Sage (SGE), the new Barrier Healer introduced in Endwalker, has a completely unique healing style. The majority of its healing is generated from buffed regens, Kardia, Addersgall stacks, Haima/Panhaima, and Pneuma. While Sage doesn’t have any spammable high healing potency spells or abilities, it contains plenty of healing buffs, thus making it the perfect potency manipulator depending on the situation. So, in order to maximize the efficiency of its kit, abilities, and spells, Sage must follow an optimized sequence of usage. As for its DPS kit, it lacks raid buffs but instead has high potent single and AoE offensive GCDs. The general healing style of Sage is unique due to how synergistic its kit is.

Pros:

1. Highest mobility when healing. Instant GCD heals and shields.

2. Multiple single target mitigation tools.

3. Gap closer on enemies and allies.

4. High personal DPS contribution.

5. Dedicated AoE DPS kit.

6. Synergized and highly cohesive healing kit.

7. Is the only healer that has multiple tools to buff all healing actions for the party.
    

Cons:

1. Loses the most damage when GCD healing due to Dosis III’s high potency.

2. Requires to be at the center of the party to use the majority of its kit.

3. Does not have wide range spells or abilities aside from Pneuma. All other AoE spells and abilities are 15y. 

4. Requires extensive micromanagement from Kardia usage to maximize its efficiency and to avoid overhealing a full target. 

5. Post-death recovery and death penalty is possibly the worst among healers.

6. No on-demand DPS movement tool.
   
    

Sage likes it when the party is not immediately topped off. They want to heal the party slowly using their buffed AoE regens and Addersgall stacks.

To get the maximum value of their kit, Sage needs to perfectly time the abilities that combine both healing and mitigation. For example, Taurochole will be optimally used in a situation where the player is not topped off and a certain high amount of incoming damage is around the corner, or if the player is taking consistently high damage and requires healing during the high incoming damage frequency. Another example is the usage of Physis II and Kerachole, you want to use Physis II first to grant Kerachole the 10% heal buff, so then you want to use both before a heavy AoE damage to make use of Kerachole’s 10% mitigation which will be worth more than the 1 tick of regen that got wasted on a full HP party.


 

Healing Priority system

Unlike SCH, Sage doesn’t have a strict oGCD priority system, however you still want to prioritize your free oGCDs/Pneuma over casting heal GCDs for DPS uptime.

Here is your free healing kit: 

1. Addersgall (1 stack per 20s + 1 free stack every 90s)

- Drouchole (1s)

- Taurochole (45s)

- Kerachole (30s)

- Ixochole (30s)

2.    Kardia (5s)

3.    Holos (120s)

4.    Physis II (60s)

5.    Pneuma (120s)

6.    Haima / Panhaima (120s)

7.    Krasis (60s)

8.    Soteria (90s)

9.    Zoe (90s)

If you must GCD heal, then make it count to reduce the need to cast another GCD heal. Check the GCD healing combos section for tips. 

​
 

Addersgall Stacks

Sage is reliant on Addersgall for MP generation, meaning that they must spend 2-3 Addersgall per minute to generate 14-21% of their max MP. Sage can also generate one Addersgall stack every 90s on demand by using Rhizomata. Addersgall grants access to the following oGCD abilities:

 

1- Taurochole: 700p single target heal and 10% mitigation (15s), recast 45s, restores 7% MP.
 

This ability is quite powerful because it heals and mitigates. You want to use this ability when you need to instantly top off a low HP player to full health before a raidwide or a buster. Due to Taurochole’s high potency, especially with Krasis, it is recommended to prioritize it when you need to instantly top off a player over using 2 Droucholes which will end up costing 2 Addersgall stacks. 

2- Kerachole: 100p x5 AoE Regen heal and 10% mitigation (15s), recast 30s, restores 7% MP. 
 

This will be your most used Addersgall ability due to its short cooldown, potent regen healing, and free mitigation. This ability is efficient on a single target or more as it grants the target a 100p regen for 15s while mitigating 10% of the incoming damage. If your target is nearly at full HP, use this ability instead of Taurochole. 

