Relatively new. Trying AST. Need serious help.

[SenseiVyra]

Hello guys. So I still consider myself new, only having completed the msq and such on one class. After leveling WHM to 90 and now working on AST I have.. encountered some demoralizing situations.

What am I supposed to do to keep people alive? I know this sounds like a moronic questions but I feel like unlike on WHM, on AST the tank is always damn near death and I have to pump out so much GCD healing that it just makes my hands sweat. Earlier a tank noticed this and started pulling 3 at a time which made me feel like garbage since on WHM I can take and handle all the big pulls.

I only just hit SHB dungeons with AST and after the first one I feel like I have to be missing something, I shouldnt have to be spamming Benefict 2 non stop just to keep him alive. So please, tell me what the hell I am doing wrong? Constructive feedback is really needed. Usually what I do at the start is Aspected Ben during the pull, then I'll usually hit another regen from a different source, I even use Synasatry[sp?] and I still feel like I am hardly doing ANYTHING. Is it me or just the level or? Anyways, I appreciate anyone who responds and have a good morning!

[SenseiVyra]

Oh duh! I forgot to mention that, I was using Earthly star right before the pull stopped or right when he was done gathering and stood in place. I always make sure to use Essential Dignity as well, maybe not at the below 30% for the potency max but around 30-45ish I would say? Even then I was barely keeping him from 35-45ish percent at max all the time. I wont put the blame on him because he was wearing all 650 gear so it had to be clearly my doing.

[rawker]

Sometimes, it's already beyond ypur control, as Bole mentioned.

Just curious, was the tank rotating mits properly or was he kitchen sinking?

If DRK, was he using only TBN?

[SenseiVyra]

He was a PLD. I mean I don't know now for SURE if he was, since I can't remember right off hand. Mainly, because I was so focused on spamming the hell out of Benefict 2 so he didn't die. I do remember a couple of pulls that I had to burn through every CD, and I do mean every one of them. Thats what he started pulling small because I couldn't keep up with the healing at all. ._.

[rawker]

He was a PLD. I mean I don't know now for SURE if he was, since I can't remember right off hand. Mainly, because I was so focused on spamming the hell out of Benefict 2 so he didn't die. I do remember a couple of pulls that I had to burn through every CD, and I do mean every one of them. Thats what he started pulling small because I couldn't keep up with the healing at all. ._.

I see. Holminster is harsh to tanks that isn't WAR. So it is understandable. He may have kitchen sinked his mits. Was there a period where he barely took damage?

[Aravell]

He was a PLD. I mean I don't know now for SURE if he was, since I can't remember right off hand. Mainly, because I was so focused on spamming the hell out of Benefict 2 so he didn't die. I do remember a couple of pulls that I had to burn through every CD, and I do mean every one of them. Thats what he started pulling small because I couldn't keep up with the healing at all. ._.

It's also worth noting that PLD has absolutely no self-healing aside from Clemency at any level below 82, which makes the other tanks feel easier to heal by contrast. WAR has, well, everything, GNB has Aurora from lv45, and DRK has Abyssal Drain from lv56.

[SenseiVyra]

Oh I know! Thats why I am not putting the blame on him. Like I said earlier on, I believe I may have messed up at some point. For all I know he could of been using his mitigation correctly and I was just having a fit with my fingers. I have only noticed this change in play when I hit ShB. Obviously the drastic change to damage output and such is expected, I just didn't expect it like this. I never had this issue at all with WHM going through ShB ever, period. I don't want to blame AST neither because I have had amazing AST healers and seen them with my own eyes at this level. Which is all coming back to it's something to do with me and I fully accept this, which is why I am trying to remedy it.

[Rein_eon_Osborne]

A tips that I normally offer to learning WHM/AST is to run a little bit ahead of the tank during wall pulling then slap Asp Helios+Asp Benefic for the tank. This is especially useful to help your tank stabilize or to give yourself ample time as the 300p regen/tick act as a buffer. Also a viable approach when you're paired with squishy tanks. The timeline usually goes like this:

1. Run like 5y ahead of your tank.
2. DoT as much enemies as possible.
3. Feel free to spam Asp Benefic while running if needed.
4. Know where your tank will stop ahead? Drop that Earthly Star.
5. Hardcast Asp Helios+Asp Benefic on your tank. If you're close enough, weave in Collective Unconscious. Now your tank has 400p regen/tick. Otherwise use Celestial Opposition. Just don't blow both CO & CU together. You want them spaced.
6. Start spam Gravities. Maybe weave in Celestial Intersection, who knows pull will last long to get two uses.
7. By the time that 400p regen tick starts to wear off, your Earthly Star should be in their 2nd stage and your tank should be able to benefit from its fat 720p. Detonate it.
8. From this point, Celestial Opposition (or CU) and Essential Dignity should be enough to handle the remainder until the pack dies. If the tank is squishy I'd just refresh the Asp Benefic then weave Opposition.
9. Sub in Synastry-Benefic II anywhere if you feel like the tank need it.

Never fails. Mind you the GCD regen stacking isn't really needed but if you need to gauge just how much can get away from not using GCD heals, start from there and adjust accordingly.

EDIT: Bonus point if you’re confident enough to also weave in cards properly & pop divination in conjunction to use of Lightspeed during all the busy work (aka their ‘reopener’ lol). But if you’re still trying to get a hang on it, I wouldn’t recommend doing that at the same time just yet.