DT AST is Unpleasant to Play Now

The new card changes are horrible, coming from casual roulette content.

It’s clunky having the 3 different card effects and being on a 2 min rotation makes them unreliable for use. If they want to have Astral/Umbral phases in AST, please have some indicator other than Blue/Purple Gauge (which can be annoying to distinguish), something similar to BLM Fire/Ice phase just to make it more obvious which card set we have.

Play 1 goes to the DPS. Play 2 and 3 i just toss on the tank. The damage reduction/heal action and shield/regen are not enough for tossing on a healer/DPS to help them. If they need healing, that’s the point of Essential Dignity.

I don’t understand this. Tanks have the least issues of dying and AST never struggled to heal tanks in W2W pulls. Why do I need MORE tank cooldowns?

Also, AST is SO much more boring. Having Draw and Play (with the occasional Redraw for Astrodyne) was at least something engaging to think about.

I always get my healers to max level first because I enjoy the healing role, but I will leave AST at 90 because it’s not fun. Very disappointed.

Personally, Ive been enjoying the ability to stack cards on the same target, and have found applications for the healing/defensive cards outside of the tank. Previously, the cards would only ever go to F3 or F4. Now I’m actually thinking about how I can use them effectively.

My issue is that these cards are just weaker versions of what astro already has.

They serve no actual purpose other then to be filler skills you put on a tank, these new "unique" cards, one is literally just Celestial intersection and one of them exaltation what is the point in these cards? The other is a 10% healing boost on a single target? like ok i guess? one of them is a regen.

Am I actually missing something because to me this doesn't seem like "the unique interesting card system" it just seems messy.

The rework would have made more sense if they just removed cards at this point (not saying they should), because these "new cards" are barely worth anything.

I haven't messed with the new cards too much yet because I've been leveling Picto, but after trying it, i'm not sure how I feel about it. I like that they're more unique and not just dps buffs, and removing the RNG aspect of them is great. As far as usage of the cards, it feels like there's just 1 for DPS and 2 for tank, at least in dungeons. It would be nice to have MP recovery back or something like that for personal use, or healer assist.

I do miss the buildup to a personal buff, and with the longer cooldown, my MP suffers more than the last 2 expacs.

BUT, the main thing that bothers me and my Autistic brain is that there is a dps buff, heal, and mitigation in both pulls, but the order of them (play 1, 2, 3) is buff, heal, mit, then buff, mit, heal. It would be delightful if Bole and Ewer switched effects, so both pulls would be duff, heal, mit, so I wouldn't have to think about it as much. Plus, Bole is green, which is generally a color used for healing, so why is it damage mitigation!??

In any case, being a class focused on cards, the card mechanic has definitely become less interesting with every big change like this. It's still my favorite healer class, but I wish the cards were a little more engaging.

No more weaving and buffing the party the whole match, just a boring, redundant, and useless set of cards every minute. I'm extremely disappointed, they got it so wrong I'm definitely changing my main job.

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Originally Posted by Rithy255

My issue is that these cards are just weaker versions of what astro already has.

They serve no actual purpose other then to be filler skills you put on a tank, these new "unique" cards, one is literally just Celestial intersection and one of them exaltation what is the point in these cards? The other is a 10% healing boost on a single target? like ok i guess? one of them is a regen.

Am I actually missing something because to me this doesn't seem like "the unique interesting card system" it just seems messy.

The rework would have made more sense if they just removed cards at this point (not saying they should), because these "new cards" are barely worth anything.

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While we do have similar tools as the new healing/defensive cards, I like that I don’t have to use a GCD to regen a tank, and Spire gives us access to an OGCD barrier before Celestial intersection. I’m not going to pretend like the new card effects are groundbreaking, but what I like:

1. Multiple cards per target - this is a first for the job,
2. Lots of OGCD flexibility - this has had the pleasant side effect of keeping me busy between nukes. Depending on battle durations/time between pulls, it’s easy to have to manage 5-6 cards during an opener. I’ve been finding it fun.
3. This new utility is tied to our cards, which to me should be the focus of the job (this is why I’m personally ok losing the RNG - now I’ve got reliable OGCD tools every minute).

Downsides:

1. The extra healing so far hasn’t been “necessary,” just another way of approaching the same task.
2. I actually prefer the old Draw animation over Sleeve Draw.
3. With six total cards and only two buffing damage, I personally feel like AST damage support is at its most anemic. I don’t have numbers though.

I want to say that even though I’m finding enjoyment is DT Astro, I do empathize with all of the points people have made pre and post DT release. I can understand why these changes are very unpopular with others I still pine for HW Astro.

