Like in other MMOs, the healer job classes in Final Fantasy XIV offers heals, shields, and DPS hits. You can opt for a healer-only support like White Mage or be more adventurous with offensive-healer classes like the Sage.
Each FFXIV healer job class has unique skill sets. Your experience in healing determines which healer will work well for you. So, we've curated a comprehensive FFXIV healer tier list to help you find a support class that fits your playstyle.
Tier B: Astrologian
Astrologian is a much-loved healer in FFXIV. While it began as a rocky job, Square Enix ensured this issue was short-lived.
Using their magical card skills like Astral Draw, Play I/II/III, and Umbral Draw, Astrologian can dish out raid-wide healing and buffs. These cards help heal allies, add in regens, and deal damage to enemies with Combust and Malefic.
Additionally, skills like Synastry help to bond with a target and heal them while self-healing during challenging raids.
Thanks to Nocturnal Sect and Diurnal Sect stances, Astrologians can switch between offering shields or casting regens for the team. So, if you're the co-healer of a raid or alliance team, you can choose your stance depending on the other healers.
While leveling this healing class, you'll notice how Astrologian steadily becomes a healer-only class without the strong shields and damage.
Tier A- Sage
Sage is, by far, the most dangerous healer, thanks to synched offensive and defensive abilities. This is not your traditional FFXIV healer class but a more profound damage dealer whose skills heal as you damage more.
Sage's Kardia ensures its target restores HP with its magic attacks. Sages also carry damage-enhancing skills like Eukresia, which heals and damages with DoT for faster boss clears.
Alongside these abilities, Sages also offer massive AoE healing with Prognosis, Phystis, and Ixochole. Thanks to Eukresia, you can evolve Progonosis into Eukrasian Progonosis. Casting these lets you AoE heal and cast a magical barrier that absorbs and nullifies the damage for all.
And thanks to its trustworthy shields like Haima and Kerachole, your party's tank and the weakest player can remain safe.
Tier A: White Mage
The White Mage perfectly balances shields and heals, with a sprinkle of offensive abilities. This is a straightforward healing class where the healer does its job perfectly. From offering healing spells like Tetragrammaton, Benediction, and Cure to shielding up a large area with Asylmn AoE healing and HP recovery, the White Mage has it all.
White Mages also offer offensive+defensive combo skills like Assize that damage all nearby enemies while granting HP to nearby party members. Additionally, White Mages can cast Divine Bennison to absorb some party damage, letting the party stay on its feet.
So, if you want an easy healer class, it is jam-packed with healing, shielding, buffing, and keeping everyone safe till the last minute.
Tier S: Scholar
Their faeries, Selene and Eos, make the Scholar job class so interesting. Eos also fights by the healer's side and helps party affected party members.
Scholar's faeries help cast quick buffs and regens with skills like Whispering Dawn, Fey Illumination, etc. You can also use Lustrate, Indomitability, Sacred Soil, and Energy Drain to increase the faeries' healing gauge.
What makes the Scholar so perfect is their Adloquium ability. Not only does it nullify the target's damage and restore HP with Galvanize, but the Catalyze effect nullifies damage equal to 180% of the restored HP.
Plus, given Scholar's shield-first healing ability, there are tonnes of healing and regen abilities. Due to this, Scholars cast out several healing abilities every second to avoid a party wipe.
Given that Scholars not only keep a party safe but also control the faeries, it's a player-responsible class. Thankfully, the job skills sync perfectly, making it a beginner-friendly healer class for newbies.
If you're a new player looking to take up the mantle of a support class in FFXIV, Scholar and White Mage are the ways to go. But if you're an experienced healer who knows their way around complicated game mechanics, Sage and Astrologian are your best bets.