Challenges Facing Healers in Throne and Liberty: A Critical Analysis + Other Concerns + Solutions

[MechaTR]

In Throne and Liberty (T&L), the healer role faces significant challenges that impact both PvE and PvP experiences. Despite optimizing stats—such as 50% mana efficiency, 61% cooldown reduction, 72% skill healing, 6% attack speed, 40% buff duration, 1,000 magic and melee endurance, 10,000 HP, approximately 1,600 melee/magic/ranged defense, and 12,000 mana—healers often find their contributions undervalued.

1. PvE Challenges:

-> Limited Rewards: Healers frequently receive minimal recognition or rewards for their support roles in dungeons and raids. Their primary function is to assist DPS players in gearing up, after which they are often sidelined.

-> Ineffective Healing in Mass PvP: In large-scale PvP scenarios, such as mass zerg battles, healing abilities are less effective. Targeted healing skills with long cooldowns and modest healing amounts (rarely exceeding 4,200 to 5,000 HP, even with critical hits) struggle to keep up with the rapid damage output.

2. PvP Challenges:

-> Vulnerability to DPS and CC: Healers are susceptible to DPS players who employ crowd control (CC) tactics. With high evasion stats (often exceeding 1,300 or 1,500), these opponents can lock healers in CC chains, leading to quick defeats.

-> Lack of Survivability: Even with substantial gear scores (e.g., 3,600), healers can be overwhelmed by DPS or tank players within seconds due to CC combos and insufficient defensive capabilities.

3. Gameplay and Progression Concerns:

-> Dominance of Mega Guilds: The game's structure allows large guilds to dominate servers, controlling resources and access to high-tier gear. This monopolization makes it challenging for individual players or smaller guilds to progress or acquire desired equipment.

-> Pay-to-Win (P2W) Elements: The in-game economy and progression systems are heavily influenced by P2W mechanics. Essential items and traits are often priced exorbitantly in the Auction House, necessitating significant real-money investment to remain competitive.

-> Upcoming Healer Nerfs: Future patches indicate further nerfs to healer capabilities, while DPS roles are set to receive buffs. This imbalance raises concerns about the viability and enjoyment of playing as a healer.

Conclusion:

The current state of T&L presents substantial obstacles for players who prefer the healer role. The combination of undervalued contributions, susceptibility in combat, and systemic issues within the game's economy and progression systems diminishes the appeal of playing as a healer. Addressing these concerns is crucial to ensure a balanced and rewarding experience for all player roles.

Enhancing Throne and Liberty: Recommendations for a Richer Gameplay Experience

To elevate Throne and Liberty (T&L) and provide a more engaging experience for all players, several enhancements are recommended:

1. Introduce Sandbox Elements:

Interactive Content: Incorporate features that allow players and guilds to shape the game world, fostering creativity and personal investment.

Player-Driven Structures: Enable the construction of guild houses and castles within the open world, moving beyond instanced zones to create a dynamic environment.

2. Expand PvP and PvE Content:

Diverse Combat Scenarios: Implement systems like Lineage 2's Fortress Siege, single-guild free-for-all PvP battles without alliances, and naval combat, including underwater exploration and shipwreck hunting.

Rich Dungeon Experiences: Design dungeons inspired by titles such as Tera Online, Blade and Soul, Aion, Lineage 2, and ArcheAge, emphasizing intricate storylines, exploration, and challenging encounters.

3. Develop Faction-Based Features:

Collaborative and Competitive Dynamics: Introduce faction-related mechanics similar to those in New World and ArcheAge, encouraging players to collaborate on building projects and engage in conflicts, thereby enriching the game's social and strategic layers.
4. Address Technical Issues:

Optimize Event Participation: Reevaluate event-based activities that currently favor dominant guilds, ensuring that map sizes and event locations can accommodate large player numbers without performance degradation.

Improve Server Performance: Focus on resolving FPS drops, crashes, latency issues, server lags, and disconnections, particularly in the EU region, to provide a stable and enjoyable gaming experience.

By implementing these enhancements, T&L can offer a more immersive and balanced experience, catering to a diverse player base and fostering a vibrant in-game community.

[Kyutaru]

I'm a healer too.

1) I have no idea what you're talking about. We get specifically asked for. People would sooner run without a tank than without a healer and we're essential on every boss fight because of lazy gamers who can't be bothered to time a block. We get the same rewards as everyone else and I've never had someone complain about the healing, though they'll throw the tank under the bus every time. The ineffective mass healing is intentional because past games allowed it and it was too broken. You want healing to be limited or fights never end and the side with the most healers wins. Just be thankful they didn't also limit DPS AOE targets like they do in World of Warcraft.

