Tips for SCH? :)

[Kaenbyou]

What you need the most as a SCH is fight awareness, you need to perfectly know a boss rotation to really perform.
How many time do you have before the next AOE? How much damage the tank will take on the tank buster? Which mitigation to use at what time? Etc, etc...
The more you know about it, the more you can play around it to activate Cleric Stance and help push the dps.
If you're still feeling unsure about Cleric Stance, try dpsing without it first to find the best window until you feel safe enough to activate it.
You'll also need to get used to your fairy and how much she can heal before you have to help her. Try to always use Rouse whenever you can, especially with a whispering dawn. A good rouse-whispering dawn can top off a group after any AOE.
And never forget about the wide array of mitigation you can use, Eye for an Eye is a really good spell, Virus is game-breaking, fey covenant and sacred soil are useful for those AOE spam you have to soak.
However, don't forget about the rest of your team. If you see your co-healer struggling, help him. You're still a healer before being a dps and a lot of SCH forget this.

[Powe]

1. Put Eos/ Selene on obey, when they're on Sic they waste ton of spells. 2. Aldloqium is your BFF, it heals and gives you a shield based on that heal, also if it is a critical the shield strength doubles. 3. Try to anticipate damage( Unless you dont dps then you can skip this part) because of sch's low aoe heals ( 1 is on a timer the other is a buff that makes you shield ( galvanize ) into a heal so basically doubles a aldloqium and a succor but with no shields) or your dps dance will be messed up.

[Gemina]

I can't speak much for 50+ or 8-man content as I've only done "ROFLstomp" aka Operation Archon. However, I can recommend a few things.

- Flexibility: By now, you will have likely learned how imperative it is to place your fairy so she heals efficiently. This is an indisputable truth. Your PT members will also likely prefer you use Selene for her speed buffs. Her ability to increase overall DPS is also an indisputable truth. However, YOU should be the one to determine what is best for any given situation.

- Obey/Sic: Don't fall into "always keep fairies on Obey". This is mostly (not always) true for Eos, but not Selene. Remember, flexibility. Selene's AI is actually pretty good, and she is really fast. Plus, due the conditions that need to be met for her to cast, none one of them really go to waste unlike Eos. Learning the AI of your fairies is key to knowing when to have them on Sic and when to have them on Obey, and the situations that will serve you best with each. For example, learn the conditions that Selene will cast Fey Wind, Fey Caress, and Silent Dusk. Don't be afraid to alternate these commands even during a single battle.

- Micro management: If you are having trouble with this, I recommend doing challenging solo content to practice. Keep in mind that you can make easy content more challenging by nerfing yourself. Fight mob after mob after mob until accessing and using your fairies toolkit is transferred over to muscle memory.

- Placing your fairy: The place command, honestly isn't much different than setting up Sacred Soil or Shadow Flare. If you can do those, you can place your fairy. Again, practice in challenging solo content. Also don't be shy about summoning a different fairy during battle if need be (hope you have swiftcast). If SC is on CD or you don't have it, then cast without sending her away first to ensure she still heals during the casting duration. I believe you also have access to Embrace during this time, assuming your fairy is on Obey.

- Healing is your priority: Don't ever forget this. Lacky scholars blame their faires for KO's and wipes. Don't be that person.

- Succor is AoE galvanize, not AoE heal: If you're casting succor after big damage, you're late. If you're spamming succor to repair said big damage, you're wasting MP. Galvanize should be up to absorb some of the damage, and then reapplied after it is wiped out for the next mob rotation. Sacred Soil + Succor is serious mitigation for the entire group, while Rouse+Fey Illumination+Whispering Dawn will get HP bars back up in no time.

- TRUST your fairy: They are REALLY good at healing. Allow them to do it while you fish for Adlo crits on the tank.

[Rawrz]

I can't speak much for 50+ or 8-man content as I've only done "ROFLstomp" aka Operation Archon. However, I can recommend a few things.
-1. Healing is your priority: Don't ever forget this. Lacky scholars blame their faires for KO's and wipes. Don't be that person.

-2. Succor is AoE galvanize, not AoE heal: If you're casting succor after big damage, you're late. If you're spamming succor to repair said big damage, you're wasting MP. Galvanize should be up to absorb some of the damage, and then reapplied after it is wiped out for the next mob rotation. Sacred Soil + Succor is serious mitigation for the entire group, while Rouse+Fey Illumination+Whispering Dawn will get HP bars back up in no time.

-3. TRUST your fairy: They are REALLY good at healing. Allow them to do it while you fish for Adlo crits on the tank.

After raid Im gonna respond to this :c

1. No one blames their fairy. xD The fairy is an extension of you. So her heals are your contribution. If they aren't enough, youll need to rouse or use some direct heals.

2. As long as people are going to be taking damage within 30 seconds, its not a waste. Its a medica that can't be used while its still active, or it loses effectiveness. As long as people won't die from not having more than 100% health, its better to do it after.

3. Command your fairy. Heal as necessary. You can "fish" for an adlo outside of a fight, but not in it. Adlo isn't something you spam, but you should be using it more often than physick (If you use physick much at all at 60.)

