6.45 is here! What are your BLU Healer builds and why do you like them?

[Renathras]

It's in the title, but basically, do you BLU?

If so, do you Healer on it?

If so: What are your builds? Like what spell loadout do you go with, and why do you like it?

Is there anything you find particularly enjoyable that you think is transferable to the other Healers and would like to see them have as well?

[Semirhage]

While I wouldn't exactly call the healing-specific portion of BLU's kit interesting, it's Spartan enough that it A. doesn't overstay its usefulness, and B. makes its niche through scarcity. Things are a little scarier (in a good way) when you don't have an instant free "everyone's full health now" button within reach, let alone five. White Wind is interesting in that it has a huge cost to it, so it's not exactly spammable, and better yet there's a wrong time to use it that actually punishes the caster for doing something foolish. The healing itself though? Eeehhhh. It's serviceable. It's mostly the same boring slop that the green healers have as their GCDs, but it also doesn't waste time pretending as if one-dimensional flat potency heals are worthy of crowning with the title of a core gameplay loop.

The DPS rotation isn't much for choice either (there's a lot of wiggle room with the build based on content, but there's still an objectively "correct" choice for maximal damage output against a single target and that rotation isn't what I'd call dynamic). You could say at best it makes you pay attention to more than just spamming one button most of the time. It's not the DPS rotation I like to focus my attention on, but it's *a* rotation. Much like Dragoon has a completely static rotation that I'm not interested in, but I recognize that keeping it going takes more focus than Dosis spam.

tl;dr I'd personally want something more flowy and proc-y, but I appreciate the split between responsibilities that doesn't pretend we need fifteen katrillion potency of healing every minute. The kit benefits from dropping that pretense on both ends of the "more fun" and "less unfun" spectrum.

[Renathras]

I've got most spells, and I think all the healing ones (I don't have 60, 65, 66, 67, 68, 70, 76, 79, 80, 83, 84, 95, 97,100; so 90 down, 14 to go...until a few hours from now, but hey, who's counting?)

So I start with the healing staples:

White Wind (13), Pom Cure (58), Gobskin (59), Angel Whisper (72), Exuviation (73), Stotram (85, just got recently but trying to figure out the point of since Exuviation does the same healing...I guess Stotram has a larger range but higher MP cost...), Angel's Snack (88)

Then there's the slate of utility spells:

Blood Drain (17), Off Guard (20), Flying Sardine (24), Diamondback (29), Mighty Guard (30)*, Moon Flute (39), Aetheric Mimicry (77), Basic Instinct (91)*
*If soloing things.

And then some damage spells:

Song of Torment (9), Bad Breath (28), Ram's Voice (33) [for Ultravibration], Feather Rain or Eruption (44/45), Shock Strike (47), Glass Dance (48, got just before maint tonight, FINALLY!), Electrogenesis (53, spam filler), Surpanakha (78), Ultravibration (92), Nightbloom (104)

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Overall, it works, though some things I probably have better stuff than when I initially put together the build, and I need to work out more of the things that don't conflict/share CDs with the stuff I do have (like I think I can add the triple Trident, for example)

It's not perfect and some of this is "general use" kit that I use since I can generally make minor adjustments (remove a couple and sub in some other things) and do whatever I feel like at the time. I will tend to cycle some things out based on the situation, like Ram's Voice + Ultravibration is useless in Trials, and I tend not to need Mighty Guard (or Basic Instinct) with a party. But the 6 healing spells are always must-haves, and have different use cases. Exuviation (and now Stotram) are useful for AOE healing, Pom Cure for spot healing and Tank healing, Angel's Snack if the HoT is needed, and Angel Whisper for revives. Exuviation is also used for removing debuffs.

After that, DoTs seem not to stack well, but Nightbloom is for AOE and burst window DoTing, while Song of Torment is a more general use DoT or for while Nightbloom is on CD. The other Primal abilities are used on CD during a burst phase, with Supra stacked to 4 (or at least 3) before being pumped out. Off-Guard is generally used on CD, though can be shifted if the fight needs it or some spells need it for burst to line up. Flying Sardine is used for interrupt needs. Bad Breath is one of those spells you don't want to overwrite other things with, but it has some nice side-effect debuffs that can be useful. Ram's Voice and Ultravibration are useful in 4 man runs. And Blood Drain along with Lucid Dreaming for MP management.

And Electrogensis is just my Glarespam filler spell.

General gameplay is maintaining DoT (Nightbloom having priority over Song of Torment), using Primal spells on CD after Off Guard debuffing the enemy in the opener and then generally on CD after that (again, Supra at 4 stacks), and Electrogenesis filler. It's basically WHM with a ground targeted Assize, an alternate more powerful DoT once per 2 mins in the burst window, a Misery that doesn't require casting anything else in Shock Strike, a second Misery on a 90 sec CD instead from Glass Dance, and Glare is an AOE with electric effect.