2) Everyone is vulnerable to CC. Everyone lacks survivability. This is a universal problem. This isn't WoW, battles are very brutal. Had a guildmate get one shot by Flash Arrow today from full health because it was a 2x heavy hit and did 10k damage. Healers at least get access to shields and a defense buff that mitigates some of this, along with the almighty sleep bomb combo. If it was easy for us to stay alive and keeps others alive too, we'd be too strong. Already people refuse to duel us because we outheal their attacks unless they can manage to one shot us in a stun combo (PVP trinket says no). On top of which, I can still do 90% of the DPS of another player while supporting with heals, and regularly do so when dungeon running because full support isn't needed for some content.

3) Mega guilds and pay to win have zero to do with healers and are just you sneaking in a general complaint about the game itself. Likewise, the upcoming healer nerf isn't even a healer nerf, it's one specifically targeted at Bow/Wand healers to split off their double stacking of single target heals. Healing isn't supposed to be a fix all like PVE-focused games, and we can't keep someone healed through a concentrated assassination attempt. This is a PVP game -- it's lethal by design. I'm having no issue being a healer while understanding that my job isn't to keep someone up under focus fire. It's purely to get people back into the fight when they've survived a big attack that didn't one shot them or create a shield buffer to mitigate an attack that would.

[Matty101]

Those aren't even my main concerns as a healer.
-Low healing range
-Laggy servers make time based mechanics hard as it is, but 2x worse for the healers who also need to time heals while doing dungeon mechanics.
-No previous/next party member selection/keybind (i'd love to just mouse scroll through the party)
-Can't heal non-party members(best thing about being a healer in mmo's is helping that random guy out that is on his last legs.

They're pretty much my main issues

[Tika Gunner (Demon Hunter Trump]

Sounds like they are going the Way of GW2 had a Great healer there then one day no more, Supportive Characters are needed in any Co Op game seems someone has lost their way in the programming of the game and doesn't understand the way healers are the most important and a game called Star Wars the Old republic had a SAGE healer that Rocked then one say was as good even though the person me has not changed and Healing is a Specialized set and only a true healer understands how it is to be used.

[StarlightAsh♡]

Originally posted by Kyutaru:

I'm a healer too.

1) I have no idea what you're talking about. We get specifically asked for. People would sooner run without a tank than without a healer and we're essential on every boss fight because of lazy gamers who can't be bothered to time a block. We get the same rewards as everyone else and I've never had someone complain about the healing, though they'll throw the tank under the bus every time. The ineffective mass healing is intentional because past games allowed it and it was too broken. You want healing to be limited or fights never end and the side with the most healers wins. Just be thankful they didn't also limit DPS AOE targets like they do in World of Warcraft.

2) Everyone is vulnerable to CC. Everyone lacks survivability. This is a universal problem. This isn't WoW, battles are very brutal. Had a guildmate get one shot by Flash Arrow today from full health because it was a 2x heavy hit and did 10k damage. Healers at least get access to shields and a defense buff that mitigates some of this, along with the almighty sleep bomb combo. If it was easy for us to stay alive and keeps others alive too, we'd be too strong. Already people refuse to duel us because we outheal their attacks unless they can manage to one shot us in a stun combo (PVP trinket says no). On top of which, I can still do 90% of the DPS of another player while supporting with heals, and regularly do so when dungeon running because full support isn't needed for some content.

3) Mega guilds and pay to win have zero to do with healers and are just you sneaking in a general complaint about the game itself. Likewise, the upcoming healer nerf isn't even a healer nerf, it's one specifically targeted at Bow/Wand healers to split off their double stacking of single target heals. Healing isn't supposed to be a fix all like PVE-focused games, and we can't keep someone healed through a concentrated assassination attempt. This is a PVP game -- it's lethal by design. I'm having no issue being a healer while understanding that my job isn't to keep someone up under focus fire. It's purely to get people back into the fight when they've survived a big attack that didn't one shot them or create a shield buffer to mitigate an attack that would.

Tanks getting the least love but then people also complain they need more tanks while also being picky about the tank they want in their team, like what

[crawlord]

healing and tanking are thankless jobs .Lets see what happens with the incoming healing changes.

[MechaTR]

The best experience I've had playing as a healer was in Tera Online, with its action combat mechanics. I highly recommend that NCSOFT consider implementing a similar system in Throne and Liberty.

