Beginner THM help- using Sleep

Hi guys- newer THM player here. :)

So I've ran through the first three dungeons and have a question about what spells I should be using- specifically Sleep. I guess I thought it just the expectation of the THM that when there a quite a few mobs that the tank isn't starting with that I Sleep them before circling back to my usual DPS spells. I've gotten mixed reactions to my using sleep- in some cases the players thank me for using it, in other cases I'm met with rage newbie rants- and it's left me wondering just what my use of this spell should look like.

I try to use it effectively- I don't use it when there are pretty low level or easily dispatched mobs attacking all at once, and obviously if the party can't agree on which mob to attack on together I dispense with it altogether.

I'm thinking that it might have to do more to do with lvl disparity than actual game mechanics but any suggestions or edification would be great...as Halatali is around the corner for me! :o Thanks!

While I in no way speak as a veteran on the matter, I tend to save it for when something goes wrong, like if you steal Hate or something jumps the healer and the tank can't get over there. That being said, I don't think you're necessarily wrong for Sleeping the non-focused target, but odds are the Tank will be hitting it with AoEs anyhow and generally the Healer shouldn't have trouble keeping the tank up during a single group of enemies. now if a second group gets in on the action, commence the snooze-fest. It should be noted that at L36 you'll get a trait that makes Sleep a targeted AoE, so such control won't take much away from you making boom.

When i lvled thm I just used to ask if I should sleep and single target, single target and ingnore other mobs, or just AOE always depends on playstyle of the group. Sleep can be a pretty pain if ur lazy-tank doesnt flash sleeping mobs or ppl randomly use AOE, Its just one of those skills I use to talk about before starting into dungeon (If ppl dont rush off like buffless that is). Also on 2nd boss Bray NM it is pretty handy but all a matter of talk to your team

I play heals and the first time I really noticed Sleep being so helpful was in my first run of Haukke Manor where the BLM slept all of the non targeted mobs and it was such a breeze to heal XD It's a whole lot easier too when you get the trait that allows you to sleep multiple mobs at once (I forget if it was Level 26 or Level 31, but I remember that I really wished it was a level sooner because it helped so much on the nearest class quest).

When I DPS I usually BLM though, so I look at the party make up, if the tank is a PLD and the other DPS are single target Melees, I'll sleep. WAR have more AoE damage moves, SMN tend to spread the DoTs around, BRDs have a lot of AoE damage, as do NIN, DRG and MNK not so much. So I sleep and single target when that's the make up of the group... You probably get the most flak from speed runners that were expecting you to just AoE down a huge pull. So if they're doing big pulls, just AoE and they'll be happy. When you need to swap to single target to regain mana, go ahead and sleep in the short down time.

If your tank is taking the time to mark targets with numbers and doing slow pulls, go ahead and sleep the ones further down the chain. Otherwise just focus on DPS.

When everything goes fine and quick, sleep is not necessary and may make things go slower. But if the group is having a hard time with the trash mobs, sleep can help to have a safer run. It is not a very used spell in higher level places. Most times people don't expect you to use it, but sometimes they may ask.

With the Duty Roulettes you may meet people who know very well their job or people who are starting to learn, you have to adapt to each party.

As a THM, especially in low level dungeons, usually you have to take care to not steal hate from the tank, attack the mob he is attacking, be careful with AoE (area of effect) attacks (if you have them) and not use them until you know the tank has hate over all mobs. If the mark near the mob's name is getting orange to red, do not attack him any more (unless he will die with one shot.) If you get aggro, don't run away, run to the tank so he can pick the mobs back.

As a tank, I can appreciate it when the THM/BLM take the time to sleep if people are taking unnecessary amount of damage.

I try to look out for it but if they sleep right as soon as I pull the mobs will wake up due to me using Overpower. So, I would say give a bit of a heads up or make a macro that alerts the party that you're casting sleep.

Likewise, when I go as my THM or even WHM I will frequently sleep adds if I notice the tank is taking a lot of damage. Another scenario where sleep is really useful is if people start to DC. Slept mobs can mean avoiding a potential wipe while the people in question return.

My best advice in regards to sleep, use your best judgment and do your best to adapt to the situation in each party. ^^

I usually try and sleep some of the more aggressive mobs (ie the Efts in Bray nm when there is more than one attacking, Ice Crystals in SV nm, and the Banemites in AV)

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Originally Posted by Terrini

When I DPS I usually BLM though, so I look at the party make up, if the tank is a PLD and the other DPS are single target Melees, I'll sleep. WAR have more AoE damage moves, SMN tend to spread the DoTs around, BRDs have a lot of AoE damage, as do NIN, DRG and MNK not so much. So I sleep and single target when that's the make up of the group...

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This is a good approach, but it requires a good understanding of all the different classes/jobs, what sort of skills they have as well as when they get them. It's one of the reasons I advocate playing all the classes in the game a fair amount, even if you plan to focus on a single favorite one for endgame content. Having played them all gives a better understanding of how they work than simply having played alongside them all, and that understanding makes people better at coordinating with the rest of a team.

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Originally Posted by Terrini

... a lot of AoE damage, as do NIN...

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An example of the "when they get them" part being important: NIN only have useful AoE at or near endgame. They have none at all until 35, and then only a single AoE that shares a 20 second cooldown with all other ninjutsu skills until level 42 when they get Death Blossom, the only spamable AoE for the class. I remember a Haukke Manor run a while back where the tank was gathering up huge groups of mobs apparently expecting us to AoE them. I was a ninja, but even if I'd unlocked any AoE skills (which I hadn't yet) I'd have lost them to the level sync there.

Thanks for the help and advice guys- I'll probably use sleep less consistently now and really use it more on a situational basis. I didn't think about it slowing down runs but in retrospect I can understand how that could be a clear drawback to using it.

I'll partner with the people I run with and get their buy in as well.

Thanks again!

Thank you Jhadie for asking this question. I was under the impression that crowd control was the THM's job. So on my 3rd dungeon run I got booted from a group. When I asked them what happened they told it wad because I kept sleeping the adds. I guess there aren't many new users so it's just assumed everyone knows that a ank can handle 6-10 mobs at once. Anyway thanks again. Now I know. :-)