Leveling Rotations and Tips for Sage — Dawntrail 7.1

All healers in FFXIV deal damage, but Sage not only has the hardest-hitting offensive skills, but receives free healing in return for using them. As such, it is important to make optimal use of your multitude of oGCD heals.

Sage starts at level 70. However, unless you avoid roulettes entirely, which is not recommended, you will frequently find yourself in lower level content. This guide will start at level 15, as that is the lowest content you would ever realistically need to do in a roulette. In addition, you do receive Panhaima, a relatively important ability, from your job quests, so do not ignore them.

When you unlock Sage (via the quest "Sage's Path"), you will be given a set of item level 385 gear for the left side (helmet, chest, gloves, pants, boots). Your next order of business should be to use Allagan Tomestones of Poetics to acquire item level 400 right side gear (neck, earring, bracelet, and rings). Since 385 is not that great for level 70, any leftover poetics should be spent filling out the left side with iLvL 400 gear as well. As you level, you may come across dungeon gear which can serve as incremental upgrades as well. Just be careful, as dungeon gear is not always an upgrade - sometimes it has a lower iLvL despite a higher level requirement. Do not worry too much about substats - focus on iLvL.

You will notice some of Sage's skills have "Eukrasian" in the name. These skills are accessed by first using the "Eukrasia" spell, which is unlocked at level 30 and has no mana cost, cooldown, nor cast time. It will turn the next Dosis, Diagnosis, or Prognosis into Eukrasian Dosis, Eukrasian Diagnosis, or Eukrasian Prognosis respectively.

Eukrasia itself has no cast time, mana cost, nor cooldown, but has a 1-second recast time (GCD). In addition, all of the Eukrasian spells have a fixed 1.5-second recast time and no cast time. What this means for you is that every Eukrasian spell is effectively a 2.5-second instant cast GCD, with the caveat that you will only be able to weave a single oGCD after it without clipping. Neither Eukrasia itself, nor any of the Eukrasian spells, are affected by spell speed.

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A more in-depth explanation is provided in the Sage Guide, but here is a quick explanation:

• Addersgall: Available from level 45. Recharges at a rate of one charge per 20 seconds, with a maximum of three charges. Charges are represented by the blue dots on the top of the job gauge, and the current recharge is represented by the blue bar in the middle of the gauge. All abilities which consume Addersgall charges also restore 7% of your maximum MP when used.
• Addersting: Available from level 66. Recharges when the shield from Eukrasian Diagnosis is consumed completely. As a general rule, it is not worth using Eukrasian Diagnosis in combat for the sole purpose of charging Addersting.

• Dosis is your single-target damage spell.
• Dosis II is your single-target damage spell.
• Dosis III is your single-target damage spell.
• Phlegma is an AoE spell with damage falloff and two charges that recover over time (45-second recharge). It is your strongest single-target and AoE skill.
• Phlegma II is an AoE spell with damage falloff and two charges that recover over time (45-second recharge). It is your strongest single-target and AoE skill.
• Phlegma III is an AoE spell with damage falloff and two charges that recover over time (45-second recharge). It is your strongest single-target and AoE skill.
• Eukrasian Dosis is your DoT. To use it, use Eukrasia and then Dosis. Be sure to keep it up all the time on bosses, and use it on dungeon mobs as the tank gathers them up.
• Eukrasian Dosis II is your DoT. To use it, use Eukrasia and then Dosis II. Be sure to keep it up all the time on bosses, and use it on dungeon mobs as the tank gathers them up.
• At level 82, you have access to two DoTs: the single target Eukrasian Dosis III and the AoE Eukrasian Dyskrasia. Eukrasian Dosis is better for single-target or a small number of targets, while Eukrasian Dyskrasia is more efficient for a large number of targets. To use these, press Eukrasia and then Dosis III or Dyskrasia II respectively. The former should be kept on bosses at all times, while the latter should be kept on large packs of mobs.
• Dyskrasia is your basic AoE spell. This should be your filler GCD on multiple targets such as dungeon packs. It has no cast time, so it can be used while moving.
• Dyskrasia II is your basic AoE spell. This should be your filler GCD on multiple targets such as dungeon packs. It has no cast time, so it can be used while moving.
• Toxikon is an instant cast AoE GCD, but uses Addersting charges, which are granted when a Eukrasian Diagnosis shield breaks on a party member, as well as upon commencing or wiping a duty. It is a damage loss to charge it in combat, so ideally you would apply shields pre-pull. It works as both a single-target skill that allows for free movement, as well as dealing more damage than Dyskrasia for AoE situations.
  • Even with the damage falloff, it is still worth it to use Toxikon over Dyskrasia when it is available.
• Toxikon II is an instant cast AoE GCD, but uses Addersting charges, which are granted when a Eukrasian Diagnosis shield breaks on a party member, as well as upon commencing or wiping a duty. It is a damage loss to charge it in combat, so ideally you would apply shields pre-pull. It works as both a single-target skill that allows for free movement, as well as dealing more damage than Dyskrasia for AoE situations.
  • Even with the damage falloff, it is still worth it to use Toxikon II over Dyskrasia when it is available.
• Psyche is an AoE damage oGCD on a 60 second cooldown. It provides another burst of AoE damage on packs.

