Inspired by a recent post on reddit, I wanted to share with new healers in Final Fantasy XIV Online that there is a difference between healing magic (also called spell-based healing) and healing abilities. If you hover over the skills on your hotbar, you can see what is what.
Most (maybe all) healing buffs – like Divine Seal, Fey Illumination, Dissipation, Synastry – and buffs that affect healing received, like Convalescence and Mantra – affect only healing spells/healing magic.
Spell-based healing magic (and therefore affected by buffs): Cure I-III, Regen, Medica, Physick, Adloquium, Succor, Aspected or Unaspected Benefics/Helios
Abilities, NOT magic (and therefore not affected by buffs): Benediction, Assize, Tetragrammaton, Asylum, Lustrate, Indomitability, Essential Dignity, Collective Unconscious
Also worth noting is that in instances where healers are affected by Healing Magic Potency Down debuffs (Hullbreaker Isle Hard and A7S come to mind), the potency of healing abilities is not affected.
I know the blog’s been dead – I’ve been playing a lot of FFXIV lately – but I hope to have a post up sometime soon about my experience and why I’m so hooked on this game.
