Character

White Mages, a mainstay of the Final Fantasy universe. From those cure wielding mages in white in red robes, to love interests like Rosa or Aeris. White magic and those who wield it are classic to Final Fantasy, and swathes of cosplayers suit up as their favorite jobs when given the chance (go to Fan Fest... they're everywhere and they're awesome). White Mage is still the king of dropping huge heals and being the most likely to solo heal or heal-carry a group in fights, so let's dive in!

What's Changed:
Ooooh girl, let's talk about that assize! Oh and tetragrammaton, because that's a nutso heal. WHM got a lot more offense power this time around with Stone 3 and an AoE friggin Aero spell, but that assize... oh man. Beyond the name being one of my favorite inherent jokes, this skill is pretty sweet - it heals, it damages and... AND restores mana. This has helped make WHM's mana management a bit better, but this requires situational use.

Add in tetragrammaton for a 60s CD instant heal with 700 potency and you get a couple really solid additions to the WHM kit. You're still essentially a pure healer who will focus on large heals over utility, but WHM got a little sweeter for the die hard WHM fans.

Skill Cap Rating: A - Hard
Previously WHM earned A rank due in part to some issues with mana. While this has gotten better, WHM still has to work the hardest to manage their mana more than other healers; however, WHM is expected more frequently to carry large portions of healing in fights due to DPS requirements, meaning there is much more stress on the WHM in many of the end game fights. You can't just spam heals and expect to win as WHM, you have a lot of situational heals that require a careful weaving to achieve maximum potential. While you lack the more utility sides of something like AST or SCH, you are king (or queen) of raw healing power.

Good WHM keep up with healing in fights and ensure that heavy AoE damage won't end your raid group. Great WHMs put the healing of nearly an entire encounter on their back, allowing the other healer to DPS or get out more utility skills to boost the group while the WHM, breezes through doing enough healing for two.

Cons:
- Less raw mana regen than other healers, requires careful use of skills to not overuse MP
- AoE damage can cause insane threat, so poor timing of heals = dead WHM
- Less utility in their skills (built in shields or regens for example)

Pros:
- Unrivaled healing throughput.
- Immense AoE healing power
- Iconic look. (Yes, I put this as a pro, WHM is a classic)
- You get Holy. (even if it got nerfed, it's still sick)


Reasons to Play White Mage:
Want to put stoneskin on your warrior and take a minute long nap? Play WHM.

Want to drop a Cure 2 that will take a tank from cringing to happy in the pants... WHM!

Do you secretly yearn to let the other healer become a DPS and want to carry the entirety of a fight on your back like some kind of nun-robed super hero? White... MAGE.

Overall Rating:
White Mage remains the mainstay of the FF healing world. Like other MMOs, WHM has a very different feel than the other healing classes and if you need to drop the big heals, you don't look to anyone else. Sure, you'll have some nutso overhealing, but WHM remains a mainstay in raids and is frequently called upon to solo heal because few other people can do it as well on the other healers. I doubt you'll see a day where WHM isn't considered the go to healing option for one slot in your heal comps in any given raid, which is good news for our white and red garbed friends.

Next up is the last of the new kids on the Ishagardian block: Astrologian.

Stay tuned and if you'd like to contribute some to my job evaluation series please feel free to comment below or contact with a message through my twitch channel: twitch.tv/denzyne

Keep adventuring my friends!