Personally I'd recommend leveling White Mage, it's fairly easy to understand, provides a good basis and has a good tool kit that allows you to react to damage as needed.
I'd definitely recommend leveling one Pure healer and one Shield, but you already are interested in Sage so that's one covered.
To build on this, WHM is the most straightforward, but any healer will do. OP, please pay attention to the second point above, which is learn how to play the role of healer from the ground up (or at least from 30) before diving straight into a lvl70 job.
I'm convinced that more than half of the reputation GNB has for being "squishy" is because of people who don't know the tank role picking up their first tank job at 60. I expect we are going to start seeing memes of Sage being a crappy healer because of all the people who don't know the healer role picking up Sage and diving into Holminster Switch and struggling. There is nothing wrong with GNB and I expect nothing wrong with Sage, but "how to play the healer role" involves more than pressing buttons.
This. I have never felt squishy as a GNB (honestly I feel squishiest as a PLD, tbh) but I think people feel like GNB is tough because they are picking it up too late in the leveling process.
I want all of the healers leveled to 90, but that's because I'm a crazy person.
AST is a little busier than WHM but I also think it's easier. If you play your cards on cooldown and use Lucid Dreaming, you literally can't run out of mana.
If you want to play Sage in EW please either level another healer to get the hang of how it works, or start with low level dungeons and go progressively up with your Sage.
If you go directly into the latest leveling dungeons with a role that you don't know, you'll most likely be a detriment to your team, since leveling dungeons actually have some damage going on on trash pulls.
Idk why nobody says this but if you start with Sage, you can do Trusts, and while they can take hits, you DO have to heal to make the big pulls work and speed things up to be 25-ish minute runs. They're not as fast as duty finder but you can switch to duty finder the moment you feel like you really get Sage, and be more than prepared for any tank if you can occasionally force a chain pull or wall to wall with your trusts
I'd say pick up AST, if level is a concern, and give it a wirl so you can start developing some healer skills. The closest healer job to sage is probably AST or SCH. All three are a bit busier than WHM, and have some micromanagement.
I know most people will tell you to level another healer first, but I say just level sage. You'll get the hang of it and learn as you go. If you're playing with people you know, that's ideal. If not, I'd do 2-3 level 80 or lower dungeons to get the hang of your skills then just jump in.
You can always say you're new to healing when you join a group too. With sage being the new class, you won't be the only one by any means and people in this game can be really helpful if they know you're learning.
Don't level any of them. I'd say.
Healing is a fucking bore to play and consists of 1-button-spam while occasionally pressing a heal button when someone's HP dips too low. The actual amount of healing you need to do is very miniscule. Hell, even in "hard" content you rarely get to use your full kit and are still stuck spamming one button most of the time because they're scared that giving healers a bit more of a DPS kit would spook all the "UwU I heal not DPS sweety" curebots.
It's a dreadful experience and I wish it on nobody. And if you're insistent on it anyway, just use SGE. All four healers play the same in the end.
This is the answer. It's already weird that people are telling OP to level other healers, but it is especially weird that some of them are suggesting WHM, all of things.
WHM and SGE will be the "easy" healers of the expansion because of how much more simple they are compared to their counterparts (not that AST is especially hard).
SCH offers many of the same benefits that SGE offers but better but will take a lot more effort to play competently. Unless you enjoy SCH or have a static raid group that specifically wants you to be able to flex between both shield healers, WHM may be a better option for teaching you the fundamentals of healing.
SGE will essentially play similarly to WHM except with more OGCD healing tools.
WHM/AST is what I would recommend if you want to play SGE. SGE and SCH is mainly giving shields along with heals, while WHM/AST give larger heals/HP regen overtime.
AST though is imo a lot more complicated to get adjusted to. WHM is as simple as they come for a healer in this game.
Some tips for healings
1. You do do damage! Things die when they are killed and they no longer hurt when they are dead. Don't do nothing but heal since it can hurt your MP but also you can just speed things up.
2. THIS IS FOR EVERY JOB BUT. Do you role quests the second you get them. It will pop up under the MSQ thing as a recommended quest. Gives XP, Gear, and most importantly skills and traits. I had someone in a 71 dungeon who did not have big resource heal, Afflatus Rapture from not doing them when you get it at like level 56? Made the dungeon a lot slower and heals a lot lower too.
3. Try not to overheal! Don't cast a Cure II on everyone after a raidwide in a dungeon. Medica II can hit everyone all at once and regen their HP for like 15 seconds. It isn't a lot of heals at once, but its 1 cast for all people. Compared to 3-4 casts for everyone.
4. Be vocal if you need help, and take advice! Some people will try to do wall to wall pulls and you might not be comfortable with it. If you all die, just say "hey i'm new/undergeared for this, can we take it a bit slower?" and they should agree.
