Fine, Bloodwhetting is too OP

[whiskeybravo]

Did you not play in Endwalker? Because AoE tends to do about or just over a third of single-target damage, it'd have the same balance point as you suggest.

The difference is simply that it then also benefits from oGCDs, autos, reflective attacks, vulnerability windows, raid buffs, etc., which altogether makes Bloodwhetting feel a bit more interactive and thereby, for many/most, engaging.

Alternatively, using diminishing returns allows one to sacrifice a bit of damage for a fair bit more healing in 2-3 target scenarios.

Doing neither wastes the flavor of the skill, leaving it neither more interactive than Requiescat healing nor with any unique niche opportunities over what's available to Requiescat healing. A lose-lose until at 4+ targets, which you will almost never see in more difficult content, be that raids or Savage Criterion.

Yes. I haven't played every patch when it was it relevant but I have been around for every expansion. From what I remember, healing from damage dealt caused it to feel relatively useless outside burst windows.

Also, I don't see the "potential decision to heal or do damage" as actually being much a decision at all. Maybe you can figure out a few spots during prog hold IC for a burst heal, beyond that damage is going to win 99.9% of the time. Sure, using potency instead of damage is "braindead". But they've already gone this direction and tbh I just prefer having the ability be useful anytime I need it to be useful, compared to only when (or only because) it also lines up with burst.

As for 3 or 4 targets, as I mentioned it should start scaling with 3+ mobs, same as general AoE rotation would. Whatever potency that is I can not tell you. So don't get stuck on the 4+ mobs thing.