Diving into the PvP side of Final Fantasy 14 requires a different playstyle from the regular PvE content most players are used to. From learning what the unique skills for this mode do to understanding the best strategies for each map, climbing your way through the PvP ranks requires a lot of practice, especially when playing Sage and other demanding jobs.
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PostsDifferent from other healers like White Mage in PvP, Sage allows for extremely aggressive gameplay, forcing you to jump in and out of action to assist your companions – while securing some kills for yourself.
Overview
While you don't have all the multitude of skills Sage has in PvE, the core concept of the job is maintained in PvP. Although a healer, Sage depends on causing damage to enemies in order to convert it into healing.
In your kit, you have great tools to debuff enemies and poke them from afar, creating the perfect window for your team to finish them off.
It is still a shield job, which means you have skills at your disposal to prevent damage, a characteristic that demands good timing from you to know when to press the buttons.
Some of Sage's skills have a decent range, but in most situations, you will need to expose yourself, especially to use Phlegma III and hit the highest number of enemies with Pneuma. That's why this is not an easy job to pick up and learn quickly in PvP.
Most of your actions during a match as a Sage revolve around the enemies’ cooldowns. Learning what your opponents do and when they will usually do makes all the difference when playing Sage.
Job Action Breakdown
All jobs in Final Fantasy 14 have a different set of skills in PvP. Although some skills are similar to their PvE counterparts, they have extra effects and cast times.
Since fighting other players is a more frenetic type of activity, the PvP job actions were designed to synergize and be put together into quick yet deadly combos.
Inform yourself about details like secondary effects and recast time of each ability that might make all the difference in life-and-death situations.
Action
Recast Time
Attack Type
Information
Kardia
1s
Ability
It grants Kardion to a target or to yourself.
Dosis III
2.40s
Spell
It hits enemies with a potency of 6,000 and heals the player under Kardion with a potency of 4,000.
Eukrasia
12s
Spell
This spell turns Dosis III into Eukrasian Dosis III
Eukrasian Dosis III
1.44s
Spell
It deals damage over time for 12 seconds to a target with a potency of 3,000. As an additional effect, it grants Eukrasian Diagnosis to the characters under the Kardion effect.
Phlegma III
16s
Spell
Phlegma III attacks a target and all nearby enemies with a potency of 8,000. In addition to inflicting Bind, this spell also pulls the enemies around the target.
Psyche
2.40s
Spell
This spell deals 12,000 potency of damage to a target and enemies nearby. Enemies who are 3 yalms further or more are hit by half of this potency. Available after using Phlegma III.
Pneuma
30s
Spell
A frontal line attack which hits all players within range with a potency of 12,000. Pneuma grants Haima as well as three stacks of Haimatinon to yourself and members of your party close by.
Toxikon
16s
Ability
This attack hits a target and the enemies near them with a potency of 2,000. Toxikon also inflicts a debuff on the target, increasing the damage taken by 10%.
Toxikon II
1s
Ability
Using it hits a target and enemies around them. The first target is hit with a potency of 8,000 and the others with 4,000. The initial target is also affected by a debuff that increases damage taken. You can only use it under the Addersting effect.
Icarus
12s
Ability
When you use this ability, your character flies toward a selected player.
To experienced Sage players, Kardia is a familiar skill. However, if you're new to the job, it's better to learn how to use it. First, you must select another player and cast the ability. It will grant them the Kardion effect.
By having Kardion, a party member has access to some singular features of two of Sage's skills. When you use Dosis III, they are healed, and when you cast Eukrasian Dosis III, they gain a barrier of 8,000 potency. If this barrier is absorbed, you gain the Addersting effect.
You want to use Eukrasian Dosis III to give a barrier to a player when there is a high chance of it being absorbed and generating Addersting.
To make Eukrasian Dosis III available, you need to use Eukrasia. You can only hold two charges of it, preventing you from spamming Eukrasian Dosis III.
Since Kardia has a short recasting time, it's easy to grant this effect to whatever party member requires help. At the same time, this dynamic between Kardia and Dosis III/Eukrasian Dosis III makes these damage skills your filler abilities.
Another damage-dealing skill you have access to as a Sage is Toxikon and its buffed version, Toxikon II. When you use them, they hit a target and enemies around them. In addition, makes the target receive ten percent more damage for a period.
To cast Toxikon II, you must first be under the effect of Addersting, which is granted only if the barrier given to another player using Eukrasian Dosis III is absorbed.
Your second most important action is Pneuma, a frontal attack that hits enemy players within its range. While the potency of this skill is outrageously high, you want to use it also because it grants party members with Haima and stacks of Haimatinon.
