White Mage is one of the many jobs in Final Fantasy 14 that players can master. It was designed to fill the role as a primary healer, keeping the party alive and fighting another day. For many players this job was designed very well and fulfills that function perfectly.
But of course there are those who feel differently. For some the White Mage is to niche to be of any use or that the role it does have can get boring. While a powerful White Mage is useful to any party and there are players who thrive in this role there are reasons it’s the best job in the game and reasons it can be the worst.
10 Best Job: Strategy
Being a White Mage requires careful attention to detail and juggling a lot of plates at once. The White Mage is primarily concerned with keeping itself, the tank, and the rest of the party alive. When problems alive they must determine what the best course of action is.
As a result fights become interesting webs of choice as the White Mage balances out healing a single target, themselves, the party, dealing damage, and putting up defensive spells. For many players it’s a fun dance that requires on the fly decisions.
9 Worst Job: Micromanagement
Of course, the other side of the strategic coin is that sometimes there are a lot of things to manage all at once. The player becomes focused on a lot of moving parts in the group and it can feel overwhelming now and then.
When a fight mechanic in a dungeon devastates half the team it can be stressful as the White Mage deciding whether to perform on the fly heals that can waste the healing over time affects. Choosing the wrong thing can lead to a disruption in spell rotation that can bog down the fight. It’s a lot of micromanaging of small parts that have an impact.
8 Best Job: Strongest Healer
Without a doubt the White Mage is the strongest healer in the game. Their spells regenerate the most health and they’re good at both burst and over time healing. If a player is on the brink of death the White Mage is best equipped to get them back to full.
That isn’t to say they’re necessarily the best healer. There are situations where it’s better to have a Scholar for instance. But in terms of raw numbers the White Mage is always going to be on top.
7 Worst Job: Garbage DPS
To offset the White Mage’s healing powers it has some of the worst DPS in the game. Part of this is due to a lack of good skills and the other is the nature of the job. Typically if a situation arises where the player must heal or deal damage the right answer is usually healing.
As a result White Mages will find themselves doing very little if any DPS. Granted the DPS they do dish out can often be better than some tanks, but it’s nothing to write home about. For some players this makes it a tough job to pick.
6 Best Job: Holy
The Holy spell that the White Mage has access to is considered by many to be one of the best spells in the game. It’s an AOE spell with a potency of 140 that dishes out unexpected damage. On top of this moderate damage is the fact that enemies are stunned for a few seconds.
It’s a spammable spell that puts enemies out of commission for several seconds. A single cast can be enough to give allies breathing room to recover and reposition. It can also give the White Mage those precious seconds to heal everyone. It isn’t used often, but when it is used there’s a noticeable shift in battle.
5 Worst Job: Mobility
As far as healers go the White Mage has some of the worst mobility in the game. This can be frustrating when their job is to ensure everyone has the healing when they need it. Players with teams that become separated or need to avoid a boss attack will notice the lead feet White Mages seem to have.
Afflatus and spells like Rescue can help with this, but its not enough to make the lack of mobility frustrating. It requires a level of patience and cleverness that many players don’t have. As a result being a White Mage can be frustrating for players that like to move around a lot.
4 Best Job: Healing Over Time
When things are going well the White Mage will largely be using Regen to keep allies healed. It’s a single target healing spell that goes for 18 seconds at a time. With the instant recast players can throw this onto their tank and move on to other things.
This isn’t to say they don’t need to worry about burst heals every now and then. But having 18 seconds to worry less about a particular ally is a welcome respite from the micromanagement.
3 Worst Job: Throwing Stones
Unfortunately, that down time can often leave the player without anything to do. A well oiled team that only needs the occasional heal can leave a White Mage sitting on their hands. In those moments the best thing is to spam Stone.
As mentioned earlier though the White Mage doesn’t do a whole lot of DPS. As a result tossing a rock at enemies over and over again can get old rather quickly. Sometimes White Mages may find themselves hoping something goes wrong to give them something interesting to do now and then.
2 Best Job: Important Member Of The Group
The White Mage with their powerful healing spells is a vital member of the group. The team relies upon them to keep everyone alive and places a high importance on the primary healer.
It can feel good to feel needed and White Mage players often report getting thanked more often than in other roles. Even if there is no praise White Mages know that their role is integral to helping everyone else perform their role.
1 Worst Job: Important Member Of The Group
With that importance comes a lot of pressure and frustration. If a battle starts going south a lot of players look to blame the healer. White Mages can find themselves getting chastised for overhealing and then blamed for spending too much time doing damage and not healing.
Some players like to have their health at a rosy 100% while others players get frustrated if the White Mage wastes a heal on them when they aren’t at death’s door. It can often feel like no one is happy and the White Mage is held accountable for the team’s failure even when they did their job perfectly.