History Main / HealerSignsOnEarly

* ''VideoGame/SecretOfMana'': Primm is a typical "Support-mage" type character who joins the party fairly early in the game, but she can't learn any spells without the assistance of the [[ElementalEmbodiment mana spirits]]. The first of these spirits the party meets is the water spirit, Undine, who teaches Primm a [[HealItWithWater "Healing Water"]] spell.

*** Inverted in ''VideoGame/LightningReturnsFinalFantasy XIII'' - the only healing the player gets is from using either healing items or Curaga (which costs Energy Points). Technically there is also the [[GuestStarPartyMember Angel of Valhalla]], but he is only present in one of four major areas, and it takes some care before he can start healing.

*** Inverted in ''VideoGame/LightningReturns'' - the only healing the player gets is from using either healing items or Curaga (which costs Energy Points). Technically there is also the [[GuestStarPartyMember Angel of Valhalla]], but he is only present in one of four major areas, and it takes some care before he can start healing.

** ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireII'': Bow, your second teammate, is a healer. Though he does temporarily drop out of the party for plot reasons after the first act. Fortunately, one of your next party members can also heal.

** ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIV'': your first playable is Nina; she joins with healing spells, and remain the best healer in the game.

* ''VideoGame/{{Crysalis}}'': The game starts with only Mio, and he has an Extract, "Extract Life", to HealThyself for 25 [[{{Mana}} CP]].

** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII'', the WhiteMage class is one of the first the player gets.

*** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIVTheAfterYears'', almost every single chapter either gives the protagonist healing abilities, or gives the player a character with a healing ability early on.

** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'', Terra is the main character and remains a constant part of your party (other than the scenario where Locke and the moogles have to protect her) until the Lethe River. She has a healing spell. And when Locke goes on his own solo mission, he meets Celes before he has to do much fighting - she comes with one too.

** In ''Videogame/FinalFantasyVIII'', one of the first spells you can draw is the Cure spell.
** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'', turns out the princess you are supposed to kidnap (and who, incidentally, actually ''wants'' to be kidnapped), Garnet, is a WhiteMagicianGirl, who is also able to summon Eidolons, powerful creatures.

** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'', the player is immediately given two chemists, who specialize in using healing items and can develop into true mages (White, Black, or any other). In addiition, one ability [[TheHero Ramza]] can get is [[SacrificialHealingMove Chant]], which allows him to learn others at the cost of his own health, and it's literally the only ability in the game that costs nothing to learn.

** In ''VideoGame/BravelyDefault'', the SpiritualSuccessor of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'', you can unlock the "White mage" job rather quickly, but there is a twist: you [[VictorGainsLosersPowers get the Job by defeating a White Mage boss.]] ''Bravely Default'' also grants a basic healing move as the second one learned by the default Freelancer Job and can be learned even before fighting the White Mage.

** ''VideoGame/BravelyDefaultII'': The Freelancer once again returns as the initial job, and the White Mage becomes available after the very first Asterisk boss battle in the game.

** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThracia776'', the resident Lena, Safy, is the first staff user to join. You get her in the fourth chapter (including 2x, the completion of which is required to recruit her). If you miss chapter 2x, your first medic is Nanna, who joins in chapter 5. If you missed Safy, [[OhCrap good luck slugging your way]] [[EarlyGameHell through chapters 3, 4 and 4x without a healer in the abusrdly difficult earlygame that is Thracia.]]

* ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'': In the human and undead campaigns of the first game, your hero starts with a powerful healing spell (that deals damage to undead/living respectively). The orc campaign instead starts you with an offensive caster, but one who can also summon a pair of expendable wolves to tank for you. The night elves are largely out of luck, although being a ranged GlassCannon faction, they're less reliant on it than others.

* ''VideoGame/StarcraftII'': In both the ''[[VideoGame/StarcraftIIWingsOfLiberty Wings of Liberty]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/StarcraftIIHeartOfTheSwarm Heart of the Swarm]]'' campaigns, the first unit you unlock after the basic combat unit has a healing ability (the Medic and Swarm Queen respectively). ''[[VideoGame/StarcraftIILegacyOfTheVoid Legacy of the Void]]'' does it a bit differently, as the Protoss don't have a healer; instead, early on you unlock the Shield Battery and Sentry for replenishing units' shields, while actual healing is only unlocked later in the campaign (and even then only for Mechanical units).

