Why do so many healers not use specific abilities?

[JunseiKei]

AST: Earthly Star. Most times I got ASTs as co-healers and most times they didn't use Earthy Star at all (and no, it's not that I'm spamming Cure III for raid-wide AoEs and they think Earthy Star is not needed - they rather cast Helios 2x). Some of them used it sometimes. Very few used it regularly. Yes, it's kind of more difficult to use than a normal healing spell that immediately takes effect. But if they can't plan when to place it, they could at least use it for the damage instead of ignoring it completely.

Ah, RIP, I'm one of those ASTs. It's not that I don't like earthly star, or even forget about it. Outside of [savage] raids, I simply don't have the fight memorized and with 10 seconds needed to get the full benefit of the heal, I usually end up using just helios or plopping down Collective for that instant regen and going back to what I was doing. Times when I have remembered an AoE is coming up in 10+ seconds, but below 20, I plop it down ... and my co-healer spams the party to full HP, wasting earthly star (and making me cry just a little inside). The damage off of it is free, sure, but it mostly boils down to wanting to use it when it'd potentially be the most effective, which is with an incoming AoE.

[Mansion]

Earthly star needs some prior knowledge of the fight, and sometimes will not be used on CD because you want to keep it for a specific raid AOE.
For instance i only use it in Suzaku Ex for that share after individual marked players, because most parties groups back in the back of the boss and I know people will be there. But during the colours phase it is a nightmare to optimize haha. On O9S i use it for big elemental attacks (especially the earth one as tanks and heal need full heal), akh morns on O10S...
Maybe I could milk one for free DPS or tank AA healing in between those specific times, but I have yet to look into it.
And it also depends, if you have a WHM you can ruin an Asylum / Medica II with an Earthly Star, and with a SCH you can have your ES rined by an indom too...

[Blokeymon]

I genuinely thought me and my WHM FC chum were the only people who used Divine Benison, and I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who actually used Plenary Indulgence since day one. It's a free arena-wide heal that is quite powerful if stacks are managed right.

Also, PoM > Cleric Stance > Thin Air > Holy spam FTW.

[Exiled_Tonberry]

Clipping could be reason for WHM,if they're DPSing heavily. The thing is, using Divine Bension and such really clips into your GCD if you're not using it after Aero. I'll gladly clip it for a Thin Air or PoM, but Divine Bension and Asylum are sadly things that I'll put off a bit at times because it clips into my GCD.

SCH and AST don't have this problem with clipping, so that's probably why you notice skills being used more on them and less on WHM.

[Gemina]

One thing I noticed immediately after the 5-slot role skill restriction was lifted was I felt like I went backwards a bit on the learning curve. Granted, I am also still leveling. So in addition to the role skills I also have my new SB abilities I am working into my gameplay as well. Result: missed skills, misused skills, and just a general trip to derp city. It's better now, but there was a definitive adjustment period despite that I already had all skills set to my crossbars anyway.

That being said, I will also mention that there are times where I make adjustments to my crossbars, which can produce the same derps. I do try to plunge into lots of solo content to get things into muscle memory, and try to bring FC mates along for such situations.

The more a skill is used, the better we get at using it. So abilities like Rescue with really long cooldowns and limited situations to use it has many healers misusing it, mistiming it, or not using it at all. For more common skills like our gcds and ogcds on a short timer, I tend to notice when they are misused rather than not used, and this is largely due to the sound effect, which means I need to be familiar with it. I don't notice any derps from DPS players right now unless they take unnecessary damage. That's it. When/if I start playing these jobs, I will notice a lot more when I hear or see their skills firing off when they shouldn't.

Other than that, I am too dialed in on what I am doing to pay attention to what my team is NOT doing unless what they are not doing is clearly making things go south. I'm not a babysitter, and I am relying on the playerbase to know their jobs so I can concentrate on mine.

