Casting Order Help

[Killyaer]

So I've been playing a 80 mystic for about 6 months now and usually raiding I find myself in the scout group which is fine, but recently our MT defiler had to take a leave of absence so the guild is looking to myself and another mystic in the guild to see who is better for the MT group.  As I stated I have only been playing a shaman for about 7 months total (she was a defiler previously).

I know gear, AA's, and masters help of course with keeping things under control.  But I was wondering if someone had a solid casting order for a healing MT mystic.  All my wards and heals are mastered.  I have 183 AA's.  With the healing stance and STR AA spec.  My gear still needs some work but the other mystic and myself have comparable gear so not worried there.

Any help is appreciated. 

[Greggthegrmreapr]

It has been awhile since I did MT mystic (I play on PvP server and used to only be able to have good classes on raids).

I usually would stack single and group ward, when tank started pull I would bolster, and go from there. Once the spikes were handled, throw in debuffs and then just do as you see fit.  I never really had a specific order, I more or less went with what was most important at the time,  If it was stablized, I would throw in some damage or check the other groups if they needed assistance.

[wullailhuit]

Depends on the Mob and situation of course - but generally.

Pre-ward group and single on pull

bolster (if up)

Perhaps Ancestral Sentry (harder mobs that need more damage control on pull)

Lamenting Soul / Umbral Trap / Lethargy (Depending on situation)

group heal if needed (*shakes fist at jewel users*)

refresh ward(s)

Haze if needed

spot heal across raid  if needed

ward(s)

check debuffs

ward(s)

etc etc.

[Verrie77]

Im quoting myself here now..as im lazy and dont wanna write it all over again

This is how i do it..mostly anyway...if im in the MT group or just normal group instance.* GroupWard* SingleWard* Bolster on tank*Ancestral Sentry on tank.- Wait for pull......* Starting to cast GroupWard again as the tank runs in to cover the first hit that the mob does to the first groupward.* SingleWard* SingleTarget Debuff - ( one of the attack reducer )* SingleTarget Debuff - ( one of the attack reducer )* SingleWard ( If needed )* GroupWard* Encounter Debuff* Encounter Debuff

.......repeat...

I think that is roughly the way..ofc it depends on the mob..how hard he hits and the amount of healers in raid.But yes I try to keep the Tank warded until I think the other debuffers have a chans to trow in some debuffs...and if my recast-timers are still ticking im doing my debuffs between the wards.I keep watch in the "spell window" to see how fast my wards are ticking down too...then I can see if the mob is starting to be quite debuffed too.

If im in the OT group it abit diffrent.* GroupWard* SingleWard ( on my OT )* Bolster on MT* Ancestral Sentry on MT* Wait for pull......

* SingleTarget Debuff* SingleTarget Debuff* Groupward ( incase my group took alot of dmg on pull or its low )* Encounter Debuff* Encounter Debuff* SingleTarget Heal on MT if needed.* Heal and Cure and stay ready with SingleTarget Ward if the Defiler goes down, or perhaps has a Curseetc and he / she cant do her job for a sec.* Keep my own OT ready and fully warded incase he needs to Offtank stuff or tank goes down.

* If its a NamedFight im not focusing on doing dmg at all...if its trash I go in and smack unless my group is taking dmg.I NEVER prio my dps before my groups health.

I hope I havent forgotten anything...this is how I mostly do it...im sure there are lots of other good ways too

[Killyaer]

Thanks for the responses so far.  Please continue with the advice.

Yeah seems to be where I am "messing" up is with the debuffs.  I am so worried about warding and healing I dont think to debuff (slow) the mob (although I know its really useful!!)

For example last night my guild went to ToMC and on the naga (our last fight in the zone) I got the curse 2 or 3 times which I know would effect my parse slightly, but for a zonewide the MT templar did 26% and I only did a shameful 20%.

Then in YIS again I got spanked by the MT templar.  I wont even post those percentages.

Yeah the MT templar has way better gear than myself and way more experience, but I should definitely be parsing higher than I was.  Hopefully they give me another shot so I can try the debuffs thrown into the mix and go from there.

[Banditman]

Here is a much simpler progression, based around a three spell pattern.  It starts like this:

Single Ward, Group Ward, Single Ward.

You now have five to six seconds to do something else.  Usually two spells will fit.  Now your Single Ward will be back up.  Use it.  Two more spells.  Then back to the three spell pattern.

The key to this entire concept is the space in between your Wards.  Debuffs?  Stoicism?  Direct Heals?  Use that thing between your ears.  It's the best weapon you have as a Mystic.  You have to make judgement calls as to what needs to be done in those spaces.

The most important part about those spaces between Wards is to NOT over fill them with something else.  You want to get that Ward cast just as soon as it's up.

It's very, very hard to simply say "This will work" because there are SO many factors of cast haste, re-use haste, etc to say that any pattern I use will work exactly for someone else.  However, this general procedure will work with some practice and study of your character.

[Baccalarium]

Heatherette@Unrest wrote:

Thanks for the responses so far. Please continue with the advice.

Yeah seems to be where I am "messing" up is with the debuffs. I am so worried about warding and healing I dont think to debuff (slow) the mob (although I know its really useful!!)