** ''VideoGame/StarOceanTheSecondStory'': If the player chooses Claude's side of the story. The other potential viewpoint character, Rena, is the first to join.

* ''VideoGame/AtelierSophieTheAlchemistOfTheMysteriousBook:'' There are no Healer characters, but PlayerCharacter Sophie uses ItemCrafting to make healing items, and making a low-level potion is one of the first side quests. She can also equip them, which is not possible for some of the other party members.

** In the game's distant predecessor, ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'', the first addition to Mario's party is Mallow, who has a healing rain spell. He's not a dedicated healer, though, he's TheRedMage. The job of dedicated healer belongs to Princess Toadstool, who is the last party member to join about mid-way through the game.

* ''VideoGame/BravelyDefault'': The Freelancer job available at the start of the game has a self-healing ability, and one of the first jobs the player can get is the White Mage.
* ''VideoGame/BravelySecond'': The Freelancer returns as the initial job, and the Bishop job replaces the White Mage as the early game healer job, though the latter becomes available later on.
* ''VideoGame/BravelyDefaultII'': The Freelancer once again returns as the initial job, and the White Mage becomes available after the very first Asterisk boss battle in the game.

* The [[VideoGame/{{MOTHER}} MOTHER/Earthbound]] series has a tradition of making the protagonist the party's main healer, which is rare for the genre. [[VideoGame/{{Earthbound}} Ness]], [[VideoGame/EarthboundBeginnings Ninten]], and [[VideoGame/Mother3 Lucas]] all qualify, having most of the advanced healing PSI and relying on physical attacks (and [[LastDiscMagic one or two late-game PSI attacks]], like PK Rockin' for Ness and PK Love for Lucas) for offense, leaving most of the combat PSI to their female counterparts, [[BlackMagicianGirl Ana, Paula, and Kumatora]].

** ''VideoGame/Persona5'' meanwhile pulls a double whammy. Not only the first party member to join is Morgana, one of the team's main healers, the first new Persona you acquire as part of a tutorial is once again Pixie. Ann also joins the roster not long after, and she too knows a few healing spells to take some SP pressure off Morgana.

* In ''VideoGame/LostOdyssey'' Jensen, who primarily specilizes in Black Magic starts with some low level healing spells. These will serve just long enough for the team to get through a few dungeons and get their next teammate, who is a pure healer. Noticably Jenkins never learns any new healing magic, causing his starting healing magic to degrade to the point of uselessness (save for the ability to heal paralysis) rather quickly, which makes it pretty clear his tiny batch of white magic spells was entirely due to this trope, to support the team until they could get a real healer.

*** Irina becomes a recruitable party member after Chapter 3. She comes with the Buff Art "Repair", which restores some HP and removes debuffs and eventurally learns "Smooth Recovery," her unique party wide heal. At the same time, all characters are capable of healing one another through Soul Voice: using an Art corresponding with a party member's request restores HP for both the requester and the character performing the Art.
*** [[PlayerCharacter Cross]] can also become one early on if they choose the Enforcer class. Not only can you learn "Repair" fairly early on into the class, but you can also unlock Irina's "Smooth Recovery" as soon as you finish her first affinitiy mission, which unlocks when Irina becomes recruitable after chapter 3.

** ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' doesn't have a healing ability -- only [[HealingPotion Medi-Gel doses]] that anyone can use at will. But there is the 'First Aid' Talent that makes each dose more potent for the whole party and 'Medicine' that lets you wait less between shots. Your very first squadmate (well, not counting [[RedShirt Jenkins]]) is Kaidan Alenko, who starts with both talents and incidentally is the only squaddie with the latter. [[PlayerCharacter Shepard]] also gets the unique Unity skill that can be used to revive downed party memebers, making them as close to a straight example as you can get.

* Inverted in ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'' with Fall-from-Grace. She's the only healer that you can recruit and she's located in Clerk's Ward that is about mid-game. Much longer than your first fighter, (part) thief and (part) mage, whom you can recruit from the beginning to early game. This isn't too much of a problem, as the PlayerCharacter is a immortal that regenerates health points and can learn ressurrection. Plus healing services are easily available.

* In ''VideoGame/Jak3'', the first spell Jak learns when he gets access to his "Light Jak" form around 40 minutes into the game is Regnerate, which restores his health as long as he has enough Light Eco.

* ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'': In the human and undead campaigns of the first game, your hero starts with a powerful healing spell (that deals damage to undead/living respectively).