What does everyone think about those AST buffs?

I feel like quick stoneskin should make that thing borderline instant. It feels like AST and PLD have better uses for stoneskin than white mages, since we can heal for 10% of someone's health really easily and we're not gonna blow swiftcast on it, while PLDs can use SS as a self mitigation tool and AST have a way to use multiple spells while quickcasting.

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Originally Posted by Niroken

The vast majority of mechanics are scripted so I never had a problem casting SS since you know when every attack comes. Now the amount gained is not even worth the MP, unless it's required to stop a 1HKO which is very few (mostly fresh raid content, sometimes) and is generally less dangerous with increases in gear. I have it on my third bar for PVP purposes, lol.

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That may be true, as well as what Verdan said.
I don't use my WHM for raid content though, I main SMN and only use my WHM for non raid content. For dungeons and normal ATurns, I find the fast stoneskin to be nice xD

Happy AST got buffs, less happy with their direction (would have preferred card adjustments over healing band aids, but I acknowledge that CU needed a fix and AST needed a throughput buff nonetheless).

However, I do disagree with the sentiment that "card RNG is fine because all cards are useful". All cards are "useful", yes, in a strict application theory, but in practice only two of them (MAYBE three) are ever really desired. For instance, Spire and Ewer are not powerful enough nor reliable enough to ensure that your raid group will never need a BRD. Bole is not reliable enough to ensure that your tank not need to pop a more powerful cooldown for a tank buster over a lesser one (Sentinel vs. Rampart, for instance.) DPS usually cannot afford to alter their CD rotations to fit around an AST's Spear usage, which leaves Arrow and Balance the only two cards that are unquestionably useful regardless of your party composition or when you Draw them (short of boss invuln phases, lol).

That's what people mean when they gripe about "RNG buffs". It's not that the buffs are ever undesired or unusable at any given time, it's that they're not consistent enough to significantly alter any raid group's accepted strategy. They are fun flavor perks, which is not necessarily "bad", but some ASTs feel like the buffs were implied to be a lot more game changing than what they are, and are disappointed that they didn't really add a layer of complexity to the job like they could have.

Back to the topic, I still think SCHs are pretty competitive at endgame healing, but if I were a WHM I'd be a bit wary. Outside of extreme back-to-back group burst healing scenarios I think most everything in AST's toolkit is powerful enough to compete with WHM.

been playing since about 6 am have not ran savage "yet" what I can say. We got ON PAR finally with other healers. we are not OP we in our niche. Scholars=Best emergency healing toolkit and amazing dps. Whitemage=superior aoe burst healing and top off king. Astro-Best Sustained healer able to keep heals rolling efficiently without over healing and a card buff can help push the party if blessed by RNG or a card buff can make things go smoother or easier if not ideal. There is a card for every situation and its not. Royal road is there for you.
CK is like that Cartman demanding he too gets a birthday gift at stans party because hes a special snowflake. Well CK sch are special snowflake too. Every healer can be a special snowflake so cheer up cupcake your not irrelvant astro is just now "another" option.

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Originally Posted by Eudyptes

No it's not, where are you getting that from? It's an instant cast, which is nice, but it's certainly not stronger.

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Was on my char this morning. Aspected Benefic did an average of 2k healing (2600 shield)
Scholars adlo does 2100 (2100 shield).

I counted non crit. Obviously crit is better, but crit should not be relied upon.

Adlo costs a LOT more mp too compared to aspected benefic.

Both jobs have same gear.

EDIT: I do have 35 points into int for my Arcanist. Forgot to note that. But it is still stronger x.x

You shouldn't really compare mp consumption of aspbene/adlo, the mp costs are tuned to their respectively ability to get mana back. Yes, scholar use more mp, but Aetherflow is also very powerful compared to LA.

I'm happy with the changes, btw. I don't think it's op in anything, it's only very viable now and on par with most things. I'll try to replace my scholar with astro for A1S and maybe A3S just to try, but for A2S(and A3S i fear) scholar dps is too helpful to try another healer. DPS is in fact the only aspect that i don't like; yes astro have buffs but his personal dps is too low and expansive :s

The only thing I see being reverted or changed is increasing aspected benfic MP cost so we dont step on the special snowflake "scholar" increase mp cost in nocturnal stance that is to like 1400 or something

I don't get the negative "AST is OP" vibe - AST is now working as intended. A fully functional healer who CAN GIVE YOU BUFFS at a more consistent rate, and CAN heal at similar rate to their counterpart. WHM is your defacto "THE HEALER", SCH is your "DPS HEALER" and AST is your "BUFFS HEALER". Each healer now has their own specialty.

AST heal SHOULD consume far less MP, it is working as intended. SCH is by far far far far far more efficient healer out of the three. WHM is your safety net healer. AST cannot and will not be able to match SCH aetherflow when it comes to MP recovery, but at least AST consume less MP per heal. All of you "negative nancies", please kindly STFU, either go play AST before crying chicken little, or shut your trap. Trying to chime in on the "AST is OP bandwagon" ain't gonna help since as it is now, SCH is still the most OP healer with the best abilities overall, and the best mana recovery, and emergency "oh shit" tool. WHM come second in place, with its unrivaled healing potency and party MIND boost. AST is the third in position, but now AST has a place with decent buffs and healing ability.

I am glad that they normalized potency on spells. I have more reasons to run this class in raids. But Noct shield still doesn't stack with SCH, and can be potentially better than our shield...

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Originally Posted by Dalvy

I am glad that they normalized potency on spells. I have more reasons to run this class in raids. But Noct shield still doesn't stack with SCH, and can be potentially better than our shield...

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So? It should be better, and potentially better. I have no qualms about it. SCH + Fairy is still far better than AST lol. But AST now is good, with its own deck of card buffing potential that actually can be manipulated to last forever and ever, and make up the lack of DPS from AST. It is working as intended. Each healer now has their own place, and bring their own special abilities to the table. All these players crying "the final nails in WHM coffins", please wake up and stop being delusional and crying chicken little. WHM at level 60 pretty much destroy AST in healing category, it is the BEST healer in the game, who can also DPS just as good. Now you have choices and options when it comes to your healer combo, and as always, in the hand of good players who communicate with each other, double AST do have the potential to be an absolute beast, and can rival the tried and true WHM + SCH set.