Introduction
Astrologian is a very versatile healer experience and it possesses the most diverse kit. Its easily the strongest healer in the game (card utility, efficiency, cool downs). Astrologians ability to use either shield or regen allows you to utilize either preference and its efficiency and mp regen is unmatched. Its shields are also larger than scholar (because of the lack of a fairy). That being said, Astrologian's dpsing capabilities are rather minimal before 60 as they do not receive two of their largest dps components until after 50.
Astrologian is a very versatile healer experience and it possesses the most diverse kit. Its easily the strongest healer in the game (card utility, efficiency, cool downs). Astrologians ability to use either shield or regen allows you to utilize either preference and its efficiency and mp regen is unmatched. Its shields are also larger than scholar (because of the lack of a fairy). That being said, Astrologian's dpsing capabilities are rather minimal before 60 as they do not receive two of their largest dps components until after 50.
Requirements
Unlock access to Ishguard via the main scenario quest line
Unlock access to Ishguard via the main scenario quest line
EHPSPMP
This is a measure of how effective a spell is at healing and will be mentioned in the healing abilities. It stands for Effective Healing Per Second Per MP (Mana/Magick Points). It is calculated with the frequency or speed at which you can cast the spell, the amount it heals, the amount of time it takes to heal, and the MP it costs. The higher the better. As astrologian your ehpspmp is the highest as your spells are the cheapest and in either stance are faster or stronger.
This is a measure of how effective a spell is at healing and will be mentioned in the healing abilities. It stands for Effective Healing Per Second Per MP (Mana/Magick Points). It is calculated with the frequency or speed at which you can cast the spell, the amount it heals, the amount of time it takes to heal, and the MP it costs. The higher the better. As astrologian your ehpspmp is the highest as your spells are the cheapest and in either stance are faster or stronger.
Cross Class
Recommended:
Swiftcast- this is almost required if you ever want to raise someone practically in a fight, it also serves the additional benefits of emergency healing and quick casting buffs like protect. stoneskin, and aspected helios
Eye for Eye- excellent source of mitigation, always use on the tank in a boss fight, but the cool down is rather long as cross class so don't waste it.
Good:
Virus- Useful for reducing physical damage from a target in both solo and party play. The short cool down allows you to use it pretty often so feel free in trash fights
Surecast- is a nice buff to have if you are forced to hard cast a raise but server no purpose usually. Its simple prevent damage from canceling your cast but anything else still does.
Bad:
Ruin-This can be a very cheap form of very poor dps. So you can spam the living hell out of this ability and never make a dent in your mp, but equally its not gonna kill anything anytime soon.
Blizzard 2- other than as a pinning move, this spell is pathetic damage and a waste of mp and movement.
Physick- as sexy as this move looks compared to cure (just my opinion) dont use it as it will not proc your Freecure trait which is a major source of sustaining your healing.
Recommended:
Swiftcast- this is almost required if you ever want to raise someone practically in a fight, it also serves the additional benefits of emergency healing and quick casting buffs like protect. stoneskin, and aspected helios
Eye for Eye- excellent source of mitigation, always use on the tank in a boss fight, but the cool down is rather long as cross class so don't waste it.
Good:
Virus- Useful for reducing physical damage from a target in both solo and party play. The short cool down allows you to use it pretty often so feel free in trash fights
Surecast- is a nice buff to have if you are forced to hard cast a raise but server no purpose usually. Its simple prevent damage from canceling your cast but anything else still does.
Bad:
Ruin-This can be a very cheap form of very poor dps. So you can spam the living hell out of this ability and never make a dent in your mp, but equally its not gonna kill anything anytime soon.
Blizzard 2- other than as a pinning move, this spell is pathetic damage and a waste of mp and movement.
Physick- as sexy as this move looks compared to cure (just my opinion) dont use it as it will not proc your Freecure trait which is a major source of sustaining your healing.
