Recently, I've been working conceptualizing my own take on how Sage's Evolved Mode kit could look, and I'd like to share what I've come up with. My design follows the pattern established by what we've seen of Evolved Mode Healers currently: having a total of 16 keybinds, and enabling some use of GCD healing without the fear of losing DPS. Additionally, I also sought out to achieve a few other goals with this design.
First, while pruning Sage's Reborn Mode kit, I culled effects that felt too similar to Scholar and amped up the effects that felt uniquely Sage's. Second, I expanded upon Sage's DPS actions both to allow for more dynamic offensive gameplay, but also to expand on how Sage interacts with Kardia. Your DPS flow changes based on the needs of the party, which is an outcome achievable with the removal of party buffs. By no longer having a burst window to demand dumping DPS resources on, Sage can freely explore DPS actions with secondary healing effects and flexible cast timing, such as through the use of charges or gauge resources.
To create this kit, I wrote down every action and tooltip to match FFXIV's tooltip language, but frankly, that language sucks. So I also included simplified tooltips with the idea that in-game, players would be able to toggle between each style of tooltip, that way players who don't live and breath FFXIV can actually understand what their actions do. In this post, I will be listing actions with their simplified tooltips, but you can read the full kit breakdown with standard tooltip descriptions here: Evolved Sage Document
Keybind List
Here is a list of all 16 Keybinds and which actions share the same keybind:
Gauges and Mechanics
Here is a simplified explanation of Evovled Sage's gauge and mechanics changes.
Dyskrasia and Kardia
Dyskrasia has been changed from a spell to an effect applied by Dosis III. It will provide follow up attacks on enemies after most spells are cast, adding more damage to attack spells while also making most GCD healing DPS neutral as long as the effect is maintained. Dyskrasia's duration will be added to the display of the Eukrasia Gauge.
Kardia is now applied and reapplied through the casting of Diagnosis. With the help of Dyskrasia, this becomes a DPS neutral healing spell as long as the effect is active, allowing you to still change Kardia targets mid-battle without penalty.
Addersgall, Addersting, and Soma
Addersgall generation is no longer passive and will be generated through Sage's new Kardia-triggering DPS combos and is also spent on effects that augment Kardia. Those combos are the new ways to spend Addersting, which is generated by casting certain spells including most of Evolved Sage's healing spells. The meter that previously featured the remaining time until the next Addersgall stack now shows the remaining time until the next Soma, a new resource that generates every 80 seconds and can be spent on Pneuma or Eukrasian Pneuma. Soma's generation cooldown fuctions like Black Mage's Polyglot, so the timer will progress toward the next Soma even while the previous Soma has yet to be spent.
Action List
Eukrasia - Augments certain spells into Eukrasian spells.
MP Cost: 0
Cast: Instant
Recast: 1s
Dosis III - Deals damage to one enemy and temporarily marks them with Dyskrasia; reapplying Dyskrasia can extend its duration, and if the target dies, Dyskrasia will pass to another target. Other spells will trigger Dyskrasia’s effect, dealing bonus damage to the marked enemy and enemies around them. Grants 1 Addersting.
MP Cost: 0
Cast: 1.5s
Recast: 2.5s GCD
> Eukrasian Dosis III - Deals damage to one enemy and removes their Dyskrasia, restoring MP to you based on the remaining duration of Dyskrasia. Grants 1 Addersting.
MP Cost: 0
Cast: Instant
Recast: 1.5s GCD
>Diagnosis - Restores HP to one player and designates them as the target of your Kardia healing, restoring additional HP to them every time you cast attack spells.
Triggers Dyskrasia and grants 1 Addersting.
MP Cost: 300
Cast: 1.5s
Recast: 2.5s GCD
> Eukrasian Diagnosis - Grants one player a barrier that reapplies itself each time the barrier is broken, up to a maximum of five times. Enables a cast of Toxikon II if all barriers are broken. Triggers Dyskrasia and grants 1 Addersting.
MP Cost: 700
Cast: Instant
Recast: 1.5s GCD
Prognosis - Restores HP to party members around you and increases incoming healing for a short duration. Triggers Dyskrasia and grants 1 Addersting.
MP Cost: 700
Cast: 1.5s
Recast: 2.5s GCD
> Eukrasian Prognosis II - Grants a barrier to you and party members around you that reapplies
itself each time the barrier is broken, up to a maximum of five times. Enables a cast of Toxikon II if all the barriers on you are broken, and another if all barriers on the player marked with your Kardia are broken. Triggers Dyskrasia and grants 1 Addersting.
MP Cost: 1100
Cast: Instant
Recast: 1.5s GCD
Egeiro - Resurrect a fallen player.