Some argue that zerg tactics and whales aren’t a major issue, but they are. As a 3600 gear score healer focused on endurance, I can say that having a high gear score does not necessarily make you a whale. However, a DPS player with the same gear score but optimized for damage, especially those equipped with powerful world boss items, can easily one-shot healers after landing a crowd control effect. If one DPS can do this, imagine the devastation caused by a coordinated attack from a squad of 2-6 players. In large-scale PvP, P2W zerg guilds often deploy just a few crossbow squads, and their damage output is overwhelming, even against players with high endurance.

The upcoming patch will further exacerbate this issue, as DPS weapons are getting buffed, making ranged and melee combinations more viable, while healer builds that rely on wands and bows are being nerfed. True healer support builds that focus on high mana, regeneration, efficiency, and cooldown reduction are essential for sustaining healing output in both PvE and PvP. Yet, these builds still struggle. Managing mana and keeping a party alive is difficult, especially when dealing with multiple players who get crowd controlled or have low health. Area-of-effect heals are often ineffective because of the high mobility of PvP players, and long cooldowns make it even harder to respond.

In mass PvP scenarios, all this effort feels pointless when crossbow squads can decimate teams regardless of your build. Even with a high-end computer, frame rates drop significantly, and server lag compounds the challenge.

I miss the healing mechanics and targeting systems of ArcheAge, Aion, and Lineage 2, where tab-targeting made support roles more effective and rewarding. In Throne and Liberty, a full support healer deals minimal damage and often has their attacks evaded by players with high evasion builds. This means healers rarely earn rewards from events that prioritize DPS output. If NCSOFT does not address these critical issues, it might be better to remove the healer role altogether.

The struggle intensifies in 3v3 or mass PvP. Even with a full cooldown reduction build, healing a tank with 20k+ HP is extremely difficult. Skills enter long cooldowns, and if the enemy team focuses on the healer, there is little chance of survival. Opponents often coordinate to lower the health of your teammates, bait out your heals, and then switch focus to eliminate the healer. When targeted, I constantly receive messages indicating that I am under focused attack, which highlights how vulnerable healers are in PvP.

Every event, including 'Gate of Infinity' and 3v3, is designed to favor DPS roles. This raises the question: What is the point of playing as a healer if the game continues to neglect and undermine this vital role?"

[NotxEevee]

Originally posted by StarlightAsh♡:

Tanks getting the least love but then people also complain they need more tanks while also being picky about the tank they want in their team, like what

What's worse is that right now, we're in a period where you're being punished for playing as a tank exclusively for PvE content.

Because people have stacked up on good gear and are more used to bosses' mechanics, dungeons are now mostly run with 5dps/1heal or 6dps with one wand.
If you're a tank, using the party board is a waste of time, you'll be rejected outright by most groups because you're a version of a dps.
Shaikal's mechanic can be completely ignored if one guy with a staff or a dagger stays in melee range and uses a blink.
Anyone can soak Rex Chimaerus's fireballs and not get one shot, even if you have less than 8k hp.
There's no mechanic that requires tanking on Toublek and Karnix.
Lequirus has a healer check, but if you dps her down before a second phase it's not a danger.

Tanks will be needed again once new dungeons come out with Tier 2, but the same cycle will repeat again.
Tanks will be needed in the beginning, then once people realize that dpsing a boss before it can do its mechanics is more efficient, then tanks will lose all of their value again.

[MechaTR]

Originally posted by crawlord:

healing and tanking are thankless jobs .Lets see what happens with the incoming healing changes.

Today, I have watched a video and its little like this "Throne & Liberty DEV NEWS: Bow Buff, New Repeatable Dungeons, Penalties, Economy Crash, Halloween!", these players even don't know what thy talk about and thy don't care how other builds are ruined, such as wand + bow healing builds where it suffers the most, and thy nerf healing so hard too. The players have achieved their goal now by ruining others, already this game is all about DPS... However, thy need to know that this:

In the current PvP environment, bow and crossbow builds exhibit overwhelming damage output, especially when part of full DPS setups. For example, in mass PvP, coordinated crossbow squads can decimate opponents almost instantly, often rendering them unable to react due to continuous CC (crowd control) locks. This issue isn’t limited to mass PvP scenarios; in smaller skirmishes like 3v3 or even 1v1, these builds frequently create situations where opponents are effectively eliminated in just a couple of seconds.

This brings us to the bow's defensive passive that allows bow and healer players to survive a few extra seconds when under intense focus. While some players are advocating to remove this shield passive, it’s crucial to consider its role in providing essential survivability for specific builds, especially for healers who already struggle significantly in PvP. Without this, healers become the easiest targets with no mobility, no significant damage output, and limited survivability—making them highly vulnerable and unrewarding to play in high-stakes PvP settings.