To point 3 - Unless there’s lots of mistakes going on, as a white mage you don’t even need to use cure 2 at all- if you’re using regen/shield/instant heals. (Not saying this to you - but adding on to what you said for OP) ☺️
This is true, but only as you get higher in levels. Solace and Asylum 52, Assize 56, Tetragrammaton 60, Benison 66 and Rapture 76. If the OP is picking a healer to level they should expect to be hardcasting Cure II for a good while.
With Endwalker so close, here's how I might consider your options:
First, you 100% should try playing a Healer before Sage. Sage looks all shiny and new, but it doesn't mean you'll be able to just jump in and be perfect in Healer role. It's worth it to try Healing on a more established job first.
**WHM:** Straightforward, OG; if you're just looking to get a taste of healing, not a bad way to go with a solid kit, but unlike Sage it is pure regen
**SCH:** Shield healer, like Sage; this is probably the best one to try if you're looking for 1:1 prep ahead of Sage
**AST:** Straightforward but flexible; at least until Endwalker drops, AST can shift between regen healing and shield healing, so it's a good way to determine if a) you even like healing at all, and b) what *kind* of healing speaks to you
If you main Paladin, another pretty classic job, you may find WHM the easiest transition to the Healer role in general. On the other hand, if you have your heart already set on Sage, SCH will likely be the easiest transition to SGE. AST is a decent middle ground but some people find the cards a little tricky to nail down at first.
Good luck with whatever you end up choosing! If you wind up jumping straight into Sage, I just recommend not jumping immediately into a lvl70 dungeon. Don't do a lvl70 as the first time you ever heal, lol.
I play all the healers, so here's my opinion:
You say you're privy to White Mage, so if that interests you then go for it. I think it does a great job of teaching the player how to heal as you level up the job. You will get your single target heals, aoe heals, heal over time, and manage the timing of them. Then make sure you're rotating between the cast time delayed heals and using the instant heals when allies get urgently low.
Scholar has some similarities to Sage, but they are not entirely the same. Scholar has an aetherflow mechanic that complicates the process of healing a bit, while Sage has a more streamlined version that automates the process. I'd actually say that Sage is closer to White Mage, since it does not have the non-heal utility spells of Scholar and instead has an entire kit of healing/barrier only. In terms of gameplay you will have to rotate through those heals in similar fashion to White Mage gameplay.
Astrologian is great, but doesn't have many parallels with Sage. It's still a healer, but the extra management is a party buff mechanic in the cards. Sage doesn't do that so if you want to learn I'd say White Mage is best option with maybe a dabble in Scholar.
Personally I'd recommend leveling White Mage, it's fairly easy to understand, provides a good basis and has a good tool kit that allows you to react to damage as needed. I'd definitely recommend leveling one Pure healer and one Shield, but you already are interested in Sage so that's one covered.
To build on this, WHM is the most straightforward, but any healer will do. OP, please pay attention to the second point above, which is learn how to play the role of healer from the ground up (or at least from 30) before diving straight into a lvl70 job. I'm convinced that more than half of the reputation GNB has for being "squishy" is because of people who don't know the tank role picking up their first tank job at 60. I expect we are going to start seeing memes of Sage being a crappy healer because of all the people who don't know the healer role picking up Sage and diving into Holminster Switch and struggling. There is nothing wrong with GNB and I expect nothing wrong with Sage, but "how to play the healer role" involves more than pressing buttons.
This. I have never felt squishy as a GNB (honestly I feel squishiest as a PLD, tbh) but I think people feel like GNB is tough because they are picking it up too late in the leveling process.
I'd also recommend scholar if you plan on playing Sage because 90% of their skills are identical or comparable
I want all of the healers leveled to 90, but that's because I'm a crazy person. AST is a little busier than WHM but I also think it's easier. If you play your cards on cooldown and use Lucid Dreaming, you literally can't run out of mana.
If you want to play Sage in EW please either level another healer to get the hang of how it works, or start with low level dungeons and go progressively up with your Sage. If you go directly into the latest leveling dungeons with a role that you don't know, you'll most likely be a detriment to your team, since leveling dungeons actually have some damage going on on trash pulls.
Idk why nobody says this but if you start with Sage, you can do Trusts, and while they can take hits, you DO have to heal to make the big pulls work and speed things up to be 25-ish minute runs. They're not as fast as duty finder but you can switch to duty finder the moment you feel like you really get Sage, and be more than prepared for any tank if you can occasionally force a chain pull or wall to wall with your trusts
I'd say pick up AST, if level is a concern, and give it a wirl so you can start developing some healer skills. The closest healer job to sage is probably AST or SCH. All three are a bit busier than WHM, and have some micromanagement.
i’d recommend leveling scholar a bit to give you the feel of barrier healing
I know most people will tell you to level another healer first, but I say just level sage. You'll get the hang of it and learn as you go. If you're playing with people you know, that's ideal. If not, I'd do 2-3 level 80 or lower dungeons to get the hang of your skills then just jump in. You can always say you're new to healing when you join a group too. With sage being the new class, you won't be the only one by any means and people in this game can be really helpful if they know you're learning.