MP Cost: 2400
Cast: 8s
Recast: 2.5s
> Eukrasian Egeiro - Instantly resurrect a fallen player.
MP Cost: 2400
Cast: Instant
Recast: 40s GCD
Panakeia - Cleanse one player of one negative status. Triggers Dyskrasia and grants 1 Addersting.
MP Cost: 200
Cast: Instant
Recast: 2.5s GCD
> Aphonia - Silence one enemy, interrupting enemy actions with glowing cast bars. Enables a cast of Toxikon II when successfully interrupting a cast. Triggers Dyskrasia and grants 1 Addersting.
MP Cost: 200
Cast: Instant
Recast: 2.5s GCD
Kairos - Spend 1 Addersting to begin a fast, four-part combo that deals damage to enemies and triggers Kardia healing for each hit. Grants 1 Addersgall when the combo concludes and enables a cast of Toxikon II. Each hit triggers Dyskrasia.
MP Cost: 300 (per cast)
Cast: Instant
Recast: 1.5s GCD
Hopumone - Spend 1 Addersting to begin a slow, two-part combo that deals damage to enemies in a cone before you and grants a barrier to the player marked with your Kardia at the end of the combo. Grants 1 Addersgall when the combo concludes and enables a cast of Toxikon II. Each hit triggers Dyskrasia twice.
MP Cost: 600 (per cast)
Cast: Instant
Recast: 3s GCD
Phlegma III - Deals damage to enemies at melee range while enabling a cast of Toxikon II. Triggers Dyskrasia and slightly increases the duration of it.
MP Cost: 600
Cast: Instant
Recast: 40s GCD
Charges: 2
Pneuma - Spend 1 Soma to fire a laser at enemies in front of you, dealing massive damage. This also restores a large amount of HP to yourself and party members around you. Triggers Dyskrasia.
MP Cost: 900
Cast: 1.5s
Recast: 2.5s GCD
> Eukasian Pneuma - Spend 1 Soma to fire a laser at enemies in front of you, dealing massive damage. Also erects a barrier around yourself and party members around you that reapplies itself each time the barrier breaks, up to a maximum of five times. The barrier effects of this spell do not stack with the effects of Eukrasian Prognosis II. Triggers Dyskrasia.
MP Cost: 900
Cast: Instant
Recast: 1.5s GCD
Toxikon -Deal damage to enemies off the global cooldown. This attack can trigger Kardia while Philosophia is active. Triggers Dyskrasia.
MP Cost: 0
Cast: Instant
Recast: 15s OGCD
Charges: 3
> Toxikon II -Deal damage to enemies off the global cooldown. Available when
certain conditions are met. This attack can trigger Kardia while Philosophia is active.
Triggers Dyskrasia.
MP Cost: 0
Cast: Instant
Recast: 1s OGCD
Psyche - Deal damage to enemies off the global cooldown and restore some of your MP; the amount of MP restored increases the lower your current MP is. Triggers Dyskrasia.
Soteria - Spend 1 Addersgall to double the amount of healing provided by Kardia the next four times it triggers.
MP Cost: 0
Cast: Instant
Recast: 1s OGCD
Eudaimonia - Spend 1 Addersgall to spread half of the healing provided by Kardia to all other party members the next four times it triggers.
MP Cost: 0
Cast: Instant
Recast: 15s OGCD
Philosophia - Spend 1 Addersgall to decrease the damage taken by you and party members around you for a short duration. During this effect, Toxikon and Toxikon II will also proc Kardia healing.
MP Cost: 0
Cast: Instant
Recast: 30s OGCD
Holos - Spend all your MP to erect a barrier around yourself and nearby party members equal to their missing HP. This barrier depletes gradually over time. Additionally, you recover a bit of MP over time.
MP Cost: All
Cast: Instant
Recast: 180s OGCD
Daedalus - Grow wings and gain movement speed while becoming immune to knockback effects. While this effect is active, gain access to Icarus, allowing you to dash to target players or enemies.
MP Cost: 0
Cast: Instant
Recast: 40s OGCD
Charges: 2
> Icarus - Dash to a player or enemy up to two times during the duration of
Daedalus.
MP Cost: 0
Cast: Instant
Recast: 1s
Charges: 2
Sparknotes
Even with simplified tooltips, it's difficult to full envision how a theoretical kit will work without being to physically test it. Thus, here is my Sage's Kit is basic language:
Sage gets two new one-button combos: Kairos has four casts with a 1.5 second GCD where every cast heals your Kardia. Hopumone has two casts with a longer 3 second GCD where the second cast grants your Kardia a barrier. Both deal the same damage and are the only spells that cost Addersting. Use either when you have Addersting based on what works best for your current situation.