TL;DR use this ability to sustain all kinds of damage, mostly on tanks. 

Note: Kerachole and Taurochole share the same mitigation buff so you cannot stack both.

​
 

3- Drouchole: 600p single target heal, recast 1s, restores 7% MP.
 

This ability is your filler oGCD when Taurochole and Kerachole are on CD. In terms of efficiency, it's less efficient than the remaining abilities of your Addersgall’s kit, making it quite situational.
 

​

4- Ixochole: 400p instant AoE heal, recast 30s, restores 7% MP.
 

This is your instant AoE heal ability. It’s quite efficient on 2 targets or more as it heals for 800p. Use this ability if you need to top off your party when needed. Make sure you prioritize Kerachole over this ability, especially if the instant healing isn’t needed. This is because Kerachole heals for 500p which is an extra 100p.

Other oGCDs

    In addition to what we’ve already seen, Sage has the following oGCDs: Holos, Physis II, Pepsis, Krasis, Zoe, Haima, Panhaima, Kardia, and Soteria.  
 

• Holos

Utilize this ability between frequent raid-wide AoEs where you can heal and mitigate the next incoming damage. 

• Physis II

This ability should almost always be on cooldown to heal tank damage, or raid-wide damage because of its low CD. Pairing it with Kerachole before raid-wides makes a good difference in healing as you buff Kerachole by 10% while Kerachole mitigates incoming damage by 10%. Always pair this ability with other healing abilities as the 10% heal buff on a 60s CD should be abusable. 

• Pepsis

This ability converts shields granted by E. Diagnosis and E. Prognosis into HP heals of 450p and 350p respectively. This ability can be used in many useful ways. A good example of using this ability is casting E. Prognosis prepull or during downtime, then use Pepsis to heal 1 HP mechanics that will not consume shields, it will heal for 350p for free.

You can also time Pepsis as the shields get consumed to get the heal as well. This is called snapshotting, and it requires practice. The reason why snapshotting is possible is because Pepsis has a slow application time.

• Krasis

This ability synergizes with your entire kit and it is on a very low CD. It buffs all incoming healing, by actions or spells.

• Zoe

You want to pair this with Pneuma for 50% more healing or E. Prognosis/Diagnosis for a bigger shield.

 

• Haima/Panhaima

Haima is a single target 300p potency shield (200p for Panhaima) that will reinstate itself when depleted for a maximum of five times then convert the remaining shielding stacks to a heal of 150p per stack (100p for Panhaima) at the end of the 15s duration. Panhaima is the AoE version of Haima. These two do not share a cooldown. The main use cases for these abilities will be to counter chip damage, or be combined with E. Prognosis/Diagnosis to cover a large hit, then use the remaining unconsumed stacks for healing. Haima and Panhaima can be buffed by healing action buffers and will snapshot the healing action buff for the rest of the duration.

​

• Kardia

You may have noticed additional effects on damage skills that read 170p of cure potency for those under the effect of Kardion. Karida is what grants this buff; analogous to DNC’s Closed Position (Kardia can be swapped to a new target instantly without the need to remove it and reattach it), Sage with Kardia can choose one party member to passively heal while they deal damage with offensive spells.

​

• Soteria

Increases all healing received from Kardia by 50% for 15s. It can be paired with Krasis or Physis II for a boosted effect as Kardia gets affected by healing action buffers. This ability is useful in dungeons when you are spamming AoEs while healing the tank. It can also be useful in picking up random party members quickly before AoEs.

​
 

Synergy Combos

Healing buffs and augmentation: Krasis, Physis II, Zoe, Soteria.

oGCD Combo examples for single target healing:

• Kardia > Soteria > Krasis

This increases Kardia’s healing on a single target from 170p per heal to 306p. You can also use Physis II to buff it by 10%. You want to use Krasis at the end of the combo because it has the shortest duration.

• Krasis> Physis II> Haima

Haima is buffed from being a 300p potency shield per heal to 396p. You can also use Panhaima on top of Haima for extra shielding, and if you need more mitigation you can use Taurochole or Kerachole for 10% mitigation.
 

