Healling Etiquette

[sevenpointflaw]

Just recently started playing SMN and have had the fortune of not having to main heal yet. There's a few things I have noticed though, and I am left with a question. First, it seems to me that most NA parties at least will go out of thier way to tell a SMN they have a WHM, I assume to entice them to join.

It leaves me wondering though... Is it generally speaking considered the "right" thing to do to inform a SMN they are main healing at the time they accept a party? Or is it just generally accepted that SMN main heal when WHM isn't available, and SMN are expected to do that without question?

I understand that within a party everyone has a role to fulfil, and as long as they accept that role initially they have an ethical responsibility to fulfill that rule to the best of thier abilities. What I don't understand is what is the propper etiquete for establishing that role with SMN, who has such a varried range of duties.

[Jei]

Re: Healling Etiquette

Once in a while my PT will say it up front that I am to main heal. Most of the time tho I wasn't told anything.
It's just natural to me that if the PT is lacking whm or healer, it is my responsibility to jump in that role by default.

[PotentPotables]

Re: Healling Etiquette

It all depends on the party leader. However, it is also generally assumed that SMN is backup healer in most XP Pt's. I don't think I've pt'ed with a SMN before 45-50's where that wasn't the case.

And, yes, most of the time they end up becoming Main Healer. Wether from lack of WHM or lack of WHM MP. Most pt's will even "hold" out a short time for a WHM before inviting SMN to heal.

Not saying that any of the above is right, but other than MBing with your avatars, there's not too much help that a SMN offers a pt before certain levels. It can't be THAT bad, though, can it?! Should add a new level of challenge to your game =)

[sevenpointflaw]

Re: Healling Etiquette

Eh. 65 levels of WHM, and I main heal as SMN. And at earlier levels, when the DD are hitting for 7-15 damage, and Ramuh hits for 13-17, why wouldn't I want him to DD for me?

[PotentPotables]

Re: Healling Etiquette

It's not that it's NOT wanted, it's just that at lower levels, and usually with the WHM shortage, pt's are going to expect it. I'm not gonna say "just deal with it" cuz that sounds rude, but that's pretty much what it boils down to. Unless you're in a pt with a dedicated WHM, you're going to end up as either Main or Co-healer.

Or, you could always try your luck getting parties with BLM sub -.<

[sevenpointflaw]

Re: Healling Etiquette

LOL. Actually, I do sub /blm quite a bit, and even have a macro for double MB me + avatar. I also know that mainhealing was something that I can expect to do from time to time, same with co-healing (which I don't mind as much). Mostly I'm just curious if people actually take into consideration what SMN tend to prefer to do, and react accordingly - i mean, I have noticed that people tend to tell RDM before hand if they are main healing. Seems to me they don't offer SMN the same curtesy.

[PotentPotables]

Re: Healling Etiquette

- i mean, I have noticed that people tend to tell RDM before hand if they are main healing. Seems to me they don't offer SMN the same curtesy.

That's because RDM's are evil, spoiled demon spawn of the Mage World and throw fits/leave pt's/summon hades if they don't get their way.

I mean, I LOVE RDM's! You SHOULD cater to them?! Right...

[Tirrock]

Re: Healling Etiquette

I'll ask a summoner if they're willing to try main healing, if that's the spot I'm inviting them for. Since after the patch increasing low/midlevel SMN (a long time ago...) a lot of SMN refuse to main heal. I'm not trying to open this topic to a debate about if SMN should main heal.

As for when people invite me as SMN... Well, pre-patch, it was just assumed SMN main healed, so nobody asked, save for one or two parties. Post 70...nobody really asks me either. If I see a WHM, then I'm back-up healing and I concentrate more on damage. If I don't see a WHM, then I main heal. I rarely grouped with WHM on my SMN though.

Often times when people find out that my WHM is 75 also, they ask me to switch to that. Fortunately for me, I don't despise healing. >_>a When I feel like hurting something, I switch to MNK.

[TheGrandMom]

Re: Healling Etiquette

Often times when people find out that my WHM is 75 also, they ask me to switch to that. Fortunately for me, I don't despise healing. >_>a

Once you lvl up whm, they never forget...........never......... /cry

I never had a problem main healing on rdm but I know I would see more than a few rdms with search comments saying they would not. Smn's are always thought of as secondary healers. It's practically a tie between rdm and smn when there are no whms. I think the issue I've seen is that there are a lot of smns that don't know how to play their job. You let them be a DD and they suck so the next time you make a pt, you think of them as a healer and not a DD. It's the same for every job, the bad apples can ruin it for the good players.

[Tirrock]

Re: Healling Etiquette

You let them be a DD and they suck so the next time you make a pt, you think of them as a healer and not a DD.

To be fair, SMN can't be more than sub par damage dealers at lower levels if they refuse to heal. No amount of skill will help them constitantly outdamage a damage dealer job (assuming the damage dealers have decent gear/skill). Since SMN are forced to go through blood pacts, and there's very little gear at low/mid levels that will effect your damage output on SMN.

I think the key to being a good SMN is figuring out just what your party needs (that you can do), and adjusting to that.

[TheGrandMom]

Re: Healling Etiquette

I'm not talking about damage output, I'm just talking about plain old sucking at any lvl. Smn's that don't talk to ther smn's (mentor program is there for a reason) or do the research online, just don't know how to play the job well. Everyone makes a mistake here and there but some smn's can't balance their mp usage, can't mb, etc. yet they want to be DD's. These are the ones I'm talking about, the ones that just plain suck. It's usually people that have no real love for the job and are only lvling it to look cool or because it can get them somewhere (i.e. doing Promies). They make it harder for the people that truly dedicate themselves to doing the job justice.

[Taskmage]

Re: Healling Etiquette

I think the key to being a good player is figuring out just what your party needs (that you can do), and adjusting to that.

Fixed.

I used to be main heal in the majority of my parties. I don't think I've ever been drafted to that position without being asked, if not before inviting me then at least before filling the last slot. I've started putting {main}{Cure}OK in my search comment lately. Oddly I haven't had to main heal ever since I started doing that. /shurg