AST questions

[AmurT]

So I've been playing AST as my main for a bit now and I've been looking to improve, however a lot of the guides don't really go over some of the finer details I want answered. With the way I've been playing so far, I've quite comfortable cleared up to o7s, now preparing for o8s, but I'm aware that my stats are far from the best and would like it if you could share some insight.

1. Aligning Draw with Combust
While I understand that this is to reduce clipping issues that come with the card mechanics, is it not better to draw as many cards as possible rather than hold onto one just to make the recasts align? Right now, I generally try to clear up the Draw slot ASAP so I can recast it faster for more card value.

2. How often should I actually be using Benefic?
From the start of the game, I've been conditioned to think that Benefic should be my go to healing spell, but often times, I either use Aspected, Lady or Essential Dignity and Earthly Star. In Shinryu EX, I'll use Benefic 2 instead to heal the dragonheads. I understand that Benefic is the most mana efficient, but it just often sits useless on my bar and I end up using GCDs on Malefic.

3. How bad is the MP situation for AST?
I see people asking for MP buffs, but I personally don't have any MP issues. I'm currently at 18k MP at i358, should I build more Piety for o8s or do I have enough?

4. Noct Sect
I pretty much PUG all the time (too many WHMs out there) and the other healer mains in my FC are WHM. How often should I be applying my AoE shields? Right now, I'm kind of just applying them before raid wide damage or using A.Benefic on the tank for tank busters, but doing just that my healing % sits at around 30% while my cohealer usually has like 60~70% of overall healing done. I try to let their regens do as much work as possible, but should I just be using normal Benefics and Helios more instead?

I wouldn't be as worried about this as a SCH, but AST dps is the worst out of all the jobs, so it concerns me whenever my healing is so low, even if nobody dies.

Another issue in this Sect is the use of Time Dilation, how can I make this skill more useful in Noct?

5. Role Skills
Cleric Stance or Eye for an Eye? Usually if I need to take things like Protect or Esuna, it boils down to making a choice between these two. Which one can I get more value out of?

[Risvertasashi]

So I've been playing AST as my main for a bit now and I've been looking to improve, however a lot of the guides don't really go over some of the finer details I want answered. With the way I've been playing so far, I've quite comfortable cleared up to o7s, now preparing for o8s, but I'm aware that my stats are far from the best and would like it if you could share some insight.

1. Aligning Draw with Combust
While I understand that this is to reduce clipping issues that come with the card mechanics, is it not better to draw as many cards as possible rather than hold onto one just to make the recasts align? Right now, I generally try to clear up the Draw slot ASAP so I can recast it faster for more card value.

2. How often should I actually be using Benefic?
From the start of the game, I've been conditioned to think that Benefic should be my go to healing spell, but often times, I either use Aspected, Lady or Essential Dignity and Earthly Star. In Shinryu EX, I'll use Benefic 2 instead to heal the dragonheads. I understand that Benefic is the most mana efficient, but it just often sits useless on my bar and I end up using GCDs on Malefic.

3. How bad is the MP situation for AST?
I see people asking for MP buffs, but I personally don't have any MP issues. I'm currently at 18k MP at i358, should I build more Piety for o8s or do I have enough?

4. Noct Sect
I pretty much PUG all the time (too many WHMs out there) and the other healer mains in my FC are WHM. How often should I be applying my AoE shields? Right now, I'm kind of just applying them before raid wide damage or using A.Benefic on the tank for tank busters, but doing just that my healing % sits at around 30% while my cohealer usually has like 60~70% of overall healing done. I try to let their regens do as much work as possible, but should I just be using normal Benefics and Helios more instead?

I wouldn't be as worried about this as a SCH, but AST dps is the worst out of all the jobs, so it concerns me whenever my healing is so low, even if nobody dies.

Another issue in this Sect is the use of Time Dilation, how can I make this skill more useful in Noct?

5. Role Skills
Cleric Stance or Eye for an Eye? Usually if I need to take things like Protect or Esuna, it boils down to making a choice between these two. Which one can I get more value out of?

