to let others know I'm a casual healer, haven't healed in Extreme Trials or Raids as a healer.
Now having said that, I think there is a possible alternative to having more dps actions to healers.

Lets use WHM as an example,
Cure 1 upgrades to Cure 2. Freecure trait is deleted, and MP adjustment to Cure 2.
Medica 1 upgrades to Medica 2. Healing potency has increased and also has a regan effect.

With more healing actions replaced and more simplified, there is more room to add in more dps actions.
Basically the healing kit will have to be more simplified and the dps kit will have more depth.
This also makes sure there isn't no button bloat issues later on.
I hope this something the development team considers, but this my opinion on a solution for healers to have a more interesting dps kit. Curious what everyone else's opinions are.

[SpiralMask]

I'd be more than happy with changes like this, or by making skills manage a secobdary resource more (such as addersgall or the faerie guage), or insted of simply dps actions they added buffs or debuffs--as long as there's something interesting to do when no healing is needed.

A more robust dps kit would certainly make going through the story as a healer much less soulcrushing, however.

[lbr]

Agreed, we definitely have too many redundant heal buttons that are not even different in meaningful ways. Some of them would make sense if MP management due to constant healing was an actual thing, but that's clearly not part of the game. Fewer healing buttons would also make actually healing easier for newbies, as there's less choice paralysis.

[ty_taurus]

Just want to let others know I'm a casual healer, haven't healed in Extreme Trials or Raids as a healer.
Now having said that, I think there is a possible alternative to having more dps actions to healers.

Lets use WHM as an example,
Cure 1 upgrades to Cure 2. Freecure trait is deleted, and MP adjustment to Cure 2.
Medica 1 upgrades to Medica 2. Healing potency has increased and also has a regan effect.

With more healing actions replaced and more simplified, there is more room to add in more dps actions.
Basically the healing kit will have to be more simplified and the dps kit will have more depth.
This also makes sure there isn't no button bloat issues later on.
I hope this something the development team considers, but this my opinion on a solution for healers to have a more interesting dps kit. Curious what everyone else's opinions are.

That's essentially what healing used to be. You had a handful of healing tools, a handful of offensive tools, and a few self utility and/or group utility tools. Here's a comparison between SCH during ARR and SCH now:

ARR SCH
Healing Actions
- Physick
- Adloquium
- Succor
- Lustrate
- Resurrection
- Leeches (Esuna)
- Embrace (Faerie)
- Whispering Dawn (Eos Only)
- Rouse (Increases faerie's healing)
- Stoneskin (Barrier)

Offensive Actions
- Ruin
- Ruin II (Same potency as Ruin but instant cast and more MP)
- Bio
- Bio II (separate from Bio)
- Miasma (Single target DoT)
- Miasma II (AoE DoT)
- Energy Drain
- Bane (Spreads DoTs to nearby enemies)
- Shadowflare (Create a zone that enemies are slowed and take damage)
- Aero
- Thunder
- Cleric Stance (toggled stance for going into offensive mode, but lost healing potential)

Other Actions
- Aetherflow
- Sacred Soil (Did not have a regen)
- Virus (Lowered enemy Strength and Dexterity)
- Eye for an Eye (Buff on an ally that had a chance to inflict a damage down to enemies that attacked them)
- Protect (30 minute damage reduction on the party)
- Fey Illumination (Eos only)
- Fey Covenant (Damage reduction on the party; Eos only)
- Silent Dusk (Silence 1 enemy; Selene only)
- Fey Light (Skill speed buff on the party; Selene only)
- Fey Glow (Spell speed buff on the party; Selene only)
- Swiftcast

EW SCH
Healing Actions
- Physick
- Esuna
- Resurrection
- Whispering Dawn
- Adloquium
- Succor
- Lustrate
- Sacred Soil (Regen at level 78)
- Indomitability
- Deployment Tactics
- Emergency Tactics
- Excogitation
- Aetherpact
- Fey Blessing
- Summon Seraph/Consoluation/Seraphic Veil
- Embrace

Offensive Actions
- Broil IV
- Ruin II
- Biolysis
- Art of War
- Energy Drain

Other Actions
- Fey Illumination
- Aetherflow
- Dissipation
- Chain Stratagem
- Recitation
- Protraction
- Swiftcast
- Lucid Dreaming
- Surecast
- Rescue

Look at how heavy-loaded toward healing SCH is now, and keep in mind that the tanks and several DPS have gained sustain tools as well. Level 90 dungeons, midcore content, and hardcore content also tend to deal less damage to the party percentage-wise than they do in ARR content.

[Zolvolt]

Cure I and Benefic I should probably be removed.

[WaxSw]

All tier 1 skills should be removed imo and add more skills like PvP deployment tactics (merging deplo and bane) or eukasia that allow for the jobs to consolidate more effects in less buttons

The new dps actions would need to be something used frequently and gameplay changing not just "standard 2m cd big hit" cause that only works when jobs already have a rotation

[Super_Smiley]

Upgrading/Simplifying the healing kit will also be beneficial for newer players. Where going into content not worrying on what to do when Tanks or dps need healing. Especially when their health drops dramatically.

When a Tank/DPS are doing well to avoid mechanics and mitigating, healers can have a more interesting dps kit, so it feels almost rewarding to use their dps actions.
Especially when healers at higher levels have more dps actions and a dps rotation that has a satisfying build up for a very damaging attack.

