Your thoughts on Astrolgian so far?

[File2ish]

I haven't healed any dungeons post Aurum Vale (i'm lvl 51 now, been doing story), but so far i'm loving it. Heals felt very weak at first cpmpared to WHM, but eventually became closer to the other healers in terms of effectiveness (still lesser heals of course. Had to spam Benefic 2 many times whereas on WHM cure with an occasional 2 would have been fine).

MP management seems a bit lacking though, that's really my only complaint. My understanding is our Luminiferous Aether is about the same as Shroud of Saints in terms of MP recovered. Considering AST has to burn more MP to heal an equal amount as WHM/SCH, i think the skill may need a slight boost in potency or maybe slightly reduced recast time. We can't always use the Ewer (iirc) on ourselves to help with MP cost.

Still not sure about Lightspeed either. I want to say it saved me a few times with Benefic 2 spam, but idk if it actually did or if i would have been fine without it. Excited to fet it to 60 and see how it is then.

[Violet_Magenta]

WHM will always be the best burst/AOE/HOT healer - even if AST is buffed. WHM shines in self DPS over buffing the group.

SCH provides just as much DPS increase to a raid as AST...

This 110% agree^^

I wonder how they got to the current version of astrologian - prior to the games release they said that dancing between sects would make ast OP. If that were possible I still think Ast will be lacking. Astrologian has to cast frequent heals means they are also likely giving up on dps, which the other heals can do pretty well.

[sharazisspecial]

WHM will always be the best burst/AOE/HOT healer - even if AST is buffed. WHM shines in self DPS over buffing the group.

SCH provides just as much DPS increase to a raid as AST (See math from previous posts) and can dish out WAY more healing/support. Not only does AST only have a 250 POT shield, when SCH has 350 - AST does not even have the pet embrace heals - or Rouse/POT increase.

The buffs that AST brings are not nearly strong enough to justify how much they lack in the healing dept. They either need a buff to cards or a buff to healing. I would rather see them have more to offer in the healing dept. As it is AST struggles healing level 58 dungeons. They will not be competitive as is once the newness fades.

AST needs some QoL changes.
Light speed and Synastry are underwhelming, Card cycling is alot of work that may not even reward you for the effort you have to put in, Compared to say how easy it is for Sch to just use Selene Buff.

Maybe AST was balanced around being able to cycle through both Diurnal and Nocturnal in Combat but they removed it later.

AST is pretty good with their flat damage reduction % up-time though.
SCH+AST lots of flat damage reduction + alot of extra DPS. Maybe SCH is dragging AST down?

I want to see a good SCH and a good Nocturnal AST work together.

[Ambivalence]

I want to see a good SCH and a good Nocturnal AST work together.

Since the Sheilds of SCH/AST won't stack I doubt this will be a thing. AST would be in Diurnal...(WHM) and won't be able to heal enough to allow for the SCH to DPS as is per usual in Full party settings...

[LycorisSelunis]

Since the Sheilds of SCH/AST won't stack I doubt this will be a thing. AST would be in Diurnal...(WHM) and won't be able to heal enough to allow for the SCH to DPS as is per usual in Full party settings...

their shields won't stack this is true. but the %potency in coturnal makes regular helios comparable to a whm medica. The spotshields of instant cast aspect benefic would still be useful for single targets, you would get all the bonus ast buffs, and the sch could use eos for the healing buffs and aoe regen and make actual use of the several spells they get from 50-60 to do non-shielded healing. I think it could work in a coordinated static, maybe not so hot in pugs.

[sharazisspecial]

Since the Sheilds of SCH/AST won't stack

Galvanise and Nocturnal Field don't stack together?

Urgh i tested it and Noct shield and Adlo remove each other >_<.

[Violet_Magenta]

...but at least give AST more interplay with their cards...

I was thinking about this too (this may be slightly off topic...)

They could actually buff the ast through the card mechanics. e.g. every time you draw/ shuffle a card the ast regens a set % of mp (aka aetherflow)

maybe give them a new card skill ("hand of fate") which allows them to sacrifice their "spread" card for a certain benefit e.g. sacrifice ewer for a 30% increase in heal potency for a few seconds (aka divine seal). maybe other sacrificed cards can give other benefits.

Perhaps give them a stance ("Celestial Host") which gives them a slight % increase in heal potency (or allow them to regen mp over time while in this stance) perhaps give the stance a negative feature like being unable to move while in the stance.

being support is all good and well, but if you can't heal your party then the support is negligible - honestly I think sch can provide better support, heals AND dps.

[Sykoticjestr]

I dont know if people are special or just want thier cake and eat it too. AST wasnt supposed to replace whm or sch, but to be primarily a support class with some heals. For those who played FFXI it plays similar to RDM, where your primary role is to cast support spells while throwing a few heals when needed to give the main healer a little relief. If people would stop assuming AST is weak and accept the fact that they are primarily a supporting class then we can all just get along.

[Sykoticjestr]

Going back to OP, i think the AST is almost where it needs to be. as stated before, there are some mana issues, especially with lightspeed, but if everyone is actively watching out for aoes and the like, then mana shouldnt be an issue. i could see an increase in luminiferous aether trait to 100 (maybe even 120) then that would help a bit.

The whole card system is definitely fun. having to manage the buffs, whether to use it, save it, or RR it on the fly all while continuing to heal make the AST a fun class. its definitely going to take some time to get used to the system, but just like with all other healer/support roles in any mmo, it comes down to how well you know the fight and being proactive instead of reactive.

The different sects do make it interesting. instead of being stuck with one way to play you are given the ability to choose. each has their pros and cons but i feel they are pretty well balanced.

[sharazisspecial]

I dont know if people are special or just want thier cake and eat it too. AST wasnt supposed to replace whm or sch, but to be primarily a support class with some heals. For those who played FFXI it plays similar to RDM, where your primary role is to cast support spells while throwing a few heals when needed to give the main healer a little relief. If people would stop assuming AST is weak and accept the fact that they are primarily a supporting class then we can all just get along.

Their support is lacktustre after it was revealed they cannot "Bane" a buff .

What happens is AST can spend half the fight finding the right buff or the right combo. But SCH just selene haste the entire fight for much less effort.