It’s also important to compare cooldowns and burst availability between these DPS weapons and defensive passives. For example, the bow’s shield passive activates every 60 seconds and only at 30% HP, providing a singular defensive moment that’s highly conditional. On the other hand, DPS skills, like crossbow abilities, have shorter cooldowns, allowing them to be used multiple times within that 60-second window. This disparity highlights the significant advantage DPS builds possess, particularly in fast-paced PvP environments like T&L, where intense zerg dynamics are common. While it may seem balanced in isolated 1v1 scenarios, the reality of T&L’s larger PvP meta demands consideration for broader balance.

Balancing PvP in this manner requires carefully weighing the survivability tools available to support roles, especially when DPS builds already excel in damage output and crowd control.

At the end, healers are suffered again !!!

[Ducky]

when they nerf heals and shield they should complety remove all cc in game....

[ACE]

Thats why i play GW2.

[MechaTR]

After observing recent discussions from content creators, streamers, and even the developers, it's clear that many of them don't fully understand the healer experience in this game. The recent nerfs to the healing class and lack of significant improvements show a disconnect with the reality of playing as a healer. Rather than adjusting healing mechanics, the developers should address the existing problems and consider introducing a true synergy with dedicated healing weapons—such as a Life Staff or Life Mace—to support a genuine healing playstyle.

Currently, healers are severely under-rewarded, and many issues unique to healing have been overlooked. There’s a misconception that the game needs balancing for 1v1 or 3v3 PvP. However, even in 3v3, healing doesn’t have the intended impact; crowd-control (CC) locks from DPS builds can easily neutralize healers, making healing contributions negligible. In larger PvP battles, such as mass PvP, healers are quickly eliminated by crossbow squads and other ranged DPS without a chance to sustain or support teammates effectively.

Moreover, healing gear is designed with melee and magic-related evasion or endurance, but this leaves healers extremely vulnerable to ranged attacks. For healers to function effectively, they require maximum mana, strong mana regeneration, cooldown reduction on healing skills, and a balance of high HP—all challenging to achieve with current gear limitations. Sacrificing one of these is inevitable, meaning healers are forced to compromise on essential attributes, unlike tanks or DPS classes that are fully optimized for their roles.

The upcoming patch exacerbates these issues by removing the synergy of using a bow as a secondary weapon for healers, further limiting versatility. True healer builds are rare because of the sacrifices involved; healers give up survivability, damage output, mobility, and reliable CC. Meanwhile, DPS classes enjoy buffs, shorter cooldowns, and extensive CC options, creating unbalanced gameplay where adapting isn’t a viable solution.

For instance, powerful DPS weapons like crossbows, bows, greatswords, and staves have rapid combos and CC abilities, while healers are left with lengthy cooldowns for single-use abilities that barely last a second against these combos. A 60-second cooldown shield is ineffective when DPS weapons, with short cooldowns, can break through it in moments.

These imbalances discourage players from playing healers. At level 50, it’s costly and difficult to change an entire build, and the expense of traits and gear upgrades pushes players to spend real money. It feels as though the developers and publishers do not truly understand the healer experience or the current pain points for those who choose this role. A solution is needed that recognizes the unique demands and sacrifices of healers and balances the game so that healers can continue to play effectively without being forced out.

[glaphen]

I remember looking yesterday and the top like 3 of solo 3 vs 3 arena East were all healers, almost like they are OP or something, half the matches you get some healer who you cannot kill even with all 3 players hitting them, they have 150k healing and that isn't counting self healing when you were focusing them the whole match, your only shot is to burst the targets he can heal but those are still unlikely, wand can get over 250% healing buff to themselves with just their passives, healing for 610% x 3.5, that's 2135%, then they heal 50% extra to themselves for 3202%, there is a 30% penalty so it is only 2241%, longbow Sniping does 1968% for a 3 second charge against a rooted target, if it doesn't crit it could do 1/5th of that, and evasion is popular, and it can be blocked since they don't have a hard CC only root, that has an 18 second cooldown, wand heal can be used 3 times every 12 seconds, longbow has 3 other damage skills and they only do less damage than that, you aren't killing a healer unless you have someone with healing reduction debuff, that healers can cleanse, or 2 greatswords that combo uninterrupted, assuming they don't have anti-melee build, that is only 1 heal, they have 7 others and still can hard CC someone for 6 seconds.
Oh and somehow I didn't even mention the fact that Sniping is an attack skill, which means if someone has 2500 armor, they are taking half damage in the first place, then there's skill damage reduction lowering it by like another 20%, add endurance users, meanwhile healing is unaffected by armor, unaffected by skill damage reduction, but affected by skill damage boost, and ignores endurance for it's crits, and can't be evaded.

