Sadly sayiing goodbye to SCH

[Elladie]

I worried about SCH whilst I was levelling to 70 but the job changes helped alleviate a lot of my concerns. So did getting better gear and learning the dungeons/raids. For me, SCH is all about planning ahead, and obviously that gets easier and easier the more times you run something. I currently have zero problems even with big trash pulls. But - and it's a big BUT - i generally run everything with a tank friend (DRK) whom I trust to do the right tank-y things and we're also generally on voice chat so i know if he's intending on pulling the whole floor. In raids I generally go with other FC members so we make up at least half the party. All of the above make SCH's planning ahead ethos much easier to handle. It's very possible that the issues you're having, OP, are because your tanks aren't fully geared yet/aren't using CDs; you aren't fully geared yet; and you haven't yet learned the fights thoroughly. The first Deltascape V.1 I ran i was shrieking 'OMG, I can't heal this' when Charybdis started up, but now i have zero problems because i know it's coming

[Alisi]

I am not even sure why the devs felt the job needed a healing nerf in Stormblood, it was always less than stellar healing wise. I struggled to get it to 70, and I struggle every time I tank with a SCH in as main healer in a dungeon.

What is the issue you're having specifically when healing dungeons? Maybe we can focus on that and try to help you there? Don't focus on Adlo healing. I do one Adlo and the rest with physick spam. I also don't horde the stacks for a rainy day situation. I use Exco a ton in dungeons. I generally have it up on the tank with an Adlo and just refresh that shield for when it drops, and Exco acts as a baby sitter for the tank to let me focus on other things. Though, honestly, you do get "those" tanks that need to be baby sat through the entire dungeon cause they use maybe 1 CD during the run. T^T

[Elleia]

SCH is fine - I don't have mine to 60 yet, but I had no issues healing tanks in a couple of Bardam's Mettle runs even when they grabbed multiple packs. In fact, I struggled more on those same pulls while leveling my AST and WHM alongside my career tank friend than I did with SCH healing random DF tanks. Lustrate and excog make healing fairly easy, and I can rotate largesse and fey illumination for additional healing (or stack them, even). The indom buff was incredibly nice as well.

[Kamui_Argent]

I've always been a SCH main save for a short few months healing Creator savage with my static where I was a Diurnal AST. Come SB, I wasn't enjoying AST anymore so I went back to SCH and the 4.05 changes have been amazing for DPS. Healing has never felt like an issue for me since proper fairy and aetherflow management comes naturally now. With the shorter cd on aetherflow, using stacks has never felt more natural. Using a gcd heal on SCH now feels a waste when there are stacks available so often.

[Phileas]

Level 68 trait changed everything. Aetherflow comes by quick and ive never been short of stacks in primal ex content and O1S.

I unload rouse plus fairy regen and excog and adlo on tank and im quite comfortable to dps on trash.

Aetherpact is handy for tank busters especially dual ones like in O1S. I excog the OT and artherpact the MT and shield others in prep for roar.

[giantslayer]

Healing giant pulls without substantially over-gearing content is one of the hardest things to do as a healer. It can be easy as a veteran player to forget the learning process I had to go through.

In regards to the different healing classes, SCH does have a higher skill ceiling and a lower skill floor. The removal of Cleric Stance raised WHM's skill floor BIG-TIME. WHM used to be very challenging for big pulls because the moment you hit Cleric Stance, you had to hope you set things up right because Bene was your only emergency button for the next 5-7 seconds. It is so much more forgiving now and the damage mitigation of stunning everyone with Holy is great for huge pulls.

A few tips for big pulls on SCH:
- Cast Adlo at the beginning of the dungeon/end of the previous pull to cut off some initial damage.
- Follow the tank closely and as soon as the tank stops moving, hit Adlo, then Rouse+Whispering Dawn.
- After Rouse is over, Fey Union will give you the same level of oomph as Rouse+WD if needed.
- Don't use Sacred Soil.
- Try to get some DPS out, at least Shadow Flare and Miasma II. I always try to get out DoTs + Bane, but they don't scale so well if it's a gigantic pull. Sometimes, big pulls boil down to attrition and whether the mobs can get burned down before the Tank and Healer run out of resources. Obviously, that is mostly on the DPS' shoulders, but I do the best I can to add to it.
- If things are out of control, be aware of all your resources and ready to use them. Fey Illumination, Largesse, Eye for and Eye, and Lucid Dreaming can be easy to forget about during a pull. Even Dissipation can sometimes help you bail out enough water to survive (generally that is my absolute last resort and I usually wipe before I remember it).
- Eye for an Eye is a very powerful mitigation tool for a big pull. Sadly, our cross role slots are limited. I made a couple of macros to swap out Protect and Eye for an Eye.
- At the beginning of a pull, I'll use more Adlo, but mid to late pull, as it changes from quick reaction to attrition, I'll rotate between Physick and Adlo.

Sometimes... it just ain't enough in the end. If you can keep the tank up for a reasonable amount of time and used all the tools you had available, then it's not all on you. Big pulls have always been risky (unless you severely over-gear the content).

[Kurando]

SCH is definitely a high ceiling job, but once you start to master the tricks you'll start to scoff a little everytime you see a thread bashing their utility. Yes when SB first came out it felt like SCH had been ravaged unnecessarily, but with the recent changes it's now back to being a viable pick in many situations.

[Starflake]

It's a good raiding job, but for O4S progression I am definitely switching to WHM and the AST goes noct.

[Exiled_Tonberry]

Honest question: you honestly think a party with a SCH can be pushed just as hard as a party with a WHM or an AST?

Of course. Actually I prefer SCH healing with me for V3 savage. Indom is a life saver in that place, and Fey Union on the OT as he's tanking an add makes things go a lot smoother.

[Leigaon]

You said roulette, I just got my SCH to 70 last night. So if I'm understanding the original post your issues are with roulette and pre 70 the issue is much worse?

I am not even sure why the devs felt the job needed a healing nerf in Stormblood, it was always less than stellar healing wise. I struggled to get it to 70, and I struggle every time I tank with a SCH in as main healer in a dungeon.

This is merely my personal opinion, much like how TP issues were in the tank forums when I first started out in SB, every job I've played so far (tanks and healers only though) have MP / TP management at a higher scale than 3.0 This is a nice change, it requires thought and help from other people. I think they are trying to make us pay attention more and for the most part it is working so far.

One thing on my end i noticed is that I use Aldo more for..a StoneSkin type of deal. Maybe this is just me MP does get a bit tricky but do remember we have party members that can give us MP.

I get criticized for that a lot but this is a co-op game, and some jobs go through limitless MP, or they have the buff..so it can be spared. Much like TP on my WAR. I would have issues and ask for TP. Some gave a goad with a smile on their face, others decided it was time to lecture me for 15 minutes.

Remember we're also dependent on the tanks and DPS. If they do not use proper cool-downs our job is harder, if they pull too much, our job is harder.

Emergency Tactics has been hit a lot more than I'm used to now, and I have survived a lot more for it. Dissipation, can be tricky, but if I know that I can use those 3 more stacks to finish things off, we're good. I use energy drain too a bit. Nothing I do is "optimal" or..whatever, but I've had to just pay more attention and I've yet to have many issues.

Good Luck on WHM and AST! I haven't started AST but WHM isn't so bad, I haven't tried since 4.05 though.