Moving to AST

I'm a new player and have been levelling WHM as I enjoy playing healers in MMO's but I am considering moving to AST for 2 reasons:

1. I think they are the best looking class I have seen so far with some great looking spells.
2. I see WHM is in a bit of a slump at the moment.

I was thinking of continuing WHM to 60 then buy the level boost for AST as I don't want to go back and have to relevel.

My question and point of the post is if I take this option I'm concerned that it will be difficult transitioning with all the new abilities (as opposed to learning them slowly through levelling). I am generally fairly competent in healing MMO's but very new to FF so don't have a huge familiarity yet.

Do people think it's reasonable to change over like this or will I struggle with the new class at that level?

They play fairly close, aside from cards. IMO, you're overthinking it and should just play what you want to.

I woudn't suggest buying the level boost. You already start at level 30 and the job quests are worth doing it - besides you should get familiar with the card-system before going straight into level 60 content.

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Originally Posted by Pepsi_Plunge

I wouldn't suggest buying the level boost. You already start at level 30 and the job quests are worth doing it - besides you should get familiar with the card-system before going straight into level 60 content.

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See this is the usefulness of asking these questions. I was not aware at all that you started at 30. That at least cuts out some of the re levelling time. Maybe I am over thinking things and rushing too much.

You will probably have very little problems if any. WHM to SCH is a bit different story though (If you like healing then you will try all healers in the future anyway).

Leveling healers isnt that problematic as DPS. You have almost nonexistent waiting times for duty roulettes and using healer class is best (my opinion) for Command Squadron missions which i like to use during leveling.

How are you enjoying whm? And what do you like about the game?
If you’re impatient to get a healer to end content I would continue with whm. Why set yourself back 30 levels on account of what people say about whm. It’s still a viable healer.

Leveling another healer via daily roulettes and some deep dungeons isn’t hard but it’s nicer if you already have a capped class tbh. Doesn’t feel like you’re in an endless leveling phase.

I would also advise you to level it the old school way, nocturnal plays differently and getting cards and skills as you go really helps you learn the class.

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Originally Posted by EaMett

How are you enjoying whm? And what do you like about the game?
If you’re impatient to get a healer to end content I would continue with whm. Why set yourself back 30 levels on account of what people say about whm. It’s still a viable healer.

Leveling another healer via daily roulettes and some deep dungeons isn’t hard but it’s nicer if you already have a capped class tbh. Doesn’t feel like you’re in an endless leveling phase.

I would also advise you to level it the old school way, nocturnal plays differently and getting cards and skills as you go really helps you learn the class.

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WHM is good so far, I don't have any outstanding issues with it as a class per se, probably more with the game itself, where it's very different to other MMO's where there isn't as much focus required on actual healing.

Regarding the game it's mostly the story so far and how nice the game looks to me. Compared to others I've played, it just seems nicer, flashier maybe. It's hard to describe.

I'm in no rush to get to end content, hence why I thought I'd get WHM to 60 then buy the AST to 60 so I could just continue at same level. (Only rush I have is having done plenty of 70 content prior to 5.0 coming out, but I don't think I'll struggle to do that)

I certainly see the benefits of learning properly through levelling, I just honestly don't fancy repeating the levelling grind, it's rare for me in MMO's to create multiple characters just to level them, although I understand lots of people enjoy that, it's not for me. Unless I'm highly over estimating the time that it'll take.

White Mage is largely played by the playerbase, it is enjoyable at lower levels compared to other jobs. The state of the job at 70 is fairly decent, it's more about the lack of balance in the high end content of the game because the other two healers are working very well whereas White Mage feels a bit clunky in comparison.
But in casual contant (which is more than 85%) of the game, White Mage will work as fine as any other job.

Don't forget that you have a "long" way until level 70, in terms of both Main Scenario and side quests. You'll get a lot of EXP, so you can level two jobs together quite easily.
I can only advise to give AST a try, if you are curious. The fact that it starts at level 30 helps a lot too!

It's far too early for you to worry about healer balance at all. Just play what you like and you'll be fine. You'll eventually run through all the healers anyway so there's no rush or need to dedicate to a single healer.

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Originally Posted by Exiled_Tonberry

It's far too early for you to worry about healer balance at all. Just play what you like and you'll be fine. You'll eventually run through all the healers anyway so there's no rush or need to dedicate to a single healer.

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I'll quote you to answer this but it's been insinuated a few times earlier. Healer balance was my second and more minor point to the question. I WANT to play AST because they look fun and the animations are very nice. The question is more would I have a a difficult time learning it if I bought progression straight to 60 to match my WHM, or should I learn naturally by progressing from the start.

Now I know that they start from 30 which I wasn't aware of before it's more tempting. I'm not a fan of grinding through for XP and as mentioned previously I'm unlikely to level all healers.