[Gemina]

After raid Im gonna respond to this :c

1. No one blames their fairy. xD The fairy is an extension of you. So her heals are your contribution. If they aren't enough, youll need to rouse or use some direct heals.

2. As long as people are going to be taking damage within 30 seconds, its not a waste. Its a medica that can't be used while its still active, or it loses effectiveness. As long as people won't die from not having more than 100% health, its better to do it after.

3. Command your fairy. Heal as necessary. You can "fish" for an adlo outside of a fight, but not in it. Adlo isn't something you spam, but you should be using it more often than physick (If you use physick much at all at 60.)

1. I know this. But it hasn't stopped some SCH I've encountered from blaming their fairies.

2. If you know dmg is coming within the next 30 seconds, why wouldn't you cast it? If you cast succor after the dmg happens, you are preparing for the next wave of dmg. Yes, it does heal for some HP, but it is far more MP efficient AND faster to get everyone back up between fairy's embrace and your Physick. Abilities like Lustrate and Indom are even more reason to not to use succor to bring back everyone back up after heavy dmg.

3. Adlo, like succor, is not a heal. It is galvanize, meant to shield. I agree it isn't something you spam. Fishing does not mean spam it. It means 'cast' it. In most instances I've been in, tanks pull too fast for you to cast it pre fight, so you have to use it in a fight. Gathering is actually what taught me to appreciate adlo more, and take risks. It crits more often than people give it credit for, and when it does, you have one hell of a tank buff. There is no reason not to fish for it, especially in drawn out fights. Currently my Physick heals for avg 878 non crit opposed to 616 non crit adlo. If tank is below 70%, they're getting Physick, not Adlo.

[Rawrz]

1. I know this. But it hasn't stopped some SCH I've encountered from blaming their fairies.

2. If you know dmg is coming within the next 30 seconds, why wouldn't you cast it? If you cast succor after the dmg happens, you are preparing for the next wave of dmg. Yes, it does heal for some HP, but it is far more MP efficient AND faster to get everyone back up between fairy's embrace and your Physick. Abilities like Lustrate and Indom are even more reason to not to use succor to bring back everyone back up after heavy dmg.

3. Adlo, like succor, is not a heal. It is galvanize, meant to shield. I agree it isn't something you spam. Fishing does not mean spam it. It means 'cast' it. In most instances I've been in, tanks pull too fast for you to cast it pre fight, so you have to use it in a fight. Gathering is actually what taught me to appreciate adlo more, and take risks. It crits more often than people give it credit for, and when it does, you have one hell of a tank buff. There is no reason not to fish for it, especially in drawn out fights. Currently my Physick heals for avg 878 non crit opposed to 616 non crit adlo. If tank is below 70%, they're getting Physick, not Adlo.

Shields are heals. They are just heals that cannot be stacked. Every time you cast Adlo or Succor you are healing for 600 and 300 respectively, so long as damage is incoming within 30 seconds. If you shield before the damage is incoming, you are losing 150 potency or half of the heal. Players also have natural health regain. You can shield before the attack if it makes you feel safer, but its a 50% overheal. You are costing yourself 2 GCDs, when 1 would be sufficient. An exception would be when massive raid wide damage is about to go out, and you need the extra healing, like in Sephirot during the third phase with adds. Shielding with succor during the knockback. Virus. Emergency Tactics. Precasting Succor. Succor. Indom. But even that is overheal if you have a good healing partner. (Thats 150+300+300+400 x 8 potency in 6 seconds.) In MOST content, precasting a shield, when you could be DPSing is an overheal.

Typically though on a single target, if you Adlo for that 600 potency heal (your 616 heal, 616 shield,) your fairy will be given more time to assist you, having 1.5x as much time to help heal.

Go into a pull. Tank has adlo (maybe even SS).Spamming Embrace at even 100% health. Popping rouse as bio or aero enters your rotation. Fairy can't keep up. CS off. Lustrate. Adlo. CS on. Thats 1200 potency in heals, while the fairy helps to keep up. Its even easier at 50 and below content, because the fairy nerf drops embrace from 300 at level 50 to 200 at level 60.

Adlo and succor are effecient healing spells that focus on retaining the heal if it would be overheal, but are inefficient if you try to stack them on themselves.

Obey/Sic: Don't fall into "always keep fairies on Obey". This is mostly (not always) true for Eos, but not Selene. Remember, flexibility. Selene's AI is actually pretty good, and she is really fast. Plus, due the conditions that need to be met for her to cast, none one of them really go to waste unlike Eos. Learning the AI of your fairies is key to knowing when to have them on Sic and when to have them on Obey, and the situations that will serve you best with each. For example, learn the conditions that Selene will cast Fey Wind, Fey Caress, and Silent Dusk. Don't be afraid to alternate these commands even during a single battle."

Also, I missed this one. Selene actually has a terrible AI for Fey Caress. The only time it would be effective is if you know you'll be put to sleep, so that Selene could fey caress you out of it, since you can't micromanage incapacitated. If someone even has weakness, she'll try to Fey Caress it, when they raise. You could make the case for her silence, but an interrupt macro is about as reliable.

