It's me, again! (AST checkup)

[Maeka]

Hmm. In a way that could be good? But in a way that could be bad. I'll have to play around with it I suppose.

[Lynesse]

I just took it into a dungeon, and it's a little awkward.

It's extremely sensitive. There were times when I brushed over my mousewheel by mistake and ended up soft targeting myself and not being able to attack.

With practice, it'd be a really valuable tool. But I'm not sure it's better than just clicking on everyone.

[Maeka]

Yeah probably just end up clicking, was kinda hoping I could come up with some other way of doing it but apparently not lol.

Ah well I've done plenty of fights clear up to Lv70 by clicking; I can just continue to do that.

Also, did another run (Aery this time) today and I think I'm getting more into the habit of letting Aspected Benefic do most of the work, I streamed this morning's run and other than a few panic moments I think it probably went a lot better this time. I didn't actually highlight it so one might need to sort through it a little (https://www.twitch.tv/videos/428266454 @ about 24min in is when it starts). Still end up missing card draws when crap hits the fan though lol.

And I keep forgetting about stuff like that link heal skill (Syn something rather). And not entirely sure when to use Time Dilation... also, does that work on Card buffs too? Thusfar, I've been using it to extend Aspected Benefic in boss fights so I could spend the first 30+ seconds of a boss (or large pull) not having to worry about the tank much but I'm not sure that's really where I should be using it.

If it works on card buffs, maybe I should get an Enhanced RR and Dilate an Enhanced Balance on somebody or something instead?

[Lynesse]

I will watch in a bit. :d I just want to talk about Synastry, Time Dilation, and Celestial Opposition right now.

Think of Synastry as Largesse that works on only one person. It's great for AoE pulls (arguably the only place where Synastry is truly useful). It can be tossed on someone else to heal two people at once, but it's almost never required.

Time Dilation can be used for two things: To extend Synastry's and Aspected Benefic's durations, and to extend a single card buff. Synastry -> Aspected Benefic -> Time Dilation is a good combo.

AoE Balance + Celestial Opposition is my go-to for boss fights. The math suggests that, in 4-man content, a 200% buff can do a lot of work when it's put on a particularly talented DPS, provided the fight will last long enough.

For now, don't overthink it. Don't stress yourself out too much over how to use Time Dilation or Synastry. Just focus on using the combos I detailed above.

Edit: I watched up to the first boss (and a little beyond that, actually).

It's great that you experimented this way because now you probably have a much better understanding of what you can and can't get away with. It's like Van Arn says: The only thing you can't do is let anyone die. And you didn't. So, good work!

So, the goal here isn't really to let Aspected Benefic and Essential Dignity do most of the healing. It's to minimize the amount of GCDs you use to heal. This next part is extremely important: While maintaining the comfort level of the party.

We don't want to give tanks heart attacks just to save a GCD.

When a tank drops to about 50% and Essential Dignity is on cooldown, cast Benefic II. You may have to start the cast a bit early if the tank is taking a lot of damage.

But this one GCD will save a lot of heartache, and you still won't overheal this way -- it'll usually place the tank at around 90-95%, and the Aspected Benefic will take care of the rest of the incoming damage.

Just repeat this process over the course of the pull. Default to ED, then a single Benefic II.

Think of the tank's HP as a timer. When the tank is taking a lot of damage (like in an AoE pull), Regens are damage mitigation more than they are heals. They exist to add time to the timer.

Once you commit all of this to muscle memory, it'll go very smoothly for you.

[Veis_Alveare]

Time Dialation is best used to extend a single target card which (in 4man content) should be your go-to in terms of cards. Theoretically an AoE card seems to march up at first in terms of people buffed (50% × 4 people = 200% like Extended would) but when you look at it that way you're weighting tank and healer damage being buffed as being the same as a buff on a dps which shouldn't really be the case.

I get that sometimes the dps are really weak, more than once I've found myself Enhanced Balancing a WAR because it was the best option available to me, but in general dps should be doing considerable more damage than you or a tank. For dungeons what I look for as far as performance indicators of a good dps is basically are they properly AoEing and are they tossing out their utility abilities. Most people who do those things are going to be worth single buffing because they probably know their role.