[Eloah]

When I read OP list, I was expecting like Largese, Lucid Dreaming, or Cleric Stance, not abilities engrained into their kits. I have no words, I'm just glad I'm not one of them...

Now, how do I faerie again?... lol.

[Limonia]

When I read OP list, I was expecting like Largese, Lucid Dreaming, or Cleric Stance, not abilities engrained into their kits. I have no words, I'm just glad I'm not one of them...

I wish they didn't exist. xD But I've seen them too often unfortunately.

The thing is, using Divine Bension and such really clips into your GCD if you're not using it after Aero.

But in a situation where you would need Divine Benison for a tankbuster, wouldn't it be better to clip into your GCD because you would have to heal less then? I'm quite casual but I feel I have to heal much less and can dps more if I use Divine Benison. I understand that in a 100% planned out rotation in a perfect group you may not need it maybe, but at least in normal farm content with random players it's a great ability that seems worth clipping into your GCD. (I've given up on trying not to clip into my GCD as WHM anyway though. If I tried it I wouldn't be able to use 80% of my oGCDs when they are necessary. But as I said, I'm more of a casual player anyway.)



Besides, what I actually wanted to say with this thread was not "which healing abilities do you sometimes forget to use?". I mean, I'm guilty of not using Eye for an Eye as often as I should. Sometimes I forget about Cleric Stance when it's already up again too and so on.
It's about healers who don't use abilities like Asylum, Divine Benison or Excogitation AT ALL or only like once or twice during a fight where it's needed or really useful, like extreme trials or savage raids.
I've seen those kind of healers so often now that I'm just tired of it and wanted to know if others have noticed the same... phenomenon. And what they think about it.

[RopeDrink]

Me on WHM:

There's very few CD's worth holding. It's no good to you if it's not being used. The only exception I have for this is Benediction. After all, while it's no good if it's not being used, it DOES help to have at least one fail-safe. if we're in a raid or trial where I suspect shenanigans then I'd much rather have it in my back-pocket, preferably for the tanks, though I won't be stingy if I need someone else topped up immediately and I don't have time to long-cast (assuming Tetra is on CD).

Asylum:
I plop it on the tank during multi-pulls or plop it pre-mechanics/markers that inflict AoE.

Benison:
I plop it on tank pre-pull. If multi-pulling, either before the pull or in-between packs while we're all on the move. Can use it pre tank-buster. Use it on lower-health targets during mass-movement moments where long-cast healing isn't an option and other oGCDs are on CD. Failing all that, use it on the tank every CD. There is no reason NOT to use it as it is still a low-CD mitigation that you can weave during DPS/heals. Sometimes use it on myself during fights where you gain single-target "force the group to spread out" mechanics and the tanks are all healthy.

Thin Air:
I use it along with Lucid (provided casting needs to continue), thus you gain as much MP return as possible. Failing that, use it with Cleric Stance & PoM for Holy bombardment without denting your MP. Failing that, pop it whenever raises are required, with or without SwiftCast.

Presence of Mind:
I pop it on pull along with Cleric. Most fights open with regen + benison on tank, thus they're not going to need much attention while I throw stones. If multipulling, use it with TA+CS and go Holy Moley. I rarely use PoM for healing given how Healing is typically so telegraphed and we've oGCD abilities all over the place to remedy 'oh no' moments.

P-Indulgence:
I typically pop this after AoE heals just to ensure less need of more AOE heals. We've all had that moment where you medica the group to 90% health, PI just fills that gap. Failing that, there are repeat-AoE-mechanic moments where you can save a medica by simply using PI. It's an awkward ability but I use it more than various others.

[Jollyy5]

Regen, only the WHM's best heal.

I was inspired to write here by a WHM wonder who used nothing else but Cures and Medicas during a dungeon run with an occasional Plenary Indulgence...

At that point you are not even playing an MMO, you are wasting everyone else's time and making their gaming experience miserable by having them carry you. Even worse, they were French so I couldn't effectively advice them to use the remaining 90% of their kit.