Oh, and GCD heals...actually matter; there are no oGCD heals to fill with, and so your healing plan is more based on Angel's Snack availability, since the rest of the healing spells (Raise aside) are 100% available but do different things.

It...actually shockingly plays a lot like WHM, which has thrown me off, but I kind of like it. I like actually GCD healing and actually being mildly concerned about MP but also having a spamable MP tool if I need chunks of it.

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Though I think - again, have picked up more spells since my initial build - there's room to improve on stuff and probably some more spells I can add. I still haven't figured out entirely which things do and don't overwrite/share CDs. I really want to get Matra Magic (best damage spell in the game, I heard? Just need 10 more spells...)

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I agree with the "niche through scarcity".

You have fewer options, and so they're more distinct. The only real overlap at all is Exuviation vs Stotram (when you don't need to cleanse), as Pom Cure does something different, White Wind has a different use case (if you need to heal a lot and can have a lot of health yourself but also have a lot of MP), and Angel's Snack has the CD.

I like NOT having "an instant free 'everyone's full health now' button", honestly. A lot.

Fair that the DPS options aren't really a lot. It is nice, though, that you can kind of pick the spell animations (aesthetics, but that matters!) and kind of alter it a bit. Like I could use Feculent Flood instead of Electrogenesis if I'd prefer a line to a circle AOE on the target, or prefer earth to lightning. Abyssal Transfixtion can also be used, but is single target only, so has no real advantage there unless you need the paralysis.

I do agree the DPS isn't that advanced - I had thought it was, but when I really started thinking about it, it's one 30 sec DoT (replaced during burst with one 60 sec one, but they don't stack), an oGCD like Assize, and two GCD damage attacks. Basically if we added Plegma to WHM with a 90 sec CD (for Glass Dance), you basically have WHM without the Lilies or oGCDs.

Though...I happen to like that, so...

[StouterTaru]

Solo map healer build for BLU. Pom Cure is a full cure with Basic Instinct and Healer aspect, and Gobskin is a barrier that's about half your HP.

Put Phantom Flurry (103) into your damage set, it does 200 potency each second (not every 3 seconds like most DoT) and doesn't have that -50% damage for additional mobs

Status Spells, put on and leave on
30 - Mighty Guard (Always on)
77 - Aetheric Mimicry (Find a healer, use before you begin)
91 - Basic Instinct (Use it as soon as you enter each dungeon)

Healer Stuff
58 - Pom Cure
59 - Gobskin
73 - Exuviation (Very few status afflictions in here, but have it anyway)

Single Targets
12 - Bristle
63 - Sonic Boom (Basic attack: quick cast, good range, good damage)
69 - Perpetual Ray (Stun that can't be resisted, except in the boss room, 3 second cast time)
75 - Devour - use with Bristle
100 - Matra Magic - use with Bristle (Can swap out for Angel's Snack, they share a timer)

AoE Burst spells
45 - Eruption (Or Feather Rain, they're the same thing) on a macro to avoid having to ground target:
/micon Eruption blueaction
/blueaction Eruption <t>
47 - Shock Strike (Or Mountain Buster, they are the same)
49 - Veil of the Whorl (Or Glass Dance for AoE damage instead of counter attacks, especially in the Altar)
60 - Magic Hammer
78 - Surpanakha
80 - J Kick (Or Quasar, same thing without the gap closer)
104 - Nightbloom
103 - Phantom Flurry

Outside the dungeons
33 - The Ram's Voice
92 - Ultravibration
97 - Hydro Pull
35 - Missile
28 - Bad Breath

Inside the dungeons
84 - Cold Fog
93 - Blaze
81 - Triple Trident - use with Bristle
90 - The Rose of Destruction - use with Bristle
9 - Song of Torment - use with Bristle (I keep Bad Breath for Canals instead of this)

[IceBlueNinja]

Far as I can say while it wont replace a regular dps, blue mage in heal stance still feels alot more fun than regular healers , it at least has more than just 1 2 spam as posted by stoutertaru

[Renathras]

Far as I can say while it wont replace a regular dps, blue mage in heal stance still feels alot more fun than regular healers , it at least has more than just 1 2 spam as posted by stoutertaru

This is what I thought, but in practice, it seems like WHM without Lilies, Misery every 60 sec without needing to nourish it, without oGCDs, but with a second AOE GCD but on a 90 sec CD.

Basically if WHM has Plegma on a 90 sec CD (and Assize was ground targeted on a 30 sec CD). Is there something else I'm missing here? I was initially thinking it was a lot more complex dps wise...but now I'm less sure of that having played it a lot more.

[Semirhage]

Of note, most people use Sonic Boom as their Glare since it has a weave window, though tank mimics will definitely want Goblin Punch as of the new patch (instant, frontal positional). Tank's actually a lot scarier than heal, since your mitigation is casted instead of instant oGCDs and you have less time to react to a tank mechanic. Also you can drop Sardine if you're fighting something not immune to paralysis; from what I can tell Bad Breath has a guaranteed paralysis interrupt on cast. Honestly tailoring your kit to each situation is more fun than the actual gameplay part, at least in easy content. I can see BLU raiding being really interesting just because of the amount of coordination you can do to keep 100% Magic Hammer uptime, for instance.