To get Addersting, Sage can cast Dosis III to deal damage. This marks an enemy for 30 seconds with Dyskrasia which will automatically deliver a follow up attack when most other spells are cast, including Sage's GCD healing. You can extend Dyskrasia up to 70 seconds by recasting Dosis III. Otherwise, you can cast any of Sage's GCD heals or Aphonia to generate Addersting without losing damage, as they will trigger the follow up attack.
Addersgall is now spend on Soteria to make Kardia healing stronger, Euidamonia to turn Kardia healing into an AOE, or Philosophia which grants party mitigation and one other unique perk. Toxikon has been changed into an OGCD attack on a short cooldown. Normally, it just does damage, but while Philosophia is active, Toxikon will also proc Kardia healing. Toxikon II is a separate proc'd attack that also has this effect. Generate Addersgall by completing your Kairos or Hopumone combos.
This is Evolved Sage's "rotation" in a nutshell. While Sage does have a more DPS-like offensive arsenal, virtually every attack spell features some way of furthering Sage's healing output. With the removal of raid buffs demanding you save your resources for burst windows, your DPS burst potential is dictated by your party's need for healing. Rather than think "How can I maximize my damage?" an Evolved Sage should be thinking about what their party needs when deciding how to approach their attacks, harmonizing the identities of being a healer and a caster into one.
Spell/Effect Name Origins
If you're curious, here are the meanings of each new effect or spell name featured in this design:
Kairos refers to the critical moment in which medical intervention is most effective.
Hopumone is a general Greek term referring to patience, endurance, or steadfastness.
Panakeia is the Greek spelling of Panacea, which in Final Fantasy 9 is a spell that removes Poison.
Aphonia is the medical term for a loss of voice.
Eudaimonia translates to living healthy and in good spirits. It's already in Sage's Reborn Mode kit as the effect granted by Philosophia. Thus it's a fitting name for a spell with a strikingly similar effect.
Soma is a Greek term for the body, the opposite of Pneuma which is a term for the spirit.
Daedalus is the mentor of Icarus in Greek Mythology and also the craftsman who gave Icarus his wings.
Continue reading...
First, while pruning Sage's Reborn Mode kit, I culled effects that felt too similar to Scholar and amped up the effects that felt uniquely Sage's. Second, I expanded upon Sage's DPS actions both to allow for more dynamic offensive gameplay, but also to expand on how Sage interacts with Kardia. Your DPS flow changes based on the needs of the party, which is an outcome achievable with the removal of party buffs. By no longer having a burst window to demand dumping DPS resources on, Sage can freely explore DPS actions with secondary healing effects and flexible cast timing, such as through the use of charges or gauge resources.
To create this kit, I wrote down every action and tooltip to match FFXIV's tooltip language, but frankly, that language sucks. So I also included simplified tooltips with the idea that in-game, players would be able to toggle between each style of tooltip, that way players who don't live and breath FFXIV can actually understand what their actions do. In this post, I will be listing actions with their simplified tooltips, but you can read the full kit breakdown with standard tooltip descriptions here: Evolved Sage Document
Keybind List
Here is a list of all 16 Keybinds and which actions share the same keybind:
- Eukrasia
- Dosis III <> Diagnosis <> Eukrasian Dosis III <> Eukrasian Diagnosis
- Prognosis <> Eukrasian Prognosis II
- Egeiro <> Eukrasian Egeiro
- Panakeia <> Aphonia
- Kairos
- Hopumone
- Phlegma III
- Pneuma <> Eukrasian Pneuma
- Toxikon <> Toxikon II
- Psyche
- Soteria
- Eudaimonia
- Philosophia
- Holos
- Daedalus <> Icarus
Gauges and Mechanics
Here is a simplified explanation of Evovled Sage's gauge and mechanics changes.
Dyskrasia and Kardia
Dyskrasia has been changed from a spell to an effect applied by Dosis III. It will provide follow up attacks on enemies after most spells are cast, adding more damage to attack spells while also making most GCD healing DPS neutral as long as the effect is maintained. Dyskrasia's duration will be added to the display of the Eukrasia Gauge.
Kardia is now applied and reapplied through the casting of Diagnosis. With the help of Dyskrasia, this becomes a DPS neutral healing spell as long as the effect is active, allowing you to still change Kardia targets mid-battle without penalty.