In short - for a dungeon/light party setting you should shoot for Extended cards first (Balance > Spear > Arrow) then Enhanced and Expanded should kind of be a last resort. This is due in part to proper use of time Dialation really increasing the card uptime on DPS.

You shouldn't be afraid to extend regens on a tank (though if you're going to do so might as well load them up with both regens and potentially even the one from CU and maybe even the Largresse'd versions) but it also shouldn't be your primary goal with Time Dialation in terms if efficiency. Saving yourself one GCD reapplying Aspected Benefic is almost always lost potency when compared to what a dps could do with extra time on a Balance.

[Lynesse]

In short - for a dungeon/light party setting you should shoot for Extended cards first (Balance > Spear > Arrow) then Enhanced and Expanded should kind of be a last resort. This is due in part to proper use of time Dialation really increasing the card uptime on DPS.

You're not really wrong, but we need to be more flexible in PUG content. An AoE card is usually the safest bet because you never know who's going to fumble their rotation, stand in something and panic, die, etc.

The difference between an Expanded and an Extended is actually pretty small.

If you know for a fact one DPS is completely outdoing another, it's fine to use the 200% buff.

We also don't want to put Maeka on information overload. That kind of optimization depends entirely on the group. Learning AST is tough enough as it is without having to also pay such close attention to what the DPS are doing.

Edit: The biggest thing that Maeka needs to do is make his/her buttons rote. To know where they are without thinking about them. Muscle memory first, otherwise people become overloaded and burn out.

[Maeka]

Edit: The biggest thing that Maeka needs to do is make his/her buttons rote. To know where they are without thinking about them. Muscle memory first, otherwise people become overloaded and burn out.

I myself will second this, because there are times I just completely forget about buttons, or I end up pausing for a second or two trying to find something, like Synastry (at the end of that boss fight, IIRC it took me nearly 2 seconds to remember where it was, find it on the bar, and then hit the key combo to activate it).

I've gotten Draw/Spread and Undraw working mostly, the main heal buttons down pretty good... starting to use Lightspeed more often without having to think about it, eventually end up adding in Synastry and Dilation too.

[Lynesse]

I myself will second this, because there are times I just completely forget about buttons, or I end up pausing for a second or two trying to find something, like Synastry (at the end of that boss fight, IIRC it took me nearly 2 seconds to remember where it was, find it on the bar, and then hit the key combo to activate it).

I've gotten Draw/Spread and Undraw working mostly, the main heal buttons down pretty good... starting to use Lightspeed more often without having to think about it, eventually end up adding in Synastry and Dilation too.

Right now, you're ignoring buffs that you don't need in order to focus on the more critical parts of your job. This is perfectly normal!

Using Synastry and Time Dilation each time you cast Aspected Benefic will teach you to stop ignoring them by making them rote. Using Time Dilation with your cards right now isn't good for memorization because card draws are inconsistent.

When do you stream? I'd be willing to sit in and watch. All I'm doing right now is leveling SCH.

[Maeka]

Right now, you're ignoring buffs that you don't need in order to focus on the more critical parts of your job. This is perfectly normal!

Using Synastry and Time Dilation each time you cast Aspected Benefic will teach you to stop ignoring them by making them rote. Using Time Dilation with your cards right now isn't good for memorization because card draws are inconsistent.

Yeah, that's how I kinda looked at it! As long as I do my primary job first lol.

But I do want to actually do better too!

When do you stream? I'd be willing to sit in and watch. All I'm doing right now is leveling SCH.

That is... rather inconsistent, depending on my work schedule, and other factors. I will try, though, to do a few dungeon runs around noon-ish EST when I can, though sometimes I just throw in runs other times too! Uh. Hmm. I mean I can try and drop a message in here ahead of time or something but I dunno, it'd require you to actually see it! lol.

EDIT: Unless you were interested in something like a discord or steam or something but the lack of a PM system makes that somewhat difficult without everybody else seeing it!

[Lynesse]

If you have Steam, you can add me if you like: https://steamcommunity.com/id/boopsuhide/

It'd be easier to get a proper one-on-one. I do this with a lot of people. I actually do what the mentor crown asks of me. :d