WHM/SCH post-update

[Icemage]

I got around to bumping my Scholar subjob to 35 a couple days ago, and finally got a chance to try WHM/SCH in nearly full-out mode in Dynamis-Beacedine last night.

Tarutaru WHM75/SCH35

/SCH gave me access to:

Light Arts
- Penury
- Celerity
- Addendum : White

Dark Arts
- Parsimony
- Alacrity
- Addendum : Black (+Sleep, +Dispel)

Sublimation

+Drain

I was in the main tank party, and basically asked the RDM to NOT Refresh me except when requested because I wanted to see how it compared to a WHM/BLM running with double ballads and Refresh against my WHM/SCH with double ballads and Sublimation.

The results were pretty good.

- I saved a LOT more MP than the WHM/BLM. We were casting about the same amount, but I was spending a lot less MP, due to Light Arts being 10% cost reduction while /BLM's Conserve MP ended up closer to about 7%.

- Penury put me way, way, WAY ahead on the MP savings curve. More than enough to erase the differential in Refresh vs. Sublimation - also, during down time, I was able to store up MP while resting, which gave me access to a "hidden reserve" of 270MP, which made crisis situations a lot more bearable.

- I also pulled my Medicine Ring out of mothballs and took it out for a spin. Staying in latent gave me an extra 10% Cure Potency. This was a nice trick, since Sublimation more than cancels the HP regen of Auto-Regen. It was a bit dangerous to use, but not a bad option at all, really. Unfortunately, staying in latent also reduced the potency of Devotion and Martyr, which ended up being rather zero sum game. I don't think I'll be using this trick much in the future.

I was very pleased with WHM/SCH even before the 3/08 update. With the changes to the recharge timer on Strategems and the addition of Sublimation, I think it's hard to make a case for WHMs using any other sub.

I need to get my SCH sub to 37+, as Aspir is the final spell you get from the sub, and I think that will put it completely over the top for efficiency, bar none, especially since WHM doesn't need Addendum: White for any reason, so flipping into Dark Arts to cast Aspir and/or Drain for a moment is 100% viable.

Notes:

- You can rest with Sublimation still charging as long as you have Stoneskin active. The damage is absorbed and you can rest without interruption.

- Taking damage below 50% of your max HP ends the Sublimation charging mechanic, so try not to take too much damage (this is particularly true if you are trying to activate the above-mentioned Medicine Ring).

- A neat use for Sublimation is to give yourself limited immunity to Sleep effects. The damage will indeed wake you up if you get nailed with something like Sleepga II. You do have to activate it before you get put to sleep, however.\

- Penury + Raise III = epic win for saving MP.


Icemage

[Tsrwedge]

It'll actually get even better if you get your SCH to level 50 or so - right now the Strategem recharge time is being calculated from your main SCH level (I think), and I did not see that listed in the update notes as a known issue. I'd guess you were seeing 2 minute recharges, SCH50 would take that down to 1:20, and SCH70 down to a scant 60 seconds.

[Icemage]

It'll actually get even better if you get your SCH to level 50 or so - right now the Strategem recharge time is being calculated from your main SCH level (I think), and I did not see that listed in the update notes as a known issue. I'd guess you were seeing 2 minute recharges, SCH50 would take that down to 1:20, and SCH70 down to a scant 60 seconds.
Oh for real? Haha... I'm sure that'll get fixed. It's already too good as is.


Icemage

[Malacite]

Celerity is also pretty hot for when you absolutely need to get a spell off (e.g. RR3)

[Truece]

Aspir definitely puts /SCH far above any other subjob for WHMs. Yet, I am still the only WHM in my dynamis shell to use /SCH (although one BLM was using it).

I found that the shortened recast of strategems was extremely useful, as it seemed that I always had one available when I needed it. Plus, using Penury, Protectra V, Penury Shellra V, wait 2 minutes, Penury, RR3, and only being down 200 MP is FAN-FREAKIN'-TASTIC! It definitely made recasting buffs after an unlucky Goblin Dice much easier.

With Dark Arts and Dark staff, and lots of aspir-fodder, I would ballpark that I average 80mp (it's not uncommon, however, to see 120+, and sometimes 7-10 ; ; ).

I found myself keeping Sublimation active all the time, and always had an extra 310 MP for when I needed it. It was almost like a self-devotion, except that it doesn't have a 15 minute cool-down and it can be activated whenever it is needed, even if the full effect of the ability has not been reached. Except for one occasion when it was sad to see:

XXX uses Goblin Dice.
Truece's Complete Sublimation effect disappears!

I didn't miss Refresh at all. Now, more than ever, I want to go out and get merits as WHM instead of RDM.

Also, Celerity + R3 or RR3 is a life-saver!

[Pteryx]

It'll actually get even better if you get your SCH to level 50 or so - right now the Strategem recharge time is being calculated from your main SCH level (I think), and I did not see that listed in the update notes as a known issue. I'd guess you were seeing 2 minute recharges, SCH50 would take that down to 1:20, and SCH70 down to a scant 60 seconds.