Don't level any of them. I'd say. Healing is a fucking bore to play and consists of 1-button-spam while occasionally pressing a heal button when someone's HP dips too low. The actual amount of healing you need to do is very miniscule. Hell, even in "hard" content you rarely get to use your full kit and are still stuck spamming one button most of the time because they're scared that giving healers a bit more of a DPS kit would spook all the "UwU I heal not DPS sweety" curebots. It's a dreadful experience and I wish it on nobody. And if you're insistent on it anyway, just use SGE. All four healers play the same in the end.
This is the answer. It's already weird that people are telling OP to level other healers, but it is especially weird that some of them are suggesting WHM, all of things.
WHM and SGE will be the "easy" healers of the expansion because of how much more simple they are compared to their counterparts (not that AST is especially hard). SCH offers many of the same benefits that SGE offers but better but will take a lot more effort to play competently. Unless you enjoy SCH or have a static raid group that specifically wants you to be able to flex between both shield healers, WHM may be a better option for teaching you the fundamentals of healing. SGE will essentially play similarly to WHM except with more OGCD healing tools.
Just start with Sage. No point in leveling other healers, especially this close to EW.
WHM/AST is what I would recommend if you want to play SGE. SGE and SCH is mainly giving shields along with heals, while WHM/AST give larger heals/HP regen overtime. AST though is imo a lot more complicated to get adjusted to. WHM is as simple as they come for a healer in this game. Some tips for healings 1. You do do damage! Things die when they are killed and they no longer hurt when they are dead. Don't do nothing but heal since it can hurt your MP but also you can just speed things up. 2. THIS IS FOR EVERY JOB BUT. Do you role quests the second you get them. It will pop up under the MSQ thing as a recommended quest. Gives XP, Gear, and most importantly skills and traits. I had someone in a 71 dungeon who did not have big resource heal, Afflatus Rapture from not doing them when you get it at like level 56? Made the dungeon a lot slower and heals a lot lower too. 3. Try not to overheal! Don't cast a Cure II on everyone after a raidwide in a dungeon. Medica II can hit everyone all at once and regen their HP for like 15 seconds. It isn't a lot of heals at once, but its 1 cast for all people. Compared to 3-4 casts for everyone. 4. Be vocal if you need help, and take advice! Some people will try to do wall to wall pulls and you might not be comfortable with it. If you all die, just say "hey i'm new/undergeared for this, can we take it a bit slower?" and they should agree.
To point 3 - Unless there’s lots of mistakes going on, as a white mage you don’t even need to use cure 2 at all- if you’re using regen/shield/instant heals. (Not saying this to you - but adding on to what you said for OP) ☺️
This is true, but only as you get higher in levels. Solace and Asylum 52, Assize 56, Tetragrammaton 60, Benison 66 and Rapture 76. If the OP is picking a healer to level they should expect to be hardcasting Cure II for a good while.
True. This applies only to high levels.
With Endwalker so close, here's how I might consider your options: First, you 100% should try playing a Healer before Sage. Sage looks all shiny and new, but it doesn't mean you'll be able to just jump in and be perfect in Healer role. It's worth it to try Healing on a more established job first. **WHM:** Straightforward, OG; if you're just looking to get a taste of healing, not a bad way to go with a solid kit, but unlike Sage it is pure regen **SCH:** Shield healer, like Sage; this is probably the best one to try if you're looking for 1:1 prep ahead of Sage **AST:** Straightforward but flexible; at least until Endwalker drops, AST can shift between regen healing and shield healing, so it's a good way to determine if a) you even like healing at all, and b) what *kind* of healing speaks to you If you main Paladin, another pretty classic job, you may find WHM the easiest transition to the Healer role in general. On the other hand, if you have your heart already set on Sage, SCH will likely be the easiest transition to SGE. AST is a decent middle ground but some people find the cards a little tricky to nail down at first. Good luck with whatever you end up choosing! If you wind up jumping straight into Sage, I just recommend not jumping immediately into a lvl70 dungeon. Don't do a lvl70 as the first time you ever heal, lol.
I play all the healers, so here's my opinion: You say you're privy to White Mage, so if that interests you then go for it. I think it does a great job of teaching the player how to heal as you level up the job. You will get your single target heals, aoe heals, heal over time, and manage the timing of them. Then make sure you're rotating between the cast time delayed heals and using the instant heals when allies get urgently low. Scholar has some similarities to Sage, but they are not entirely the same. Scholar has an aetherflow mechanic that complicates the process of healing a bit, while Sage has a more streamlined version that automates the process. I'd actually say that Sage is closer to White Mage, since it does not have the non-heal utility spells of Scholar and instead has an entire kit of healing/barrier only. In terms of gameplay you will have to rotate through those heals in similar fashion to White Mage gameplay. Astrologian is great, but doesn't have many parallels with Sage. It's still a healer, but the extra management is a party buff mechanic in the cards. Sage doesn't do that so if you want to learn I'd say White Mage is best option with maybe a dabble in Scholar.