White Mage Attraction

[Renathras]

I think the problem here is all the other healers have an identity, but also get the same tools WHM has.

AST has buffs (cards) but also has all the buttons WHM has, with most of them being equal or better. The only thing WHM has that AST doesn't is Cure 3, which is highly niche situational and both AST _AND_ WHM have other tools to cover for that. Anytime you use Cure 3 on WHM you could conceivably use Plenery boosted Rapture, Medica 2, Medica (with that boost), Asylum, and Assize. Mix any of those together and you're meeting whatever needs Cure 3 has. Cure 3 USED to be spamable with long lasting Thin Air, but since that was nerfed to 2 charges, it isn't even a really great buff. Otherwise, AST has every ability WHM has as far as I can think of off-hand, or a version that's close enough to make no difference. The only other thing I could think of is Bene, but Essential Dignity is a scaling Tetra with two charges.

SCH has Eos, Sacred Soil as a better Asylum, Fey Illimuniation for a nearly as useful Medica 2 that's oGCD, and Seraph for an even more powerful one with shields. Fey Blessing and Indom cover AOE healing, and it has several different things that can equal or exceed Temperance. It can also make the most bonkers powerful shield in the game and spread it to an entire party, allowing an effective "pre-Cure 3". SCH can arguably match or exceed WHM raw healing in emergencies, which is just bonkers. And it has a party damage buff.

SGE is a weaker SCH. Its raw healing IS weaker than WHM's, but it also has shields, the most spamable party-wide mitigation in the game with Karachole, and can mix Zoe with Pneuma for an extremely potent party heal. It also arguably matches WHM's personal DPS, and does so while splash healing the tank/Kardia target. Included in its kit are two party-wide Regens as well with Physis and Kara.

So, against that, what does WHM have?

"It's the Regen healer!"

Yeah, no: So are all the others.

"Oh, uh...well, it has...strong damage!"

Yeah, no: All the others either roughly equal (SGE) or exceed (SCH, AST) its damage contribution to the party.

"Well, it has powerful heals!"

Yeah, no: AST matches its healing, and SCH can often enough for the few times it's needed. SCH can also us mitigation or mass shielding to negate or minimize the need for that healing. Only SGE can't match WHM's raw healing, but it has CDs for shielding, mitigation, and even a couple powerful burst heals if it needs to. Besides, due to game balance, there's no situation in the game that DEMANDS WHM's raw healing that exceeds what any other healer could do in that situation.

"Oh, so...it's...uh...easy to play?"

Yeah, no: Are any of the healers NOT? AST is more plates to juggle and SCH is arguably up there, but SGE isn't really significantly harder than WHM, just takes a different thinking/approach.


"Well, it has the best crutch back-up heals if it is played badly?"

Yeah...that's it.

So why does every other healer have what WHM does (or better) and WHM has no niche in which it excels? I kind of agree that removing HoTs from the other healers is the solution here, since the other obvious solution is make fights that require WHM's raw healing, but that would make WHM must-have for those fights, so that's no good.

.

Really, the only things WHM has going for it are that it IS the easiest to play (though again, others aren't necessarily HARD, per se), it has the best back-up crutches in the game if everything's gone horribly wrong (which can occasionally be useful, but is that a good identity?), and it has Misery (which is a dopamine hit, but...it's only damage neutral, so if you REALLY think about it, it shouldn't be). It's not exceptional in the ways that AST (buffs and raw healing) or SCH (mitigation and powerful shielding) are, and even SGE is half-way to SCH just without Chain Strat.

I really DO like WHM, but it's like all the other healers are stepping on its toes, but if it asks to step on theirs, it's berated by the teacher for being a bully.

[Supersnow845]

"Oh, so...it's...uh...easy to play?"

Yeah, no: Are any of the healers NOT? AST is more plates to juggle and SCH is arguably up there, but SGE isn't really significantly harder than WHM, just takes a different thinking/approach.


"Well, it has the best crutch back-up heals if it is played badly?"

Yeah...that's it.

So why does every other healer have what WHM does (or better) and WHM has no niche in which it excels? I kind of agree that removing HoTs from the other healers is the solution here, since the other obvious solution is make fights that require WHM's raw healing, but that would make WHM must-have for those fights, so that's no good.

.

Really, the only things WHM has going for it are that it IS the easiest to play (though again, others aren't necessarily HARD, per se), it has the best back-up crutches in the game if everything's gone horribly wrong (which can occasionally be useful, but is that a good identity?), and it has Misery (which is a dopamine hit, but...it's only damage neutral, so if you REALLY think about it, it shouldn't be). It's not exceptional in the ways that AST (buffs and raw healing) or SCH (mitigation and powerful shielding) are, and even SGE is half-way to SCH just without Chain Strat.

I really DO like WHM, but it's like all the other healers are stepping on its toes, but if it asks to step on theirs, it's berated by the teacher for being a bully.

Removing HOT’s from the other healers just leads to a nocturnal AST situation where the healer is useless in dungeons and basically a glorified mitigator in 2 healer content

Honestly the only thing in the current environment they could do with WHM is add a buff but that would just be seen as pointless filler for the sake of it, think AST is only well regarded for its cards, without the cards it’s basically time themed WHM, regen healers are just by nature of this game boring but WHM can’t hide behind cards like AST can

I guess you could make WHM’s damage noticeably higher than the other 3 but that would run into the problems of both except for ultimate you don’t even need the healers mitigation to survive making WHM an obvious meta pick and imagine being an AST and playing yugioh just to do less damage than the WHM

Also side note how is fey illumination medica 2