Addersgall, Addersting, and Soma
Addersgall generation is no longer passive and will be generated through Sage's new Kardia-triggering DPS combos and is also spent on effects that augment Kardia. Those combos are the new ways to spend Addersting, which is generated by casting certain spells including most of Evolved Sage's healing spells. The meter that previously featured the remaining time until the next Addersgall stack now shows the remaining time until the next Soma, a new resource that generates every 80 seconds and can be spent on Pneuma or Eukrasian Pneuma. Soma's generation cooldown fuctions like Black Mage's Polyglot, so the timer will progress toward the next Soma even while the previous Soma has yet to be spent.
Action List
Eukrasia - Augments certain spells into Eukrasian spells.
MP Cost: 0
Cast: Instant
Recast: 1s
Dosis III - Deals damage to one enemy and temporarily marks them with Dyskrasia; reapplying Dyskrasia can extend its duration, and if the target dies, Dyskrasia will pass to another target. Other spells will trigger Dyskrasia’s effect, dealing bonus damage to the marked enemy and enemies around them. Grants 1 Addersting.
MP Cost: 0
Cast: 1.5s
Recast: 2.5s GCD
> Eukrasian Dosis III - Deals damage to one enemy and removes their Dyskrasia, restoring MP to you based on the remaining duration of Dyskrasia. Grants 1 Addersting.
MP Cost: 0
Cast: Instant
Recast: 1.5s GCD
>Diagnosis - Restores HP to one player and designates them as the target of your Kardia healing, restoring additional HP to them every time you cast attack spells.
Triggers Dyskrasia and grants 1 Addersting.
MP Cost: 300
Cast: 1.5s
Recast: 2.5s GCD
> Eukrasian Diagnosis - Grants one player a barrier that reapplies itself each time the barrier is broken, up to a maximum of five times. Enables a cast of Toxikon II if all barriers are broken. Triggers Dyskrasia and grants 1 Addersting.
MP Cost: 700
Cast: Instant
Recast: 1.5s GCD
Prognosis - Restores HP to party members around you and increases incoming healing for a short duration. Triggers Dyskrasia and grants 1 Addersting.
MP Cost: 700
Cast: 1.5s
Recast: 2.5s GCD
> Eukrasian Prognosis II - Grants a barrier to you and party members around you that reapplies
itself each time the barrier is broken, up to a maximum of five times. Enables a cast of Toxikon II if all the barriers on you are broken, and another if all barriers on the player marked with your Kardia are broken. Triggers Dyskrasia and grants 1 Addersting.
MP Cost: 1100
Cast: Instant
Recast: 1.5s GCD
Egeiro - Resurrect a fallen player.
MP Cost: 2400
Cast: 8s
Recast: 2.5s
> Eukrasian Egeiro - Instantly resurrect a fallen player.
MP Cost: 2400
Cast: Instant
Recast: 40s GCD
Panakeia - Cleanse one player of one negative status. Triggers Dyskrasia and grants 1 Addersting.
MP Cost: 200
Cast: Instant
Recast: 2.5s GCD
> Aphonia - Silence one enemy, interrupting enemy actions with glowing cast bars. Enables a cast of Toxikon II when successfully interrupting a cast. Triggers Dyskrasia and grants 1 Addersting.
MP Cost: 200
Cast: Instant
Recast: 2.5s GCD
Kairos - Spend 1 Addersting to begin a fast, four-part combo that deals damage to enemies and triggers Kardia healing for each hit. Grants 1 Addersgall when the combo concludes and enables a cast of Toxikon II. Each hit triggers Dyskrasia.
MP Cost: 300 (per cast)
Cast: Instant
Recast: 1.5s GCD
Hopumone - Spend 1 Addersting to begin a slow, two-part combo that deals damage to enemies in a cone before you and grants a barrier to the player marked with your Kardia at the end of the combo. Grants 1 Addersgall when the combo concludes and enables a cast of Toxikon II. Each hit triggers Dyskrasia twice.
MP Cost: 600 (per cast)
Cast: Instant
Recast: 3s GCD
Phlegma III - Deals damage to enemies at melee range while enabling a cast of Toxikon II. Triggers Dyskrasia and slightly increases the duration of it.
MP Cost: 600
Cast: Instant
Recast: 40s GCD
Charges: 2
Pneuma - Spend 1 Soma to fire a laser at enemies in front of you, dealing massive damage. This also restores a large amount of HP to yourself and party members around you. Triggers Dyskrasia.
MP Cost: 900
Cast: 1.5s
Recast: 2.5s GCD
> Eukasian Pneuma - Spend 1 Soma to fire a laser at enemies in front of you, dealing massive damage. Also erects a barrier around yourself and party members around you that reapplies itself each time the barrier breaks, up to a maximum of five times. The barrier effects of this spell do not stack with the effects of Eukrasian Prognosis II. Triggers Dyskrasia.
