Astrologian Sects!! Help

[Rangomx]

what sect should you use in 4 man content?

[AnimaAnimus]

I use Diurnal mostly but it really depends on you playstyle and the content itself. Noct is good for pulls since you shouldn't regen a tank that is pulling, but don't do as much outside of that for the most part imo.

So give them both a try and see which you prefer, there really isn't one that is better, there is just one that is better for you.

[KinnisonArc]

Try out both and see which you prefer. Personally, I use Noct when tank is pulling trash mobs, shields works immediately to absorb damage while regen tick takes a bit of time and usually wasted when overhealing. For bosses I use Diurnal, tanks don't get hit way hard here so the regen tick+bit of healing are enough to keep them alive while giving some time to DPS away.

[era1Ne]

The sect doesn't really matter that much for 4 man content. So choose what you prefer or want to get better at. I personally use Diurnal Sect, because shields aren't really needed in 4 man content and reggen are overall more efficient in terms of potency. Furthermore extending reggen effects with time dilation or Celestial Opposition make much more sense, cause the shield effect will be erased after the dmg taken is higher than the shield applied and the 30 seconds timer of the shields is more than enough for that to happen. This means extending shields in most cases is useless.

PS: You could use pre shields with noct and then switch to duirnal before a fight, but that isn't needed in 4 man content. But it is a tactic people use for raids for instance.

Try out both and see which you prefer. Personally, I use Noct when tank is pulling trash mobs, shields works immediately to absorb damage while regen tick takes a bit of time and usually wasted when overhealing. For bosses I use Diurnal, tanks don't get hit way hard here so the regen tick+bit of healing are enough to keep them alive while giving some time to DPS away.

Technically and strictly speaking thats not true, because buffs including shields are activated with the server ticks and those happen every 3 seconds. This means even if you see the buff in the list already, the effect could still be not up and then the attack of the mob/boss will calculate the dmg without the buff applied. Thats something to really keep in mind among others for mitigation skills including shields. You have to apply them 3 seconds early at best, so they actually work everytime. If you get lucky you will get the effect instant, because a server tick was just about to happen, but if you are unlucky it will take up to 3 seconds.

[PerrinTaveren]

i use nocturnal sect because i am used to sch's shields and i hate pre-pull regen :3 but if you don't pre-pull regen and comfortable with whm's playstyle more, you may want to go diurnal. Both are good but i think diurnal is more healer friendly because it has aoe and single target regens and takes a bit of pressure off the healer maybe? Well it depends what you like more tbh and which you are comfortable with. But personally i think diurnal is more healer friendly if you accidently pre-pull regen and annoy tanks :P Anyway, it really depends on you and both sects have their own strengths but i think if you are unsure about nocturnal sect, i would recommend going with diurnal and once you get used to AST more, you can try nocturnal.

[Rongway]

Diurnal Sect has numerically superior effect, but will result in more overheal than Nocturnal Sect. However, as era1Ne points out, the Diurnal HoTs are subject to extension by Dilation and Opposition, and that makes it the go-to sect when you want to spam Gravity for a whole forty seconds at a time.

If you know you can pull it off before the tank is in aggro range of the next encounter, you can switch to Nocturnal immediately after the last mob dies, shield the tank, and switch back to Diurnal. Probably no one will fault you for not switching back and forth for this, though.

[Cidel]

PS: You could use pre shields with noct and then switch to duirnal before a fight

This is what I'll do.

Since you specified 4-man content, I get more mileage out of swapping to Diurnal after shielding between pulls and letting HoTs do their thing while I (lolAST) DPS. The shields feel so incredibly brief when the tank is getting hit by 4+ mobs that I almost feel obligated to reapply it after every other Gravity/Malefic and that just throws me off. That, and like already mentioned, when I use Time Dilation (or even Cel.Opp.) I'd prefer if the target(s) have HoTs up being extended too.

[Alisi]

I use Noct shields for 4 mans but I main a sch so that feels better for me personally.

PS: You could use pre shields with noct and then switch to duirnal before a fight, but that isn't needed in 4 man content. But it is a tactic people use for raids for instance..

I'll have to try that. I'm leveling my ast atm. Enjoying it despite myself.

[Chortle]

Shielding in noct then swapping to diurnal is most efficient pre-pull.

Diurnal is best for fights. Hit up the tank with your hots once he has agro and dps your heart out. Makes for faster dungeon clears as well as more fun imo.

[Maku]

Shielding in noct then swapping to diurnal is most efficient pre-pull.

Diurnal is best for fights. Hit up the tank with your hots once he has agro and dps your heart out. Makes for faster dungeon clears as well as more fun imo.

You beat me to it. Most AST I have seen don't sect dance during any content. I do it all the time and it really is the most efficient thing to do. IF the tanks gets you the chance since you can't switch while in combat.