[🅼entalpatient]

Originally posted by MechaTR:

In Throne and Liberty (T&L), the healer role faces significant challenges that impact both PvE and PvP experiences. Despite optimizing stats—such as 50% mana efficiency, 61% cooldown reduction, 72% skill healing, 6% attack speed, 40% buff duration, 1,000 magic and melee endurance, 10,000 HP, approximately 1,600 melee/magic/ranged defense, and 12,000 mana—healers often find their contributions undervalued.

1. PvE Challenges:

-> Limited Rewards: Healers frequently receive minimal recognition or rewards for their support roles in dungeons and raids. Their primary function is to assist DPS players in gearing up, after which they are often sidelined.

-> Ineffective Healing in Mass PvP: In large-scale PvP scenarios, such as mass zerg battles, healing abilities are less effective. Targeted healing skills with long cooldowns and modest healing amounts (rarely exceeding 4,200 to 5,000 HP, even with critical hits) struggle to keep up with the rapid damage output.

2. PvP Challenges:

-> Vulnerability to DPS and CC: Healers are susceptible to DPS players who employ crowd control (CC) tactics. With high evasion stats (often exceeding 1,300 or 1,500), these opponents can lock healers in CC chains, leading to quick defeats.

-> Lack of Survivability: Even with substantial gear scores (e.g., 3,600), healers can be overwhelmed by DPS or tank players within seconds due to CC combos and insufficient defensive capabilities.

3. Gameplay and Progression Concerns:

-> Dominance of Mega Guilds: The game's structure allows large guilds to dominate servers, controlling resources and access to high-tier gear. This monopolization makes it challenging for individual players or smaller guilds to progress or acquire desired equipment.

-> Pay-to-Win (P2W) Elements: The in-game economy and progression systems are heavily influenced by P2W mechanics. Essential items and traits are often priced exorbitantly in the Auction House, necessitating significant real-money investment to remain competitive.

-> Upcoming Healer Nerfs: Future patches indicate further nerfs to healer capabilities, while DPS roles are set to receive buffs. This imbalance raises concerns about the viability and enjoyment of playing as a healer.

Conclusion:

The current state of T&L presents substantial obstacles for players who prefer the healer role. The combination of undervalued contributions, susceptibility in combat, and systemic issues within the game's economy and progression systems diminishes the appeal of playing as a healer. Addressing these concerns is crucial to ensure a balanced and rewarding experience for all player roles.

Enhancing Throne and Liberty: Recommendations for a Richer Gameplay Experience

To elevate Throne and Liberty (T&L) and provide a more engaging experience for all players, several enhancements are recommended:

1. Introduce Sandbox Elements:

Interactive Content: Incorporate features that allow players and guilds to shape the game world, fostering creativity and personal investment.

Player-Driven Structures: Enable the construction of guild houses and castles within the open world, moving beyond instanced zones to create a dynamic environment.

2. Expand PvP and PvE Content:

Diverse Combat Scenarios: Implement systems like Lineage 2's Fortress Siege, single-guild free-for-all PvP battles without alliances, and naval combat, including underwater exploration and shipwreck hunting.

Rich Dungeon Experiences: Design dungeons inspired by titles such as Tera Online, Blade and Soul, Aion, Lineage 2, and ArcheAge, emphasizing intricate storylines, exploration, and challenging encounters.

3. Develop Faction-Based Features:

Collaborative and Competitive Dynamics: Introduce faction-related mechanics similar to those in New World and ArcheAge, encouraging players to collaborate on building projects and engage in conflicts, thereby enriching the game's social and strategic layers.
4. Address Technical Issues:

Optimize Event Participation: Reevaluate event-based activities that currently favor dominant guilds, ensuring that map sizes and event locations can accommodate large player numbers without performance degradation.

Improve Server Performance: Focus on resolving FPS drops, crashes, latency issues, server lags, and disconnections, particularly in the EU region, to provide a stable and enjoyable gaming experience.

By implementing these enhancements, T&L can offer a more immersive and balanced experience, catering to a diverse player base and fostering a vibrant in-game community.

tldr

[Teykila]

The most frustrating part about healing is the very limited range compared to other MMO.
DPS/tanks don't realise that you have to be quite close to the healer to be in range.
I can't count how many time i try to heal someone at 10% health and he just sit there on the other side of the boss arena.
2nd frustrating part is the long cool-down on every healing tools :(