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As a tank, I'll quit a group if I get an "honest healer" who doesn't contribute to DPS. I won't even say anything, because most of them have a bad attitude about any effort made to try and help teach them about their potential contribution to the group. It's like when you honk at somebody who cuts you off on the freeway and instead of waving at you as if to say "sorry, my bad", they flip you off, because you're the bad person for notifying them about their poor driving.
Higher DPS = faster kill time = less incoming damage = less healing is needed = higher DPS. It's circular. Not only that, but the quicker you can down the mobs and move on, the quicker you can finish the dungeon and move on with other things you have planned.
It's not hard. I've played healer. My brother's normal role is healer, too. If the party isn't familiar, then you start off cautious for the first couple of fights to get a feel for the general competence and gear potency of the party - if the tank is apparently wearing a paper bag to battle, then duh, obviously you just aren't going to be able to DPS very much. You can figure that out within the first couple minutes of the dungeon. If they're reasonably geared and competent, then you're doing a disservice to the party by not contributing to the DPS of the group in an effective manner.
Consider:
Tanks don't have to strive for DPS either. The core purpose of the tank is to keep enemies on themselves, just like the core purpose of a healer is to heal. Would you be frustrated with a Paladin who just sat there spamming Flash and occasionally quaffing an Ether or using their MP restore combo (but only the 1-2 combo of it, for the most rapid cycling)? Of course you would. Is that tank technically fulfilling the role of a tank, though, if no enemies escape their threat? You betcha - yet you'd be likely to be rather unhappy with them.
Higher DPS = faster kill time = less incoming damage = less healing is needed = higher DPS. It's circular. Not only that, but the quicker you can down the mobs and move on, the quicker you can finish the dungeon and move on with other things you have planned.
It's not hard. I've played healer. My brother's normal role is healer, too. If the party isn't familiar, then you start off cautious for the first couple of fights to get a feel for the general competence and gear potency of the party - if the tank is apparently wearing a paper bag to battle, then duh, obviously you just aren't going to be able to DPS very much. You can figure that out within the first couple minutes of the dungeon. If they're reasonably geared and competent, then you're doing a disservice to the party by not contributing to the DPS of the group in an effective manner.
Consider:
Tanks don't have to strive for DPS either. The core purpose of the tank is to keep enemies on themselves, just like the core purpose of a healer is to heal. Would you be frustrated with a Paladin who just sat there spamming Flash and occasionally quaffing an Ether or using their MP restore combo (but only the 1-2 combo of it, for the most rapid cycling)? Of course you would. Is that tank technically fulfilling the role of a tank, though, if no enemies escape their threat? You betcha - yet you'd be likely to be rather unhappy with them.
Lydia Lightfoot ~ The Reliquarian's Guild «Relic» ~ Lavender Beds, Ward 12, #41
This player has a sense of humor. If the content of the post suggests otherwise, please err on the side of amusement and friendship, because that's almost certainly the intent. We're all on the same team: Team Roleplayer! Have a smile, have a chuckle, and have a slice of pie. Isn't pie great?
This player has a sense of humor. If the content of the post suggests otherwise, please err on the side of amusement and friendship, because that's almost certainly the intent. We're all on the same team: Team Roleplayer! Have a smile, have a chuckle, and have a slice of pie. Isn't pie great?