Cards got their flavor back somewhat (but it's a pale shadow of what it used to be since MP/TP and whatnot isn't even a thing anymore), but now they're just glorified weak/bland ogcd abilities.

The only good thing I retain from this version of AST is that they detached damage cards from support cards. It's funny in a way, it seems that at every expansion the devs seem to get something new right while screwing up everything else that used to be before.

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Originally Posted by Valence

Cards got their flavor back somewhat (but it's a pale shadow of what it used to be since MP/TP and whatnot isn't even a thing anymore), but now they're just glorified weak/bland ogcd abilities.

The only good thing I retain from this version of AST is that they detached damage cards from support cards. It's funny in a way, it seems that at every expansion the devs seem to get something new right while screwing up everything else that used to be before.

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And if only they had a separate card system called lords and ladies where maybe they could put buff cards, but also have rng utility cards...

It's a shame that it's impossible to separate the systems but keep the rng i suppose.

Edit:
I'm going to add what I'd want for a more Clear card system with both RNG and aspects from stormblood, without mixing damage/utility cards Which was the issue with previous versions of astro.

Minor Arcana = Reworked to your RNG, Damage buff system, Lords would give a 6% buff to melee's/tanks, Ladies could be a 6% buff to Caster/healer/ranged, with 50% less on both if given to the "incorrect player"

Draw = 6 RNG utility cards, I'd personally up their power a tad and add a ability named "royal road" where you can turn a card into a spread effect (doesn't work for minor arcana obviously), this would be a long cooldown.

Nah bro big shields are in; we are now become Scholar every 2 min: (Neutral Sect + The Arrow) * (Celestial Intersection + The Spire + Aspected Benefic)

For real though, changes I'd wish for (I am shouting into the void they won't read this):

Adjustments:
- Spawn in with Umbral Draw instead of Astral Draw. When using both Play I's under Divination, it makes more sense to buff ranged players first before the melees. Almost all ranged DPS' big bursts (-Machinist, Red Mage) occur at the start of their opening rotation, whereas melee DPS' have big finishers near the tail end of their rotation. It's very inflexible to not be able to buff DPS players as optimally as you want compared to Endwalker which was a nice form of skill expression.

Additions:
- An action that allows you to Redraw (switch) from Umbral to Astral, and vice versa. (Does not switch the Minor Arcana; just switches the current Major Arcana)
- An action that duplicates and plays the previous Play I/II/III.

Just those two additions open up so much flexibility, choice, and gameplay expression.

Sadly for me, for the first time since I started playing in ARR patch 2.2ish, I don't think I'm maining healer. New Astro cards are clunky and boring, have worse mp management, and don't just give you the option to choose which deck you pull from. If I'm stuck in a party with all melee, I don't want to be forced to pull from umbral deck and waste a dps buff card that I only get 1 of now every minute.

None of the other healers have felt good to me either, so I think I'm done with it. Just sad and disappointed.

Got Astro to 100 and will never touch again. My main class, the class I named my character after, has been ruined. It's so unfun to play now. The optimal play is to literally hold on to your DPS card until your Astrol/Umbral card recharges, align that with your divination/oracle/lord and.... Burst. Using cards outside of the window is a waste. The "new" defensive cards are so paltry that they literally do not make a difference. Even in low level play, they literally do not make a difference. And in the new dungeons? They're literally a waste since all the damage seems to be party wide, which makes single target stuff not at all useful. The class has been homogenized to fit in a two minute meta- and that's it. This whole expansion has turned me off of the game hardcore by diluting Astro and nuking BLM into the ground.

That’s how I feel too.

Discount 2-min Protraction doesn’t really help as a tank mit. Its value on SCH is for the bigger Crit-Spreadlo. The 10% mit every 2-min is again unnecessary as tanks are supposed to operate independently of a healer. The 2-min regen is not a DPS needs when they take damage. They need immediate healing. On a tank, it’s not what they need because again, the devs designed them to be survivable independent to healers. The 2-min shield is probably the only card that’s actually useful.

Like, I don’t know why we need more “tankbuster” cards when tanks literally are overtuned vs. tankbusters.

I made a forum account just to say I hate what they did to AST.

I dont know why they wanted to have less weaving in healer role, which already feels the least busiest of every other role, if you don't double weave you can just play about any other healer.

I like AST because it was busy and every buff window felt different to play cause you wouldnt know what cards you would get. Ofc it had its issues with trying to fish for 3 melee cards every 2 mins, but that seems also to be a DPS-class/fight design choice/issue.