1. Keep Eukrasian Dosis up.
2. Keep Eukrasian Dosis II up.
3. Keep Eukrasian Dosis III up.
4. Do not allow Phlegma to overcap.
5. Do not allow Phlegma II to overcap.
6. Do not allow Phlegma III to overcap.
7. Use Psyche when available.
8. Toxikon deals the same damage as Dosis, so use it for movement.
9. Toxikon deals the less damage than Dosis II, so only use it for movement.
10. Toxikon II deals the same damage as Dosis III, so use it for movement.
11. Use Dosis as your filler.
12. Use Dosis II as your filler.
13. Use Dosis III as your filler.
14. If you need to move, and have exhausted all other movement options (including slidecasting), then as a last resort you can use Dyskrasia against a single target. The lower potency is still better than casting nothing.

1. Dosis should be used against smaller packs of enemies.
2. Dosis II should be used against smaller packs of enemies.
3. Dosis II should be used against smaller packs of enemies, while Eukrasian Dyskrasia should be used against larger packs of enemies.
4. Phlegma is your highest damage AoE spell.
5. Phlegma II is your highest damage AoE spell.
6. Phlegma III is your highest damage AoE spell.
7. Toxikon is also a high damage AoE spell. However, it is still an overall damage loss to charge it during a pull - simply apply shields before the pull instead.
8. Dosis should be used as filler.
9. Dyskrasia should be used as filler.

Kardia is a buff that works similar to Closed Position (Dance Partner). It is unlocked at level 4. You place it on yourself or a party member, and it remains on them indefinitely and provides passive healing any time you use an offensive GCD (individual DoT ticks do not count). The best option here will generally be the tank.

Because Kardia only triggers on offensive GCDs, it is important to try to avoid using GCD heals while in combat, as this compromises the effectiveness of Kardia. Between Kardia and increasing your overall damage output, you should use oGCD heals first before resorting to GCD heals.

All of the following actions are oGCD (ability) unless specified to be a GCD (spell). Do not be afraid to use AoE oGCD heals to heal a single target. Some of them are still very useful for this, such as Kerachole.

• Diagnosis is your basic single-target GCD heal.
• Prognosis is your basic AoE GCD heal.
• Physis is an AoE heal-over-time (regen).
• Physis is an AoE heal-over-time that adds a secondary effect increasing all healing received by the targets.
• Eukrasian Diagnosis is a GCD single-target heal plus shield. It has more overall potency than normal Diagnosis, so it should be preferred when the target is not already shielded.
• Eukrasian Prognosis is a GCD AoE heal plus shield. As with Eukrasian Diagnosis, it has more overall potency than normal Prognosis, so should be preferred when the target is not already shielded.
• Eukrasian Prognosis II is a GCD AoE heal plus shield. As with Eukrasian Diagnosis, it has more overall potency than normal Prognosis, so should be preferred when the target is not already shielded.
• Soteria temporarily boosts Kardia healing by 50%. Very useful in dungeon pulls.
• Druochole is a single-target heal with no cooldown which uses an Addersgall charge
• Kerachole is an AoE regen and 10% damage mitigation that consumes an Addersgall charge. With a 15-second duration and 30-second cooldown, it can be used very frequently.
• Ixochole is an AoE heal that consumes an Addersgall charge. However, it heals less overall that Kerachole, so Kerachole should be used first.
• Zoe boosts the potency of your next GCD heal by 50%. If you are in a situation where you need GCD heals, consider using Zoe to boost it.
• Pepsis consumes shields from Eukrasian Diagnosis and Eukrasian Prognosis and turns them into a heal. This is a very niche ability and is rarely needed in practice.
• Taurochole is a single-target heal and damage mitigation that consumes an Addersgall charge. The mitigation does not stack with Kerachole, so be sure to stagger these during a pull.
• Haima is a very powerful tool for dungeon pulls. It places a shield on the target. When the shield is consumed, it will re-apply itself, up to five times (for a total of six shields). If there are any charges left when it expires, it will additionally heal the target. This can provide up to 1800 potency of healing.
• Holos is an AoE heal, shield, and mitigation. It fully stacks with Kerachole and Taurochole.
• Panhaima is the AoE version of Haima, with somewhat lower potency to compensate. Do not be afraid to use it on a single target for dungeon pulls, as it does not share a cooldown with Haima.
• Krasis temporarily increases all healing received by the target by 20%. It is free healing boost in dungeon pulls.

