Stoneskin not useful?

[Risvertasashi]

Is it worth it to Protect > Stoneskin II at the start of an instance? Or can I use that space on my hotbar for other things?

Out of habit, I tend to swiftcast + SS2 at the start of instances. Even a weak shield is better than none, though I'm not sure I would bother if I didn't already have the habit.

However... The downside is this may encourage DPS to think they can get away with eating an AoE, when really the shield just doesn't do much anymore.

Hot tip for pvp, put SS up before protect.

For those unaware, protect does not increase pdef/mdef in pvp.