Is pre-buffing neccessary?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MilesSaintboroguh

Any buff is better than going in without.

---

So true. Which is why I will never understand people who find E4E "useless" or "unneeded". It is a free (no MP cost), instant cast spell that is off GCD. Even if the buff was incredibly minor it would still be useful for the plain fact that it is a free, instant cast spell that is off GCD. Where is the negative in casting it? It's not like healers have a rotation.

Pre-buff mitigation spells (Succor, Adlo. and Stoneskin) has no negatives other than the requirement of having to push buttons before the initial pull.

While there are no negatives, there is also no necessity to pre-buff as no fight really requires you to. If you choose to do so, you are investing nothing for time and possibly mana. In a fight that has raid-wide unavoidable AoE damage within the first 30 seconds of a fight, pre-buffed Succor'd allies provides a shield that prevents x amount of this. This damage prevented enables the healer to invest their time into DPSing (or mana conservation) due lack of missing HP. This in essence saves you both mana and gives you more time to do things.

"But Succor costs mana! So does Stoneskin II!" By the time the initial pull happens, your mana will be at 100% unless you've wiped previously in a raid or dungeon that has trash mobs before boss fights (Turn 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, etc.).

"Okay. How about Stoneskin?" That lasts 30 minutes. It prevents damage. If your target has 5000 HP, a White Mage's Stoneskin prevents 900 damage. This saves you mana as you now can cast a Cure rather than a Cure II or Medica vs. Medica II vs. Cure III.

"But but how about this situation." Zzz. Ask away. I'll answer.

It's in no way necessary, but it's a good practice to at least pre buff the tank. I typically leave dps and myself naked, especially on sch since the fairy will spot heal for me, but the mitigation on the tank ensures that, at the very least, I won't have to cure bomb at the start of a pull and risk pulling hate. It's very easy to pre buff the tank, just cast it at a mobs last 20% hp or so. If you have decent dps, they'll probably clip your last spell anyways, and then there's no waiting necessary.

On the flip side, it's unnecessary to hold the party hostage until getting buffs for most content. For speed runs, the tank should definitely have a shield to absorb damage while pulling the train, and you should be buffing for raids regardless unless maybe you and the entire party really know what's going on. I personally buff every pull, before every boss, but without impeding dungeon progress.

I also main scholar. I always prebuff. The main role of a scholar is to prevent damage rather than heal it. I feel a thrill when health bars do not move or barely move, and I get spend time speeding up the run with damage. I view every encounter with the goal of stopping all incoming damage while dealing out my own. It isn't possible but it is a goal to strive toward. I always have adlo and stoneskin on the tank at the start of each fight. It doesn't slow the run at all if stoneskin is cast just before a mob dies. Prebuffing simply makes sense in light of the scholar's role in preventing damage. I want my white mage partners to be bored.^_^

I'm not sure why this is a topic of discussion. Why wouldn't one prebuff given the opportunity?

Granted, I won't sit around in front of every faceroll dungeon boss Stoneskinning the entire party as SCH if the group is chomping at the bit, but I'll at least toss Adlo on the tank as they run in.

The reason I prebuff at any opportunity is precisely because I am lazy and want to minimize the probability that I might need to pause my opening DPS sequence to heal poor life choices. More shielding = more time that I can heal by spamming Embrace without breaking stance or using stacks for Lustrate.

No, failure to prebuff probably won't kill anyone, but why not use your tools to make everything just a tiny bit easier?

Why is it that you don't feel as though you should use your damage mitigating abilities but when a tank doesn't use theirs healers lose their f**king minds?
Hypocrite much?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Hippo

On the same line of reasoning as yours, protect is also not necessary, "as long ad you keep them alive, they have no right to complain (of not having protect)"

---

Protect is always worth it, though. But you are correct, as long as the healer keeps everyone alive, it doesn't matter how they do it.

Wait for Protect!
Swifcast + Stokeskin!
Succor and Go!!!
All together takes 3 seconds, can't you wait?
For me, Succor is about making a small shield and also to say "ready! go!"
And yes, i am mad healer when the tank goes and protect is not even on
grrrrrrrrrrr

Having Stoneskin and Galvanize on the tank also allows you to put off healing them (even for a short time) while they generate enmity on the target. In this day and age where most tanks won't even wait for Protect, be happy if you get one that waits for buffs and cast them.

Funny enough, with all the light farming / speed runs I've run into in DF, I usually DON'T have time to prebuff anyone during a pull.

With that said, you should try to prebuff when you can, since it helps mitigate a little bit. Of course only when you can and it doesn't risk pulling hate as the tank may be pulling a pack just as you buff / shield them.