For example last night my guild went to ToMC and on the naga (our last fight in the zone) I got the curse 2 or 3 times which I know would effect my parse slightly, but for a zonewide the MT templar did 26% and I only did a shameful 20%.

Then in YIS again I got spanked by the MT templar. I wont even post those percentages.

Yeah the MT templar has way better gear than myself and way more experience, but I should definitely be parsing higher than I was. Hopefully they give me another shot so I can try the debuffs thrown into the mix and go from there.

Debuffs don't directly help you on the parse as they dont' count as heals.   They do help sort of in that if you reduce the total output of the mob, and your wards are taking out the first X amount of the mobs DPS,  there's less for the other healers to heal and thus percentage wise you should look better.    Just looking good on the parse is hardly a justification though. 

My strategy for a heal intensive fight is close to banditmans, and probably comes out the same.   If both wards have been cast,  decide what debuf(or heal) is best for your situation.    by the time its cast one of the wards will usually be up or very close to being up.    Cast it.  repeat.    If the situation is stable and AE's not involved, skip the group ward for a few more debuffs.    Don't forget stoicism,  the group insta, and maybe even double tap oberson when things get goosy, or you're gonna try to rez the group that didn't unstand which way the tank was going to point the mob.

[Killyaer]

Yeah I understand the debuff thing.  Also I think switching from the group ward then single ward to single and then group and then back to single might also help.  Because the single ward casts faster---and I can see it helping when trash chain pulling. 

Also MT group usually doesnt take a lot of damage from what I can see. 

MT, mystic, templar, dirge, coercer, scout

Its really a group built to have the MT taking all the damage, so maybe the single ward is more important than the group to start with.

[SonnyA]

This is my usual cast order

Pre-pull

Group ward

ST ward

Sentry

Bolster (sentry first because it usually doesn't live its entire duration anyway)

Inc

Soul

Haze

ST ward

Ancients

(Cure if needed)

ST ward

Group ward

Then as needed, I'll apply more debuffs and cures.

But basically cycle ST ward, group ward, group heal and re-apply debuffs before they run out.

[CimTaurus]

Casting group ward first is a mistake.

Cast your single target ward on the tank first, then your group ward.

Wards are decreased by damage on a first in first out basis.  If you group ward first you will be reducing the coverage on your group which comes in handy on AOEs and agro swaps.  If you have the time after grouop ward then single ward yourself - prewarding has gotten me killed more times than trigger happy rangers have.

I typically toss Bolster on the MT while he is pulling but if I don't get it in time then I will hit it after Torpor.

Torpor should be next in most cases as it will give you some relief between those long casting heals and it can save your butt on some spike damage.

I don't find that I use sentry as much as I would like to.  Most fights are either too fast to make it worth casting or they are on the other end of the spectrum and the mobs will blow through it so fast it isnt worth the time/power to cast it.  Most often I save it for thos panic moments when other spells are down and the tank is getting his head bashed in.

And who cares about a heal parse?  As a mystic you should forget there is a heal parse at all and focus on what your class is best at, versatility.  I spend as much time swinging my club (don't get me started on our stupid epic weapon style) as I do casting heals, wards or debuffing the mob.  Not to mention that my AA spec makes my pet a useful (finally, after years of complaining) addition to the fight.

If you are interested in the heal parse, go make a druid.  I look for my name on the DPS parse...and sometimes it even shows up

[Gisallo]

Banditman does what I do largely but also do NOT be afraid of that little Autoattack button and casting the occassional CA.  You can pretty much deal with the damage being done by chokers and JOA just by autoattack and the occassion CA thanks to the Star of Malice and Savage healing (as much as some hate Savage healing).  It also helps the raids zone wide dps.  You don't have to be concerned at the actual dps number you are putting out, just be sure (IF you can actually do it and cast your heals...tbh some just can't handle that concept for some reason) that you are doing SOMETHING to get those procs.  In the log run dpsing properly as a mystic will actually ehlp and not hurt your healing.

[Banditman]

Oh, don't get me wrong, when I am not in a "tanking" group, I do more than just hit the auto attack button.  My current personal best is 7152 DPS, in a raid somewhere around 150k DPS. Certainly not WW shocking numbers, but we have fun and kill a lot of mobs.

I was more addressing the MT healer situation above, and probably the most important thing to stress to any Mystic is what I sort of said above:  Use your brain.

[Gahnand]

Casting group ward first is a bad idea. Here are the two main reasons:

Wards work: FIFO -- first in, first out. That means that the first ward to go in, is the first one to start absorbing damage. If you cast a group ward first and then a single ward, your tank will eat the group ward before it has a chance to protect the group. If you cast single target first, then your group ward will be up longer on pull to protect group members in case they rip aggro.

Bang for your buck. When you weigh casting time, reuse time, power consumption, and amount of HP in protection, the single target ward is much more powerful than the group ward. By casting the single target ward first, you will give it more time to come back up by the time the fight begins. (Granted, with the addition of Kindred Restoration in TSO AA, this is notably more balanced; however, in a pull situation where the tank is most likely to absorb the initial damage, kindred restoration is not going to affect anyone but the tank).