Actually, it's currently based on your main level regardless of your SCH level. My BLM friend and I both have SCH levelled only to 37, but are getting two charges on a one-minute timer. We'll see if today's update changes that; I'll miss it if so, as that slowed him down just enough that I almost always had Sleep II up for him! -- Pteryx

[Saren]

I've not really had time to try the updates out in exp yet and I want to sit down and rejigger my macros and work out how I'm going to use Sublimation before I go try it.

Actually, it's currently based on your main level regardless of your SCH level. My BLM friend and I both have SCH levelled only to 37, but are getting two charges on a one-minute timer. We'll see if today's update changes that; I'll miss it if so, as that slowed him down just enough that I almost always had Sleep II up for him! -- Pteryx

The sch charges seem deeply broken at the moment, I'm sure I have at least 3 charges on a one minute recharge time but I've been too busy to stop and try it out properly.

I've definitely used a charge when I had 0 charges according to the recast message. The timer part is weird too, but I don't have scholar to 40 so I didn't see how the timer worked exactly with two charges before the update so not sure. Before the update did the timer show the amount of time till your next recharge or the amount of time until you were fully charged again?

The only time I've not been able to use a stratagem is when the recast message is 3.xx(0), I can still use a charge if the recast message is 2.XX(0) which is where I am getting my third charge from.

[Somnar]

/SCH gave me access to:

[...]

- I saved a LOT more MP than the WHM/BLM. We were casting about the same amount, but I was spending a lot less MP, due to Light Arts being 10% cost reduction while /BLM's Conserve MP ended up closer to about 7%.

Don't forget, you get Conserve MP with /SCH now too. Just a little extra MP efficiency. :)

[Tsrwedge]

Forget what I said, Pteryx more than likely had it right and it's been fixed in today's update in any case.

[Karinya]

I was SCH25 at the time of the patch and had conserve mp as soon as I logged in. FFXIclopedia lists it as a level 25 trait for SCH. So it's not light arts vs. conserve mp, it's light arts and conserve mp vs. conserve mp.

/blm still gives you elemental seal, some enfeebles you wouldn't have naturally or through /sch (blind, poison, bio) - which in an endgame situation are better off left to rdms or blms - and escape and warp. ES+Repose seems like probably the only really compelling use for whm/blm now, and I can't even think of any fights where you'd specifically need it (over lullaby or ES+dark based sleeps).

[Tomato_Kai]

This has less to do with /sch and WHM post update at large, but I feel it needs to be said.


Adding the /dance1,2,3,&4 motions to your cure macros is a great way to be amazing and look great at the same time. I highly recommend it.


... I think that's all I have to say about that.

[IfritnoItazura]

ES+Repose seems like probably the only really compelling use for whm/blm now, and I can't even think of any fights where you'd specifically need it (over lullaby or ES+dark based sleeps).
CoP 8.3, the Ix’zdei x4 battle. I think we had a WHM/WHM doing ES+Sleepga in every successful run, including the one with BLMx2 in party.

Also useful when the normal crowd controllers bite the dust. And, in exp parties where people bit off more than they can chew; ES+Sleepga, then Escape or Teleport-somewhere!

[Icemage]

Don't forget, you get Conserve MP with /SCH now too. Just a little extra MP efficiency. :)
Oh dear lord I forgot about that. No wonder it felt like my MP was hardly ever draining!

The strategem timers did indeed get fixed, but it hardly matters considering the host of other abilities you get in the mix.


Icemage

[Karinya]

CoP 8.3, the Ix’zdei x4 battle. I think we had a WHM/WHM doing ES+Sleepga in every successful run, including the one with BLMx2 in party.

Also useful when the normal crowd controllers bite the dust. And, in exp parties where people bit off more than they can chew; ES+Sleepga, then Escape or Teleport-somewhere!
Oh, right. Forgot about sleepga 1 from /blm.

Well then, don't write off whm/blm just yet. But if you don't need your healer to double as backup CC, then whm/sch is pretty awesome.

[Saren]

Well then, don't write off whm/blm just yet. But if you don't need your healer to double as backup CC, then whm/sch is pretty awesome.

Not that it's always going to be enough but just to mention that Celerity gets the recast on repose down to something like 13-15 seconds (I think light arts reduction is applied before celerity but I'm not totally sure, not the easiest thing to straight out test). It's still quite a long recast but its been useful once or twice in exp.

The only time I've been using /blm recently is if I'm helping someone do something easy and I want to be able to warp out or for the odd mission fight where I need ES + sleepga.

[IfritnoItazura]

Well, /BLM is also good for Tractor. But, yes, I'm nudging every WHM in my LS toward /SCH by gushing over all it has to offer. With Sublimation, Conserve MP, and Light Arts' 10% MP cut, /SCH has completely displaced /SMN for WHM, I think, even in running zones like certain Limbus instances where no one really gets to rest much.