Quote Originally Posted by Mikey_R View Post
That's more down to encounter design and how the damage comes out rather than a job identity issue. You said that they are different, it just means damage profiles from encounters do not support the 2 types of healing in order for their unique variances to matter.
Sure but there's glaring examples of Shield healers stepping into the shoes of Pure Healing healers and vice versa.

Sacred Soil and Kerachole give a regen, Protraction is eHP and a heal for that amount. (it's worth noting that the eHP isn't a shield, it's a HP boost), Taurachole having a sizeable heal + the mit it provides. Neutral Sect on AST

I'm sure healer mains can make this argument far better than I ever can, but the glaring issue is there.

A key point here is rather than it exclusively being an encounter design issue there is absolutely a healer-wide job design issue. The fact shield healers can have such potent heals in tandem with the most potent on-demand type of damage mitigation is the reason why they are so much stronger than the Pure Healers. The issue is that both encounter design doesn't dish enough healing output for pure healers to be a necessity in groups where 2 healers are generally required, and that they are increasingly making the barrier between the two types of healers smaller, which obviously will favor shield healers more.