Evolved WHM concerns

[miraidensetsu]

It seems to me that:

• White Mage will be punished for being in a group that doesn't take damage. Judgement will do a pityful damage (if any)
• There are no signal of tank healing being nerfed. Just the oposite.
• He's saying that the new mode is about giving jobs more identity. But he seems to be happy applying the same SGE attack logic onto WHM while transforming AST into a WHM with sparkles.
• Focus appears to be entirely on healing... In a scenario where he won't heal. But with even less attack buttons.
• He just proved that didn't heard a thing from what healers were complaining for years. At least since Shadowbringers.

That fanfest took me any hope that healers will be fixed. To me, healers will be left in Evercold. Again.

[Carighan]

He just proved that didn't heard a thing from what healers were complaining for years. At least since Shadowbringers.

But... I mean yeah sure, this could be true.

Both both the WHM and the PLD shown (but also the support actions of the BRD and the near-invuln of the DRG) seems to at least hint at that they did read the feedback, and seemingly much much more damage will be dealt to the group and much more healing be needed?

We of course have no indication whether that'll actually happen, and it'd be super wild if not after all four setups show indications that they're designed with high group damage intake in mind. But at least this design seems to suggest that healing is - finally - back on the menu.

[miraidensetsu]

It doesn't seem like that to me.

Tanks is not getting any nerf on healing, just the opposite: they're getting even more heals, like Paladin that will get an AoE heal as follow-up to passage of the arms.

And the focus given on White Mage is getting him... Simplier. A job that's already so simple that became boring being even more simple. And we will earn a skill that deepends on actual healing... That will be made by tank. As now WHM is already boring. And now Yoshida is taking out even more friction. He's doubling down on aspects that made healer community mad. If continue like that, white mage damage rotation that were 111111111112111111111112111111111112 will become 111111111111111111111111111111111111. And without assize or misery to break monotony. But there will be a shiny new bar.

I really am rooting to be wrong, because I don't want one more expansion of healer snorefest.

[Carighan]

Tanks is not getting any nerf on healing, just the opposite: they're getting even more heals, like Paladin that will get an AoE heal as follow-up to passage of the arms.

Yes, this exactly + WHM being more centered around using GCD casted heals + their comment about damage intake to me suggests we might hopefully finally see a lot more damage intake.

(also I always find it funny people find 11111 boring but not 12345 even though both take exactly 0 brainspace to perform)

[ToodlesElNoodles]

Día might be gone, but actually it did get replaced.

Holy Sanctuary looks baseline like it does more damage than Glare/High Glare does. It just has a bonus of saving damage lost due to healing GCDs.

So in content with 0 concernable damage (because the Tank and DPS will outheal all of it without your help), you’ll still be pressing Holy Sanctuary when you would normally be pressing Día. But it’s on a charge cooldown instead of a countdown.

Also, I suspect this is actually the L50 build without any of the higher combat adjustments.

Because it looks like this is the kit that you have at lvl. 50, which is ALL the buttons whereas the combos come in later.

Because High Glare/High Cure, and Glare 3 seem very sparse for 60 more levels.

[Supersnow845]

Día might be gone, but actually it did get replaced.

Holy Sanctuary looks baseline like it does more damage than Glare/High Glare does. It just has a bonus of saving damage lost due to healing GCDs.

So in content with 0 concernable damage (because the Tank and DPS will outheal all of it without your help), you’ll still be pressing Holy Sanctuary when you would normally be pressing Día. But it’s on a charge cooldown instead of a countdown.

Also, I suspect this is actually the L50 build without any of the higher combat adjustments.

Because it looks like this is the kit that you have at lvl. 50, which is ALL the buttons whereas the combos come in later.

Because High Glare/High Cure, and Glare 3 seem very sparse for 60 more levels.

To be fair that makes holy sanctuary currently fulfil the purpose of Dia, assize and misery which is a condensing of actions regardless

Whether you see it as “it’s used once per 30 seconds it’s a dia replacement” or “it’s used to refund healing it’s a misery replacement that can be used twice as often” it still doesn’t fulfil the “other” job so it’s a cut either way

[Carighan]

which is a condensing of actions regardless

Yeah well, that's kinda the point of these changes. And like... FOUR expansions overdue (a massive hotbar debloating I mean). Consider with how concise character setups we once started, vs the endless ocean of oGCDs all ultimately having the exact same use, it just happens more often and only because the fight design was adapted to it. And it's not like this is any different for DPS, they have 3 damage-oGCDs that could at 0 loss of gameplay be one with charges + a shorter CD.

[Moqi]

Of all the jobs shown, WHM gave me the biggest concerns. It seems like we lost some things without actually gaining much. I think WHM should stay a relatively simple and straightforward job as that's the appeal, but I would expect to trade complexity in kit with a higher cieling...

What I liked:

- High sanctuary is an improved Lily system and I really liked it. It's basically Assize + Blood Lily but on GCD with a cast time, so it's even more important not to overcap on it. Obviously, we actually need to have enough damage output now that we'd be using Cure/Medica with enough frequency to create that friction.

- Doubling down on identity as a GCD and pure healer. So many skills felt tacked on because WHM couldn't keep up. As fun as Assize was, I'm glad it's gone along with Plenary, combining Divine Benison+Aquaveil. I do hope we get a significant damage boost to make up for our lack of utility though.

What I would like to see adjusted/future skills:

- I was sad to see cast times for Glare gone. I'm glad High Sanctuary still has them at least, but please do something with Glare too! High Glare being a simple animation change is not enough to break the monotony. Make it at least a breakable combo that does more damage.

- Add a bit of friction to High Sanctuary. Give an orb only when at least 80% of your spell actually heals or something.

- Consider overhealing mechanics. Similary to High Sanctuary, we could spend the CGD prior to our shield skills to buff them by significantly overhealing.

- Hopefully Presence of Mind is back in some way.

- I'd like to see more Afflatus versions. Now that Lilies are just upgrades to CGD, we could have Afflatus versions of all our CGDs and feed Misery (upgraded High Sanctuary) when we use Afflatus healing spells to offest Affaltus offensive spells.

[BabyYoda]

My concern with White Mage’s Evolved Mode is that changing **Glare** into **High Glare** does not really solve the issue.

It still feels like the same “spam Glare” gameplay, just with a different version of Glare.

I do like that they connected healing with damage in some way. That part is a good direction.

But I expected more than that. I expected more complexity for White Mage, because I personally think being too easy to play is a weakness for the job, not a strength.

[ReynTime]

Not surprised by WHM becoming more monotome, but did they really strip away more of the Final Fantasy WHM conventional names for things like... Holy Sanctuary and High Glare?
XIV WHM identity is full on kMMO based healers now?