Healer Suggestions Megathread

[Shurrikhan]

Is there anyone besides WAR who is actually getting positive changes this expansion

Living Dead, though I'd have preferred a different way to handle it. I'd also include the changes to Hypercharge... if the change didn't just excuse keeping the current issues of added uptime cost from latency and Skill Speed anti-synergies.

For larger changes? Parts of the Paladin changes were positive. Mostly.

Overall, though? Hard to say. Capacity is no substitute for gameplay, imo.

Heck, outside of the very few fights the conflicts were an inevitability, I miss WAR actually having a bit more anti-synergy/bottlenecks just because it made the job less sleep-inducing.

Currently, while I don't know exactly what to expect, I am thinking about a few things that I think may change in some way:
1. I think they will try and address the 2 minute meta in some way. It's gotten a lot of negative feedback from many different sources, including from big names in the content creator circle.
2. I don't fully expect this, but I am curious if they might do a rework to the limit break system.
3. My expectations for a healthy healer rework are very low, but at the same time, I feel like they've designed the healers into a corner. What more can they realistically add to their existing kits at this point? How are they going to approach that? Or will they just continue bloating out their healing cooldown list and power creep their existing heals even further?

I feel like the "2-minute meta" is more a conflated "WoWfugees!"-level of boogieman than (anywhere near the whole of) the problem in itself --which is at least as much the damage density of the exploiting direct-damage CDs/unlocked skills instead-- but I don't doubt that with the amount of acritical negative feedback it has received we'll get some manner of Monkey Paw "solution" that makes things somehow worse, like certain actions receiving reduced effect from external damage buffs or whatever bullshit could placate us lowly masses, as it were.

No idea on point [2]. On [3], I suspect they'll just finally increase Dawntrail fights' incoming damage to need at least Endwalker levels of free healing kit --maybe even some of Dawntrail's additions, if we're very lucky-- to deal with and nod their heads at 'a job well done'?

[Aravell]

Is there anyone besides WAR who is actually getting positive changes this expansion

The Living Dead change and the Hypercharge/Blood Weapon charges were good QoL changes. MCH got Dismantle back, which was a well-received change. Other than that, no, can't really think of anything else. The PLD change was extremely divisive, the only positive thing that came from it is that it's objectively tankier now.

[Supersnow845]

Great we got some corrections for skills that have been problems since ShB, fantastic work

Have we got any changes that aren’t just changes we’ve asked for for like 4 years now

[vetch]

The Living Dead change and the Hypercharge/Blood Weapon charges were good QoL changes. MCH got Dismantle back, which was a well-received change.

Personally I liked having buffs with tight timers that you had to plan your SkS around and make sure to drop them into 2nd weave slots to get maximum benefit. I don't like that they just dropped those facets of play from the game entirely rather than fix their atrocious ping problems (which had already been done by a third-party mod, so it's indeed possible). I don't consider it QOL in this case, I consider it lobotomization -- cutting softskills used by multiple jobs from the game by giving us idiot-proofed abilities instead.

Living Dead, Divine Veil, re-adding Dismantle & Bulwark, all were good, uncontroversial changes though, I feel.

[Hammerhorn]

Give healers each a DPS combo that does either a group HOT or group shield at the end of the 1 2 3 but make it one button like Confietor that would be a good start. It would then feel the same as spamming Broil or Glare but you could remove the hard cast version of the spell and add another OGCD or a second Combo of some sorts. This wouldnt be too radical to start with and would still "feel" like the same job associated with it. I think all heals cast should do damage just adjust those heals to be low trickles to stay balanced.

[Shurrikhan]

Give healers each a DPS combo that does either a group HOT or group shield at the end of the 1 2 3 but make it one button like Confietor that would be a good start.

Lost me at that "each". If you feel like a gimmick with relatively little control (your filler now blends in AoE sustain without control, and has to be used 3 GCDs at a time, leaving you little ability to react with GCDs if damage intake were ever increased) compared to its button cost HAS to be given to EACH healer... that's a good sign you'll want to rethink that.

It would then feel the same as spamming Broil or Glare but you could remove the hard cast version of the spell and add another OGCD or a second Combo of some sorts. This wouldnt be too radical to start with and would still "feel" like the same job associated with it. I think all heals cast should do damage just adjust those heals to be low trickles to stay balanced.

So, what is the actual benefit, though? To be locked into one's combos? If they don't lock anyways, then is it just to triple the button cost of filler spam and balance raid damage around the addition of that HoT or shield being added (replacing itself) every 7.5 seconds?

You're having to point out that it wouldn't cost us what feels unique to each job, but what does it do to enhance that uniqueness? Given the button-cost, it ought to produce some substantial increase to engagement and/or job identity.

Honestly though, by being applied to each Healer equally... I doubt it'd do much relative to cost.

[ASkellington]

Give healers each a DPS combo that does either a group HOT or group shield at the end of the 1 2 3 but make it one button like Confietor that would be a good start.

No it wouldn't. We want less homogenization on healers not more. All 4 don't need a DPS combo that amounts to a Continuation (to use GNB as an example) and they all certainly don't need a HoT or Shield each. Doubly so as they all have at least 1 oGCD to heal with. (Assize is an oGCD right?)

