Giving Astrologian A new Identity

[MoroMurasaki]

It truly boggles my mind that SE haven't considered this.

I feel like the biggest hurdle for this playstyle is that if you're a ps4 player (or PC player who doesn't parse) you would have literally no idea what to do in a pug group.

I assume for the purposes of soloing and/or very weak groups the core of AST's dps would remain more or less intact, but I'm pretty sure most ASTs would fall back on those skills rather than buff most pugs especially in very casual content where the vast majority of pugs are questionable enough that AST pDPS might be the better investment.

This could also cause some potentially awkward conversations if people pushed the issue. I've already had dps call me out in dungeons for tossing Balance on a tank rather than them. In this sort of build if I were dpsing as an AST I would be subtly telling the dps in my group that I thought they couldn't do enough with my buffs to make them worth it.

I'm not saying this would crop up left and right or anything, just some potential issues that I think would come up often enough to be concerning.

[Heilstos]

Hey everybody,

To begin with, I would like to say that I have read everything through. But I will try to show you my reality match.

The card mechanic is unique, but their healing style feels way too similar to AST and WHM.

The statement of "Brightshadow" is not entirely wrong. The astrologer has been playing Sandbox Healer since patch 3.0. The astrologer has a Healer Basic Kit which X Healers are available in MMORPGs. Healing in AoE, focus and adjustments through the stances. That is why the familiarity with the White Mage and Scholor is present.

That's one of the biggest advantages of being adaptable. And I do not mean that you have to play as AST diu & SCH and WHM & AST noc. There is a wide range of possibilities in which the Astro shines.

One sees only a stereotypical and thinks of the copied healer X and Y. If one takes this statement of the equality closely. Should one reproach the developers that they have to develop completely new healer types, because otherwise the WHM is too similar to healers from other MMOs.

But I digress ....

Thanks to HW and Stormblood, WHM and SCH have been increasingly developed into their personal role as healers.

The astrologer itself has always been so modified with minor adjustments that in certain situations it has to heal other than his healer colleagues.

The healings of the astrologer are shifted through his CDs and that makes up for a personality as a healer. WHM and SCH have all themselves a way to distribute healings that follow a final process. I call the love fully the mallet method. I have a wounded as I use spells X and Y.
The astrologer himself combines his basic tools with his CDs. This characteristic does NOT have the SCH and WHM in this massive form.

The AST attaches great importance to timing. The Earthly Star, the new Maleficv I - III, Cardbuffs, Time Dilation, Synastry, Collective Unconscious etc are all things that are strong with buff management and very important. The other healers in this challenging form do not have that. But are at WHM and SCH also negotiate!

Finally, one has to say that the developer has given us a healer with the astrologer, which is just playing back the cause of every healer in an MMO. Just a judge Sandbox Healer as I said in the introduction.

[Risvertasashi]

This could also cause some potentially awkward conversations if people pushed the issue. I've already had dps call me out in dungeons for tossing Balance on a tank rather than them.

There's ways to answer this without saying anything about parsing.

"The tank is doing the most work", etc.

[Nandina]

I was thinking about Astrologian earlier today. Like since time is also a part of their whole motif, I was thinking about maybe an ability that's cast on the target that rewinds time and reverses the damage of the last previous hit. The idea may need a bit of tweaking, but I was thinking it could have a cooldown time added. It may be situational, but there are moments where a boss takes a huge chunk of damage out at once, and sometimes you have to struggle heal really quickly. I'm not sure if it'll conflict with Essential Dignity but then again, this is just a base idea I had. I hadn't thought it out all the way. Or it could even reverse time to the point where the last card buff active on the character is active again. Thoughts?

[Elamys]

I was thinking about Astrologian earlier today. Like since time is also a part of their whole motif, I was thinking about maybe an ability that's cast on the target that rewinds time and reverses the damage of the last previous hit. The idea may need a bit of tweaking, but I was thinking it could have a cooldown time added. It may be situational, but there are moments where a boss takes a huge chunk of damage out at once, and sometimes you have to struggle heal really quickly. I'm not sure if it'll conflict with Essential Dignity but then again, this is just a base idea I had. I hadn't thought it out all the way. Or it could even reverse time to the point where the last card buff active on the character is active again. Thoughts?

I wonder if we could maybe get an ability that works similar to Stagger from brewmaster tanks in WoW (the damage you take is, essentially, not taken all in one hit, but spread out over time). The idea you mentioned is neat, but that's basically Excogitation.

[NobleWinter]

I thought about giving the Ast an ability called Meteor Shower that would allow a single party member to split the damage from their next incoming attack with everyone in the party within 20 yalms. It would be a cool animation centered on the player that could really help with tank busters ideally or save someone from death after a rez. I would make it like Plenary Indulgence in the fact that it could only be used while Aspected Helios is up so that either barriers or regens on the party helped soaked up the damage.

I would prefer if Lightspeed reduced the cool down on Sleeve Draw. Any ability that reduced Draw cool down would be nice too. Nocturnal Stance feels a bit weird with Celestial Opposition so it would be nice if it multipled the current shield strength by 1.5.

[Ordoric]

I have a thought for ast if the add geo and thats to allow a sect change mid fight insted of locking it at the start.

[CorbinDallas]

I really like the direction they took astrologian in PvP. No shields, no regens, just potent cards and rapid fire healing, they basically have dualcast which is procced from casting benefic. It feels super unique.

[Brightshadow]

I really like the direction they took astrologian in PvP. No shields, no regens, just potent cards and rapid fire healing, they basically have dualcast which is procced from casting benefic. It feels super unique.

That’s a pretty good idea, get rid of the sects and make them the quick instant speed healer, it would work with their cards too. Heck they can even add rewind as suggested and other time manipulation skills/spells.

Then we would have three unique healers and WHM and SCH would be overshadowed by AST since it has it own unique healing style.

WHM = Big Heal/Healing Overtime Master
SCH = Shields/Pet Healing Gimmick
AST = Quick Heals/Cards Gimmick
DNC (Maybe) = Damage Overtime Healing/Channeled Heals

[Doozer]

I like the ability to give shields or regen, and allows me to be flexible when dealing with the other healer in the party.

But either way, I don't think they'd completely change the way any jobs work in a new expansion because, well, they never have. Why start now. Instead of completely changing a job, just make a new one.