AST adjustments that might help the job out

So finally hit 80 on my AST and did a lot of dungeon XP grinding while hitting MSQ hard. Overall I'm still enjoying the job, but some things do feel a bit.. underwhelming.

Divination is my main issue. This is the only spell that currently plays off the seal system, and its duration is quite short compared to the CD. In an idea world, I would like to see either different spells sharing a CD with divination - say giving healing up buffs, shielding etc - or having a differing combo of seals effect what divination does. Currently once you get your 3 seals and div is on CD, you just Minor arcana any you draw and buff whoever it lands on. At a boss pull it is fun sleeve drawing and spam buffing the whole party with arcana cards + divination, but once that's done, you can basically ignore your cards and there's little interaction until you need to worry about setting up for another divination.

Having a lower CD would make you have to play around your seals more often, or a longer duration would make it feel a tad more rewarding to pop.

Our potency also seems utter garbage at the moment. Maybe its low gear and new content - but Aspected shields and hots feel like they hardly even exist. Even with an A/helios on a boss AoE, I still find myself needing to spam multiple heliosed afterward given the increase healing demand. The low potency on it + the mana drain makes it feel pretty punishing to just do your job. Even neutral sect feels lack luster.

Benefic also seems to be suffering the same issue. Spamming benefic 2 on a tank + asp hots and there will be times they will hardly be kept up. Again - could be low gear, but I find sometimes I hardly have time to even draw and buff a part member without having to blow an essential dignity charge on the tank.

Small buffs to base potencies would be nice. I don't think we necessarily need aspected buffs, as they ARE supposed to have the weaker version of the other 2 healers, but it feels like I'm fighting twice as hard to just do my job.

AST just seems like it could end up in a pretty bad spot. Jack of all trades, but unable to do it's core job well - while also providing way less utility in cards.

I can see where they were going with the design, and I don't intend to jump ship quite yet, but something needs to give I feel.

I'm taking it to 80, because it is I loved this job, but I'm very disappointed. I no longer find it fun. The new seal system could be interesting but with all the cards being the same.. I'm far less interested in the gameplay. I didn't have a problem when the arcanum was more "difficult" but the people that played the job don't seem to matter at all, as it doesn't seem like these changes were made for us.

Thank god for trusts! Now I can level the other jobs without queues, and I can be another healer that disappears from the community queue.

The cool down is ridiculous. Like you said once you pull it off you basically either ignore your cards for three minutes or lord/lady every 30 seconds. It feels so boring

I liked how we used to deal with the cards we got in patches 3.0-4.0.

Now it feels like I need to hunt for different seals to somehow get a silly buff that will not make any difference but that is like the biggest mechanic we have now.

Depressing.

On the note of AoE healing, earnest question-

How's Horoscope Helios working out for you guys? Over here on WHM I've been doing alright with Assize's CD mixed in with additional Medica IIs, sometimes with PI. (PI + Rapture takes over once we get it a lot of the time).

I haven't seen how much it hits for once buffed by Helios/Asp Helios, but as far as dungeon bosses go from playing as WHM, I figured on AST I'd be alternating Earthly Star with Horoscope+Aspected Helios carrying the bulk of the party damage, along with CU/CO filling in some smaller gaps....pending people stay close and we know how that can go. I only mention my curiosity with horoscope since the extra 200 potency from PI is doing quite a bit of lifting in my case at a 60s cooldown, and early videos showed helios horoscope hitting for quite a bit more, probably more around 500 potency? Is that still the case? (Edit: is 400 potency, see below)

Given, horoscope isn't until 76 and I figured before the expansion dropped that if AST had to rely on numerous cast time heals it'd run into MP issues. This would be especially true if people aren't respecting star, I'd imagine, as you've really got nothing else to fall back on but helios spam at that point and weak CU/CO...that also requires stacking.

It's very possible that it feels a lot safer in my shoes with PI Medica 2 since that makes 400 upfront potency rather than waiting for another boss AoE before detonating Horoscope, if I understand it correctly. We've also got the option of double dipping with Assize+Rapture or Medica II + Rapture to add 300 or 500(w/PI) to anything. It feels like most of the times I've done that it's been superfluous though. Still, if Horoscope Helios is pretty strong that's a 1000-1200 (edit: 1000) potency heal off a GCD on a 1m CD, which outdoes M2+PI on the same CD.

Disclosure that I haven't seen past 78 content at present.

Edit: I didn't see they had the potency listed on the job guide now for Horoscope Helios. 400 - so turns Diurnal Asp. Helios into a 1000 potency total. This makes HH akin to two casts under Plenary Indulgence, only with a much larger window on when you want that healing to occur - up to the 30s from triggering Horoscope the first time, if casting helios sets the HH timer to 20s rather than add 10s to Horoscope's existing timer.

In regards to healing potencies: I think (not sure) that it's supposed to be this way? Even with overgeared WHM, tetra and lily heals barely do anything compared to what they did pre-patch. This may be intentional to keep healers healing instead of dpsing or afking.
Just my two cents.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BahamutxD

I liked how we used to deal with the cards we got in patches 3.0-4.0.

Now it feels like I need to hunt for different seals to somehow get a silly buff that will not make any difference but that is like the biggest mechanic we have now.

Depressing.

---

Oh I feel the same. Im like "Ay yes, divination is up *casts* uhm.....where did it go? time to wait 3 minutes again"