Master, Maelstrom, and Asylum Resto Staves: Which one to use?

waitwhat

Question:
Master, Maelstrom, and Asylum Resto Staves: Which ones should we use now that Master's no longer gives a magicka bonus and Maelstrom no longer gives a crit bonus?

The answer may well vary by situation, but to start I'm asking in the context of vet trials.

Recap:
1. Master's Resto restores 258 stam to all targets healed on the first tick of Grand Healing (i.e. Healing Springs).
2. Maelstrom Resto gives healer 800 magicka whenever Regeneration (i.e. Rapid Regen or Mutagen) crit heals, but the effect has a 4 second cooldown.
3. Asylum resto reduces cost of the first cast of Grand Healing, Regeneration, or Steadfast Ward (and all their morphs) by 45% for five seconds after casting Blessing of Protection (i.e. Combat Prayer). Perfected Asylum reduces cost by 50%.

Thoughts:
On the face of it, I'm tempted to say Maelstrom Resto is out, since it won't provide as good sustain as the Asylum Resto would (800 mag every four seconds for a crit heal on one ability isn't a lot compared to heavy attack return, speed, and reliability).

I'm thinking the master's resto still comes on top whenever the group is stacked and the boss/enemies are putting out constant DoTs that can only be overcome with healing springs (e.g. Ozara and a bunch of other fights). In other words, the stam return from the Master's Resto becomes non-trivial when enough targets are affected by it and the healing is constantly casting healing springs.

I know that the Asylum Resto has been compared unfavorably to the Master's Resto because it doesn't directly provide a group benefit, but perhaps there are conditions where consistent reduced cost of the Asylum's magnitude does provide greater group benefit. For fights where either the group is split, or the healer isn't spamming healing springs enough to give meaningful stamina return, or where there are a lot of stam dps, the 45-50% cost reduction could be more helpful in the face of small stam return. Specifically, the cost reduction will be most helpful for Healing Ward/Ward Ally, which normally costs 3,443 magicka on a Breton Templar wearing Worm + SPC. Healing Ward/Ward Ally has a high cost for a resto skill, and it isn't something you'd multicast like you would with Regen/Springs, but it is the kind of skill you would work consistently into a rotation such that you could always gain the benefit on cast. In other words, the Asylum Resto would be reducing the cost of Healing Ward/Ward ally by 45-50%, or by about 1,549 - 1,721 magicka. That allows the healer to consistently provide stam DPS with good shields while conserving thousands of magicka per rotation. It is worth noting that stam dps having greater survivability and healer not running out of magicka are sizable group benefits in their own right.

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO

if you don't like the master resto, you would be better of with a one piece monster, either regen if you need it or spell damage, as the 129 spell Damage will raise you heals more then the 2% healing of other sets.

Danksta

Master resto is the only one of those that supports your group, which should be expected of you as a healer. No one was using the master resto previously because of the magicka bonus, it was because of the enchantment (now set bonus). Master resto all the way.

Illurian

I'm also on #teamMasterResto.

I'm currently using vMA resto staff though, as I'm still trying to get a regular group to farm vDSA.

Joy_Division

In 4 person content, vMA staff is very good because the Regeneration spell is a good HoT and its a lot of magicka sustain, which is what healers need the most and allows them to improve their builds elsewhere.

In 12 man content, I'd go for the Master Restoration staff because the Regeneration spell is awkward. I do think the bonus is a bit overated - you have to cast 13 healing springs just to cover the cost of a single dodge roll - but it's still useful.

Runefang

Aslyum resto would only be useful in really intensive healing situations. Which is what, last boss in vSO maybe? You could spam combat prayer and healing springs one after the other in that case.

Having Healing Ward cost less is silly in my opinion, if I'm hitting that button it's because if I don't a group member is going to die. I can't stop to use Combat Prayer first. It's also highly unlikely that I've cast Combat Prayer in the previous 5 seconds AND not hit either Regeneration/Healing Springs. Since Regeneration is pretty cheap and gets cast once every 20 seconds it's really only a help to Healing Springs.

Maelstrom is the best choice in 4-man content in my opinion, at least if you're wearing 2 5-piece sets. Wearing 4x IA/MD/MA, 5x SPC and 2x monster set is better than a second 5 piece set though.

s7732425ub17_ESO

Master Resto wins, by far, in pretty much all PVE situations.

Froil

The only one you should be running is Master, unless you're doing PvP.

SirAndy

Also keep in mind, when a min/maxer tells you something is "completely useless", what they really mean by that is that the item performs ~0.02% worse than some other item.