I like that BLU is weird and jank, and I hold the moderately unpopular opinion that I don't want it as a "full" job (we already have a lot of them. I dislike Square's design direction with "full" jobs. I lack FFXI nostalgia and the desire to "main" BLU.)

I wish they'd go pants-off with it instead. They have kernels of neat ideas like spells that are much more powerful when it's raining, or channeled strong dots, or Surpanakha's whole deal, but they take those ideas, slap a two minute cooldown on them, and... they're just a goofy Fleche or Contre Sixte or Misery. Boring damage cooldowns that you just press whenever they're up, or delay 5 seconds for a 2 minute buff.

[ForsakenRoe]

This is what I thought, but in practice, it seems like WHM without Lilies, Misery every 60 sec without needing to nourish it, without oGCDs, but with a second AOE GCD but on a 90 sec CD.

As healer blu, the WHM analogs would be that you have Cure1, Esuna (but it has Medica1 healing around you, and is AOE for some reason), 'Medica 2 but it has a 2min CD', Medica 1 (strotram), and whatever White Wind is trying to be. Oh, and Gobskin, aka 'Succor, but it doesn't do the heal part'. That's actually a good thing in certain cases, as Succor applying a shield 'based on the HP restored' means that if no/less HP is restored (for example, Rathalos Phase 2, or Reduced Healing Received debuffs), the shield is weaker, but with Gobskin/Veil/Shake/Benison, it being a 'shield of potency equal to X potency of healing' means it directly translates over and ignores those debuffs

After those healing skills, the rest of the hotbars can be utility stuff like Diamondback, and damage kit like Primal CDs. Mostly damage kit, and hoo boy is there a lot of it now. I'm surprised Spell In Waiting wasn't added as a skill to learn as a workaround to get our kit to better fit into Moonflute, because atm, it just doesn't, there's too much

[Renathras]

Of note, most people use Sonic Boom

Hm.

I have thought about it, but I like the AOE functionality and (slightly?) higher damage of Electrogenesis. I tried the fire spear from Wonderer's Palace, it is faster and AOE, though it also does less damage.

I do like that they've added an explicitly Tank positional. Instant, frontal positional, AND does more damage with Mighty Guard active. And yeah, doing all BLU stuff to get my spells, I was super cautious/proactive with my healing. Several of the tanking BLUs commented/complemented me on it since they said they've had poor experiences with other BLU healers that didn't do it (trying to heal like the green Jobs instead despite having no oGCDs) and how it's kind of useful/necessary given the more difficult Tank defensive GCD use.

There's a new Supranaka with a combo action, Innocence + Mount Gulg (don't know the names yet). The first you use 4 times in a row and it gives you a buff for ~10s, then you can use the other one 3-4 times during that window and it does double damage. At least, that's what I think it means reading the tooltips...

I also like BLU, but...for different reasons, probably.

...

More or less, other than "mostly damage kit". It's about half and half, depending on how much utility stuff you take. Don't forget stuff like Cactaguard or that you can use Mighty Guard as a poor man's Diamondback for short periods (watch out for the agro generation). Most of the damage abilities have long CDs. Most of the spamable damage spells are either single target or different shaped AOEs, and with different animations. The ones that do the same damage have the same cast times as far as I can tell, with some shorter cast time ones but they do less damage.

Moonflute, on the other hand, is a spell I hate. I don't find sitting around doing literally nothing "fun". Spamming a filler spell at least feels like I'm doing something, and Off-Guard already gives a "burst" effect.

[EusisLandale]

Pom Cure, Stotram, Gobskin, Angel's Snack, Exuviation, White Wind, Angel Whisper, and Aetheric Mimicry obviously. Other than that, Cactguard (which really should be a healer boosted ability not tank since they can't even put it on themselves) and Bad Breath are there to help with incoming damage.
For damage options I went with things that don't generally require actually targeting an enemy. Flamethrower, Nightbloom, Being Mortal, Quasar, Surpanaka, Sea Shanty, Glass Dance, Mountain Buster, Feather Rain (with cast on target macro because I hate ground target crap), Divination Rune, Ultravibration, and Peculiar Light. Magic Hammer is the only things that need to target that I've got. Ultravibration gets swapped out for Flying Sardine or Missile if the situation calls for them.
And of course there's Diamondback for the few TBs that end up being random rather than enmity based.

Basically I just rotate Bad Breath and Flamethrower x4 with oGCDs mixed in, while keeping the tank targeted for quick Cactguards and Pom Cures. If for some reason I have to be >8 yalms away I just make due with Divination Rune until I can get back in.

I don't think there's anything about BLU healing in particular I'd want to move over to normal healing, just because the reason I even have this setup in particular is that BLU tanks need a lot more babysitting than real tanks and I absolutely would not wish BLU tanking on real tanks.