FFXIV community torn as game’s most difficult fight is cleared without healers
Square EnixAlpha Omega and other Endwalker bosses have huge target circles, which will be changing in Dawntrail.
The Final Fantasy XIV community has been divided after the hardest fight in the game, The Omega Protocol, was cleared without healers.
Final Fantasy XIV, as an MMORPG, has what many would call the holy trinity of roles. You’ve got your big tanks in the front, soaking up damage and mitigating as appropriate. Next, you’ve got the DPS, classes of all shapes and sizes, dishing out damage to whittle away at health bars. Finally, the healers are the ones who are keeping the party alive, and generally speaking, receives the most blame if someone dies.
All roles in the game hold similar importance, with the game being balanced around a 4-man party of 1 tank, healer, and 2 DPS, or an 8-man party of 2 tanks, healers, and 4 DPS. This is particularly true for savage and ultimate-level fights, which are by far the most difficult and challenging forms of content spread throughout the game.
However, a recent video of a team clearing the hardest ultimate The Omega Protocol has showcased that healers might not be as important as once thought.
FFXIV players clear The Omega Protocol without any healers
Final Fantasy XIV player Silence River entered the Omega Protocol with 3 tanks and 5 DPS, completely leaving healers behind. River’s team composition comprised of 2 Paladins, 1 Warrior, a Summoner, a Red Mage, a Dancer, a Monk, and a Reaper. Despite not having any healers in their party, River was able to clear the fight rather well, only losing players a mechanic near the end of the fight.
The video has garnered a lot of attention from the FFXIV community, gaining 18,000 views as of the time of writing. Many have applauded the group for being able to pull off such a feat, whilst others have felt that it shows the game’s poor balancing for the fight.
Content creator Momo retweeted the original completion, stating “Wakey wakey Square Enix”. And it appears many others have shared their sentiment.
“Really cool that they did it, really dumb that it’s possible” a user stated.
Some users have spoken up about the redundancy of healers in the game, with many classes able to heal, revive and buff the party in the way healers can.
“I love playing a healer. I love playing a role that can be made redundant.” another user echoed.
With the hardest fight in the game no cleared without healers, it’s up to Square Enix to make larger changes in order to rebalance the classes, ensuring that healers don’t become redundant in the process.