And that's usually on paper or a target dummy while using a very specific setup, not in real in-game play situations.

Asardes

I'm either running SPC staves - powered resto & charged lightning - and a monster helm - Kena or Chocklethorn - with another 5p set. Or 5 SPC and another 5p set on the body and either powered Master or precise Maelstrom resto with charged Maelstrom lightning. Restoration staves have berserker enchant on them - I considered restore magicka, hardening and shield but they seem underpowered - while lightning ones have lightning enchant to increase off-balance. Just like any player a healer must have multiple sets and setups for different content.

Tasear

Here's how I do it.

Sorrecer doesn't need and can do more with monster helm.

Templar gets Master resto cause it needs as much as allies do. Also going to try sentiental with.

Warden doesn't really need but goes with it's style of edurance so master it is.

Nightblade gets malestrom sense it goes well with it's heals over time fighting style

Probably going give dragon knight healer asylum. Seems like it will benefit them as unlike other classes not much for magicka sustain

Vesper_BR

And for PvP? Small scale?

Neoauspex

There's a 4 second cool down in the Maelstrom Resto effect? That's bootyjuice.

waitwhat

Thanks all for the input!

After working it over on live and talking with trials guildmates, it seems that AS resto is never going to beat Master resto or a theoretical monster set in group PvE content.

I did hit upon what might be a good use for the AS resto, however:

There seem to be some sorc builds that run a resto back bar in vMA for healing ward. These seem to be builds for initial clears, but the wisdom of those builds is neither here nor there. It would appear, though, that the AS resto's cost reduction for healing ward could be useful for such a sorc in solo vMA (maybe even solo PvP?).

I focus on healing ward for the AS resto just because that seems to be the only skill for which the cost reduction is meaningful. I don't have problems spamming mutagen and healing springs on my healer as it is, and I can't think of why anyone else would need those two skills' costs reduced.

FakeFox

For PvE the answer is very easy: MSA + Asylum don't give group support so they are trash. Masterstaff is the only one that does, so it's the best. The change to MSA and Master weapons in CWC made it even stronger as you can now have a support glyph on it as well.
The only exception is when you can run a 5+5+2 setup like SPC/Aether, then Setstaffs are better.

Asardes

Asylum restoration staff will theoretically reduce the cost of your healing springs if you spam them right after combat prayer. But springs are already pretty cheap, especially if you hit 4+ people which would happen anyway in trials since a healer takes care of other 5 people - the limiting factor in sub-group size is actually SPC which is limited to 6 people. Rapid regeneration is not used that much in trials, but it's quite good for 4 man content - but for that there's already the Maelstrom staff that has a much better bonus: 800 magicka return every 4s on critical healing is already much better than 50% cost reduction to the initial cast. Healing Ward is mainly a solo skill which you don't use together with combat prayer.

So Asylum resto is really useless in the current form. They should have instead made a simpler set bonus: simply increase the duration of Combat Prayer buffs by 1.5/2s and the healing done by the skill by 15/20% with Asylum/Perfected Asylum staff equipped. That would have made it viable.

Jaimeh

I have a master resto and I do use it when people ask, but I actually prefer using a set staff: that way I don't lose a set bonus on the resto bar, and I can use one monster piece (I prefer a heavy helm in order to get the undaunted/heavy armour passives).

exeeter702

s7732425ub17_ESO wrote: »

Master Resto wins, by far, in pretty much all PVE situations.

Wrong

Asardes

exeeter702 wrote: »

s7732425ub17_ESO wrote: »

Master Resto wins, by far, in pretty much all PVE situations.

Wrong

Now let's add a bit of nuance to that. For 12 man trials it's the best because people stack up and healing springs is effective. But it's not that good in 4 man content. I actually prefer set staves there so I can equip a heavy head for a bit more health, since Ebon and high warhorn uptimes are not guaranteed there.

UnversedNumber3

SirAndy wrote: »

Also keep in mind, when a min/maxer tells you something is "completely useless", what they really mean by that is that the item performs ~0.02% worse than some other item.

And that's usually on paper or a target dummy while using a very specific setup, not in real in-game play situations.

True

idk

The master rstaff is still king for much of the group content. The stam return is benefificl for a number of trial fights.

Outside of situations healing springs will not he used it really depends.

If regen is needed and rapid regen (or its sister morph) is being by used then the vMA rstaff.

If CP is being used then the vAS weapon, and the cost reduction. It provides after usInf CP can be beneficial.

Though I agree with one of the posts, if I was not in a stuatjon where the master Rstaff would be beneficial I'd run set bonus staves and one heavy armor monster helm.