Haima is a barrier that mitigates damage equivalent to 4,000 potency of healing for ten seconds. Each stack of Haimatinon grants another barrier. In case players haven't taken enough damage to pop the barriers, they get a healing of 4,000 potency out of each remaining stack.
As a Sage, you also have access to the combo composed of Phlegma III and Psyche. The first is an instant cast shot range damaging skill that hits a target – and enemies around them – with a potency of 8,000.
Phlegma III has two additional effects. It applies the detrimental effect Bind to them and pulls the enemies toward the center of the attack. Lastly, it makes Psyche available.
With a potency of 12,000, Psyche is another major tool to land kills in your skillset. This ability covers a large area – although losing half of its potency when hitting enemies farther than 3 yalms from the initial target.
Lastly, Icarus might not directly help you kill enemies, but it is as important a tool for Sage as the other abilities. By using it, you rush toward the location of a selected player, whether they are friend or foe.
Limit Break Breakdown
Limit Breaks have historically been the strongest attacks in a Final Fantasy game. In a PvP match, it's a trump card you should use only at the right moment.
Sage has a more support-focused Limit Break, but it is extremely powerful. Using it correctly might change the tide of a fight and help your team.
Action
Recast Time
Information
Mesotes
10s
It creates a barrier at a specific location. Party members inside gain the Mesotes effect and enemies the Lype effect. The former negates all damage caused by players affected by the latter.
The Lype effect also causes damage over time for five seconds with a potency of 8,000. You may relocate the barrier once.
Mesotes is a powerful area-of-effect ability that helps you protect your allies. Because it negates all damage, enemy players’ Limit Breaks become useless.
The relocating function of Mesotes can be great, depending on the situation. Consider using it when your group is running from the enemy party, making a safe path for them.
While Sage's damage outcome is not dependent on their Limit Break like other jobs, Mesotes is still a marvelous support tool. The damage over time caused by Mesotes forces enemies to risk entering the area and dying.
General Strategy
Now that we have gone through all the main actions and what each of them does, it's time to understand how to apply this knowledge during a match.
While a lot can happen during a PvP match, making applying a restricted set of instructions quite difficult, there are basic concepts for battling and positioning.
Basic Combos
When it comes to combos, Sage doesn't have many options. The job has a regular filler rotation and a burst rotation. For the latter, Sage depends on a number of skills to cause considerable damage, so it's important to practice.
The burst combo goes as follows:
- (Icarus) > Pneuma > Phlegma III > Toxikon/Toxikon II > Psych.
Because Sage's skills have a limited range, we want to start the combo by closing the gap (if necessary!) with Icarus. Once you land, start casting Pneuma. This opening is situational, so study the fight before committing to attacking.
With you and your teammates protected due to Pneuma's additional effects, follow up with Phlegma III which will bind and draw enemies. At this point, if your party is in synergy, you might not even need to finish your combo. But if the enemies don't die, you can use Tokixon or Toxikon II and, lastly, Psych. Using a full combo on an enemy with low health is a certain kill.
The second rotation that you should always be using when bursting is not an option goes as follows:
- (Eukrasia) Dosis III/Eukrasian Dosis III > Toxikon/Toxikon II.
These skills are more than enough to poke enemies and slowly reduce their health. You might not kill them, but enemies might be forced to withdraw from battle, otherwise they risk being killed.
Positioning
In most situations, as a Sage, you want to stay away from the fight. Get to the backline of your group so you are safe to cast your skills.
Remember that Pneuma and Dosis III have cast time, which means you can't perform other actions without canceling them. So find a good spot before using these abilities.
You have one of the best escaping tools in the game, Icarus. It might be great to engage enemies, but it's also useful to run from them. If your team gets flanked, you just need to select a player to fly toward and escape the attack.
Because of the mobility Sage has access to, positioning will inevitably involve jumping in the middle of the fight to cast Phlegma III. The best time to do so is after the enemy group uses their most important cooldowns, and you can engage them safely.
Assisting The Group
Sage is not a good healer to assist the group and keep them alive, since the job lacks a direct healing spell. All the healing you're capable of when playing Sage comes from attacking enemies.
You do have two powerful tools that you must know when to use in tricky situations though. Pneuma's shields/healing is crucial when a fight starts and important cooldowns are used against your team.
Remember that you don't need to focus on causing damage to cast Pneuma. This is a skill that works well offensively and defensively.
The second skill you have to assist your group is your Limit Break. Mesotes is really strong and can make taking an objective or protecting it an easy task. Consider placing the field around the objective so that melee and tankers can be protected.
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