1. Avoid clipping if you can, when you can, but don't hold CDs just because they'll clip.
2. What you describe is a similar situation to cure 2. If you aren't hurting for MP, and you can heal with oGCDs, it's ok to not use it.
3. You're probably using CO with Lucid Dreaming, which is what gave AST such strong MP management in Heavensward. A lot of ASTs don't do this, and/or they might not use oGCDs like you do.
Don't piety build unless you hit an MP wall.
4. Applying shields before damage is exactly the way to do it. Diurnal is, honestly, better because it gives more DPS uptime. Even if you have a WHM in the party, unless you're savage raiding, it's better to stack regens most of the time.
Time dilation is the same: priority should be to card buffs.

- that said my personal preference is for Noct. I like playing in pug groups any chance I get, even if the content far from requires it. If you like it, keep playing it.

5. You're most likely to get value out of E4E if the tank is taking a lot of physical auto attacks. But if you're not doing high end duties, it isn't worth much, and even there it's debated.

[EaMett]

Shielding is kind of a tricky topic. Basically only shield if you gain something from doing so. Most often this means if mitigation allows hots to top people off without any other healing required, if it saves a healing gcd after the damage comes in, or if it keeps someone alive. When you aren't in any of those situations it's usually not worth it.

I don't play AST much so I can't help beyond that. Just give it some thought when you play, and look at it from the point of view that shielding isn't optimized. You'll find that this outlook often helps highlight cases where shields are actually beneficial (ie: is earthly star on cd, is cure III not an option? etc..).

With that said, I play SCH so I'm used to a completely different skill set. It's possible that Noct AST is slightly more dependent on shields than SCH.

Edit: If you're worried about your hps, don't just go by the ACT numbers. They show raw healing not effective healing (keep overhealing in mind). If you're a little low and shields aren't required just use normal helios/benefic to help your co-healer by covering some damage in his/her place.

[supaiku]

- You dont need to meld piety for O8s, I dont have and unless I have to rezz a lot of ppl, I don't run into mana issues. Just keep in mind to extend Lucid Dreaming with Celestial Opposition (its also nice to extend aoe cards, Cleric Stance and pots with it).
- For role skills I use: Cleric Stance, Lucid Dreaming, Swiftcast, Largesse and Surecast. Might change Surecast for fights where you I don't need it.
- Use Aspected when a lot of Aoe damage is incoming. You can also place the star beforehand so you don't have to manualy heal afterwards. Unless my co-healer is dead, I barerly (maybe never) use normal Helios, except for the God Kefka fight.
And don't worry about your healing being low. It doesn't matter, if nobody dies it's just fine. Why waste your time with overhealing? The interesting part about healing is to find out how little you can heal without your team dying

(I play Noct Ast most of the time)

[Ceasaria]

1. Aligning Draw with Combust
2. How often should I actually be using Benefic?
3. How bad is the MP situation for AST?
4. Noct Sect
5. Role Skills

1) Draw the maximum of cards as you said.
2) Benefic I & Cure I = never (excepted if very low mana). It's better to do one Benefic II + one GCD dps than two Benefic I.
3) Pretty if like me, you have 15k mana haha On God Kefka it's very hot (16k it's okay). You need to talk with Bard, Mch or Caster for decide where you want their refresh mana in the fight (to not be at the same time as Lucid Dream if possible).
4) It's normal with your compo. To heal someone or group, Abilities are the priority first, then the Regen, and finally the non-Regen spells.
I see you use Time Dilatation on tank with Eye for an Eye. Your choices are this or Collective Unconscious or cards. Try to combine two of them at least and use Time Dilatation on tank (or dps if only cards).
5) Eye for an Eye is too random and not enough powerful to rely on it (maybe keep it if you don't have cleared a fight, but once you are used to it, replace it).
Lucid Dream, Switcast = always.

PS : O6S boss is only magic, so Eye for an Eye don't work.
PS2: I don't how you could improve it, but your cast time by minute (CPM) is quite low. You need to do always something during the fight, even when there is a mecanic, or when you are moving.
You need to be comfortable with healing, with dps and with cards all together when knowing the fight perfectly (or nearly) to put high CPM. But it come with xp too. If you improve now, your cpm will be higher at the beggining of the next raid.