<main><heal>

[Brayden]

Greetings,

Just a prop to all you blue mages who dont shy away from playing more of the "mage" part of your job. Today I was looking for a healer for my static and there were no rdm, whm or smn in sight. Out soloing someplace was a japanese galka blu and I had read several threads with people claiming blu could main heal. Well I asked the guy and he said ok. With his arsenal of blue spells and /whm he did an awesome job and we proceeded to tear up Bibiki bay with no slow down, un-needed stops etc. Granted, we had a bard also, so MP wasnt a problem, but the point is sometimes it seems like blu only want to /nin and hack and slash stuff. It was really nice to experience their versaility as a party member first hand. ggs

[Murphie]

Re: &lt;main&gt;&lt;heal&gt;

Occasionally I run into a BLU who doesn't mind acting as a main healer. It's not really the best use of their abilities, but they can certainly fill the role.

However, if there is a WHM or a RDM seeking, then I'd rather invite them, and save the BLU for a back up healer spot.

[Arctic Wolf]

Re: &lt;main&gt;&lt;heal&gt;

I never really believed this either. Is it possible that you, or a Blue Mage that main heals, could say in more details how they main heal, after level 50? I would appreciate it, since i'm very interested.

[Icemage]

Re: &lt;main&gt;&lt;heal&gt;

BLU/WHM is a rarely played combination, but it's quite effective. They definitely need a dedicated refresher in the form of a Corsair, Bard, or Red Mage, but otherwise the Blue Magic healing spells are very efficient on MP, and unlike WHMs they're not nearly so fragile.

From a gameplay standpoint, it's roughly equal to a main healing Summoner, but with many more healing options. Additionally, the Blue Mage can still contribute some extra damage by melee in most zones (courtesy of the change to Signet where you no longer lose TP by resting).


Icemage

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: &lt;main&gt;&lt;heal&gt;

I'm actually facinated with BLU from a support standpoint, I think its rather unfortunate its such an underplayed aspect of BLU, especially considering the legions of people who'd levelled it on the hype of having a melee mage.

It's somewhat of the same situation with COR, too. People are so stuck on being COR/RNG if they're not already too stubborn to level anything but a /NIN sub for COR. /WHM, /RDM and /BLU also have a strong place in the job, its just thier application is rather weak in EXP/Merit PTs.

But it can be really good in alliance play, sky/sea farming, Dynamis/Limbus when played right. Though admittedly, part of the problem is also getting people to re-organize an alliance to play to COR's abilities rather than make it cookie-cutter for rotating a BRD. People seem rather unwilling to move from what works when there could be something that actually works better.

The update for ToA job merits seems to buff both jobs in terms of alliance play, which is exactly what I think both jobs have needed. Seeing BLU's merit abilities finally has nudged me to level it on my Tarutaru. BLU may have won a slot in Tank Pts if the ability to convert a self-buff to AoE is frequent enough.

My hope for the update is that these new abilties will help people be more innovative when it comes to implementing the new jobs into alliance play.

[Taskmage]

Re: &lt;main&gt;&lt;heal&gt;

Occasionally I run into a BLU who doesn't mind acting as a main healer. It's not really the best use of their abilities, but they can certainly fill the role.
However, if there is a WHM or a RDM seeking, then I'd rather invite them, and save the BLU for a back up healer spot.

Whatever the party needs most is the best use of your abilities. I get what you're saying, it's not their strongest suit, but if the party setup has kill speed taken care of but is weak on survivability, shifting into that secondary playstyle is the "best" choice.

I'd bet that at higher levels, blu becomes a better main heal than rdm, mainly by virtue of the fact that their healing spells don't seem to have a cap like most of the Cure series does, and they get their own AoE heal. They just lack the natural stamina of a rdm and would need refresh support like Icemage said.

The main problem of being such a versatile class (and I'm sure this has been said before) is that the vastly different roles a blu is capable of filling favor diverse equipment, and the players' natural tendency to min/max would require them to carry 2-3 distinct sets of gear or eschew entirely the aspect of the job for which they lack a specialized build. That may be a discussion for another thread ...

-- edit --

The wiki had these interesting tidbits about Magic Fruit:
- Heals 1 more for each additional point of VIT, and 2 more for each point of MND.
- Heals ~539 with 150 MND with staff and WHM support job at 75 making it significantly better than Cure IV.

150 mnd seems like an excessive number, but even if we knock it down to 100 mnd, that would make it 439 hp cured for 72 mp with a faster recast time, still slightly better than Cure IV. I wonder what kind of numbers Healing Breeze and Wild Carrot can hit at those levels. I'll have to remember to ask my blu friends next time I get a chance.

[Malacite]

Re: &lt;main&gt;&lt;heal&gt;

The main problem of being such a versatile class (and I'm sure this has been said before) is that the vastly different roles a blu is capable of filling favor diverse equipment, and the players' natural tendency to min/max would require them to carry 2-3 distinct sets of gear or eschew entirely the aspect of the job for which they lack a specialized build. That may be a discussion for another thread ...