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Originally Posted by Mizuko

I'll quote you to answer this but it's been insinuated a few times earlier. Healer balance was my second and more minor point to the question. I WANT to play AST because they look fun and the animations are very nice. The question is more would I have a a difficult time learning it if I bought progression straight to 60 to match my WHM, or should I learn naturally by progressing from the start.

Now I know that they start from 30 which I wasn't aware of before it's more tempting. I'm not a fan of grinding through for XP and as mentioned previously I'm unlikely to level all healers.

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It isn't hard to grind XP. With AST being healer, you can just use that gear you've used when leveled WHM and updating only the weapon. Equip those and spam the higher dungeon you have. Inside there, AST will be basically a WHM with cards and sparkles.

Just don't forget to turn on the Diurnal Sect to turn your Aspected Benefic into "Regen" and Aspected Helios into "Medica II". About cards, if you use balance on DPS, Bole on tank, Ewer on yourself (or DRK or a caster who isn't BLM), Spire on tank or melee DPS, Spear on DPS (BRD love it) and Arrow on BLM (they love it), you'll get all the comms.

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Originally Posted by miraidensetsu

About cards, if you use balance on DPS, Bole on tank, Ewer on yourself (or DRK or a caster who isn't BLM), Spire on tank or melee DPS, Spear on DPS (BRD love it) and Arrow on BLM (they love it), you'll get all the comms.

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Ewer refreshes MP, which relies on a base MP regen to enhance. DRK has no MP regen while using darkside (which is always) so Ewer is useless. Pretty much only use Ewer on yourself, or sometimes on another raiser (SMN/RDM/co-healer) when they run out of MP.

Also unless you have melee DPS/WAR spamming AoEs and running out of TP, dont use Spire at all, always redraw or royal road, or even minor arcana when you get that.

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Originally Posted by Mizuko

I'll quote you to answer this but it's been insinuated a few times earlier. Healer balance was my second and more minor point to the question. I WANT to play AST because they look fun and the animations are very nice. The question is more would I have a a difficult time learning it if I bought progression straight to 60 to match my WHM, or should I learn naturally by progressing from the start.

Now I know that they start from 30 which I wasn't aware of before it's more tempting. I'm not a fan of grinding through for XP and as mentioned previously I'm unlikely to level all healers.

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Since you're saying that you think you will enjoy AST, you should at the very least take a detour to try it out. Unlock it, and then take it into Palace of the Dead, especially if you've already unlocked floors 51+ of palace of the dead. In there, you will be able to familiarize yourself with all the abilities (though healing itself won't be necessary in most cases, you can still see what they do.)
The main struggle you'll run into is if you have to use the Nocturnal Sect stance. It's not a bad stance, but it varies greatly from the way White Mage plays, switching your healer subcategory from Regen Healer to Shield Healer.

Overall, though, if you buy a boost potion for AST, you're very likely to be A-OK for getting through content. There are enough abilities that work almost the same as whm's with minor spins. In your Diurnal Sect stance, you will be very much like White Mage.
Aspected Benefic acts as your "Regen." The twist is that some of its potency is on the initial application.
Aspected Helios acts as your "Medica II."
Helios is your "Medica."
Benefic is your "Cure."
Benefic II is your "Cure II."
and "Malefic-" spells are your "Stone," while "combust" are your aero.
The cards will never end up being necessary to win a fight, so you can comfortably spend time learning them while essentially just playing prettier WHM.

Though, because AST comes at level 30, I would advice against a boost potion as the amount of time to level it isn't really that much... if it really feels like a chore to you, you can, though.

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Originally Posted by LiddyGhu

Since you're saying that you think you will enjoy AST, you should at the very least take a detour to try it out. Unlock it, and then take it into Palace of the Dead, especially if you've already unlocked floors 51+ of palace of the dead. In there, you will be able to familiarize yourself with all the abilities (though healing itself won't be necessary in most cases, you can still see what they do.)
The main struggle you'll run into is if you have to use the Nocturnal Sect stance. It's not a bad stance, but it varies greatly from the way White Mage plays, switching your healer subcategory from Regen Healer to Shield Healer.

Overall, though, if you buy a boost potion for AST, you're very likely to be A-OK for getting through content. There are enough abilities that work almost the same as whm's with minor spins. In your Diurnal Sect stance, you will be very much like White Mage.
Aspected Benefic acts as your "Regen." The twist is that some of its potency is on the initial application.
Aspected Helios acts as your "Medica II."
Helios is your "Medica."
Benefic is your "Cure."
Benefic II is your "Cure II."
and "Malefic-" spells are your "Stone," while "combust" are your aero.
The cards will never end up being necessary to win a fight, so you can comfortably spend time learning them while essentially just playing prettier WHM.

