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Question about healing - Printable Version

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Question about healing - Zope - 10-25-2013

So, I just finished my first instance in FF14. (Sastasha.)  I was straight up 15 conj, healing a level 16 marauder. 

Before I get to my question, some general info: I've priest/monk/paladin healed in both pvp and pve in WoW extensively. While I haven't raided with say, a guild, I have progressed to end game in the LFR area. So while I'm not "uber leet", I do have some experience.

Now the question: Is it normal in this game to have to literally spam your single heal in order to keep the tank up/above 50%? Is striving to keep the tank topped off something that just doesn't happen in this game? It didn't seem that the issue was that I was under geared, each time I healed him he went from about 65-75% up to 100% again, but within the time it took my spell to CD, he was right there again. 

I also realize that this is very early game healing, but it was just so different from my experiences leveling my paladin, priest, and 2 monks in WoW 1-max via healing. 

Answers from any and all appreciated, though I'd really love if someone who healed in WoW were able to throw in their 2cents and tell me if I'm crazy or not.

RE: Question about healing - Olofantur - 10-25-2013

Shammy heals/Disc Priest reporting

I'll post when i'm done in ST D:

TLDR Not crazy

RE: Question about healing - Zope - 10-25-2013

Thank-you thank-you! I shall await your return eagerly.

RE: Question about healing - Olofantur - 10-25-2013

Liliths going to answer on my behalf because i'm in a dungeon. Sorry, i'll make sure to add something if she's a complete EJ about it Big Grin

RE: Question about healing - Naunet - 10-25-2013

Yes, and no.

Have I run into moments where I'm desperately spamming Cure I and Cure II to keep a tank up? Yes. Does it tend to happen as a rule for an encounter? No, not really. Damage on tanks tends to come in bursts. If your tank is constantly taking a lot of damage that is leaving you spamming your single target heal(s) like mad, then your best guesses are 1) the tank doesn't have their damage reduction stance on, or 2) the tank is under-geared. You may want to check for debuffs on the tank to see if those are the culprit as well (though you don't get Esuna immediately).

RE: Question about healing - Yini Kihn - 10-25-2013

(10-25-2013, 08:48 PM)Zope Wrote: Now the question: Is it normal in this game to have to literally spam your single heal in order to keep the tank up/above 50%?

For Santasha? No, not at all. If your heals were hitting for as much as you say they were, your tank probably had inappropriate armor.

RE: Question about healing - Lilith.Grimoire - 10-25-2013

Hello! I am an ex-progression (Sigh, Quar is making me change this. I'm RETIRED progression) main healer. What does that mean? I tend teh green bars! In all seriousness, it means I've completed most endgame content currently available as a healer. I was one of the first three scholars to receive their Omnilex on the server, I've completed Titan literally dozens of times and have tried my skills in Coils. I play both White Mage and Scholar extensively.

As a level 15 Conjurer you only have access to one heal, Cure. That, itself isn't a big problem. It's all thats really needed at that level of content. 

The problem you ran into, of the tank taking too much damage could have several different causes.

1. DPS is slow, or not focusing on one mob at a time. This lengthens the fight and the amount of mobs hitting the tank at once. 

2. Tank is undergeared! Always the Catch 22, how do you get gear without doing content that you are currently undergeared for? You depend on the healer of course! Healers are the buffer, picking up slack from other members of the group. Dps too slow? Tank undergeared? Healers can use their cooldowns to help during a long fight. If people are playing poorly, a good healer can make the difference.

3. Bad or new tank. Frankly, at that low of a level I'm honestly not sure how many "defensive cooldowns" tanks have. Surely not a lot. A good tank will use their cooldowns to mitigate damage when they know spike damage is incoming. Cooldowns are useful at the beginning of a fight for when there more mobs hitting the tank. 

3. YOU are undergeared. Again, it's hard to be "geared" at that level. If you find your heals aren't having the OOMPF needed, think about checking the Market to see what upgrades are available. 

Keep protect and (if you have it?) throw stoneskin up onto the tank between fights. That should help!

Edit: If you need some more help with healing, or would like a more advanced lesson please contact me ingame. I'm more than willing to help new healers get on their feet, this server needs more talented healers!

RE: Question about healing - Zope - 10-25-2013

Thanks for the input, guys. I had a feeling that may have been the issue, but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask.

RE: Question about healing - Olofantur - 10-25-2013

Just a quick follow up, i'd like to add about Tank skill,

they are notorious at lower levels for bad positioning, moving while fighting, having mobs behind them ect. I recommend, if possible asking the Tank to wait after the first engagement, and maybe bringing up that he should be staying still and keeping all enemies in front of him. (except when catching aggro, dodging, ect.)

RE: Question about healing - Zope - 10-25-2013

Awesome, OK. Yeah, I totally get that the issue was probably heavily dependent upon gear, our levels, and the amount of available spells. As long as that kind of cycle isn't what goes forward with the game in further levels, I'm not worried.


Also- When healing the final boss, I took to helping click/eliminate the bubbles that spawn the adds... I'm 90% sure that took the tank off as my target. If so, does that mean that most healers just leave mechanics like that to dps/tanks? I'm used to being able to kill adds or dispelling mechanics while healing in WoW.