Bingo! Whenever I get around to leveling BLU again I'll be more than willingly try ever possible role I can fill. That said, it gets very expensive having multiple gear sets for that purpose so that's probably one of the biggest deterrents.

[ItazuraNhomango]

Re: &lt;main&gt;&lt;heal&gt;

BLU/WHM is a rarely played combination, but it's quite effective. They definitely need a dedicated refresher in the form of a Corsair, Bard, or Red Mage, but otherwise the Blue Magic healing spells are very efficient on MP, and unlike WHMs they're not nearly so fragile.

The need for a Refresher isn't too terribly different from WHM and RDM (who refreshes self).

From a gameplay standpoint, it's roughly equal to a main healing Summoner, but with many more healing options.

Magic Fruit (Lv.58) is roughly equivalent to Cure IV, but with higher/no known cap. Healing Breeze (Lv.16, 55 MP) is AoE cure for 180 HP soft cap (more with MND and Light Staff), which compares well with Curaga II (Lv.31, 120 MP), I believe. (Elvaan WHM/BLU with Light Staff supposedly can hit 226 HP with Healing Breeze.)

This brings BLU/WHM way above RDM/WHM's level in terms of curing efficiency, though a dedicated healer RDM will likely win on MP anyway due to Convert, even if the BLU has Auto-Refresh equipped.

BLU/WHM blows SMN away as main healer.

Additionally, the Blue Mage can still contribute some extra damage by melee in most zones (courtesy of the change to Signet where you no longer lose TP by resting).

>_> They can contribute to damage and rest in any zone... Sword WS's aren't exactly spectacular...

[Murphie]

Re: &lt;main&gt;&lt;heal&gt;

Whatever the party needs most is the best use of your abilities. I get what you're saying, it's not their strongest suit, but if the party setup has kill speed taken care of but is weak on survivability, shifting into that secondary playstyle is the "best" choice.

Oh, I agree completely. That goes for any class. The problem I see with BLU and Main Healing is that often they aren't geared for that role, because most people expect them to fill a DD role. So in a pick up situation, asking them to main heal isn't always going to go over well. Even if they want to, they aren't going to be able to do it as best they can.

Still, it's something I wish more BLU were prepared for/interested in, and it's something I wish more parties looked/allowed for.

The main problem of being such a versatile class (and I'm sure this has been said before) is that the vastly different roles a blu is capable of filling favor diverse equipment, and the players' natural tendency to min/max would require them to carry 2-3 distinct sets of gear or eschew entirely the aspect of the job for which they lack a specialized build. That may be a discussion for another thread ...

Well, it looks like we're on the same page anyway.

[Kyrial Arthian]

Re: &lt;main&gt;&lt;heal&gt;

BLU/WHM can certainly main heal. It's only a matter of a.) does the BLU have WHM sub leveled? and b.) does the BLU *want* to main heal? Since I have WHM at 75, I actually leveled BLU to get *away* from main healing, because I was tired of it. So yes, I refuse to main heal in a PT, even though I very easily could. Some things that haven't been mentioned though that I thought were worth noting:
If you're main healing, and your refresh is coming from a COR or BRD, you can't melee or use melee spells (aside from ranged ones). You hafta stand back with the mages so that you can keep your refresh, because otherwise you'd lose it to the melee songs/rolls. I mean, technically you could run back to the mages for refresh, and stay back there while the melees get their songs/rolls so yours don't get overwritten, but that would not only be very annoying, it would be hard to coordinate with the BRD/COR unless maybe you're in a static with them.
Even if you have a RDM as refresher, meleeing still isn't a good idea for everyone when main healing. Some can do it, but others (myself included) get very distracted by meleeing, causing us to screw up in our healing duties from time to time. In those cases, you'd be better off just playing it safe and staying by the mages full-time.
One last note: Healing Breeze can probably be equivalent to Curaga II at higher levels with MND gear and Light Staff, but one thing you have to remember is that Healing Breeze is centered around yourself. If you're standing back with the mages, you'll have to run up to the melees first. Not a problem, just something to remember.

[Icemage]

Re: &lt;main&gt;&lt;heal&gt;

The need for a Refresher isn't too terribly different from WHM and RDM (who refreshes self).

True, but a RDM/WHM is self-contained, and has access to Convert.

Magic Fruit (Lv.58) is roughly equivalent to Cure IV, but with higher/no known cap. Healing Breeze (Lv.16, 55 MP) is AoE cure for 180 HP soft cap (more with MND and Light Staff), which compares well with Curaga II (Lv.31, 120 MP), I believe. (Elvaan WHM/BLU with Light Staff supposedly can hit 226 HP with Healing Breeze.)

Indeed. Magic Fruit and Healing Breeze are both very potent. There are a couple other differences too.

- Magic Fruit has an insanely long casting range. You can hit people from a mile away with this spell, which makes it pretty cool for kiting battles.