Abilities, Combos, and Execution
Here we will review in sections the various abilities you will have, how you should use them, and how they will change your playstyle. A list of the specific details of the abilities can be viewed Here and Here. Note what I consider to be a cool down constitutes a buffing action and longer recast time of 60 or more seconds. Attacks and single use buffs with shorter recast time, I consider to be Off GCD abilities and are included in the main sections. You may disagree with these definitions, but that is how the format of the following is written. Key abilities are described in their own sections for clarity of function and purpose.
Here we will review in sections the various abilities you will have, how you should use them, and how they will change your playstyle. A list of the specific details of the abilities can be viewed Here and Here. Note what I consider to be a cool down constitutes a buffing action and longer recast time of 60 or more seconds. Attacks and single use buffs with shorter recast time, I consider to be Off GCD abilities and are included in the main sections. You may disagree with these definitions, but that is how the format of the following is written. Key abilities are described in their own sections for clarity of function and purpose.
Over healing, Don't Do It
Over healing is a waste of MP and draws unnecessary enmity to you, unless you want to be risking your own hide or teach your tank a lesson in enmity. Which leads us to...
Over healing is a waste of MP and draws unnecessary enmity to you, unless you want to be risking your own hide or teach your tank a lesson in enmity. Which leads us to...
Healer DPS
Healer DPS is incredibly underestimated by most players in the game, especially STR geared tanks. In my experience healers can put out 90% of the damage a DPS can on equal gear while still healing a decently tough tank, and in many cases I have surpassed the damage of a DPS or in fewer cases I have dealt the highest DPS in the group.
Cleric stance is key to healer DPS, as it makes your healing stat into the damage stat for spells, HOWEVER it must be used appropriately as it locks you in the stance for 5 seconds (two global cool downs) and makes your healing as effective as a spoon at cutting. As a healer you will develop a feel for your tanks health and the damage of the fight and know when its best to use cleric stance, but mistakes do happen, dont beat yourself up about it.
If in a high damage dungeon or running with a squishier (ahem warrior ahem) tank, avoid dpsing until the enemy count is low or the boss is in a low damage phase.
MOST IMPORTANTLY do not exceed use beyond 60% of your MP. If your MP bar is nearing half, stop DPSing unless you are POSITIVE you can recover it or will not need it.
ALSO remember although healer DPS makes things faster, it is rarely necessary for fights. If DPSing makes you uncomfortable stick to just the heals. No one can get mad at you for doing just your job.
Healer DPS is incredibly underestimated by most players in the game, especially STR geared tanks. In my experience healers can put out 90% of the damage a DPS can on equal gear while still healing a decently tough tank, and in many cases I have surpassed the damage of a DPS or in fewer cases I have dealt the highest DPS in the group.
Cleric stance is key to healer DPS, as it makes your healing stat into the damage stat for spells, HOWEVER it must be used appropriately as it locks you in the stance for 5 seconds (two global cool downs) and makes your healing as effective as a spoon at cutting. As a healer you will develop a feel for your tanks health and the damage of the fight and know when its best to use cleric stance, but mistakes do happen, dont beat yourself up about it.
If in a high damage dungeon or running with a squishier (ahem warrior ahem) tank, avoid dpsing until the enemy count is low or the boss is in a low damage phase.
MOST IMPORTANTLY do not exceed use beyond 60% of your MP. If your MP bar is nearing half, stop DPSing unless you are POSITIVE you can recover it or will not need it.
ALSO remember although healer DPS makes things faster, it is rarely necessary for fights. If DPSing makes you uncomfortable stick to just the heals. No one can get mad at you for doing just your job.
Healer Tips
Ally List
The most important asset to any healer is the ally list. Watching health bars over head moving targets is lenient to folly and in an 8 man or 24 man group will lead to failure nigh guaranteed. Use the party list, defaulted to the upper left of the screen to select who to heal.
Mouse Over (PC)
Mouse over macros are an option for healers who don't want to be retargeting with their healing spells. This allows you to keep your target on an enemy and view their cast bars without use of focus targeting, and allows you to heal targets without having to click/switch between them. I do not utilize this strategy, at it can easily wrong and I use my mouse to move my camera around to navigate more easily, however this is a valid way of playing.