[Ayer2015]

These are the sort of changes I would like to see using WHM as an example. In this case the lily gauge would enable both healing and damage abilities.

Hard cast healing:
Cure (trait to Cure II)
Medica (no change)
Raise (no change)
Esuna (no change)

oGCD healing:
Afflatus Rapture (oGDC with charges)
Afflatus Solace (oGCD with charges)
Benediction (no change)
Regen (made AoE)
Asylum (Regen + dmg mitigation)

Buffs:
Protect (replace Aquaviel)
Temperance (dmg/healing bonus & mp regen)
Thin Air (mp regen & x duration no mp cost)
Presence of Mind ( no change)

DPS:
Glare 3 (no change)
Dia (no change)
Holy 3 (no change)
Assize (no mp regen, and shorter CD)


Lilly Gauge:
Blue lilies used to cast either Cure 3 (no MP cost) or Afflatus Misery (single target dps with aoe dot)
Pink lily enables Afflatus Purgation (single target dmg with aoe drop off & applies a potent regen to the party)

Removed:
Medica II
Tetragrammaton
Divine Benison
Plenary Indulgence
Lucid Dreaming

[Raiya]

In terms of changes to WHM I would love to see fixes to it to make it a proper mirror to it's BLM counterpart. The biggest problem with being a healer is that with the exception of Sage which is designed FAR better and matches the feel of what a healer should be the older healing jobs we're badly gutted with shadowbringers and the changes still to this day have felt detrimental and unrewarding.
I can only speak reasonably well on WHM as I don't play the other's as much but if there were changes I'd like to see for WHM

Give WHM Water at lvl15 (Potency 100 1.54 cast time) and give it an AoE effect similar to Gravity. Have it Upgrade to Water II at lvl45 (120 potency) and Water III (140 potency) at lvl60 before becoming Glare II (160 Potency) at lvl78. This give CNJ/WHM a castable water spell at lower levels, fits thematically with the job and adds the water element that's been missing from players spells.
Return Aero III. Have it function in the same way as Thunder Does on BLM and have it Upgrade to Dia III at lvl78. It made no sense to remove this and making the dot single target is cumbersome and annoying.
Change Holy from a spammable aoe to a High Damage AoE spell (800 potency) with a 30 second cooldown. This also solves the issue of WHM making mobs stunlock immune. Holy 3 adds an extra 200 Potency.
Remove Freecure and replace it with Tetragrammation at lvl32. Have Cure upgrade directly to Cure II. This frees up a button.
Additionally have Medica just strait upgrade to Medica II at lvl50 and increase it's potency to 400. This removes another Button.
Bring back Stoneskin at lvl24 with 10% Damage Reduction. Have this upgrade to Divine Benison at lvl66 adding in the 500 potency shield and add an extra charge then have this upgrade to Aquaveil with yet another charge. This reduces 3 buttons to one.
Change Lilybell to be a strait upgrade for Asylum and have it's duration match asylums. This free's up another button.
Give WHM Break and make it an AoE with a dot effect that weighs down opponents.
Make Afflatus Misery OCD with a 30 second CD (This makes no major change to it it just means it's not on the GCD anymore).
Additionally Give WHM back Eye for an Eye at lvl26 and change it to reflect 5% of damage received. Upgrade this to Reflect at lvl66 with 10% damage reflected.

This would both streamline WHM a bit but at the same time make it a bit more fun as it would keep a player busier and not be just the same old Glare Mage Routine.

[AnotherPerson]

Just want to let others know I'm a casual healer, haven't healed in Extreme Trials or Raids as a healer.
Now having said that, I think there is a possible alternative to having more dps actions to healers.

Lets use WHM as an example,
Cure 1 upgrades to Cure 2. Freecure trait is deleted, and MP adjustment to Cure 2.
Medica 1 upgrades to Medica 2. Healing potency has increased and also has a regan effect.

With more healing actions replaced and more simplified, there is more room to add in more dps actions.
Basically the healing kit will have to be more simplified and the dps kit will have more depth.
This also makes sure there isn't no button bloat issues later on.
I hope this something the development team considers, but this my opinion on a solution for healers to have a more interesting dps kit. Curious what everyone else's opinions are.

Alternatively, delete Esuna. Let Cure 1 get Esuna as an additional effect. That can work with all healers. Physick, Benefic 1, and Diagnosis. Now, Cure 1 has a niche purpose and total button bloat has been reduced.

For White Mage in particular, Freecure was used for new healers because it was difficult on their MP in leveling gear from level 30 to 34 without Regen as they only had Cure 1 or Cure 2. As such, I propose for White Mage to get Regen at level 30 instead.

White Mage can also get Divine Benison merged with Aquaveil as one skill. It wouldn't even be an issue to bring in PvP Aquaveil to make the skill creative when cleansing a debuff by increasing the barrier potency.

That's 2 buttons freed up.

White mage can also get Fluid Aura back, but readjusted as a skill that applies [Water-bound] to all enemies nearby. All enemies who are [Water-bound] will receive additional damage when hit, up to [x] attacks. This way, White Mage's play in solo instances will feel much better.

If they don't want to get creative with the skill, they can make Fluid Aura a low-level AOE ability that upgrades into Assize at level 56. That way, the White Mage leveling experience feels better and White Mage can still get more skills for attacking the enemy as total number of buttons haven't changed.