This is a very underestimated skill. It took me a while to discover what it actually does and the reason to that is that many players don’t want it, to save buff slots. If the party is in a situation that is not dangerous, you can skip casting it. But if the task is hard, discuss with your party the buff slots beforehand.
It is also possible to cast the spell on yourself. This saves Damage Dealers buff spots, although its not very practical for the healer, because it deducts time from healing the party. Time that can be crucial for the member’s survival. If Sustain is cast on a DD, the Healer always has the option to heal between the 3 casts. Why 3 times? You will see below. What this skill does is manifold:
- It heals the target over time (however its a little amount, 176 hp per second)
- It increases the amount of healing the target receives by 30%
- It increases the healing power of the healer (50 power)
Probably the most important of the 3 points is the 3rd one but the 2nd one is also helpful. What most healers don’t know is that if you cast Sustain again on the target, while Sustain is on, the added healing power of Sustain doubles (100 power)! When cast a 3rd time, it quadruples (200)! 200 more healing power is significant and can make the difference for Aeores like Eva’s and Shilen Saints who don’t have the party buff of the Cardinal that increases healing. I have found it especially helpful when trying to heal with SOS (Spirit of Shilen).