Now Draw is just pressed every minute with holding DPS-buff cards + Lord (unless some add shenanigans happen) for Divination and just getting rid of the rest.

I mean yeah the job feels less random now, but thats like almost every other job in the game and if job business is an issue for some either get better or don't play it.

I haven't played it in any content since I'm done with healer, so I just had a quick look for 2 minutes and it's exactly as we all said 500 times:

Boring, uninteresting, non-complex and useless cards. Like someone above implied, single target healing is unnecessary unless people are messing up and they're just weaker tools than what AST has elsewhere in its toolkit. I don't really see why you'd ever press these cards when you have 3 stacks of ED, 2 CI, and exaltation. Stacking together is overkill especially with tank mitigations becoming stronger and even in lower levels where you don't have those skills, the damage is still pathetic anyway.

I'm sure they'll be useful for old ultimates and early prog for any given high end content since slapping more tools at the wall to scrape through mechanics is good, but after that, useless.

Oh, and the jobs identity was completely gutted. AST was all about RNG, and the job has none now. It really was just destroyed and homogenised lol

I agree and I keep dying from not having a gap closer unlike white mage that just was given one.. How can we even keep up I'm struggling I been playing it since heavensward released but what have they done to this class... killed it

Wanna hear another problem? Imagine you’re in an alliance raid, and your tank isn’t the main tank. You literally have only one card every 60 seconds you can reliably use, and the other two basically just sit there unusable until somebody screws up. You can go several draws, having to drop multiple unused cards before somebody gets hit / is about to get hit by something. Granted, they certainly don’t design jobs around alliance raids, but it feels bad when the job’s whole unique trait can’t even be utilized in a significant chunk of the content. I’ll still level AST for the title, but afterward I won’t be touching it until their next misguided attempt at remaking the job.

I played 1 dungeon with astro almost fell asleep then I quite the dungeon to sleep

Was that the AST rework we were supposed to get in EW?

Four play buttons. FOUR. PLAY. BUTTONS. What is UP with you guys??

Seeing buffs making a comeback is good, but the buffs are just not great. I would rather trade play buttons to get Royal Road back. The sleeve draw idea isn't bad, I knew you guys weren't completely sleeping on it, but this NEEDS work desperately.

The next ten years? What a disasterclass. We finally have reached the final days.

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Originally Posted by Doragan

Was that the AST rework we were supposed to get in EW?

Four play buttons. FOUR. PLAY. BUTTONS. What is UP with you guys??

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This rework definitely feels like the mid expansion ShB MNK rework that basically amounted to deleting greased lightning stacks and making riddle of earth a tank level mitigation with the promise the actual rework is coming soon but at least it’s now in a “semi functioning state” (it’s not but we can pretend like it is)

But since it’s a healer we know the actual rework isn’t coming

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Originally Posted by Supersnow845

This rework definitely feels like the mid expansion ShB MNK rework that basically amounted to deleting greased lightning stacks and making riddle of earth a tank level mitigation with the promise the actual rework is coming soon but at least it’s now in a “semi functioning state” (it’s not but we can pretend like it is)

But since it’s a healer we know the actual rework isn’t coming

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I disagree.. I don't think they will rework any healer.. idk why developers see that healer role currently *function* I see nothing but a disaster in identity and gameplay

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Supersnow845

This rework definitely feels like the mid expansion ShB MNK rework that basically amounted to deleting greased lightning stacks and making riddle of earth a tank level mitigation with the promise the actual rework is coming soon but at least it’s now in a “semi functioning state” (it’s not but we can pretend like it is)

But since it’s a healer we know the actual rework isn’t coming

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To be fair, "rework" is synonymous with "Dumb down the job" recently, and I fail to see how they could even possibly do that unless they did something like make your 1 damage skill be an "All-in-one" partywide shield, regen, and mitigation.

...or they could just remove all healer DoTs, which honestly it's kinda scary to think that there's a good chance they could do that.

Honestly I just want them to iterate on on the two dps cards. I don't like how they are roll specific still given the current draw mechanic. Make one flat dmg and the other crit rate perhaps.
Otherwise, for me, the new draw system is fine.

I hate new Ast, which I suspected I would. Having 3 unique cards is cool and all, but as I suspected back then, why would I ever want anything but dps cards? (yea yea huehue healers are suppose to heal!!!)
the mitigation cards feel useful in low level content, where tanks and healers don't have their tools yet, but once you get to higher level stuff, they just feel pointless. I also miss astrodyne, and it was replaced with absolutely nothing. Synastry still being a mostly useless ability doesn't help much either

I just feel like a nerfed EW AST.