Though, because AST comes at level 30, I would advice against a boost potion as the amount of time to level it isn't really that much... if it really feels like a chore to you, you can, though.

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Thank you, this is really useful. Knowing that the cards don't factor in a huge amount and that I'll have time to learn them as I go then I think this will be well worth doing as the other changes are pretty basic being that they perform nigh on the same function.

Comparing WHM and AST, you'll see that it's more about tweaks to the general concept of healing in FFXIV. You don't need to constantly heal, you have DPS spells and abilities that you must use. AST will bring in the cards and introduce the buffing system as part of your tool kit. Once you reach level 50 with AST you will have access to Nocturnal Sect, which will introduce you to the other side of healing which is shielding (pre-emptive healing for damage mitigation). That's another way of healing, but once you get the general idea of Regen vs Shielding, you're pretty much ready to heal anything in FFXIV.

And I'll say it again as previously said, don't worry about healer balance. You're not in high end content yet, and it wil most likely change with 5.0 Shadowbringers in 6 -7 months. Enjoy the game at your own pace, with the jobs you feel like trying.

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Originally Posted by Mizuko

I'm a new player and have been levelling WHM as I enjoy playing healers in MMO's but I am considering moving to AST for 2 reasons:

1. I think they are the best looking class I have seen so far with some great looking spells.
2. I see WHM is in a bit of a slump at the moment.

I was thinking of continuing WHM to 60 then buy the level boost for AST as I don't want to go back and have to relevel.

My question and point of the post is if I take this option I'm concerned that it will be difficult transitioning with all the new abilities (as opposed to learning them slowly through levelling). I am generally fairly competent in healing MMO's but very new to FF so don't have a huge familiarity yet.

Do people think it's reasonable to change over like this or will I struggle with the new class at that level?

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I also started with as WHM and shifted to AST as soon as I could. While I did not use a boost since leveling to 60 goes crazy fast, I can tell you that the AST spells feel very intuitive when you come from WHM. You will have a brief adjustment period with the cards and the general upkeep of buffs, but it is really not big of a deal.

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Originally Posted by Mizuko

Now I know that they start from 30 which I wasn't aware of before it's more tempting. I'm not a fan of grinding through for XP and as mentioned previously I'm unlikely to level all healers.

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You will get an exp bonus for every job wich is not your highest leveled job. So until you catch up with your WHM, you will benefit from a double exp bonus.

As a WHM main who recently levelled my AST for the hell of it, yes, it is very similar when utilizing one of their two 'stances' (not correct term but similar principle), seeing as one essentially has you play just like a WHM (healing-over-time) whilst the other is more about pre-emptive shielding (Noct). Some may appreciate it more given that cards give you something to manage during downtime or on the fly, whereas WHM is far more straight-forward... Either case can be viewed as positive/negative depending on the player.

Ultimately, I still prefer WHM and its simplicity, especially as a DPS minded Healer. There's very little between my primary responsibility (keeping people alive) and the ability to 'contribute' something else - no cards or fancy mechanics to worry over, just "Is the team healthy? Yes - Aero/Stones. No - Do they need to be healthy? Yes - Heal. No - Aero/Stones. Meanwhile AST can do the same, yet there are (slightly) more MP concerns, especially levelling when you will almost always need to hold the odd Ewer due to scaling/damage and/or inexperienced players and/or going ham on damage because you can.

If I were you I'd personally see a Healer through to the end first and then consider dedicating spare time to the rest. The 'slump', as it were, only really applies to the upper-crust - and even then it won't be mentioned over-much other than from a balance perspective on the forums or by groups who are inclined to cherry-pick (which there is no major need to at the moment). It's not like WoW where they've butchered, say, Prot Warrior so hard that it sees about 5% participation due to being obnoxiously bad compared to almost any other option. Yes, WHM is behind the others, but not to such an extent that it'll effect most people.

I had fun levelling my AST and it now gets to enjoy my WHM's 380+ set, but when I really want to sit back and enjoy my role, I'll always deviate to good ole WHM.

You're making a wonderful choice!

Astrologian is the true point of Final Fantasy XIV! Yes, you can play other classes/jobs but if you stop to think about it... WHY? They cain't use cards, they don't have floaty orbs that glow, they don't tell people's futures by use of star patterns, they don't get the best pointy hat in the game, and on top of that, no other job gets Lightspeed at level 1.

You'll be so happy you decided to go from the trial-version of the game to the real deal!

ONE OF US, ONE OF US.

I encourage to try astro, just don’t be one of those asts that ONLY use one sect. Don’t neglect part of your kit. Be versatile.

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Originally Posted by Merceus

You'll be so happy you decided to go from the trial-version of the game to the real deal!

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The White Mage copy with cards added, you said? JK

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Originally Posted by miraidensetsu

The White Mage copy with cards added, you said? JK

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No no, it's not a joke.