Astrologian buffs confirmed

[Parawill]

It's not the base heals that are weaker but it's our cooldowns that don't really measure up. The stance effects in both stances bring our base heals up to par, but when you really need to pump out more is when we start falling behind. They can leave our base heals where they are in terms of potency if they give us more useful cooldowns.

I was focusing on our base heals because we don't have any reliable cool downs to increase HPS. The point is that it takes more time to do what Scholars or White Mages can currently do, which is horrible because if you throw mana out the window, we're always doing more for less.

I don't know about you, but I feel like Astrologians currently feel like a mash-up between the weaknesses of both Scholars and White Mages pre-heavensward. Lack of AoE Burst (Indomitability and Emergency Tactics fixed this) and lack of off-GCD healing (Assize, Tetragrammaton and Asylum fixed this).

[Staris]

I was focusing on our base heals because we don't have any reliable cool downs to increase HPS. The point is that it takes more time to do what Scholars or White Mages can currently do, which is horrible because if you throw mana out the window, we're always doing more for less.

Synastry is a realistic 50% healing increase on 2 tank fights (almost all of them) making it one of the best healing cds currently in the game.
Considering the amount of overhealing for whitemage, healing 5 % faster for 5 % less is a buff.
MP is only an issue for bad healers of any class (and has been since 2.0).

We are clearly not a SCH replacement, hell 2 SCH might be ideal for many fights. But easily a better whm for any real progression.

If you can't see that your not even in the game.

[GideonHighmourn]

Synastry is a realistic 50% healing increase on 2 tank fights (almost all of them) making it one of the best healing cds currently in the game.
Considering the amount of overhealing for whitemage, healing 5 % faster for 5 % less is a buff.
MP is only an issue for bad healers of any class (and has been since 2.0).

We are clearly not a SCH replacement, hell 2 SCH might be ideal for many fights. But easily a better whm for any real progression.

If you can't see that your not even in the game.

AST better than WHM for healing/progression? You can't actually be serious.

Sorry, WHM is hands down 100% better than AST for progression. AST only becomes a viable alternative once it's "on farm" and everyone can play the fight perfectly, and then it's just icing on the cake when paired with a SCH.

[Parawill]

Synastry is a realistic 50% healing increase on 2 tank fights (almost all of them) making it one of the best healing cds currently in the game

I won't deny Synastry is a great skill, but it also isn't the best healing CD. Despite it saving 1 GCD every two casts for free, you're not saving GCDs for your main target, but GCDs for another target. Of course there are many situations you can use Synastry, but it's restricted by its lengthy cooldown for only tanks in 8-man content as it's best used when you have both tanks taking damage or when you need to heal both at the same time.

Essentially what I see this skill as is a wonderful fast way to sustain two targets taking damage. It's sort of like Cure III in a sense... Like when you use Cure III on both tanks taking Ahk Morn. Something like that.

Considering the amount of overhealing for whitemage, healing 5 % faster for 5 % less is a buff.

Overhealing is one of the silliest arguments in my opinion. As long as you're not generating ridiculous amounts of enmity to the point that your resources are running dry and tanks are unable to keep hate, then overheal means nothing aside from extra enmity numbers that people aren't going to care about anyways.

5% Attack Speed vs. 5% Additional Healing Potency doesn't mean anything when it comes to cooldowns. It's a passive that plays no part in emergency type situations since the effect is so minuscule.

MP is only an issue for bad healers of any class (and has been since 2.0).

"If you throw mana out the window" was supposed to imply that you should avoid looking at mana costs when looking at emergency situations as you sacrifice resources for potency. In these situations you would forgo using Benefic and jump into Benefic II, despite it costing more resources, so that you can pump out potency.

We are clearly not a SCH replacement, hell 2 SCH might be ideal for many fights. But easily a better whm for any real progression.

If you're gauging the current story mode Alexander as end-game content you're going to be in for a surprise. Savage Alexander is supposedly going to be more difficult than FCOB which means it's safe to assume White Mage type heals are going to be welcomed more than ever.

AST has no way of boosting potencies per GCD which makes them inferior to White Mages in both constant spike damage as Synastry is no Divines Seal. In addition, with heavy AoE damage, Astrologian also has no spells outside to group heal aside from Aspected Helios ticks (which White Mages have), Helios (which White Mages and Scholars can temporarily have) and Diurnal Collective Unconscious which is way weaker than Helios and heals way slower.

"But Astrologians have Bole and it can be spreaded!" That would be nice if it was not restricted to severe RNG issues (not reliable).

"But Astrologians have Synastry to heal two targets!" That would be nice if all encounter damage flow was only against two targets and everyone could just tank and spank.

"But Astrologians aren't White Mages and provide their own DPS and DPS buffs!" Yeah that's nice if in the White Mage & Scholar dynamic, you have the White Mage doing the main bulk of healing while letting Scholars do their insane amounts of healer DPS.

"But wouldn't that be the same if you just replace White Mages with Astrologians?" No, because now Scholar has to handle the duties of a White Mage to make up your lack of healing and you then "kind-of" take on the role of DPS but dont have the necessary resources to provide reliable mitigation, spike heals and breathing space for the other healer."

My opinion. Feel free to critique because I can be wrong too.