Related
Type
White Magic
Level
3
Effect
Restores 12-24 HP to all allies.
Power
12
Target
All allies
Price
1,500 gil
Sold In
Elfheim
Cast By Items
Healing Staff, Healing Helm
Heal1 is a good Spell for recovery from attacks that hit everyone, or just gaining back some HP after some time in a dungeon. It has the effect of a little more than half a Sleeping Bag, which isn't much, but it's still more on average (72 HP divided among 4 characters) than Cure2 (50 HP to one character). With level 3 white magic being such a loaded level, you may have to decide between Cure2 and Heal1. Cure2 is better at saving a life in the middle of combat, while Heal1 is a better general recovery Spell. Of course, by the end of the game you will have collected three Items that cast Heal1 for free, so there is that to consider.
Type
White Magic
Level
7
Effect
Restores 48-96 HP to all allies.
Power
48
Target
All allies
Price
45,000 gil
Sold In
Onlak
In the continual struggle between Cure and Heal Spells, Cure4 beats Heal3 hands down. Cure4 simply restores a character to full HP (and removes Status Ailments), while Heal3 restores a moderate amount of HP to the party. Fortunately, Dia4 and NulMgc aren't the best Spells you'll ever see, so you may still be able to fit Heal3 into your Spell list.
Type
White Magic
Level
1
Effect
Restores 16-32 HP.
Power
16
Target
One ally
Price
100 gil
Sold In
Cornelia
Cure1 is the staple healing Spell, restoring as much hp as a Potion without costing 60 gil. Early in the game this is your primary source of healing, but as time wears on, the Spell becomes a lot less useful. With a maximum of 9 level 1 Spell slots, you're talking about a little over 200 hp worth of healing, which is unimpressive (especially when you can carry 11 times as many Potions). Still, it is free healing, so if you don't like to use your other level 1 Spell slots, Cure1 still has its uses late into the game.
Type
White Magic
Level
3
Effect
Restores 33-66 HP.
Power
33
Target
One ally
Price
1,500 gil
Sold In
Elfheim
Cure2 is the second staple white magic Cure Spell, healing around 50 HP to one character on average. It's not a huge amount, but it can help quite a lot in the middle of a fight. Heal1 actually heals more HP on average (assuming everyone in the party is hurt), and because Dia2 and NulFire are such good Spells, your White Mage may have trouble deciding which Spell to forego. Take whichever Spells seem immediately useful, and remember that you can always change your choices later.
Type
White Magic
Level
5
Effect
Restores 66-132 HP.
Power
66
Target
One ally
Price
8,000 gil
Sold In
Melmond
Once again you're faced with a Spell level full of good Spells and likely have to decide between Cure and Heal. Both Spells are identical to their predecessors, but with double the healing potential. Just to add to the decision-making fun, they also share a Spell level with Life1. Now on the one hand, Cure3's healing is finally getting significant, and can turn the tide in a tough battle. On the other hand, Spells and Special Attacks that damage the entire party are becoming more common, making Heal Spells more useful. In this case I'd favor Cure3, but not by much. (And of course for Red Mages it's a no-brainer.)
Sprite
Power
48
Type
White Magic
LV
5
Effect
Restores 48-96 HP to all allies
Target
All allies
Sold In
Melmond (8,000 G)
Yes, you read that description right: HEL2 cures double the amount it's supposed to when cast in combat. This makes it the clear choice of level 5 healing Spell for Wh.MAGES. (Unless you consider it cheating, but given how many bugs work against you in this game, it seems perfectly fair to use one that goes in your favor). Just remember not to use this Spell outside of combat, where it heals a measly 32–47 HP per character.