To use effectively, change your ui so that the ally list is centered above your hot bar, so that all zones of interest (ally list, ablities, target health bar, and your position for telegraphs) are all visible in a column. To perform mouse over, you must make every ability you desire to be a mouse over (doesnt work on placements aoes, you must click them down) into a macro. The macro would look like such:
/micon "ability"
/ac "ability" <mo>
Cool Downs
Utilize buffs on an as need basis. Foolishly throwing away cool downs can result in crunches or failures when things get spicy, and as a healer you are the last line of defense against a wipe.
Priorities
Stay Calm. Most people panic when their character is about to die, or healers panic when everyone is at low health. The most important thing is to stay calm and cool during tense situations. Remember and stick to this priority list.
Above all players YOU must stay alive. Never heal someone else if you will die because of it. You are a healer, you can bring them back, only healers and summoners can bring you back.
Other healers must also be kept alive over everyone else for the same reason.
Tanks must be kept alive over DPS (as long as they are doing their job, if not let them die as they are just eating your MP for bad DPS) as to mitigate the amount of heals you will have to be throwing out.
Revive summoners, bards and machinists before other DPS roles if multiple Players have died and all tanks and healers are revived. Summoners can aid in reviving and healing, and bards and machinists can restore your MP.
MP and Refreshes
MP naturally restores in combat at 2% every 3 seconds, but is consumed at greater and greater rates later in the game. A refresh ability will restore about 23% MP over its duration before it is buffed around level 48, and then 30% when it is buffed. The percentage is based on the ratio of Mind to Piety so it fluctuates and is affected by gear but that is roughly how it works. Refresh spells have potencies but are independent of cleric stance, so it will restore the same amount whether it was activated in or out of cleric stance.
Ally List
The most important asset to any healer is the ally list. Watching health bars over head moving targets is lenient to folly and in an 8 man or 24 man group will lead to failure nigh guaranteed. Use the party list, defaulted to the upper left of the screen to select who to heal.
Mouse Over (PC)
Mouse over macros are an option for healers who don't want to be retargeting with their healing spells. This allows you to keep your target on an enemy and view their cast bars without use of focus targeting, and allows you to heal targets without having to click/switch between them. I do not utilize this strategy, at it can easily wrong and I use my mouse to move my camera around to navigate more easily, however this is a valid way of playing.
To use effectively, change your ui so that the ally list is centered above your hot bar, so that all zones of interest (ally list, ablities, target health bar, and your position for telegraphs) are all visible in a column. To perform mouse over, you must make every ability you desire to be a mouse over (doesnt work on placements aoes, you must click them down) into a macro. The macro would look like such:
/micon "ability"
/ac "ability" <mo>
Cool Downs
Utilize buffs on an as need basis. Foolishly throwing away cool downs can result in crunches or failures when things get spicy, and as a healer you are the last line of defense against a wipe.
Priorities
Stay Calm. Most people panic when their character is about to die, or healers panic when everyone is at low health. The most important thing is to stay calm and cool during tense situations. Remember and stick to this priority list.
Above all players YOU must stay alive. Never heal someone else if you will die because of it. You are a healer, you can bring them back, only healers and summoners can bring you back.
Other healers must also be kept alive over everyone else for the same reason.
Tanks must be kept alive over DPS (as long as they are doing their job, if not let them die as they are just eating your MP for bad DPS) as to mitigate the amount of heals you will have to be throwing out.
Revive summoners, bards and machinists before other DPS roles if multiple Players have died and all tanks and healers are revived. Summoners can aid in reviving and healing, and bards and machinists can restore your MP.
MP and Refreshes
MP naturally restores in combat at 2% every 3 seconds, but is consumed at greater and greater rates later in the game. A refresh ability will restore about 23% MP over its duration before it is buffed around level 48, and then 30% when it is buffed. The percentage is based on the ratio of Mind to Piety so it fluctuates and is affected by gear but that is roughly how it works. Refresh spells have potencies but are independent of cleric stance, so it will restore the same amount whether it was activated in or out of cleric stance.
Enmity
This game calls the enemy attention mechanic “enmity”. You may know this as hate, aggro, threat, rage, etc. Enmity generation is also your concern as a healer. Now enmity generation is tied to damage dealt and healing, but they are not the same thing. There are moves which provide enmity bonuses which means they produce double the enmity for the damage.
