Learning how to properly play AST

[416to305]

Wait a sec lightspeed do not make your spell instant it reduced the cast time
Aspected helios still have a cast time (suuuuuuper short but still forbid you from using while running)

Be careful with this spell
Look awesome but you burn your mana even with -25% comsumption

Yeah, Aspected Helios you have to stop moving but literally for 1-2 secs. Normal Helios you can cast while running, same with Benefic II, Exalted Detrament, trying to think of some others. I don't use it for Aspected Helios, usually just for those times when the whole party is under 50% HP. Lightspeed plus a few hits of Helios usually brings everyone right back up, and the 25% MP reduction is a huge help.

[Lyrica_Ashtine]

Wait a sec lightspeed do not make your spell instant it reduced the cast time
Aspected helios still have a cast time (suuuuuuper short but still forbid you from using while running)

Have you tried? :P

[Nekotee]

Yup if your using aspected helios you have to stop (just à frame) at some point to let cast start and let your latency take the end and allow you to cast on run.
For helios... It's instant so yeah full run do not anti-cast you


This could change the more spellspeed you have...
Because the closer you are to 2,5 sec cast the more instant your spell are

[Sleigh]

I don't even stop for Aspected Helios if I have Lightspeed up. Works every time.

[Lyrica_Ashtine]

I don't even stop for Aspected Helios if I have Lightspeed up. Works every time.

I second that

[Rongway]

Once you get to 60 you can do this thing...
Synastry -> Collective Unconscious -> Swiftcast -> Aspected Helios -> AoE Card Buff -> Aspected Benefic -> Time Dilation -> Celestial Opposition -> Cleric Stance -> Luminiferous Aether -> 20x Gravity
and as long as you don't have a DRK, you can stand (float?) there casting Gravity forever without healing the tank and without running out of MP.

Synastry increases Collective Unconscious as well? I didn't know that, I thought it just increased actual magic spells not abilities? Would love to find out as I didn't realize that, otherwise I'd use it before CU often then.

No, I use it there because Collective Unconscious takes up to 3 seconds to apply itself, and don't want three seconds of Aspected Benefic ticking away while I'm waiting for Collective Unconscious to take effect. For me it's purely a timing issue, not because it gets bonus potency (it does not). You could also swap Aspected Helios and Collective Unconscious to take advantage of Aspected Helios having the longest duration, but I prefer to Swiftcast+AspectedHelios as I'm running away from the danger I might have just put myself in by running to the tank. Again, timing, and your situation might be safe to do Aspected Helios first.

Wait a sec lightspeed do not make your spell instant it reduced the cast time
Aspected helios still have a cast time (suuuuuuper short but still forbid you from using while running)

Be careful with this spell
Look awesome but you burn your mana even with -25% comsumption

It still gives you a short enough cast time that you can cast anything except Ascend while on the move.

If you use Lightspeed as an Oh Shit button, remember that its full potential lies not in making your heals instant but rather in allowing you to perform actions in between heals without costing any time.

I don't entirely agree with this. You're forgetting to mention that Lightspeed lets you cast while moving for most spells. I use it all the time, can run to one end of the arena, pop Helios, and then to the other and do it again if necessary. Great for those instances where people are spread out, especially since it reduces MP by 25%. 90% of the time I use it it's while running or moving.

I respectfully submit that, yes, while it is useful in this situation, aside from explicitly split-party battles (ex.: Fist), the real problem is that everyone else should take more care not to be so spread out that you have to use two heals where one should suffice.

Something I'd like to see happen is people learning that when there is an AST in the party, they should be close enough for an AoE buff to hit everyone without us having to ask them to (Gather together.); this would relieve issues with missed AoE heals as well.

[h0tNstilettos]

I don't really have any tips that haven't been said already. Just try to keep Aspected Helios up on the party at all times during bosses. I always throw a single target Bole on the tank. Bole + HoTs + Time Dilation on tank allows a lot of breather room. Spreading Balance to all party members is great too. Keep Lightspeed in mind as an emergency "Oh crap button" when party is taking major damage putting their HP at dangerous levels.

All 3 healing jobs are equal. They each have strengths and weaknesses. There was a time when this wasn't true until they recently made adjustments to AST.

[FoxyAreku]

God damn thanks !
I was about to yell again...

Ast is far from being the worst healer...

I am on par with whm with more stuff than me as diurnal
Plus the AST has the best support skills

The only part were AST is worst than the 2 other heal is in the damage output

.....

And for those who say that whm is the best in running a 4man dungeon
The SCH can do EVERY run with CS
And AST give DPS such an big boost that he do not need to dps

People really need to learn that worst is not the same as bad.

Scholar and White mage do more damage and do more healing throughput then an AST does of equal skill level. This is a fact, and anyone who says otherwise is honestly highly uneducated.

I love astrologian, I play it all the time, and I've healed as both it and scholar in savage alexander. I'm not the best player in the world, but it's brutally obvious that scholar is not only easier to play, but does more damage (especially AoE damage with bane), and has better mitigations and healing throughput, as well as isn't even near as risky with mana consumption.

Heck, if AoE is involved, a Scholar's DPS will actually outdo an astrologian's DPS WITH any card buffs they cast on party members factored in. The difference in DPS is that great.

Not to mention the countless off-GCD heals that scholar and whitemage have that pushes them over the top even more.

Astrologian is good. But being good doesn't mean it's not still the worst of the three.

(Also I know vlady has posted but I stopped reading his posts months ago. I don't have time to argue with someone who is so highly biased with no evidence.)

[Nekotee]

I do agree and disagree on one point XD
I'm more than with you about the DPS, AST do not have tool for that when SCH is king

But no, AST have great healing tool and do as much if not more than SCH and WHM at equal power

I do the same as you both AST and SCH for the savage, and AST is a master for A1S when SCH is perfect for the next one

...

But I follow you about damage... The only way for an AST to do a medium DPS is to burn his mana... When SCH just yawn and it's done...

[416to305]

I do agree that people should stack around me more! Drives me crazy when I pop collective unconscious because big damage is coming or happening, and then people stand JUST outside of it. I just want to be like MOVE 2 feet and it's a 15 second regen (or longer if you stay in it while it's up). Or when you do expanded balance and based on where everyone is you end up applying it to 2 or 3 people, one being the other healer lol. Side question though, expanded royal road what is the radius? Is it from the target or from me that it expands? I think target right? Seems random when I try to watch it. In Void Ark people are always so spread out.