Thread: Questions/Tips for Scholar - in general 4.0 and progressing to endgame content?

Hey everyone! (Please excuse the multi-post I didn't know you could edit afterwards to bypass the limit xoxo)

So I've been maining Scholar since I first bought the game about a year and a half ago, and what initially drew me to the class was A. its utility-healer style and B. the sharing of levels with an entire other class, something unique to Scholar/Summoner and allowed leveling up to be done in a fun and diverse way.

Unfortunately, due to the nature of the long MSQ grind when starting from scratch, and taking a long break from the game before even progressing into Heavensward content, I just hit 70 now as I blow through the last few MSQs and I've never even done a single raid. Getting to endgame gear / raid content has always been a goal of mine, and now that the goal is in sight, are there any tips that can make me better at what I do as a scholar going into my first reach of endgame?

I've been reading a lot and I see that scholars are in a tough spot right now - it feels like AST does everything we do utility-wise, but better, and we get out-healed by both AST and WHM. However, progressing thus far I've always liked the way that Scholar feels as a very mobile, damage-slinging healer class and I like the ability to DPS while healing mostly with oGCDs and keeping roused whispers on cooldown.

I think that despite the apparent nerfs and struggle to perform well in comparison to WHM and AST in brute force healing, Scholar is still really fun for me to play and I enjoy the ability to change rotations and weave different oGCDs as necessary on the fly to quickly adapt playstyle, and I don't think that's something the other two healers can do nearly as well, though I don't have personal experience at high levels with either of them. (I've just begun leveling my AST, it's 35.)

So a few questions:
- Is Fey Union even viable? Given that it fails to be boosted by anything at all and I read something about embrace potency in the same timeframe being better is there a reason to even use it, or is the top-level skill that I just got going to go to waste?
- Other than Lucid Dreaming or a dedicated manabattery on your team, what else can I do as a scholar to work on MP management? Sometimes between DPSing and throwing GCD heals when necessary I just wind up struggling in the lower portion of my bar, especially when solo healing 4-mans. I'm really feeling the Aetherflow nerf with this one, as I never noticed such a struggle when I used to play casually pre-4.0.
- Going into raid content, is there really a place to just... start? Do I find a group to run coils with or do I just jump into Omega progression, and how do I even start that? Any tips for a first-time scholar who will probably wind up as an off-healer?

As far as I can tell, I have a pretty decent grasp of my class and I'm not letting myself get salty or discouraged at the seeming lack of effectiveness because I think much of it is just perceived that way, when in reality the function is still at a very very viable level. But I've never even touched a raid so maybe I'm just completely wrong and scholar just sucks now and I should go level my AST if I don't want to waste my time lol, so a little insight would be really cool for a newbie here.

Thanks so much, this is a big dumb wall, but I appreciate any responses in advance! <3