• Krasis > Physis II > Druochole/Taurochole

• Zoe > Krasis > Physis II > Kerachole > Pneuma.

We use Zoe (30s) first because it lasts longer than Physis II (10s) and Krasis (10s), therefore we get more uptime for all three buffs. Krasis’ and Physis II’s duration is very short, so try to use it near the end of a healing combo or before abilities that can heal or snapshot.

For GCD healing’s ultimate combo:
 

• Zoe > Krasis > Physis II > E. Diagnosis  

You can combine all of the above and get massive healing and mitigation on a single target.
 

In case something goes wrong with a party member, and you need to instantly top them off, pop Krasis > Taurochole, or Krasis > Holos/D.chole is a good bet to top them off on time. Tanks already have strong mitigation tools, and will likely not depend on your personal mitigation tools to survive. Consider using your defensive tools more often on your other party members. 

Combo examples for Multi-target healing:

• Physis II > Kerachole

Can be used every minute for 240p regen for 15s.

• Physis II > Kerachole > Panhaima 

This provides a potent regen, 10% mitigation buff, and a 220p shield per proc.

• Zoe > Physis II > Kerochole > Panhaima > Pneuma

Pneuma heals for 990p instead of 600p, and you get a regen, a flat % mitigation and shield. The timing of Physis II in this combo will depend on how you want to heal the party. Remember to always use Zoe first! It is your longest duration timer!

For GCD healing:
 

• Zoe > Physis II > Eukrasian Prognosis> Pneuma

​

 

Prepull before a raidwide damage AoE: 
 

• Zoe > Physis II > E. Prognosis > Panhaima

         You can also Krasis the tank for extra healing. 

Sage’s DPS cycle is very simple. 

1- Keep your DoT up at all times. There are scenarios where it is expected to drop it, for example, in phase transitions. 
 

2- Dosis III needs to have the maximum amount of uptime as your main DPS GCD. It has a 1.5s cast time, making it easier to move and weave with.
 

3- Use Phlegma in the opener and under raid buffs because it has a much higher potency than Dosis III. That said, using Phlegma for movement takes priority over using it under party buffs. The biggest mistake you can do with this spell is overcap it. However, overcapping this spell for a few seconds where it won’t end up losing a use is situationally acceptable.
 

4- Try your best to proc Addersting by casting Eukrasian Diagnosis during downtime or pre-pull on three different targets. Most fights start with an AoE damage soak, so you can proc all 3 Addersting stacks. If not, then you are guaranteed at least 1 Addersting from tank auto damage. Addersting allows you to use Toxikon, and later, Toxikon II.

5- Toxikon II is your instant DPS GCD. It has the same potency as Dosis III. The main purpose for Toxikon II is movement and weaving. Toxikon is also quite potent on two or more targets. 

​

6- Dyskrasia II is your instant AoE spell. Potent on two or more targets. 

Opener

Add or remove Dosis III pre-Phlegma depending on where raid buffs will be. You can also use the Pneuma opener found in the openers section.

Single Target:

​










 

AoE Opener:  (2 targets)
 

Precast E. Diagnosis (x3) > Pot > Precast Dosis III > Eukrasia > Dosis III > Eukrasia > Dosis III > Dyskrasia II  > Phlegma III > Dyskrasia II > Phlegma III > Toxikon II  

Breakdown:

• Delay your first Phlegma until the first few party buffs.

• Precast E. Diagnosis on 3 different party members for the first AoE set or tank autos to proc Toxikon. 

• Precast E. Prognosis pre-pull either with or without Zoe. If there is an AoE under 30s from pull, consider snashotting Pepsis.
  
   

AoE Priorities
 

AoE:

• Prioritize Phlegma usage as much as possible as it's your hardest hitting AoE.

• Use Pneuma as it's your second best hard hitting AoE.

• Farm Toxikons as they are your third best.

• Dyskrasia is your final filler AoE GCD.
  
   

Movement Priorities

1- Slidecast: Preposition and think of how you will move around upcoming mechanics. Abuse the 1.5s cast time to have perfect uptime. Use Sprint to move for larger distances during your slidecasts.

