An idea for revamping the AST card system

[Kitria]

Then you don't understand just how unreliable these buffs truly are.

Either these buffs are LITERAL game-changers, or there will never be any reason to bring an AST over SCH/WHM.

I'm all for discussing changes to Astro, because I could think of a couple off the top of my head, but how can you possibly say to someone with a level 58 Astro that they DON'T understand how unreliable the buffs are. From what I'm seeing, you're not even showing yourself to be familiar with the class with your profile that has no evidence of even starting one.

Keep up the discussion sure, but don't be so arrogant to state outright you know better than someone who's clearly invested time and has experience in the class.

[RichardButte]

I'm all for discussing changes to Astro, because I could think of a couple off the top of my head, but how can you possibly say to someone with a level 58 Astro that they DON'T understand how unreliable the buffs are. From what I'm seeing, you're not even showing yourself to be familiar with the class with your profile that has no evidence of even starting one.

Keep up the discussion sure, but don't be so arrogant to state outright you know better than someone who's clearly invested time and has experience in the class.

1. My AST is 54.

2. You don't need to have played an AST to 60 in raids to see where the problems lie.

Again, the numbers are already there for us to see. We KNOW the healing potencies of the classes. We KNOW what the buffs do. We KNOW that the AST lacks the big heals, emergency buttons and AoE coverage.

More to the point, we know how much MORE capable WHM and SCH are with their numbers and their new tools.

Is a 17% chance of making a tank spend 20% less TP for 20 seconds worth bringing a healer with terrible emergency options? Is it worth a healer with the worst AoE coverage of the three?

Even the VERY BEST buffs that the AST has to offer don't make the class worth it, and that's even IF an AST manages to get those buffs, instead of drawing 10 Spears in a row. And the other thing: we're a healer, and none of our card buffs actually heal, with only one even mitigating damage. How do we fill the shoes of a SCH or WHM (both of which will no doubt also have to work hard to heal the new content even WITH all of their tools, otherwise it'd be faceroll easy) when we don't have those same tools?

The only answer is that our buffs have to be so good that they compensate for our lack of ability to keep the party alive as well as a WHM or SCH, and without that, we're going just not gonna have what it takes to heal raids.

I'm not saying this to be arrogant. I don't mean to come across that way, but the unreliable nature of these buffs mean that they NEED to be absolutely amazing in order to justify bringing ASTs over other healers who have more reliable heals, emergency coverage AND DPS.

I see the AST as a high risk, high reward healer that, when played correctly and with a bit of luck, can compensate for their lack of raw healing power.

But I think two key things need to happen for the AST to truly become that class:

1. The buffs need to be stronger overall.

2. The buffs need to be more versatile so that you can at least use every card in SOME degree, regardless of what the situation is (or at least it's extremely likely that you'll be able to find a use for it).

And I really hope SE follows through with it, instead of taking the easy route and buffing the AST's healing so and calling it a day, thus ruining the uniqueness of the class.