MP Cost: 900
Cast: Instant
Recast: 1.5s GCD
Toxikon -Deal damage to enemies off the global cooldown. This attack can trigger Kardia while Philosophia is active. Triggers Dyskrasia.
MP Cost: 0
Cast: Instant
Recast: 15s OGCD
Charges: 3
> Toxikon II -Deal damage to enemies off the global cooldown. Available when
certain conditions are met. This attack can trigger Kardia while Philosophia is active.
Triggers Dyskrasia.
MP Cost: 0
Cast: Instant
Recast: 1s OGCD
Psyche - Deal damage to enemies off the global cooldown and restore some of your MP; the amount of MP restored increases the lower your current MP is. Triggers Dyskrasia.
Soteria - Spend 1 Addersgall to double the amount of healing provided by Kardia the next four times it triggers.
MP Cost: 0
Cast: Instant
Recast: 1s OGCD
Eudaimonia - Spend 1 Addersgall to spread half of the healing provided by Kardia to all other party members the next four times it triggers.
MP Cost: 0
Cast: Instant
Recast: 15s OGCD
Philosophia - Spend 1 Addersgall to decrease the damage taken by you and party members around you for a short duration. During this effect, Toxikon and Toxikon II will also proc Kardia healing.
MP Cost: 0
Cast: Instant
Recast: 30s OGCD
Holos - Spend all your MP to erect a barrier around yourself and nearby party members equal to their missing HP. This barrier depletes gradually over time. Additionally, you recover a bit of MP over time.
MP Cost: All
Cast: Instant
Recast: 180s OGCD
Daedalus - Grow wings and gain movement speed while becoming immune to knockback effects. While this effect is active, gain access to Icarus, allowing you to dash to target players or enemies.
MP Cost: 0
Cast: Instant
Recast: 40s OGCD
Charges: 2
> Icarus - Dash to a player or enemy up to two times during the duration of
Daedalus.
MP Cost: 0
Cast: Instant
Recast: 1s
Charges: 2
Sparknotes
Even with simplified tooltips, it's difficult to full envision how a theoretical kit will work without being to physically test it. Thus, here is my Sage's Kit is basic language:
Sage gets two new one-button combos: Kairos has four casts with a 1.5 second GCD where every cast heals your Kardia. Hopumone has two casts with a longer 3 second GCD where the second cast grants your Kardia a barrier. Both deal the same damage and are the only spells that cost Addersting. Use either when you have Addersting based on what works best for your current situation.
To get Addersting, Sage can cast Dosis III to deal damage. This marks an enemy for 30 seconds with Dyskrasia which will automatically deliver a follow up attack when most other spells are cast, including Sage's GCD healing. You can extend Dyskrasia up to 70 seconds by recasting Dosis III. Otherwise, you can cast any of Sage's GCD heals or Aphonia to generate Addersting without losing damage, as they will trigger the follow up attack.
Addersgall is now spend on Soteria to make Kardia healing stronger, Euidamonia to turn Kardia healing into an AOE, or Philosophia which grants party mitigation and one other unique perk. Toxikon has been changed into an OGCD attack on a short cooldown. Normally, it just does damage, but while Philosophia is active, Toxikon will also proc Kardia healing. Toxikon II is a separate proc'd attack that also has this effect. Generate Addersgall by completing your Kairos or Hopumone combos.
This is Evolved Sage's "rotation" in a nutshell. While Sage does have a more DPS-like offensive arsenal, virtually every attack spell features some way of furthering Sage's healing output. With the removal of raid buffs demanding you save your resources for burst windows, your DPS burst potential is dictated by your party's need for healing. Rather than think "How can I maximize my damage?" an Evolved Sage should be thinking about what their party needs when deciding how to approach their attacks, harmonizing the identities of being a healer and a caster into one.
Spell/Effect Name Origins
If you're curious, here are the meanings of each new effect or spell name featured in this design:
Kairos refers to the critical moment in which medical intervention is most effective.
Hopumone is a general Greek term referring to patience, endurance, or steadfastness.
Panakeia is the Greek spelling of Panacea, which in Final Fantasy 9 is a spell that removes Poison.
Aphonia is the medical term for a loss of voice.
Eudaimonia translates to living healthy and in good spirits. It's already in Sage's Reborn Mode kit as the effect granted by Philosophia. Thus it's a fitting name for a spell with a strikingly similar effect.
Soma is a Greek term for the body, the opposite of Pneuma which is a term for the spirit.
Daedalus is the mentor of Icarus in Greek Mythology and also the craftsman who gave Icarus his wings.
Continue reading...