AST MP Issue?

[Leiloni]

AST are ok mana wise when things go according to plan (but so are WHM and SCH). However it is the crisis management mode that sees AST really go into over drive on MP usage.

Both SCH and WHM can manage to heal up the party when things don't go according to plan fairly efficiently (without mentioning both have better MP recovery tools in the first place) where as AST are stuck spamming Helios as your only option. This is particularly important during progression as mistakes are natural.

I'm just hoping they address the lack of "oh-shit" button (Essential Dignity should be used fairly regularly for MP management in my opinion). The buffs to the 3 Utility spells will hopefully fix this.

Helios is not a good usage of your mana. Diurnal Aspected Helios is far more mana efficient if you let the HoT tick properly and heals for quite a lot. Always cast that first. In 8 man you'll have another healer there anyway so they will also be casting their AoE heal. Most of the time you won't need more AoE after that and in the rare chance that you do you can then Helios, but often all you need after that is back to healing individuals. Even in 4 man D stance AH is the better way to go. On the occasion that all you have is a small amount of AoE healing to where AH is too much, then sure go with Helios. But in that situation you're only casting it once and going back to the tank so the mana cost isn't a problem since you're not spamming it.

[Kelya]

If only holding a spear card could be done out of combat, but during combat its too unreliable to wait for a spear card before using LA and Opposition. I tend to hit LA as soon as im down 1k mp, to maximize the usage

Even if you could spread spear out of combat, using spear + opposition for your MP usage isn't worth in comparison to the RR AOE buff the spear card gives for casting balance/arrow just after or even to the speared buff himself casted on AOE.

I assume the better option would be when you have a RR AOE buff, you Draw balance/arrow and before you had spread Spear. So now you cast the balance/arrow, then you spear yourself, then you hit LA and finish with using opposition.

In this situation the spread spear for yourself is worth because it doesn't prevent the AOE buff for the raid, but how many times are you meeting these requierements ? Even with spread out of combat, that's still too much for multiple occurences to happen around the same time.

As a result RR Spear / Speared AOE > Selfish spearing.

For those who use Spear on themself and opposition too just for the LA, this is the very wrong way to go. Better struggle at MP than loosing opposition and 1 card on only 1 target most of the time. Use Ewer on you instead of Spear, because for Ewer you haven't as much great choices as spear :

- RR it, that's correct for a next balance/arrow/bole or even another ewer
- Spread it for a time you know it's needed and you have a chance that you'll use it on some RR potency/duration effect
- use it without any buff, it's still convenient if you can't do anything else

Now the persons who may actually need this card since we heard so much "AST cards are to support the raid, not using them on himself" :

- the other healer but unless it's an AST he has better MP recovery
- the smn but for now I never heard one asking for MP
- the blm... Oh wait not even the case
- the only one who left is you

So basically, Ewer is born to be used only on you or on your co-healer if he is struggling more than you (in this last case, there is a more important issue...).

[AlphaFox]

An ewer or even an enhanced ewer can help out a blackmage on DPS checks by allowing them to cast an extra Fire (w.e level) before switching to ice.

[GideonHighmourn]

An ewer or even an enhanced ewer can help out a blackmage on DPS checks by allowing them to cast an extra Fire (w.e level) before switching to ice.

Only if they received Ewer before they started their rotation, and only if they knew they received Ewer prior to starting. You're assuming it was pulled while they were at full MP and were aware they actually received the buff; unless you're on VOIP and can communicate that, it's not really doing much for them. I think Ewer is best used on yourself or the other healer, since chances are you're both going to be casting fairly regularly; however, using it (or spear) on yourself defeats the purpose of bringing AST for group utility, as has been discussed before.

[Leiloni]

Only if they received Ewer before they started their rotation, and only if they knew they received Ewer prior to starting. You're assuming it was pulled while they were at full MP and were aware they actually received the buff; unless you're on VOIP and can communicate that, it's not really doing much for them. I think Ewer is best used on yourself or the other healer, since chances are you're both going to be casting fairly regularly; however, using it (or spear) on yourself defeats the purpose of bringing AST for group utility, as has been discussed before.

I agree that it's not best for BLM but I don't think it defeats the purpose of brining AST for utility. In the case of Ewer, healers need it more than any other class. Among the healers, the AST has the least options for mana return so we're really the best option for Ewer. In that case I don't see it as a waste but as the best use of a buff. Spear can be useful for a number of classes, however.

[SuzakuCMX]

*snip*

Making the SMN rez someone is a DPS loss. Having to save Swiftcast for rezzing someone is a DPS loss because Swiftcast -> Shadowflare is a great way to push your DPS even harder. Though right now SMN isn't hurting for DPS :P

WHM also have pretty good mana management now that Assize is a thing on top of SoS.