Stoneskin use.

[Lyrica_Ashtine]

You're not sticking to the point of the discussion. This was never about you

[Atoli]

You're not sticking to the point of the discussion. This was never about you

No, but you made it seem like you were implying I'm unable to do it right.

Also, I'm sticking to the topic by saying how Stoneskin should be used: in a way that helps to maximize dmg without having anyone die if you are dealing dmg, or always if you don't have ANYTHING else to do if you are someone who doesn't deal dmg.

[Mikedizzy]

Yeah...should not be using it so much during fights. what everyone else is saying. you can get up stoneskin in between pulls, just have to know how to time it.

[Lyrica_Ashtine]

No, but you made it seem like you were implying I'm unable to do it right.

Also, I'm sticking to the topic by saying how Stoneskin should be used: in a way that helps to maximize dmg without having anyone die if you are dealing dmg, or always if you don't have ANYTHING else to do if you are someone who doesn't deal dmg.

That's because you implied it in a sense that those unable to switch should re-apply stoneskin whenever:

Healing requires a healing-friendly stance or it takes a lot of MP AND time to get everyone up again. I prefer not having to switch out of dps stance all the time just to rescue people who refuse to move out of aoes and stuff. Stoneskin + regen is a very useful combo to circumvent stance switching

With my other post I mentioned the exact opposite:
It takes 5 stoneskins to rival 2 Cure/Benefic/Physicks. Which is also 4420 MP and 12,5 seconds (or 15 seconds untraited) spend on 5 stoneskins against 5 seconds GCD and 884 MP (706 for Astrologians). It's more of a time and mp loss using stoneskin mid battle without a valid reason. Which is the time and mp you could have spend on DPSing instead. To go back to the same post I just quoted you about:

Stoneskin + regen is a very useful combo to circumvent stance switching

You'd still need to switch out of cleric's stance here to make Regen worthwhile. So where is that "time saved" you mentioned? It's more time saving to cast a single Cure/Physick/Benefic rather than Two stoneskins.

Additionally, you can't get by by just casting stoneskin. You'll have to cast a cure at one point regardless. Stoneskin alone won't get anyone's HP up. Even with a Cure after a stoneskin, you could have just used a higher tier spell (Cure II) instead for less cost and half the GCD for a greater effect as well:
1300 damage mitigated + 3400 HP recovered for a stoneskin+cure, 2 spells for 1326 MP
5500 HP recovered with a Cure II/Benefic II in a single GCD for 884 MP or 2550 HP recovered and 2550 galvanize effect for Scholars in a single GCD for 1060 MP

[DarkmoonVael]

Basically use it for tank busters. If youmneed something to facilitate stance dancing for dps, i find stacking regens on tanks to be more useful to keep them up whilst you as a healer dps, if they drop too low, drop clerics and hit them with an insta-cast ability (tetra, lustrate, essential dignity etc).

Stone skin is very mana inefficient to overuse in a boss fight, esp in end game raids.

A brilliant skill to pick up on and practise as a healer in dungeons is to time a stoneskin on the tank to land just as the last mob dies

[Rawrz]

The five second CD on cleric stance is very kind.

Stoneskin is used mostly before battle to give a few extra seconds in the beginning to dps. Works great with Adloquiem and Nocturnal Benefic and the precasting makes it essentially free.

In combat, Stoneskin should only be used if you're an SCH or AST who has topped off and already used a shield on a tank or other during a tank buster or other mechanic. WHM just needs to have them topped off. (Before applying Stoneskin, since they do not have access to another shielding skill.)

Paladins can also use it during combat to supplement healing, during stressful phases.

Using it on a party member with weakness, can help keep them up.

Lastly, casting it during invulnerable mechanics is also a good choice. Balancing your MP should be priority, but as long as you don't go too ham on it, you're fine. :3

[Iagainsti]

Very huge for Pvp, just protect it from one Ilm punch etc with protect. Nothing more fun than being a marauder running around a wall or what, swift cast SS and then clobber whoever was chasing you while they're doing 0 damage XD

[Lyrica_Ashtine]

In combat, Stoneskin should only be used if you're an SCH or AST who has topped off and already used a shield on a tank or other during a tank buster or other mechanic. WHM just needs to have them topped off.

Do elaborate why a white mage should just sit there till the damage comes while the other healer has to squeeze out 2 spells for each tank whenever a tank buster is applied for one.