You also want to aim Fey wind's duration for a time when you can maximize your 30 seconds of uptime. She'll use it whenever it goes off of cool down, even if the boss is invulnerable or if you're at the end of a pull.

[Gemina]

Shields are heals. They are just heals that cannot be stacked. Every time you cast Adlo or Succor you are healing for 600 and 300 respectively, so long as damage is incoming within 30 seconds. If you shield before the damage is incoming, you are losing 150 potency or half of the heal. Players also have natural health regain. You can shield before the attack if it makes you feel safer, but its a 50% overheal. You are costing yourself 2 GCDs, when 1 would be sufficient. An exception would be when massive raid wide damage is about to go out, and you need the extra healing, like in Sephirot during the third phase with adds. Shielding with succor during the knockback. Virus. Emergency Tactics. Precasting Succor. Succor. Indom. But even that is overheal if you have a good healing partner. (Thats 150+300+300+400 x 8 potency in 6 seconds.) In MOST content, precasting a shield, when you could be DPSing is an overheal.

Typically though on a single target, if you Adlo for that 600 potency heal (your 616 heal, 616 shield,) your fairy will be given more time to assist you, having 1.5x as much time to help heal.

Go into a pull. Tank has adlo (maybe even SS).Spamming Embrace at even 100% health. Popping rouse as bio or aero enters your rotation. Fairy can't keep up. CS off. Lustrate. Adlo. CS on. Thats 1200 potency in heals, while the fairy helps to keep up. Its even easier at 50 and below content, because the fairy nerf drops embrace from 300 at level 50 to 200 at level 60.

Adlo and succor are effecient healing spells that focus on retaining the heal if it would be overheal, but are inefficient if you try to stack them on themselves.

I think you and I have completely different approaches to galvanize. I don’t see Adlo and Succor as heals. I see them as shields with a restorative number that lets you know how much dmg it is going to absorb. I have always been under the impression that a SCH’s strength comes from their ability to mitigate damage. My time as WHM has shown how much more difficult it is for SCH to repair the damage after it comes. When I need to heal, I use Physick, Lustrate, and I’ll have Indom soon for a true AoE heal. I make no mention of stacking Galvanize. There is no over heal with Galvanize because I am not casting it to restore hit points.

Also, I missed this one. Selene actually has a terrible AI for Fey Caress. The only time it would be effective is if you know you'll be put to sleep, so that Selene could fey caress you out of it, since you can't micromanage incapacitated. If someone even has weakness, she'll try to Fey Caress it, when they raise. You could make the case for her silence, but an interrupt macro is about as reliable.

You also want to aim Fey wind's duration for a time when you can maximize your 30 seconds of uptime. She'll use it whenever it goes off of cool down, even if the boss is invulnerable or if you're at the end of a pull.

Allow me to be more clear about Sic/Obey. I know that keeping our fairy on obey is the most effective way to utilize her tool kit. However, the question is: Am I am more effective having her on manual control? If a debuff that needs cleansed is sapping away at the group that Selene would have picked up long before I cast leeches, or if Fey Wind has been sitting off CD for x amount of time during trash pulls or boss fights, the answer is no.

We can bring up the faulty fairy AI all day, while human error for some reason is never mentioned. I can only speak for myself when I say I am not a perfect SCH by any means, but if any of these derps I mentioned sounds familiar, I wouldn’t throw Sic out the window. If someone needs a rezz and Selene is on auto, take her off it while you’re casting it so she doesn't waste FC. Simple. There is no set rule that says you can’t toggle Sic/Obey to increase your effectiveness. Toggling them, really is part of the micro managing. I seriously doubt SE gave the Sic command so players can be lazy.

I should also mention that I use a controller. The hotbar setup does not allow me to see all CDs, and when a lot is going on all at once, especially when solo healing, it is VERY easy to miss a CD. I will tell a SCH that manual control is the most effective way to use our fairies, but I will never tell a SCH to keep their fairies on OR off obey.

A good example of when I toggled between Sic and Obey was during Garuda story mode. I came in with Selene and left her on Auto. SD is ineffective towards her, and she causes no debuffs that need to be cleansed. So I eliminated my own margin for error by leaving her on Sic to maximize Fey Wind. At around 60% before Garuda uses her signature ability, I brought in Eos and put her on obey. This made it much easier for me to regain control after everyone except the tank dropped lower than 20% HP.

Also Selene does not use Fey Wind every time it is off CD. She will cast it when the following conditions are met:

- Off CD
- Not silenced, slept, or other interruption
- Player is engaged in battle, or player is aggroed

She will not cast it outside of a fight. If she casts it towards the end of a trash pull, it’s on me for not taking her off of Sic, but considering that Fey Wind reduces cast times as well as CD’s, it not necessarily a bad thing if it is active between pulls, which are so ridiculously short you’re losing very little.

[Joe_Schmoe]

I guess one piece of advice I can give is always try to pay attention to whether or not you're in Cleric Stance when you're trying to heal. Voice of experience.

[Zadocfish]

Alright, I have a better question this time. Is there any way to function as a Scholar with only 32 abilities as opposed to 42?