So...Can a SCH tell me how SCH's are right now relative to WHM and AST?

[RajaVamberaux]

Fey Union is gated by the Fairy Gauge, of which you need to build up by using your stacks. That alone means it cannot be used proactively until much later into an encounter, and even then it's going to be used as a more reactive.

Much later in the encounter? You mean after the 15s it takes to blow three stacks in the opener and hit Aetherflow? That's not a long time to me. In O3S, watch your fairy gauge and you'll realize it's already at 90/100 when the first Game is played. And that's only about 75s seconds in (meaning use it or it’ll soon be wasted).

Also, it's not a 'reactive ability'. Fey Union usage should be planned just like all of Scholar's other abilities: in tank-focused downtime between Whispering Dawns, and/or alternating it with Fey Covenant, especially for dungeon pulls. Its still-long (but cute) animation means it can't be used reactively. You should plan its use with your co-healer, or at the very least do it at the same time every time with a PUG.

As for Quickened Aetherflow, this is something that more proves my original point of SCH being made into a Reactive Healer than a Proactive healer, as by your own words, Lustrate is our "spammable" Cure 2, something that should be used to maximize our DPS and MP efficiency, and Quickened Aetherflow is actively rewarding us for doing so but since the majority of our Aetherflow abilities have CDs or ill suited to be spammed, we don't have much choice in the matter as to what we spam, leaving Lustrate as the only real option in the matter.

My point was that because Aetherflow is off cooldown faster now than ever, and also this calculation factors into Scholar’s MP capacity, players are punished now more significantly for unwisely using stacks. This reinforces the Scholar’s tactician playstyle, where you need to think carefully about which stacks are for healing, and how many you have in reserve for emergencies or Energy Drain.

If your tank is getting chunked, you should plan on using an Excog/Lustrate there every time, knowing that leaves you with two other stacks. Those stacks should be saved for a weaving opportunity or until ~7s on Aetherflow’s CD. In other words, you should know how many (Energy Drain or Lustrate) you have to “spam”.

factual settings

We can use your example. The problem with it is the Scholar in your setting isn’t playing very well. Refer back to the Aetherflow Stack hierarchy. Why are you placing Sacred Soil down when the only incoming damage is on the tank? So now I’m up one stack on you. Additionally, if this is the first pull, we should have 3 stacks in the bank and Aetherflow off cooldown. So now I’m up four. If it’s a later pull (perhaps between packs, or between Aetherflows in a raid), Aetherflow should be on CD, and I need to use these stacks anyways or MP is wasted.

You also neglect (when mentioning Asylum/Earthly Star), that in the same situations Scholar has fairy which is Roused 33% of the time.

In the boss setting you said ‘Double Lustrate or Indom + Lustrate’ but we have three stacks. There wouldn’t be bane in those situations. So I’m up one.

In both cases, Scholar still has stacks to play with (since I found some to use more optimally), but WHM/AST have none and now have to readjust their planned usage of the ED/Tetra. So if any crap hits the fan for the next 40s, and a strong, instant single target or group heal could save it, Scholar will usually be best positioned to do so.

It's not a detriment, it's just that SCH is more limited in this department BECAUSE it doesn't have a stronger GCD than Physick and had no choice in the matter and unlike WHM/AST, are at the mercy of Aetherflow to grant them a heal WHM/AST have naturally, on top of their oGCD to heal more effectively. It's not a matter of using oGCD as a detriment, it's that SCH has to use their oGCD to make up for their lack of a Cure 2/Benefic 2 whereas WHM/AST do not.

Personally, I believe the three healers are more balanced now than they ever have been. I’m also not trying to say Scholar doesn’t have to “push more buttons to do the same thing” - it does. I just want to encourage people to see the advantages of the planning & micromanagement, and the way in which the current toolkit reinforces this archetype more than “shield healing” ever did.