A question about Atro draw feature

So I've been levelling an Astro and I'm totally loving the class. However there is something that I've noticed and I would love some clarification on the draw feature. So I've noticed when I use the draw card and then use royal road (think it's called that) the next time I use draw card and then apply it sometimes spreads to the whole party. I say sometimes, because there has been times that I've used Royal Road, then draw card again and then applied the card - it only applies to the person I have selected. Could someone clarify why this does so? Am I doing something wrong or is this working as intended?

Also on a side note, this isn't related to Astro but on all healing classes, but what's the deal on healers not using Esuna? I have been in countless 8 man dungeons and some 4 mans as either dps or tank and the healers don't use Esuna. It feels at times like I'm the only healer that uses the skill!!?

EDIT: Sorry about the typo in the topic title. I don't have a PC and I'm using tablet to type message and I'm not the greatest typer tbh :-P

1) Is everyone in close proximity? I usually put myself between everyone and use it on myself, when I use spread as my royal road.

2) Some don't and others are lazy, it seems.

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Originally Posted by Kelani

So I've noticed when I use the draw card and then use royal road (think it's called that) the next time I use draw card and then apply it sometimes spreads to the whole party. I say sometimes, because there has been times that I've used Royal Road, then draw card again and then applied the card - it only applies to the person I have selected.

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Royal Road operates differently for certain cards.

Spire and Ewer if you RR one of those cards it gives you the AoE + 50% RR. This means the next card you use will be half power, but AoE to the whole party (be mindful of placement, like the AoE range is not infinite so if you want to use yourself as the target, make sure you center yourself around the party like you would with an AoE heal like Medica II for example otherwise you might miss some people. On the flipside you can also choose to spread the AoE off another party member if they are more centered than you are IE: like Cure III)

Bole and Balance if you RR one of those cards it gives you the 150% enhanced RR. This means the next card you use will have increased power on a single target.

Spear and Arrow if you RR one of those cards it gives you the 200% time increase. This means the next card you use will have increased duration (200% so double the time. 30 seconds turns into 1 minute) on a single target.

If you read the tooltip for Royal Road it outlines these variables.

Royal Road is working as intended - using RR after drawing a card will turn that same card into a "buff" for the NEXT card you draw. Miste has already explained what these buffs are.

About esuna, though - it's a role action, so chances are most people just don't equip it, out of preference or they just forget to or they think whatever debuff is inc is shrugged off easily enough without wasting a role action on it. In most instances esuna is a wasted slot as there's not many raids or trials that would make this a mandatory skill - I personally only equip it when I know I'm gonna NEED it, for example for o4n for doom, and then replace it for something else for the other three raids. Even in expert roulette I don't really use it.

If it's 8-man content it's also possible that people just go the "oh, the other healer probably has it" route, I've seen some deaths to doom in o4n caused by this. :O

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Originally Posted by Spiroglyph

I've seen some deaths to doom in o4n caused by this. :O

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This is why I now always open with "I'll get the esunas" in 4n. Partly so the party knows one of us has it, and partly so both healers don't waste turns esunaing the same person.

Or if I'm on sch, I let selene do it >> lazy fairy has to earn her keep somehow, right?

On a slightly different note, considering the original poster most likely missed the fact that Royal Road have three effects and not one...

Many debuffs in this game can't even be healed in the first place, so using an Esuna on them is wasting time and mana. If there is a small, white bar over a debuff then it can be healed, if there is no such bar, then it cannot be healed. This is important, since the same buff (like poison) can be healed when it's used by one mob, while it's incurable when it's used by a different mob (mostly bosses).
Others are so short that due to ping, cast time on Esuna and global cooldown, they are almost sure to end before you'll actually cast the spell (stun, silence and pacifism usually fit this bill).
Then there are mob fights where using Esuna is just a sign of an inexperienced healer. For example, curing a typical poison in a fight against three or four mobs is just going to waste that Esuna, as the mob will poison the tank again in the next few seconds. With the damage that poison would inflict even if it did run its full course, it's better to just spend the time and MP on casting Esuna go towards either HP healing or damage.

Thanks for the comments all. I was aware of the three effects that royal road had but, I had miss-understood what they meant. With the above explanations I now understand the skill more so thanks for that.

For Esuna, well thanks for enlightening me as to why some healers don't use it. However I couldn't not have it equipped at all times because there is a reason. It really bugs me to see someone with a debuff when I know as a healer I can remove this, yet saying that, I will always put healing first as a priority. Say for instance the tank has several poison debuffs, I will make sure the tank is near to full health before I start removing debuffs. I don't know whether the debuffs bugging me is an OCD thing or not but it's just the way I am, and if this makes me an inexperienced healer then so be it. It's all down to personal preference, and I prefer to have Esuna equipped than not :)