I'm bored when I heal because I need more complex DPS rotations

[Rawr18]

Honestly, other than DPS spells, what else CAN they add for the next expansion? We already have more than enough healing spells, lol.

[vetch]

Honestly, other than DPS spells, what else CAN they add for the next expansion? We already have more than enough healing spells, lol.

That's been true since Stormblood and they still find more flavor-of-the-month unengaging heal gimmicks to cram in.

"But look! Here's a mechanic that's just perfect for Lilybell (because we added it so Lilybell would seem useful)!"

[VentVanitas]

Honestly, other than DPS spells, what else CAN they add for the next expansion? We already have more than enough healing spells, lol.

I can guarantee you that at least 1-2 slots will be wasted for traits that don't add or change anything about the job, maybe an extra charge for something if you're lucky. On top of that, there's also the filler spam/DoT/AoE spell upgrade that will just add some teensy potency or whatever. So... 2-3 actual new skills at best, which will sure as hell be even more bloated healing buttons.

Please look forward to it.

[ForsakenRoe]

Honestly, other than DPS spells, what else CAN they add for the next expansion? We already have more than enough healing spells, lol.

This is one of the main cruxes of the matter, I think. They said 'we didn't really know what to do with SCH' going into EW, and it got Expedience as a result. Now, Expedience is cool, but at the end of the day, it's main use is as a 10%, 20s mit that sticks as a buff to allies. This makes it a tool that fills a gap in SCH's kit, of 'mitigation that doesn't require standing in a specific location to partake' (like Soil demands of the team). But, by locking off 'more damage buttons' as a design choice, the devs paint themselves into a corner about what can be added. More healing tools will be superfluous and unrequired by 98% of the content in the game. More 'utilities' get suggested and shot down because they're either useful to the point of being pseudo-mandatory or 'pointless after prog' tools. So all SE can really add is just... more mitigation tools, and then make the 'hard content' encounters demand... more mitigation. So we end up in this spiral where raidwides in week 1 Savage are sometimes asking for, across the whole team, 30% plus shields to live through, because everyone and their mother can now provide mitigation of some kind.

All this to avoid giving us more damage skills, even ones that would be ignoreable in 98% of content. Like, Energy Drain's a good example. Using zero Energy Drains in every piece of content in the game does not cause you to hit enrage just on its own. It doesn't add up to enough 'lost damage' to do so. So we just need these theoretical 'optimal damage gains' from these new skills, to be low enough in impact such that it's a gain (so optimizers can optimize it), but not enough of a gain to suddenly wall people because 'they can't do the new rotation' (even though tanks and DPS are expected to 'do a new rotation' every time there's an expansion, and sometimes because of balance patches). Energy Drain, and not using it because of using Aetherflow heals, is 300p per minute (not including Dissipation trickery). So the devs need to just make the potency per minute penalty for 'doing it wrong' be low. With SCH for example:

Broil V: 300p
Bio: 350p over 30s
Miasma: 340p over 24s
Shadowflare: 350p over 15s

So if you were to ignore EVERY one of those DOTs, for the entire fight, instead spamming Broils in their place, you'd lose a total of 500p, per minute. Which is 1.66 Broil V per minute. Even if you played 'current rotation' with this, that is, only refreshing Bio twice a minute and Broiling the rest (ignoring the two new buttons entirely), it'd be 300p lost, the same as 'used heals instead of Energy Drain' can potentially cost you. And these are just example numbers. It could be Bio 325, Miasma 320, Shadowflare 310 and make the 'potential damage lost' be even lower if desired

In comparison, if you were to spam Broil IV and not use Biolysis as it currently exists, you'd be losing 810p per minute

I can guarantee you that at least 1-2 slots will be wasted for traits that don't add or change anything about the job, maybe an extra charge for something if you're lucky. On top of that, there's also the filler spam/DoT/AoE spell upgrade that will just add some teensy potency or whatever. So... 2-3 actual new skills at best, which will sure as hell be even more bloated healing buttons.

My prediction for WHM is the same as everyone else, Purgation as a 2min CD GCD, is literally Pneuma but has a regen attached (eg 500p heal and 5x100p as regen) for the 100 skill, and for 96, to compete with Aquaveil for 'most 'why did we get this skill we didn't even really need it' skill', Salt And Darkness healing version, which makes Asylum do a blast of an additional 400p of healing (thereby making it's HOT overheal even more often)

[Shurrikhan]

I can guarantee you that at least 1-2 slots will be wasted for traits that don't add or change anything about the job, maybe an extra charge for something if you're lucky. On top of that, there's also the filler spam/DoT/AoE spell upgrade that will just add some teensy potency or whatever. So... 2-3 actual new skills at best, which will sure as hell be even more bloated healing buttons.

Please look forward to it.

I think I'd rather see 'trait-based waste' than 'use this for mechanics of precisely type X that were added only to make this feel like it has a place (all while reducing complexity by removing the need to use less tailored options)' actions.

[Aravell]

You want one healer to remain as is, for the people 'who like the current gameplay'. So, in terms of damage GCDs, what if we have AST stay as it currently is, and change the other three? WHM SCH SGE all get more damage buttons, AST gets it's rework to make it less clunky to play (presumably card changes again), but keeps it's current GCD gameplay of Malefic and 2 Combusts a minute. This fulfills the '4 healers' thing you keep asking for, doesn't it? If AST got it's APM distribution reorganized to be more 'consistent' instead of being a doubleweave nightmare in 2min windows, and more focus on buffing for it's RDPS contribution instead of Malefics, wouldn't that make AST's design more suited for someone who doesn't want to have a complex damage rotation? Maybe that's an option worth looking into, though of course, some (sorry Skel) would not be a fan of AST being the 'left behind' one, but that's true regardless of which one gets left behind, hence the solution should be 'don't leave any behind, just have the 'extra optimiziation stuff' be optional'. Consider these extra suggested buttons as a speedrunning technique like BLJs. You don't have to BLJ to get up the staircase.

I don't think this would be a major problem for AST mains given that AST never had much of a damage rotation to begin with. If we get back interesting cards and interactions surrounding it again, I doubt many would complain about having only 1 DoT and 1 nuke.

[IDontPetLalas]

I don't think this would be a major problem for AST mains given that AST never had much of a damage rotation to begin with. If we get back interesting cards and interactions surrounding it again, I doubt many would complain about having only 1 DoT and 1 nuke.

I agree that some would, however while the percentage of AST wanting more damage was lower than the other healers, it was substantial. Unless that design allowed for significant improvements in solo content then yes, I would complain.

[ASkellington]

I don't think this would be a major problem for AST mains given that AST never had much of a damage rotation to begin with. If we get back interesting cards and interactions surrounding it again, I doubt many would complain about having only 1 DoT and 1 nuke.

I would. Please do go and play AST in Deep Dungeon content solo.

That has been my experience for a good year and so playing this game.

[Aravell]

I would. Please do go and play AST in Deep Dungeon content solo.

That has been my experience for a good year and so playing this game.

If you've played AST in SB, you'd know they had 2 DoTs and 1 filler. That's not exactly a lot either. Solo play is more a damage scaling issue than number of buttons issue. My point is that AST never had many damage buttons since inception.

[ASkellington]

If you've played AST in SB, you'd know they had 2 DoTs and 1 filler. That's not exactly a lot either. Solo play is more a damage scaling issue than number of buttons issue. My point is that AST never had many damage buttons since inception.

I started AST in Shb.

I still want another DPS button. I don't care if it gets the least, but I still want more than 2.