2- Icarus (Gap closer): Use Icarus to cut down the distance you need to move between your Dosis’. It has a short cooldown and it’s free to use between you Dosis’ and will not cause a clip. Remember that Icarus works on both allies and enemies.

3- Toxikon: You are guaranteed to get at least one from shielding a tank prepull. Try to farm these during downtime by casting E. Diagnosis on your tanks or party. This will be much more helpful not only for movement, but also for possible AoE purposes in a fight.

4- Phlegma: Prioritize this spell for movement, otherwise use it under raid buffs. 

5- Swiftcast: If you don’t need this for healing then consider using it for Dosis uptime as you move.

6- Dyskrasia II: If the enemy is close for your melee range instant AoE, use it. It is better than not DPS’ing at all or overhealing.

7- E. Diagnosis: If you cannot roll your DPS GCDs while moving, then consider using E. Diagnosis on the tank or other party members as you move. 

8- E. Prognosis: Consider using this only when an AoE raid-wide is upcoming and you have no other means to move and DPS.

So, Let's Summarize!

You have a priority system that you need to follow when healing and dealing damage on this job.
 

1- Place your Kardia on a party member. All of the time. Rotate your Kardia often to heal your party. Make it a habit as you level Sage.
 

2- Never overcap your Phlegmas. Use at least 1 stack until the next recharge. Try to plan your Phlegma usage around your movement and weaving needs. Avoid using it on cooldown outside of raid buffs or movement. Note that Phlegma requires you to be in melee range.
 

3- Keep your DoT up. Remember that you need 1s to activate Eukrasia before your DoT refresh.
 

4- Use your Addersgall stacks at least twice per minute to maintain a good MP flow.
 

5- Prioritize your kit in the following order per level:

• Level 70 to 77: Druochole and Taurochole. Kerachole does not have the regen trait yet.

• Level 78 and above: Kerachole and Taurochole. Kerachole gains the regen trait.

       Note: Ixochole is useful if you need to heal 2 or more targets. 
 

6- Rotate your low CD abilities as much as possible. This mainly includes Physis II, Zoe, Soteria, and Krasis. Especially Krasis.

​

7- Use Eukrasian Diagnosis on the tanks or three of your party members either pre-pull or during downtime. When Eukrasian Diagnosis’ shield is broken it will grant you a stack of Addersting. Addersting grants you access to Toxikon or Toxikon II. Therefore, Addersting stacks are important for movement and weaving as well as AoE damage on two or more targets. 

​

8- Utilize the synergy of your kit as often as possible for a better outcome:

• Using Krasis and Physis II before your healing spells/oGCDs and HoTs. You can also pair Krasis with Haima for bigger shields. Likewise with Physis II with Panhaima.

• Use Zoe more often with your highest potency GCDs to gain maximum efficiency. For example, pairing Zoe with Pneuma will buff the potency from 600p to 900p. You can also use Zoe + Krasis with Eukrasian Diagnosis and Prognosis prepull either on tanks or the party.

Overall, always try to synergize your kit to increase the healing output. 

​

Given that the DPS design is simplistic (maintain DoT, Phlegma, and Dosis uptime as much as possible), and Kardia only procs when you are dealing damage, it is important as a Sage to be familiar with the oGCD kit to avoid GCD healing wherever possible. 

The general prioritization loop consists of: 

• Optimizing your offensive GCDs’ uptime and preplanning your positioning, as well as mapping your Phelgmas and Toxikons.

• Frequently using your kit and cycling your free oGCDs to keep the healing momentum going as your Addersgall builds.

• Utilizing downtime to build Addersting gauge stacks whenever possible.

It will likely be a good habit to use Kerachole on CD unless you need it within the next 30 seconds, and use the remaining stacks for either Ixochole or Trouchole depending on whether the outgoing damage is AoE or single target. Since MP recovery is heavily dependent on Addersgall, you should think of how to use your Addersgall kit effectively at all times. 

Kardia’s main use will be healing up tank damage or general micromanagement to top players’ HP off before raidwides, in combination with Soteria, when the extra push is needed. 

​

​

​

​