[Atoli]

you can't get by by just casting stoneskin. You'll have to cast a cure at one point regardless. Stoneskin alone won't get anyone's HP up.

There rarely is a situation in dungeon runs (and in my first post I already said I'm talking about them, not about trials and other 8 person content) where a group of monsters survives long enough to require SS AND healing. The goal is to have the dps survive until the last mob dies, after that their HP will regenerate by themself, no heals needed. Throwing out one SS or regen during the downtime of cleric stance after switching back to heal the tank is an efficient use of time:
tank heal + 1 heal that will maybe top off whoever got hurt (but will not protect him should he get hurt again, forcing you out of cleric stance even if the tank doesn't need healing)
VS
tank heal + SS on whichever person needs it (and therefore negating the reason to switch back early from the next cleric stance, resulting in more dmg dealt).
You don't need fancy numbers to see how the second one is more foresighted. And if the person ends up not getting hurt again, you have SS up for the next pull already and can use the time in between pulls for secondary actions (like explanations, card shuffling as an AST, etc.)
Basically, what it does is making the healing process more streamlined, allowing you to stay in dps stance longer and all of that for a small amount of MP more. Usually worth it.

Time efficiency doesn't always equal least amount of MP spent. I never saw someone run out of MP because of SS and I'm amazed the OP even managed to do that (although, as stated, it was in a bossfight where reapplying SS doesn't make sense because everyone is constantly getting hurt from room-wide aoes and the like). Just because healing costs a small amount of MP less than SS doesn't mean that will help the group to move forward faster.

[Lyrica_Ashtine]

Exactly like Reinha said. Reapply it for dps right when they lose it during the fight

There rarely is a situation in dungeon runs (and in my first post I already said I'm talking about them, not about trials and other 8 person content) where a group of monsters survives long enough to require SS AND healing. The goal is to have the dps survive until the last mob dies, after that their HP will regenerate by themself, no heals needed. Throwing out one SS or regen during the downtime of cleric stance after switching back to heal the tank is an efficient use of time:
tank heal + 1 heal that will maybe top off whoever got hurt (but will not protect him should he get hurt again, forcing you out of cleric stance even if the tank doesn't need healing)

It wasn't a case about in-between-pulls, now you're bringing it up out of nowhere while you yourself mentioned the re-application of stoneskin mid fight.

tank heal + 1 heal that will maybe top off whoever got hurt (but will not protect him should he get hurt again, forcing you out of cleric stance even if the tank doesn't need healing)
VS
tank heal + SS on whichever person needs it (and therefore negating the reason to switch back early from the next cleric stance, resulting in more dmg dealt).

If we were to assume application of stoneskin mid-battle - which was the whole issue of stoneskin being pointless in the first place - you forgot one thing. If no one takes damage after the initial damage goes off, any stoneskins cast mid combat is a GCD waste that could have been squeezed together with a single swiftcast stoneskin II (for White Mages) after combat. Even if they do take a hit, it still takes 2 stoneskins to get the same affect out of a single heal. Easier content has plenty of AoE damage that cannot be avoided, for a 4-player content that's four stoneskins. If a single Medica/Helios/(ET) Succor can recover the same amount as 2 stoneskins, that's 8 GCDs spend on stoneskinning an entire party twice that a single AoE heal can patch up in a single GCD.

You don't need fancy numbers to see how the second one is more foresighted. And if the person ends up not getting hurt again, you have SS up for the next pull already and can use the time in between pulls for secondary actions (like explanations, card shuffling as an AST, etc.)

Stoneskinning people randomly mid combat doesn't translate into "foresight". It's paranoia or OCD if anything. There's nothing outside Savage where any form of (un)avoidable attacks that will instantly kill anyone unless slightly mitigated. Even in A4 normal you can eat a perpetual ray and a yellow orb and still not die as a non-tank. Applying stoneskin on the main tank before Discoid in A4 is a much better example of foresight, but still pointless to cast as a single heal is still more MP and GCD efficient.

Time efficiency doesn't always equal least amount of MP spent. I never saw someone run out of MP because of SS and I'm amazed the OP even managed to do that (although, as stated, it was in a bossfight where reapplying SS doesn't make sense because everyone is constantly getting hurt from room-wide aoes and the like). Just because healing costs a small amount of MP less than SS doesn't mean that will help the group to move forward faster.

This isn't only about time efficiency. Stoneskin is time inefficient AND MP inefficient. Spamming stoneskin over and over is equivalent to spamming Cure II, but with only a fraction of it's MP efficiency.