RE: Question about healing - Lilith.Grimoire - 10-25-2013

(10-25-2013, 09:25 PM)Zope Wrote: Awesome, OK. Yeah, I totally get that the issue was probably heavily dependent upon gear, our levels, and the amount of available spells. As long as that kind of cycle isn't what goes forward with the game in further levels, I'm not worried.


Also- When healing the final boss, I took to helping click/eliminate the bubbles that spawn the adds... I'm 90% sure that took the tank off as my target. If so, does that mean that most healers just leave mechanics like that to dps/tanks? I'm used to being able to kill adds or dispelling mechanics while healing in WoW.
It depends on your personal comfort, to be honest. If you've done this instance many times, you are bored, no one seems to be taking much damage.... go ahead, dps/whatever. It's a bit easier for Scholars to do the multitask thing (since they have Lustrate), but a competent WHM on a dungeon they've been in enough to know how it works? Go for it.

I don't use focus target, myself. Or macros. I'm a bit oldschool. But if you think they would help you, use them. (I use a Razer Naga, which simplifies healing since all my healing buttons (1-12 with Shift and Ctrl variations) are on the side.)

I was a very lazy healer when I was leveling up my Arcanist/Scholar. I let the dps handle all the running out hitting objectives. Now that I'm experienced.... I still kinda let the dps do it all, since I'm usually alt-tabbed letting my fairy do all the healing.


....what?

[Image: iXSIT2j.jpg]

Eos: >.>

RE: Question about healing - Olofantur - 10-25-2013

(10-25-2013, 09:31 PM)Lilith.Grimoire Wrote: Eos: >.>

Tinkerbell, carrying Garuda runs since 2013'

RE: Question about healing - Naunet - 10-25-2013

(10-25-2013, 09:25 PM)Zope Wrote: Awesome, OK. Yeah, I totally get that the issue was probably heavily dependent upon gear, our levels, and the amount of available spells. As long as that kind of cycle isn't what goes forward with the game in further levels, I'm not worried.


Also- When healing the final boss, I took to helping click/eliminate the bubbles that spawn the adds... I'm 90% sure that took the tank off as my target. If so, does that mean that most healers just leave mechanics like that to dps/tanks? I'm used to being able to kill adds or dispelling mechanics while healing in WoW.

To the first paragraph: Get used to spamming two or three buttons, because WHM doesn't have much in the way of situational spells to moderate or react to damage. Cure I, Cure II, and Medica are going to be your heals for pretty much your entire leveling process. Medica II comes in at the end but is not something you use regularly (just for big burst aoe damage). It's not that you're mashing the buttons to keep tanks up, but Squee didn't really give us much in the way of interesting spell choices.

To your second paragraph: I highly suggest you employ mouseover macros, which are by far my preferred method of healing and something I've used all through my progression raiding in WoW (disc priest and holy-on-the-side holla). Mouseovers don't change your target you can safely target something (the boss, an add, the tank, whatever) and still heal whomever without losing your target. I usually keep the boss targeted so that I can keep an eye on cast bars for abilities.

The mouseover code looks like this:


Quote:/macroicon "Cure"
/ac "Cure" <mo>


The /macroicon command ensures the macro displays the icon of the spell you're using (in this example, Cure), as well as the mana cost and GCD. If you don't use it, you won't be able to see things like Freecure procs (a trait you earn at higher levels on CNJ) either. The second line is the mouseover macro part. I use mo macros for Cure I/II/III (though I rarely, rarely, rarely cast III), Esuna, Stoneskin, Regen, Benediction, and Raise. Basically, any spell that I need to target a person to cast. Medica I and II don't need mo macros because they're centered around you.

As far as doing other things aside from healing - that depends entirely on your comfort level. I usually get a little cocky and/or bored in dungeons and often take on the responsibility of CC bot in addition to healing in instances (hint: Repose, when you get it, can be cast on multiple targets, so you can keep more than one mob CCed at a time! Just be aware of the diminishing returns - you can sleep something 3 times before it resists fully), and I'll even dps stuff if I know I don't have to worry about stressing my mana healing soon. If I trust my tank, I've been known to run ahead and chain pull mobs as well. >_>;;

Dispelling will definitely be your responsibility, however, as only healers have the Esuna spell (or whatever it is Scholar's get), so don't forget those! Keep in mind that some debuffs are more deadly than others and at times it may be more efficient to just casually heal through certain debuffs than try to dispel them (especially at low levels when they don't do much damage). Over time, you'll get a feel as for which debuffs are the most dangerous.

RE: Question about healing - Lilith.Grimoire - 10-25-2013

(10-25-2013, 09:45 PM)Naunet Wrote: Dispelling will definitely be your responsibility, however, as only healers have the Esuna spell (or whatever it is Scholar's get), so don't forget those!

Leeches.

RE: Question about healing - Olofantur - 10-25-2013

A quick note on the "spamming Cure + Cure2" if you check the "Traits" panel. You'll notice "Free cure" and "Over cure" which lend themselves to chain casting Cure, then bumping up to the next level when its free or an emergency.

If I can suggest something, Get Thaumaturge to 26 when you have the chance. You gain the ability "Swift Cast" allowing for one instant cast ability once per 60 seconds which can be quite the boon.

(I also grabbed Virus from ARC and Sure Cast from THM to aid in debuffing and interrupt prevention.)