Astrologian Guide

[Gist]

Why would one not use cards when they're drawn (save Spear)? I find that all of my cards do good things (at my level anyway, don't know about endgame).

[Cynfael]

Why would one not use cards when they're drawn (save Spear)? I find that all of my cards do good things (at my level anyway, don't know about endgame).

Ewer and Spire are often (not always, but often) useless to cast. There are many situations where you will draw one of them and have no one who will benefit from TP/MP refresh. As a rule of thumb, if there is no one who is at risk of running out of resources, you gain nothing by buffing their resource generation.

On the bright side, Spire can be helpful for physical DPS using AoE skills on large pulls or for WARs having to spam Overpower, and so on.

Bole is almost always useless to cast since you rarely draw it when you would actually see some benefit to applying it. If using Bole doesn't significantly reduce your healing requirement or allow the target to survive something that they otherwise wouldn't, it was a waste.

[Rox_Unlimited]

Wouldn't it still be better to use the cards when you draw them until you get what you want? Like if you want to do an AoE balance, but you drew a spire you shuffle and draw an arrow wouldn't it be better to use the arrow instead of Royal Roading it for a buff you don't want? If I'm looking for a certain combo like AoE Balance I continue to draw and use the cards until I get a balance I can hold, then I keep drawing and using until I get an Spire/Ewer.

[Ananolf]

Wouldn't it still be better to use the cards when you draw them until you get what you want? Like if you want to do an AoE balance, but you drew a spire you shuffle and draw an arrow wouldn't it be better to use the arrow instead of Royal Roading it for a buff you don't want? If I'm looking for a certain combo like AoE Balance I continue to draw and use the cards until I get a balance I can hold, then I keep drawing and using until I get an Spire/Ewer.

You should assume something is already royal road', given the 1/3 chance of drawing a useful card. Under that scenario, yes! You use Arrow. You draw Arrow or Balance, and have nothing Royal Road' you hold them. If you already have something Royal Road' you use them. They are the only two useful cards. Everything you do is about setting up an AOE, 60 second, or 20% Arrow or Balance. Nothing else matters. It's not a complaint or anything, it's just the way the cards fall.

[Ananolf]

Do you have a royal road card already stacked? If not, Royal Road that Bole. If so, right click it and get rid of it and just heal the tank. You're a healer. 10% means nothing unless something is gonna tank buster it to hell in 1 hit.

[Shyluv]

Do you have a royal road card already stacked? If not, Royal Road that Bole. If so, right click it and get rid of it and just heal the tank. You're a healer. 10% means nothing unless something is gonna tank buster it to hell in 1 hit.

If you're not comfortable with DPSing as a healer, yes, you could do that. Otherwise, you could do the example given.

[Ananolf]

If you're not comfortable with DPSing as a healer, yes, you could do that. Otherwise, you could do the example given.

I don't get it... is 10% damage reduction going to increase my DPS? Top off, apply hot, jump stances, DPS, when they are low jump back and repeat. The math just doesn't check out that 10% is going to affect anything in those scenarios.

[Lyrinn]

Why would one not use cards when they're drawn (save Spear)? I find that all of my cards do good things (at my level anyway, don't know about endgame).

Burn or otherwise intense phases. Then there cards like Bole that, while still (slightly) useful, are much better used as RR fodder to empower the next card.

[ViDare]

Why would one not use cards when they're drawn (save Spear)? I find that all of my cards do good things (at my level anyway, don't know about endgame).

Becase cards like spire/ewer are highly situlational, regain/refresh don't do good at the begining of a fight so better off burning them to try and get expanded arrow or balance. Bole should always be used on tank, Balance/arrow on dps.

With changes to balance and arrow spear should always be burned to double the duration of used on yourself before popping cool downs like LA + collective opposition.

Only time you'll burn bole are balance is if you've already spread something and it's in between mobs.

[Cynfael]

Only time you'll burn bole are balance is if you've already spread something and it's in between mobs.

Broken record here, but I highly suggest not to use Bole for anything other than RR unless you have a specific use for it when you Draw it. Bole doesn't do a damned thing for run-of-the-mill encounters; it's only good for tank busters and arguably for a very large pull if you suspect that the tank has bitten off more than he/she can chew. Much like Sacred Soil, Bole is a very situational buff when you can potentially Shuffle it away or use it to set up an RR combo instead.