• Esuna removes a single debuff from yourself or an ally. Only debuffs with a blue bar on top of their icon can be removed.
• Egeiro is your raise equivalent. Best used with Swiftcast to eliminate the long cast time.
• Swiftcast removes the cast time from the next spell.
• Lucid Dreaming restores 3850 mana over 21 seconds. While you do not want to use it on full MP, you also do not want to wait too long to use it. Try to use it when you are missing about 2000 MP.
• Icarus is a gap closer that can be used to jump to a party member or enemy.
• Surecast makes you immune to most knockback effects. It also prevents heavy damage from interrupting casts.
• Rescue pulls a party member to your location. Useful when someone is unaware of a mechanic, but try to not use it unnecessarily.
• Rhizomata grants an Addersgall charge.

In a dungeon, the main challenge is keeping a tank alive during big pulls. While tools such as Haima make this a breeze at higher levels, it can be tricky at lower levels when you only have a fraction of your kit.

• Use Kardia on the tank at the beginning of the dungeon.
• Use Eukrasian Diagnosis on the tank before pulls to give them a shield.
• Use Eukrasian Dosis on mob packs as the tank gathers them up, as it can be used while moving.
• Use Eukrasian Dosis II on mob packs as the tank gathers them up, as it can be used while moving.
• Use Eukrasian Dosis III on mob packs as the tank gathers them up, as it can be used while moving.
• At low levels, you will not have an unrestricted AoE GCD to spam, so Dosis will be your only consistent option.
• Dyskrasia should be used on two or more targets.
• Phlegma gives Sage an AoE damage skill well before any of the other healers, with the condition of it coming with a charge system. If you can, save this for two or more targets.
• Phlegma II gives Sage an AoE damage skill well before any of the other healers, with the condition of it coming with a charge system. If you can, save this for two or more targets.
• Phlegma III gives Sage an AoE damage skill well before any of the other healers, with the condition of it coming with a charge system. If you can, save this for two or more targets.
• Toxikon costs an Addersting charge, which is generated from a shield that you would be throwing on the tank prior to mob pulls. In addition you receive all three charges upon commencing or wiping a duty. It does more damage than Dyskrasia in all realistic scenarios, so using them on packs is a good option.

Try to exhaust oGCD options before GCDs. Use all your free skills, such as Soteria. Do not be afraid to use AoE oGCD heals as well - some of these are great even for healing a single target, such as Kerachole.

If you use a 60-second cooldown at the beginning of a pull, it should come back up at some point during the next pull, depending on how fast the run is going. 90- and 120-second cooldowns will generally not be up again until after the next boss, so do not blow all of them on the very first pull. Try to not use long cooldowns towards the end of a boss fight, since trash pulls require significantly more healing.

• Keep your DoT up at all times.
• Do not let Phlegma overcap. Ideally, use it for movement.
• As usual, prefer oGCD heals before GCD. You only need to heal the bare minimum to keep people alive - they do not need to constantly be full HP.
• For eight-man content, pay attention to which tank is the main tank, and make sure Kardia is on them.
• Toxikon allows free movement while dealing the same damage as Dosis. However, you still should not try to charge it in combat. Only charge it pre-pull or during hard downtime.

Congratulations! If you would like to continue on to learn how Sage functions at max level, please continue on to our full Sage guide, listed below.