Healer etiquette and general tips for a noob healer

[Mirch]

As astrologian your main job is to draw exodia

[Iveriad]

For AST, just make sure that your chosen Sect complements the other healer in 8 man contents.

Use Macro to announce your Raise/Ascend/Ressurection/Verraise to let the other healer know who you're reviving, so you won't raise the same person and waste MP.
*Just make sure the Macro isn't the condescending one like "You can't cure stupid but you can raise it! Raising *insert name here*". Because last time I see a healer using macro like that, was when that healer is the one who killed that person by not moving to the other side during Susanoo's Thunder mark phase. That kind of Macro will make you sound like a jerk, and even more so if the deaths were the result of your mistakes.
"Raising *insert name*" is enough.

DPS is not a must. Just do it when you have nothing else to do for the next 5-10 seconds.
And if you do decide to DPS, put DoTs first if there are 3 or less enemies, use your AoE if there are more. (AST got their AoE really late compared to other healer however)

[Skyclaw726]

Thanks for the tips guys really appreciate the help.

[Draxis_Fallspear]

1- I always focus target the boss. That way, I can see which big attack is coming that might cause problems. Once I know get a feel for the cast time, I start precasting my heal so that it lands right after the damage. Gives me more uptime on DPS.

2- Especially as an AST, make sure to read and understand the tooltips for all of your oGCD. Healers don't have rotations, but we do have to understand all the tools at our disposal to make our job easier. Knowing what these do and how they interact can really make a huge difference in your own QOL. For example, Celestial Opposition also has a stun effect and extends Collective Unconscious (which has a duration even after the bubble has gone down) so it's very useful on large pulls, especially if you extend an AOE dps card (like Balance, Arrow, or Spear).

3- I believe I saw someone else say this, but I'll reiterate. As an AST, your priority order should be heals, buffs and only then DPS. You hit the least out of all the healers so your dps contribution is mainly from the cards.

4- Regen is tricky. I've started using it a lot less and I find things have gone better for it. It heals for a lot over the course of its life, but it won't keep the tank up. I usually avoid it for the first part of a larger pull and only cast it once there are about 4 or less mobs left (really more of a feel though, if I feel like the incoming damage is getting pretty manageable then I use it so I can dps more)

5- Watch your MP. As I'm levelling through the healers, I've found that AST has the hardest time with MP management. I set a rule for myself where I stop dpsing at 50% mana and just start again if I reach 70% comfortably. I could probably start being more aggressive but it's a good rule of thumb for me at the moment and I never run out of mana. No mana, no heals.

[Mossk]

always focus target the boss

this, 100000000%, always focus target! focus target saves lives.

[jstamos]

I'm still a low level (39 i believe) so there hasn't been much to challenge me but there have been some wipes mainly due to me faffing around with the cards.

Keeping people alive > card buffs.

You will eventually get used to which card is which, but there should never be a period where you are spending so long with the cards that someone dies in the meantime.

[Zyaph]

-Imo, the best asset to a good healer is a good UI layout.
I completely reorganized my UI, and even though it does seem kind of messy, for me it's arranged in the best way for myself to see everything that's going on at once. Experiment with the UI and see how much changing it helps(a lot!).
Also your keybinds. I use 1-6 and then QERF, plus Shift and CRTL variations.
-For card skills, I actually bind these to my side mouse buttons. That way I can draw quickly without keeping focus away from healing.
-Make sure Aspected Benefic is on the tank AT ALL TIMES during boss fights. You don't notice the healing drop off until it's too late.
-Make sure you DON'T use Aspected Benific before the tank pulls. Unless you want a near death experience. (:
-Keep the tank on your Focus Target slot if at all possible. This way you can see his/her buff timers real-time.

[Zyaph]

As for macros, Mouse-Over macros are your bff. Unless you use controllers I guess.. But don't overuse them.
I use a MO macro for Aspected Benefic, Esuna, Essential Dignity, and Draw. a Draw MO macro essentially will let you assign the card you just drew to anyone you have your cursor over(including nameplates on your party list).
I know some people use an Echo macro for Aspected Benefic for when it expires on a tank. I personally don't as I keep an eye on timers pretty efficiently, but it's personal taste.
Also remember that a macro skill CAN NOT be "queued", so it can be an overall loss in DPS if you start making EVERY skill a macro.
Swift Rez macro is mandatory. Adding a party message is advisable, so that your other healer/smn knows you are raising. For some reason you can't use the translation text in an AST SwiftRez macro, it completely breaks it. So I just use something like "CASTING REZ ON (t)!!!! 0.5s" with a sound effect.

[Gmot]

I'm not sure if it's been said before, and I'm not max level by any means (I have sch at 61, and Astro at 60) but I've done most of the content I can on these roles, switching between them, since I'm mainly a shorter queue bot for my DPS friends - I'm kidding I swear.

Anyway general tips for Astro
1. Your DPS generally sucks, at least compared to the rest of the healers. Throw in some gravities when you can, but realize that these cost the same amount of MP as Aspected Helios or Aspected Benefic. Run Lucid Dreaming, use liberally - it's on a 90 second CD, so don't really worry about it. It should be back by the time you need it.
2. Study your cards before you draw them, know what they do, and know what they do if you royal road them. It saves a lot of time in dungeons, and it definitely will help avoid wipes since you're not fiddling with cards as much. You see it, you do it, you know.
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[Gmot]

General healing tips:
Priority healing in order: you, MT, co-healer, OT, then DPS
Priority rez order: MT or co-healer (depending on who is dead), OT, then DPS who can rez so SMN and RDM at lvl 64 (I think?) Then a Melee DPS if you need the LB.
Remember that as a healer, it is MUCH more important for you to stay alive throughout the dungeons or 8 mains, or alliance raids then as a DPS. You are the core to a party, if you die (generally) everyone follows.
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