How does healing *feel*?

[Shyluv]

I was White Mage main in XI for the many years I played it. Then situations forced me to quit the game and my desire to go back slowly faded as I heard the changes that were being made from LS mates. So I started looking for other games to play. Started playing GW2. Pretty solid game for buy to play. But there are no specific roles in that game.

When I got accepted into beta, I went right back to CNJ and missed healing way more than I thought I would. Many WHM and tanks complain about the enmity issue WHM has with over curing. But I like it. I like having to be careful, but at the same time not being able to be too careful else someone will die.

I did try a few other classes during beta. PUG, THM, ARC, ARN in phase 4, and they just weren't the same as healing.

[Ignaz]

I always play as magic classes in every game but this is the first time I choose healer role rather than attack or support role. (Since black magic without elemental advantage is boring)

The first time I entered the dungeon, I experience the pressure I never felt before. I use to think that healer role was easy since my friend (natural born tanker) always assigns his wife to this duty and she can heal while maintain her CHAT skill. But once I try it myself, I can't let my eyes away from party's hp bar.

I love this feeling of trying help team staying alive. The thrill is not less than playing DPS but its pressure is something you cannot find when playing other classes.

[16bitBounty]

I love playing a White Mage. So far I've also tried out Pugilist, and I fate grinded Thamaturge to 26 for Swiftcast. I love the Pugilist, it's a blast and the spells look awesome with my tiny little midlander female in a halter top/skirt combo. Despised being a Thamaturge and was counting the XP to 26 to go back to being a healer. Healing is fun, nothing new, but fun and I'm proud to be maining as a WHM.

[Coast2Coast]

Anyone who has trouble keeping mp up on other classes will not like white mage. Spamming cure two will leave you dry. Regen is the best heal by far. Holy is the most awesome AOE I can think of.
White Mage is best mage.

[Kesia]

Thank you all for responding! I didn't think many people would respond, so this was a great surprise. I greatly enjoyed all of your responses; very interesting to see!

[Krxfty]

How is the healing in FFXIV while using a gamepad?

I've been curious to know if people use it and use it with ease, I'm curious about maining a healer, as I mained a DPS on FFXI for 3-4 years. However, I do enjoy using the controller since I'm used to that also from FFXI, I find the target system with the settings I have now fairly hard to interact with certain objects.

[ethyreal]

How is the healing in FFXIV while using a gamepad?

I love the gamepad for 4 man instances. I keep target on the tank and up and down dpad slides through each party member it works well. For DPS support and quick left or right on dpad to fire off a dot or two without loosing target in the tank is great.

Action managent is easy, at least in whm, I don't like the sch pet hot bar on the gamepad, but I had to level the class to 15 and after that I got used to it.

I don't know if this will hold up for eight man content later but for now it's great!

Now what I hate the gamepad for is freaking fates as solo, tough to catch targets intime to add any damage.

I think more than anything you have to want to gamepad to work for you, and I do so it does

[Sneakaboo]

White mage feels very generic and oldschool but I consider that to be fun.
That aside unresponsive and clunky.

[Kyreanna]

Being a WHM for the most part has been fun, and a learning experience. I came in with more experience as a tank and dps from other MMOs, so I figured I would give healing a try just to see what it feels like to be on the other end. Like anyone, there are horror stories involved, but those thankfully are not the majority of my experience with the role. I think one of the winning points FFXIV has in its favor right now is that the challenge is ever increasing. There's so little room for error that you have to stay engaged in what you're doing just to ensure success in almost every fight; trash or boss. Used to be one of the more annoying aspects of other games that a high lv could just carry a lazy lowbie through anything.

[sasakusaku]

Love playing WHM overall but I feel there is a few things that could be improved like the party UI having some options like removing resources (tp/mana/etc) since I don't need to know those and better de-buff icons.

Also I feel the 2.5 sec GCD is a bit long, I am used to 1 sec GCDs and healing feels....slow/unresponsive/clunky over all. Plus I feel there might be a tad to many buttons to deal with once you start adding the must have cross class abilities which can make things rather confusing at times. I guess practice with 30+ mandatory hotkeys will take some time to get used to again after playing GW2 for a year.

Lastly, PuGing the dungeons up to level 40 was fun but after that it gets pretty stressful and first person they always blame is the healer. Now I am used to this but in this game it feels worse than usual. There is absolutely no margin for error in 40+ dungeons and one slight mistake usually means a wipe which is good in some ways but also can discourage people from playing the healer since it is a high stress/high skill needed role. Sure it should not be face roll easy but on other hand it should be a little forgiving at least in normal modes; HMs is were top notch skill should be needed imo.

Solo wise: WHM feels boring and weak. I will have to focus leveling THM or ARC I guess for that.

For parties: exciting, stressful, and active all at once. It all depends group, if everyone (including me) knows the fight then it's not so bad but if there is any sorts of problems it becomes a real nightmare fast.