This is how enmity works so you understand. I shall use a single unit of damage/healing to show perspective
1 damage = 1 enmity point
1 damage from an enmity bonus attack = 1 x multiplier enmity points
1 healing = 0.5 enmity points to all enemies that are currently engaged by that target's combat group
You must avoid reaching above the tanks enmity as much as possible. Current enmity totals are shown (although not numerically) in two areas.
The first is detailed for a single target. With a target selected, you can view who has how much enmity in the party window. This will also let you know who is closest and by how much. This will inform your enmity generation and dps decisions.
The second is the enemy list. If you have an green circle for all of them, you are golden. If you have an orange triangle or square then you should not be dpsing that target anymore and you can even mark the enemy or use a macro to let the tank know they lost enmity
AoEs/Telegraphs
If a player is not running out of AoEs/telegraphs consistently, because they believe their role is more important than yours, feel free to remind them that without you they will spend a whole lot of time on the floor doing nothing. Not healing a player who can't be bother to dodge telegraphs is PERFECTLY FINE. Its their fault they took damage, you don't have to heal it (now if they only screw up every once in a while, you shouldnt punish imperfection). Variants on this strategy to imply this effect without completely doing it are: using only aoe regens when everyone is hurt, using one regen on them per fight when they mess up, or using one stoneskin on them the first or every time they get hit. This will not providing them with enough healing to sustain their bad (and incredibly rude) habit, but will show you gave them something.
This game calls the enemy attention mechanic “enmity”. You may know this as hate, aggro, threat, rage, etc. Enmity generation is also your concern as a healer. Now enmity generation is tied to damage dealt and healing, but they are not the same thing. There are moves which provide enmity bonuses which means they produce double the enmity for the damage.
This is how enmity works so you understand. I shall use a single unit of damage/healing to show perspective
1 damage = 1 enmity point
1 damage from an enmity bonus attack = 1 x multiplier enmity points
1 healing = 0.5 enmity points to all enemies that are currently engaged by that target's combat group
You must avoid reaching above the tanks enmity as much as possible. Current enmity totals are shown (although not numerically) in two areas.
The first is detailed for a single target. With a target selected, you can view who has how much enmity in the party window. This will also let you know who is closest and by how much. This will inform your enmity generation and dps decisions.
The second is the enemy list. If you have an green circle for all of them, you are golden. If you have an orange triangle or square then you should not be dpsing that target anymore and you can even mark the enemy or use a macro to let the tank know they lost enmity
AoEs/Telegraphs
If a player is not running out of AoEs/telegraphs consistently, because they believe their role is more important than yours, feel free to remind them that without you they will spend a whole lot of time on the floor doing nothing. Not healing a player who can't be bother to dodge telegraphs is PERFECTLY FINE. Its their fault they took damage, you don't have to heal it (now if they only screw up every once in a while, you shouldnt punish imperfection). Variants on this strategy to imply this effect without completely doing it are: using only aoe regens when everyone is hurt, using one regen on them per fight when they mess up, or using one stoneskin on them the first or every time they get hit. This will not providing them with enough healing to sustain their bad (and incredibly rude) habit, but will show you gave them something.
Macros and UI Help
Do not rapidly press macro buttons, this will start them over and over and will screw up many of their workings. Macros also do not work with forgiveness zones, meaning pushing it .25 seconds from when Global Cool Down is over, will not push the action through. Global Cool Down must finish completely before a macro (that uses an on GCD ability) can be processed, making them slightly slower (cool downs and off gcds function fine). A well-controlled use of hotkeys is needed for macros, otherwise they are diminished. Furthermore macros can at shortest work in terms of half seconds, anything shorter will cause abilities to not go off.
To be more aware of when your Cool Downs are Available for use again consider one of the two following methods
Visual (PC): enter your HUD layout through the system menu. Place a hot bar nearer to the center of your screen but far enough away you have enough visual space to see your character. Make this hot bar larger using CTRL+HOME. In this bar place a secondary icon of the abilities you wish to know the availability of, whether they be Cool Downs, Off GCDs, or Procs. The following is an example.
