So I'd like to spend some time talking a little about my thoughts and feelings on the different healers currently, and I'd also like to go into some ideas I'd like to see for the future as well, starting with the White Mage.
Before I dig into the job itself though, here's a bit on my thoughts regarding healers as a whole:
First, I really would like to see us move away from the HoTs/Shields dichotomy. Will it happen? I can't say, but I do believe there's a lot of room to be more creative with healing tools than healers based on HoTs or Shields. The healing part of our kits, in my opinion, is largely about style. We don't parse healing because it's not really about pumping out the highest numbers. It's a pass or fail kind of job, and that's something that can only ultimately be expressed through style and design.
Second, regarding healer DPS, this is something that I ultimately view as a reward for mastering the art of healing. If you're a great healer, you'll have the time to DPS, but it's also not so demanding in most forms of gameplay that a newer or less skilled player won't be able to keep the team alive. That said, we ultimately do differentiate healer performance based on the damage they contribute, whether direct or indirect.
Now, let's talk about the White Mage:
What I love about the current WHM is their new lily system. I think the Afflatus Spells, while simple, are really interesting in that for the first time, we're rewarded with damage for using our healing tools. Sadly, Misery is a DPS loss in a vacuum when you compare it to the 4 casts of Glare you could otherwise perform. This isn't an issue in current content where you'll have plenty of time to use Solas and Rapture, but I think it would do the WHM well if Misery were a flat DPS gain for older content. It would mean that, in every circumstance, you're actually encouraged to use GCD healing tools over your DPS tools when lilies are available. I believe this would be an amazing dynamic to add to the WHM.
There isn't really much that I don't enjoy about the WHM right now; however, I will say that we do have a few disappointing tools. Fluid Aura is a vestigial limb--a useless organ that we have no purpose for. Temperance looks beautiful, but it's just Divine Seal/Largesse with an added aura effect. It feels like it should be so much more.
What do I want from the Future of the White Mage?
I would love to see WHM move toward an identity where GCD healing is viewed as superior to GCD DPS through the use of the lily system. I believe by expanding on that, we could create something that the healers who don't want to have to spam DPS can love--where you do your best by finding opportunities to heal with your GCD spells over abilities.
Regarding their normal DPS, I do still think they deserve to have something a bit more engaging even if their style could move more toward rewarding GCD healing. I'd love to change Fluid Aura back into a damaging tool--renamed Water for the Conjurer's era which could later transform into something like Banish along with Glare and Dia. Take some of the damage out of Stone/Glare and into this oGCD DPS tool that you use every 30 seconds instead.
Secondly, I'd like to add 1 additional ability that compliments the floral aesthetic the White Mage has adopted. The idea is an ability that places a seed on an enemy, and then using Glare, Dia, or this new Banish will cause the flower to bloom with a different effect. I imagine something that has a 30 second cooldown.
Casting Glare generates an Earth Flower which deals damage.
Casting Dia generates a Wind Flower which applies a 60 second DoT.
Casting Banish generates a Water Flower which deals less damage than the Earth Flower, but also nears allies near the enemy.
Casting each one lights up a part of your lily gauge, and when all 3 parts are lit, you get an extra lily.
That's just a little idea, which could be the level 90 ability in the next expansion or something like that, but just a thought as to the direct to give WHM a bit more in terms of making DPS fun, but also reinforcing their GCD with possibly some new Afflatus spells as well to augment this identity as the healer who is rewarded for more damage by healing. With this new flower-blooming attack, it means your DPS also helps generate more healing too, which creates a nice, cyclical theme.
Continue reading...
Before I dig into the job itself though, here's a bit on my thoughts regarding healers as a whole:
First, I really would like to see us move away from the HoTs/Shields dichotomy. Will it happen? I can't say, but I do believe there's a lot of room to be more creative with healing tools than healers based on HoTs or Shields. The healing part of our kits, in my opinion, is largely about style. We don't parse healing because it's not really about pumping out the highest numbers. It's a pass or fail kind of job, and that's something that can only ultimately be expressed through style and design.
Second, regarding healer DPS, this is something that I ultimately view as a reward for mastering the art of healing. If you're a great healer, you'll have the time to DPS, but it's also not so demanding in most forms of gameplay that a newer or less skilled player won't be able to keep the team alive. That said, we ultimately do differentiate healer performance based on the damage they contribute, whether direct or indirect.
Now, let's talk about the White Mage:
What I love about the current WHM is their new lily system. I think the Afflatus Spells, while simple, are really interesting in that for the first time, we're rewarded with damage for using our healing tools. Sadly, Misery is a DPS loss in a vacuum when you compare it to the 4 casts of Glare you could otherwise perform. This isn't an issue in current content where you'll have plenty of time to use Solas and Rapture, but I think it would do the WHM well if Misery were a flat DPS gain for older content. It would mean that, in every circumstance, you're actually encouraged to use GCD healing tools over your DPS tools when lilies are available. I believe this would be an amazing dynamic to add to the WHM.
There isn't really much that I don't enjoy about the WHM right now; however, I will say that we do have a few disappointing tools. Fluid Aura is a vestigial limb--a useless organ that we have no purpose for. Temperance looks beautiful, but it's just Divine Seal/Largesse with an added aura effect. It feels like it should be so much more.
What do I want from the Future of the White Mage?
I would love to see WHM move toward an identity where GCD healing is viewed as superior to GCD DPS through the use of the lily system. I believe by expanding on that, we could create something that the healers who don't want to have to spam DPS can love--where you do your best by finding opportunities to heal with your GCD spells over abilities.
Regarding their normal DPS, I do still think they deserve to have something a bit more engaging even if their style could move more toward rewarding GCD healing. I'd love to change Fluid Aura back into a damaging tool--renamed Water for the Conjurer's era which could later transform into something like Banish along with Glare and Dia. Take some of the damage out of Stone/Glare and into this oGCD DPS tool that you use every 30 seconds instead.
Secondly, I'd like to add 1 additional ability that compliments the floral aesthetic the White Mage has adopted. The idea is an ability that places a seed on an enemy, and then using Glare, Dia, or this new Banish will cause the flower to bloom with a different effect. I imagine something that has a 30 second cooldown.
Casting Glare generates an Earth Flower which deals damage.
Casting Dia generates a Wind Flower which applies a 60 second DoT.
Casting Banish generates a Water Flower which deals less damage than the Earth Flower, but also nears allies near the enemy.
Casting each one lights up a part of your lily gauge, and when all 3 parts are lit, you get an extra lily.
That's just a little idea, which could be the level 90 ability in the next expansion or something like that, but just a thought as to the direct to give WHM a bit more in terms of making DPS fun, but also reinforcing their GCD with possibly some new Afflatus spells as well to augment this identity as the healer who is rewarded for more damage by healing. With this new flower-blooming attack, it means your DPS also helps generate more healing too, which creates a nice, cyclical theme.
Continue reading...