First time commenting in any of these forums just to agree with this - I didn't mind a lot of the AST changes through each expansion, I could work with what they gave me, but these changes are the worst so far, in my opinion. Healing only feels necessary "in an emergency" as it is, so having the DPS boosts via the cards felt like a nice way to be more of a support role for the team. It was fun stacking the cards with Div to get that satisfying burst, and then Astrodyne gave at least a little bit of DPS fun for myself. (Gravity go brrrrrr) I personally liked Lord/Lady being a separate draw, because now I'm constantly wasting a Lady by wanting to draw again just to get that DPS card. Draw being a whole minute cooldown feels brutal too. Everything just feels slowed down? I haven't needed The Arrow at ALL and all the other support cards don't feel useful in any situation - I never ever once thought "man, this class could really use MORE healing...." I catch myself just sitting on them. I'm heartbroken because AST felt like the most fun healing class for me.

In my mind, I always wanted the cards to be MORE supportive for the team, like a spell/skill speed boost, maybe even running speed boost... idk. Something interesting like that. Or even a sect change like there used to be, but instead of regen/shield, it's healing/DPS? Just ranting because I hope the devs read this and rework it. ):

Lightspeed still being 90s and still being mandatory for burst gives me all I need to know about the rework.

Been leveling it, as I did savages and most of EW as AST. I enjoyed the Job, it got a bit overwhelming when you had to multiple things to do in Savage content, but that was also an element of its fun. It could be a busy Job and I think people like the idea of that.

In DT, so far, the best word I think for the card changes is clunky. It doesn't mesh well with the play style I got used to, the cards don't feel useful, nor does it work with my UI layouts that handles healers in general.

Play style, in dungeons, feels like throw the damage boost on relevant Job, throw whatever else on the Tank. That's it. No thinking. 2 out of the 3 cards feel like they have little relevancy.
That might change in the Trials and endgame, and more thinking might be involved, but right now it's not feeling good.

It doesn't help there's no reward. The RNG and getting Astrodyne maxed out felt rewarding. Now it's just spam the cards, wait 55s... not very impactful.

UI layout is far more personal, but I had all four healers working with a semi-consistent layout. Dispel = Ctrl+Q, Cure = 1, Cure 2 = 2, AoE = Alt 1, etc. A good 60% of my layout was generic between the Healer Jobs.
The 3 new play abilities pretty much is destroying it for me. Finding a nice place for a 1-2-3 in my layout has again made things clunky and unfun.

I get what they were thinking, to a degree, but without reducing button bloat, it was always going to be messy. At least for me.

I've committed to AST for the MSQ leveling, although I really feel I made a mistake and should of gone WHM/SGE. I think AST will get benched once 100.

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Originally Posted by Valmaxian

2. I actually prefer the old Draw animation over Sleeve Draw

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Yes! Compared to the old, the new animation feels terrible. The fistbump just feels so out of place.

I really wish there was a way to select older animations; both retired like Draw and upgraded abilities (I like older version of the PLD final combo swing).

Tbh, I got excited when I saw that the cards are gonna have different effects on them only to realize that they're just....ST and weak.

What made Stormblood AST fun was the Royal Road system. Being able to Extend, Enhance or Spread was insanely fun.

This....is just boring. Say what you want about it being RNG, forcing long CDs between cards that aren't going to be used in the correct moments. "Could really use Bole for this tank but nope it's on the right draw yet."

Being able to manipulate what you were given felt good and using Sleeve Draw just hit like dopamine.

Hell even Shadowbringers AST felt good (in 4.5), the cards had meaning and flowed nicely with the Divination.

I want the cards to actually feel like a part of AST's kit, not just something to use if you want.

Not it's just there. The devs have all but turn AST in a shell of what it was. Just broken and unfun. AST probably has to be one of the only jobs that gives a major rework every xpac. The job has had its gimmick changed so many times.

I will die on the hill for the return of Stormblood or Shadowbringers AST.

The card changes are weird.

From 6 of them, I would likely dump 4 onto the tank anyway as they make the most use of it.
Balance and Spear goes to the DPS, as always.

This is all needless click spam.

i tried to get back to AST after dropping it in shadowbringers but i hate this current system. the cards are so boring? its literally here you go tank, and 1 dmg increase to a dps. God I miss heavensward AST so bad lol

They've now eventually gutted (at least) two of the things that gave the class actual flavour -- sects and RNG in the cards. Why have cards now if they're not random? What deck of cards are they using that come out the same every time, hmm?

And now the job gauge is also useless.

I've been maining AST since HW and it's just no longer fun. Even the sign chasing for Astrodyne was more fun than this :(