Final Fantasy XIV: 10 Tips For Playing The White Mage Class
White Mage is the original healing class of Final Fantasy XIV. It was around before Scholar and Astrologian and is still considered the best healing class by many players. It is also a good class for beginners, though at the beginning stage it is a called "Conjurer." With the all-in-one-class system though, most players have dabbled in White Mage at one time or another.
For those just getting into the class, or getting into healing for the first time, it is understandable to have many questions. It is quite different from tanking and requires a multitasking mind to balance between healing other players and outputting damage to enemies. Focus on damage more than healing, and your party may die. Focus on healing more than damage, then the battles will go much slower.
Every player has their own tricks, but the online discussion of how to best use a White Mage has come up with some pretty good tips for anyone taking on the class.
10 Don't Be Afraid To Spam Holy In Mobs
Holy is a monstrous spell. It not only deals damage to all nearby enemies, but it also stuns them for four seconds. That is damage to enemies as well as less damage to your party members.
This spell is best used in mobs. At that moment, be sure to stand in the mob after the tank gets all of their aggro under control. Once they are after the tank and the tank stopped pulling, stand in the mob and spam Holy.
9 Always Be Casting, Either Healing Or Dealing Damage
White Mages should always be dealing damage when they are not healing. Just because it is known for healing does not mean that that is all they do. Helping a party take down an enemy faster is a form of defense.
Typically, players try to run through pretty dungeons and epic boss fights as fast as possible. A White Mage who does not contribute to damage will significantly slow down that process.
8 Don't Bother With Cure I Once You Get Cure II
Most players agree that Cure I is irrelevant once Cure II is unlocked. Sure, if you cast Cure I enough then you may get a free cast of Cure II without expending mana. However, most players do not find that to be worth it for such a small heals.
If you play low level dungeons, keep Cure I on your hotbar. Maybe keep it on keys you do not often use though if you are high level.
7 Get Used To Checking If Players Need Esuna
White Mages can actually be pretty split on what should be prioritized in terms of Esuna. For example, Doom, if it can, should be cast on immediately with Esuna. Heavy takes less priority.
Advice-wise though, Esuna has such a quick cast-time that it is best to just cast it on whatever debuff you see in the party. The players will likely commend that extra effort. Too many healers forget or just don't care to Esuna the little things.
6 Always Keep Regen On The Tank
Regen is the best friend of the White Mage. For 18 seconds, it slowly cures whatever player it has been cast on. With that in mind, it is common White Mage practice to constantly have Regen on the party tank.
The tank's job is to take all the damage, so it is guaranteed at all times that regen will be of use to them. It also allows the White Mage to focus on other matters for 18 seconds such as damage output or healing the DPS players.
5 Heal Yourself Before All Else
Healers are the most important class to a party. Without them, everyone will die. Due to that, a healer should be a healers' first priority. If a White Mage heals the tank and not themselves, they will die and the tank can no longer be healed.
Most of the time, White Mages should not be taking damage because the tank will aggro the enemies. In the world of Final Fantasy XIV though, enemies have AOE attacks that can be difficult for healers to dodge. So heal yourself first, as that is actually the best strategy for the entire party as well.
4 Be Very Careful When Using Rescue
Healers like White Mages get the controversial spell: Rescue. This spell literally drags other players to where the White Mage is. This, at very specific times, can save the life of your fellow players. At the wrong time though, it will do far more harm than good.
Some healers just do not use Rescue. This is suggested until you can identify specific moments where you know you can actually save a player from a certain dungeon mechanic. For example, the Ancient Flare of the last boss in the Labyrinth of Ancients is a pretty common place for healers to successfully use Rescue.
3 Don't Use Regenerate Before The Tank Pulls Enemies
While Regen is the best friend of the White Mage, the player still has to be smart with when to cast the spell. If cast too early on a tank, or any player, enemies will notice the healer before the tank and attack them.
Wait until the tank successfully aggros all nearby enemies before casting Regen.
2 Save Swiftcast For Your Raise Spell
Swiftcast is a spell a lot of magic users get that allows one spell to be instantly cast. The question is: which spell to use Swiftcast on? The best spell for White Mage is their Raise. Bringing back players from the dead can mean life or death for the party as a whole, so the quicker they are up, the better.
The Raise spell takes a long time to cast and leave a White Mage vulnerable for a while. This is why some refuse to Raise other players until their Swiftcast is ready.
1 Always Burn Through Your Lilies
At the latter levels, White Mages get lilies. For every 30 seconds of combat, they get a lily which is basically a free healing spell. A White Mage can hold three lilies at a time, so be sure to always use them to make room for more later.
Once they use three lilies, they get access to the blood lily and unlocks the White Mages' most powerful attack. It is best to use that attack the moment it pops up as accessible.
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