need advice on SCH gameplay (Currently SMN)

[distant-cubix]

I am about to hit lvl 50 on SMN, and was thinking might as well open up SCH and just have 2 jobs at 50 b/c it will be just a few quests to get fairy spells etc.
(I understand that will be gimp w/o ilvl gear but just want to have it unlocked and will gear it up later) anyhow to my question

As a SMN I am used to the mage style but as a DOT DPS role, so looking for some advice as to SCH style of play, hints maybe, I have looked into a few different blogs post on SCH but more the transition is what I am attempting to comprehend.
To start prolly MND is key (not INT as with DPS mage)
Fairies - using one over the other as needed (prolly similar to Garuda/Ifrit over Titan for party)
I am sure that there is some more info out there that I might not see on a run of the mill SCH posting with regards to my cross class knowledge (or might be better put potential confusion)

dont know if its useful info but played ffxi as WHM, currently on PS3, been playing something like 30 days as of now

[Tranquil]

You can play a Scholar quite well with 30 INT speccing, as some of the abilities are flat % -based (eg. Lustrate healing 25% of a target's HP) or then just rely less on MND in general. The opposite is not really recommendable, though (playing the SMN with MND speccing, so unless you have tons of keeper hymns, keep yourself INT specced).

Fairies - both have their default-heal at the same potency (of 300), so with the exception of content wherein you need that extra AOE-healing and healing related buffs in general, go for Selene. It's mainly about your own comfort, though. But basically, use Selene for farm-content and stuff you're comfortable with and which doesn't require tons of healing apart from healing the tank.

I'd write more in-depth, but you said something about having read stuff yourself, so unless you ask for any other specific things, I'll leave it at that. Though one thing I will add is that - obviously - when you play the Scholar, you will need to be proactive and very aware situationally with a different mindset and priority list compared to that of a DPS (SMN). As a SCH, you will still optimally have lots of time to off-DPS if you micromanage your fairy heavily (which you should), but that comes with practice. Run a few 4-mans to get more used to your skills, then start doing 8-mans and slowly go from there I guess.

Also, on the previous note, make yourself a <tt> macro for Embrace and keybind that (to DPS the easiest) and teach yourself to spam that OR a direct keybind of Embrace, 24/7 100%, depending on the situation, to get used to having a perfect uptime of Embrace. The AI on the fairies is okay, but it will only react after someone has dropped sub-80% HP, hence you will want to spam it on cooldown to keep up with Embraces easier. (Eg. a tank is at 100% HP but about to be hit so that he'd drop to 85% HP - your Fairy wouldn't react at all, except by the next hit where the tank would drop to 70% - making it so that the Embraces wouldn't keep up so easily, so it is in your best interest to spam-precast it). A good control of all of your skills and their situational use is one thing, but maximizing the HPS of your fairy is another. Many scholars are painfully lazy, with their Fairy on Sic, or then just not spamming Embrace, despite having it on Obey. Maximizing your HPS of the fairy allows you the freedom of multitasking more easy and it also is a great habit to develop for healing-heavy content anyway.

[EvianEverdeen]

You can play a Scholar quite well with 30 INT speccing, as some of the abilities are flat % -based (eg. Lustrate healing 25% of a target's HP) or then just rely less on MND in general. The opposite is not really recommendable, though (playing the SMN with MND speccing, so unless you have tons of keeper hymns, keep yourself INT specced).

Unless you're going for max stats, that doesn't really matter with end-game gear.

[Assirra]

Honestly the only flat %-based spell we got is lustrate and even that is only possible max 3times in a minute.
Not to mention its more a oh shit button then to be used as a a standard heal.

[Tranquil]

Honestly the only flat %-based spell we got is lustrate and even that is only possible max 3times in a minute.
Not to mention its more a oh shit button then to be used as a a standard heal.

Sacred soil is flat-mitigation. Also, it's not definitely an "oh shit -button" if you manage your stacks well, micro the fairy and heal consistently, even if that is what the general consensus among the community seems to be. You can definitely "oh shit" -Lustrate clutch it up at times, but that is not its most common usage for me. Rather, I can throw in a 'maintenance Lustrate' easily, knowing I'll have the CD up soon and can comfortably heal a tank without overhealing, with Lustrate, allowing me to further multitask. That, or Energy drain. Or throw a Sacred soil if I don't have a Shadow flare up and won't actually need the Sacred soil before it is back up from the cooldown.

[Urthdigger]

Well, a few things to keep in mind are how to use your heals effectively. Adloquium is essentially 600 potency, but this is including the shield. Otherwise it's a mere 300 potency. So, the best way to use it is to start with Adloquium, then as long as Galvanize is up on your target you use Physick instead.

Another key thing to keep in mind is your damage mitigation opportunities. First up, Sacred Soil. Straight up 10% mitigation, though it's best used to shield the party when an unescapable AoE is coming up, like during primal fights. Second is Eye for an Eye. Try to keep this up on the tank as cooldowns permit, but ESPECIALLY if the tank is being hit by multiple enemies at once. Then, there's Virus. Due to the short cooldown, this is perhaps best used if an enemy is preparing a heavy hitting attack, in order to lessen the damage from it. Finally, there's Shadow Flare, which can be handy for inflicting slow on multiple targets.

Finally, never be afraid to pop Cleric's Stance and throw off a few DoT spells. The damage from each tick of the DoT only cares about your stats at the time the spell landed. You can easily turn it on, cast a spell or two, then take it off.

[UlricCraft]

30 MND is a significant amount of stat to be losing out on as an end-game healer.

• Two pets = Eos & Selene
• Eos has healing buff, heal over time, protect spell
• Selene has cooldown buff for mages, CDR for fighters and a silence.
• Use Eos to heal, selene for trash mobs in dungeons.
• Both have a mini-cure I as their auto-attack.
• SCH is better at reducing damage than WHM, so you should focus on using shields.
• Pets must be in Obey to use their spells.
• Your aoe heals suck
• You must anticipate damage to be the best you can, SCH uses shields and is weaker at recovering hp.
• Learn to macro.

[BinaryJack]

From my experience as a lvl 50 Scholar
Scholars are about damage prevention through the use of "shielding" i.e. Adloquium, Succor & Sacred Soil.
I also use Eye for Eye which I classify as damage prevention.

We have the added benefit of our fairies that complement our inherent Physick through their Embrace.
The best way to do this is to macro their Embrace to your Physick. This will boost your basic heal.

We also have access to heal boosts with Fey Illumination (Eos) and Rouse.
For AOE heals we have Succor and Whispering Dawn (Eos).

As for stats, gear will be your main complement for stat boosts and it is vital that you always keep your gear up to date.

We also have "Panic Button" Lustrate for a flat pull-the-tank's-ass-out-of-the-fire heal.

I will gladly take 1 sch and 1 whm in Titan HM vs 2 whm.
The added bonus of having the Sacred Soil/Succor up at a Stomp and plumes makes me much more comfortable.

I will however say this and this is from experience, get Stone Skin and Swift Cast.
These are basic utensils of Scholar and is vital to be a great Scholar.

Have fun and be safe!

[distant-cubix]

thanks to all for the posts good info, will address/ask specific questions as they arise

[distant-cubix]

So more specific ish question, I have found some things a bit challenging such as keeping whole party healthy when tank can't seem to keep hate, being able to see what attacks are coming when zoomed far out or big group - hard to prevent if not sure what's coming, trying to choose to spend time dropping shadow flare or if I should keep galvanize up on tank, lastly commanding pet while doing everything else, any suggestions?