Audio: Use a macro on the ability to inform you when its cool down has passed.
/macroicon “Ability”
/ac “Ability”
/wait # (put the recast time in seconds or a few second short to warn you early for reaction time)
/e Ability is ready <se.#> (pick a number for the sound effect you desire)
You’ll need to replace quotes “ “ in game OR use tab/auto-translate feature to input ability names. Start typing the ability name at the appropriate spot in the macro and press tab, then select the ability from the drop down list.
Tank lost aggro (you may omit the fluid aura at the bottom)
/p Tank lost aggro on <t> <se.10>
/mk cross
/ac "fluid aura"
Sleeping key (combined with blm so you can use it on both)
/p sleeping <t>
/mk bind1
/ac repose
/ac sleep
Raise
/macroicon raise
/action Swiftcast
/wait 1
/p raising <t>
/ac raise <t>
Stone omni key
/macroicon stone
/ac "Stone III"
/ac "stone II"
/ac stone
Emergency buff
/micon "Presence of Mind"
/ac "Presence of Mind"
/wait .5
/ac "Divine Seal"
Virus Cross Class
/macroicon virus
/ac virus <t> <wait.1>
/p Virus used on <t> <se.1>
Eye for Eye cross class (combined with scholar, summoner and blm so you can use it on all 4)
/macroicon "eye for an eye"
/ac "Eye for an Eye"
/ac "eye for an eye" <tt> <wait..5>
/ac "apocatastasis" <tt>
/ac "Deployment Tactics"
/ac "Deployment Tactics" <tt>
Do not rapidly press macro buttons, this will start them over and over and will screw up many of their workings. Macros also do not work with forgiveness zones, meaning pushing it .25 seconds from when Global Cool Down is over, will not push the action through. Global Cool Down must finish completely before a macro (that uses an on GCD ability) can be processed, making them slightly slower (cool downs and off gcds function fine). A well-controlled use of hotkeys is needed for macros, otherwise they are diminished. Furthermore macros can at shortest work in terms of half seconds, anything shorter will cause abilities to not go off.
To be more aware of when your Cool Downs are Available for use again consider one of the two following methods
Visual (PC): enter your HUD layout through the system menu. Place a hot bar nearer to the center of your screen but far enough away you have enough visual space to see your character. Make this hot bar larger using CTRL+HOME. In this bar place a secondary icon of the abilities you wish to know the availability of, whether they be Cool Downs, Off GCDs, or Procs. The following is an example.
Audio: Use a macro on the ability to inform you when its cool down has passed.
/macroicon “Ability”
/ac “Ability”
/wait # (put the recast time in seconds or a few second short to warn you early for reaction time)
/e Ability is ready <se.#> (pick a number for the sound effect you desire)
You’ll need to replace quotes “ “ in game OR use tab/auto-translate feature to input ability names. Start typing the ability name at the appropriate spot in the macro and press tab, then select the ability from the drop down list.
Tank lost aggro (you may omit the fluid aura at the bottom)
/p Tank lost aggro on <t> <se.10>
/mk cross
/ac "fluid aura"
Sleeping key (combined with blm so you can use it on both)
/p sleeping <t>
/mk bind1
/ac repose
/ac sleep
Raise
/macroicon raise
/action Swiftcast
/wait 1
/p raising <t>
/ac raise <t>
Stone omni key
/macroicon stone
/ac "Stone III"
/ac "stone II"
/ac stone
Emergency buff
/micon "Presence of Mind"
/ac "Presence of Mind"
/wait .5
/ac "Divine Seal"
Virus Cross Class
/macroicon virus
/ac virus <t> <wait.1>
/p Virus used on <t> <se.1>
Eye for Eye cross class (combined with scholar, summoner and blm so you can use it on all 4)
/macroicon "eye for an eye"
/ac "Eye for an Eye"
/ac "eye for an eye" <tt> <wait..5>
/ac "apocatastasis" <tt>
/ac "Deployment Tactics"
/ac "Deployment Tactics" <tt>