If we're going to add more dps to healers they should 1 - fit the theme of the healer in question and 2 - not all be exactly the same. MNK is different to DRG who's different to RPR for example. Yeah all three have a combo but DRG iirc has a branching option (a 4 if you will) and MNK has a 4 5 6 that you want to use depending on if your self buff or DoT needs to be refreshed.

For example, SGE has Toxicon. They could apply a debuff or "shield" if you will to the enemy that when broken by allies could grant them an Addersting. Maybe even buff the the dps Toxicon does. That way they have two ways to apply and gain Toxicon.

AST could have a compile like Earthly Star is that does damage only (likely meaning that the heal and damage part of ES is going to be split if that happens however - not my ideal choice) on a shorter recast (like 15-20s maybe?)

SCH... I mean Miasma and Bane are likely still in the game's code (at least Bane is if PvP's Deployment is anything to go by). Maybe another virus like DoT? Or perhaps for each one applied SCH does extra damage to its target since you're weakening them?

WHM... I can see having a combo rotation but what would be the point of it? Like, if WHM were to get it say, would it mean changing lilies to where said rotation contributes to them for you to then spend to get the Blood Lily or would it straight up contribute to the Blood Lily? If it does the latter then what would be the point of Lilies? (and to clarify NO I would not want the possible rotation to aid in getting the Blood Lily directly; I like the idea of rewarding healing that the lily system has) Further, WHM is already heavily on the GCD in comparison to its counterparts. Wouldn't giving it a combo even with its current casting time or with a melee cast time cause issues (especially for newer players)?

If we weren't going to give WHM a combo rotation... well if you want to throw balance out the window could give WHM another attack like Holy for single target but instead of applying a stun it applies... a damage down for example that can be reapplied and like Holy eventually the target becomes immune to it. Or well and there's Aero III.

Anyway you get the point.

[AnotherPerson]

Give healers each a DPS combo that does either a group HOT or group shield at the end of the 1 2 3 but make it one button like Confietor that would be a good start. It would then feel the same as spamming Broil or Glare but you could remove the hard cast version of the spell and add another OGCD or a second Combo of some sorts. This wouldnt be too radical to start with and would still "feel" like the same job associated with it. I think all heals cast should do damage just adjust those heals to be low trickles to stay balanced.

Sorry but I want 4 different types of healer gameplay, not 1 healer reskinned 4 times. It's already bad enough that every healer basically just plays 1 DoT and 1 nuke for the most part. Having a 1-2-3 combo does nothing to change that, especially if all healers got the same exact skill upgrade as well. It just defeats the purpose other than further homogenization.

[ForsakenRoe]

WHM - Bursty, any DOTs it has are short duration/hard hitting to fit into this 'bursty' feel (eg, dot is no longer than 15s)
SCH - DOT centric, should have 3 or 4 DOTs in it's kit that are used as part of the 'main rotation' (so, 'Miasma 2 but it's only used for mobility' does not count)
AST - Big focus on cards and buffing allies, make the effects of the cards be varied again, give them all different flavours of 'do damage' to balance them and have the additional effects as 'bonus on top'
SGE - Actual damage>healing rotation, can keep Prognosis as the 'i scuffed my rotation and need something to spam while i stabilize the situation' move, but the main way to heal should be from using your damage>heal mechanic

Having all 4 healers get a flavor of '123 combo, but it's all on one button, and it applies Medica 2 at the end of the combo' is not going to be a good start. It'd be, quite possibly, the worst possible start. It'd make it so that you auto-heal the group by doing your rotation, so you need even less focus on 'actually healing'. It's still one button being spammed for the whole fight, unless you give it a CD, in which case... why does it need to be a combo? Doesn't make sense to me, but maybe I'm biased since I have a horse in the 'redesign race', as it were

[Zeastria]

WHM - Bursty, any DOTs it has are short duration/hard hitting to fit into this 'bursty' feel (eg, dot is no longer than 15s)
SCH - DOT centric, should have 3 or 4 DOTs in it's kit that are used as part of the 'main rotation' (so, 'Miasma 2 but it's only used for mobility' does not count)
AST - Big focus on cards and buffing allies, make the effects of the cards be varied again, give them all different flavours of 'do damage' to balance them and have the additional effects as 'bonus on top'
SGE - Actual damage>healing rotation, can keep Prognosis as the 'i scuffed my rotation and need something to spam while i stabilize the situation' move, but the main way to heal should be from using your damage>heal mechanic

Having all 4 healers get a flavor of '123 combo, but it's all on one button, and it applies Medica 2 at the end of the combo' is not going to be a good start. It'd be, quite possibly, the worst possible start. It'd make it so that you auto-heal the group by doing your rotation, so you need even less focus on 'actually healing'. It's still one button being spammed for the whole fight, unless you give it a CD, in which case... why does it need to be a combo? Doesn't make sense to me, but maybe I'm biased since I have a horse in the 'redesign race', as it were

Well you could tie the 1-2-3 combo
(one button alteration ability)
to a damage a ability instead of a heal at the end.

Kinda like this:

ST combo 1-2-3:
[Ability A] ST dmg --> [Ability B] a bit stronger ST dmg --> [ Ability C] Strong ST + 10% inc dmg(30s)