- Both Healing Breeze and Magic Fruit have extremely high enmity ratings. I don't know why, but HB draws a ton of enmity (which you'd expect), but Magic Fruit seems to pull even more enmity per point of damage healed than Cure IV.

This brings BLU/WHM way above RDM/WHM's level in terms of curing efficiency, though a dedicated healer RDM will likely win on MP anyway due to Convert, even if the BLU has Auto-Refresh equipped.

BLU/WHM blows SMN away as main healer.

Yep.

>_> They can contribute to damage and rest in any zone... Sword WS's aren't exactly spectacular...

It's not the sword WS that are spectacular. It's the fact that they can keep the TP and self-skillchain off of their own sword WS that makes them effective at adding damage.


Icemage

[Kyrial Arthian]

Re: &lt;main&gt;&lt;heal&gt;

- Magic Fruit has an insanely long casting range. You can hit people from a mile away with this spell, which makes it pretty cool for kiting battles.
- Both Healing Breeze and Magic Fruit have extremely high enmity ratings. I don't know why, but HB draws a ton of enmity (which you'd expect), but Magic Fruit seems to pull even more enmity per point of damage healed than Cure IV.

Magic Fruit's range isn't any longer than Cure IV's (or any other cure, for that matter). In fact, I think it may be a bit shorter (only by a very little bit, though). I think the max range is something like 20.0 on Magic Fruit, while max range for white magic is 21.7. I'd hafta test it again to be sure, but I think that's what I remember it being (and yes, I'm going by the range after that update where they corrected Magic Fruit's range).

As far as enmity, I couldn't really say. I know Healing Breeze generates a lot of enmity, but I couldn't say if it was more or less than a Curaga or Curaga II of equal strength. I don't think Magic Fruit generates any more hate than Cure IV, though if you're curing for more HP than a Cure IV normally does, I wouldn't surprised if it generated more hate. Personally, I heal for 380 with it on NIN sub without Light Staff. I think it's something like 415-420 with WHM sub and no Light Staff, but again, I'd hafta check again to confirm.

[Icemage]

Re: &lt;main&gt;&lt;heal&gt;

Magic Fruit's range isn't any longer than Cure IV's (or any other cure, for that matter). In fact, I think it may be a bit shorter (only by a very little bit, though). I think the max range is something like 20.0 on Magic Fruit, while max range for white magic is 21.7. I'd hafta test it again to be sure, but I think that's what I remember it being (and yes, I'm going by the range after that update where they corrected Magic Fruit's range).

Hmm, they fixed the range? I don't remember that, but I haven't been paying attention to Blue Magic changes lately. Maybe too many complaints from jealous WHMs who are tired of trying to keep up with tanks dashing out of healing range...

As far as enmity, I couldn't really say. I know Healing Breeze generates a lot of enmity, but I couldn't say if it was more or less than a Curaga or Curaga II of equal strength. I don't think Magic Fruit generates any more hate than Cure IV, though if you're curing for more HP than a Cure IV normally does, I wouldn't surprised if it generated more hate. Personally, I heal for 380 with it on NIN sub without Light Staff. I think it's something like 415-420 with WHM sub and no Light Staff, but again, I'd hafta check again to confirm.

Hard to be absolutely certain with Magic Fruit vs. Cure IV, since WHMs pack ever so much more -enmity than most Blue Mages, but I do see a lot more enmity bounce when Magic Fruit is used versus Cure IV from a Red Mage (and most of the RDMs in my LS pack little to no -enmity, so I don't think that's as much of a factor). Healing Breeze definitely has a higher enmity rating than Curaga I, though, even at lower levels, and possibly Curaga II as well.


Icemage

[Mouser]

Re: &lt;main&gt;&lt;heal&gt;

I main heal quite a bit as BLU/WHM in merit parties (and even in Limbus). Depending on the camp and the party, I can get away without needing a refresher at times (MP Drain Kiss on Greater Colbri is quite nice and with a good PLD or NIN, I can rest mid battle for MP at some camps).

When I'm main healing, that's what I focus on, occasionally throwing in a debuff like Frightful Roar or Infrasonics, or a nuke like Blitzstrahl or Mind Blast, but I don't melee. My usual gear is pretty heavy in INT and MND, so it's not a big deal for me to go /WHM (just swap in MP rings, some MND boosters in place of STR/ATK and use Errant body and use a Light Staff).

When I'm geared up for healing, my Magic Fruit heals about 440, Wild Carrot heals 200, and Healing Breeze heals 177. My spell load-out is Auto-Refresh, Conserve MP, and as much MND as I can squeeze in, plus Diamondhide if we're facing AOE attacks, and debuffs and nukes to round it out. I'm a mithra and as /WHM have about 850 MP.

My other 75 jobs are DRG and WAR, so for me at least it's a nice change of pace from hitting things.

[Armando]

Re: &lt;main&gt;&lt;heal&gt;

Icemage, I do believe they nerfed Magic Fruit range in one of the updates. They said its range was longer than what it was supposed to be.