Summary
Healers inFinal Fantasyusually take on the role of the White Mage, serving as a dedicated support class that can rejuvenate the party whenever required. However, this comes with a major tradeoff, as these characters are incredibly weak and unable to handle more than a few physical hits before being downed.
This makes it important toprioritize a strategythat protects these party members at all times. Sticking them in the back row to minimize damage is tried and tested in this regard. Even ifthese Healer party members are weak, they’re must-haves for players to enjoy the benefits of a well-balancedFinal Fantasysquad that can take out challenging bosses without too many problems.
Rosais the dedicated White Mage inFinal Fantasy 4and Cecil’s love interest. She’s present in the party early on before a poisoning takes her out of commission as Cecil continues with his adventures.
Eventually, she regains her strength and permanently joins the party. She’s a useful White Mage who may have poor physical stats, but she makes up for it with her healing powers, along with surprisingly effective ranged attacks where she can use a bow to take out foes from a safe distance.
Aerithis one of the most iconicFinal Fantasyparty members of all time. While everyone can technically become a healer in the game, courtesy of the materia system, her high magical skills, coupled with innate support abilities, make her the perfect fit fora White Mage role.
Loading her up with healing magic is a great way to make things easier for the player, with her Limit Breaks doing a great job of supporting the party when they’re in dire straits. There’s a reason why players lamented her loss, as fans will miss her magical prowess inFinal Fantasy 7,even if she was a glass cannon who could be downed in a few hits from tough opposition.
As a White Mage-in-training, it’s easy to seewhyPoromcan be weaker than Rosa. While the latter can still hold her own in battle courtesy of a bow, Porom’s physical stats are so pitiful that players are better off using the Defend command instead of making her attack for measly damage.
However, this should take nothing away from her effectiveness as a healer, making her valuable in a support role against tough opposition. As long as players keep Porom out of harm’s way, they’ll be able to keep the party in tip-top shape during tough-as-nails encounters.
WhileDaggerand Eiko both have access to White Magic,the latter is more adeptin this regard and can use the Double White Trance ability to hammer home her competence in this support role. While Dagger has access to stronger summons, that often doesn’t make up for her lack of healing prowess compared to Eiko.
This slight weakness is something that fans will notice quickly, leading to them using Eiko in their party instead of Dagger more often than not. However, the princess of Alexandria is far from useless and can still play a major role in the party as long as players are willing to cover for her weaknesses.
While players are recommended to keepaWhite Magein their partyin the firstFinal Fantasygame, there’s a catch they must be aware of. While this class' healing and support spells are game-changers, this White Mage is incredibly weak and must be kept in the back row at all times.
Without Holy, the only time a White Mage is useful in an offensive capacity is when players are dealing with undead enemies. Otherwise, players are better off defending and ensuring the Warrior of Light can survive the toughest blows if they’re targeted by physical powerhouses.
UnlikeFinal Fantasy 12, the sequel gives dedicated roles to each party member to conform toa traditional job system.Penelotakes on the role of a White Mage who has no offensive capabilities to speak of and should always be placed behind the attacking force.
Holy is the only way she can deal substantial damage, and that isn’t acquired until she reaches Level 42. Until then, players must make a point to organize their forces in a manner that means Penelo is never in harm’s way, since failing to secure her safety will lead to the party’s White Mage being downed in record time.
