Yoshi-P's Interview with Famitsu includes a few comments about AST

[Seryl199]

As I thought, they were afraid that a buffer could make things too easy and ended up releasing an underpowered job. Let's just hope for the best.



As of now, there's nothing unique about AST except for their (useless) cards.

AST has Synastry, a heal that scales with the target's HP, a channeled AoE regen, an instant, oGCD AoE stun, high mobility low cost heals with Lightspeed, and their card kit. AST doesn't shatter any barriers, sure, but it has enough going for it to differentiate it from other healers. Also, consider that WHM and SCH abilities were somewhat homogenized for Heavensward as well. All the healers share similar abilities in their toolkit, AST just needs a little loving so that it can use it's basic toolkit with similar efficiency to other healers, while capitalizing on abilities that are unique to it.

[Lastelli]

AST has Synastry, a heal that scales with the target's HP, a channeled AoE regen, an instant, oGCD AoE stun...

Synastry is the only thing that feels new and I really like it, however everything else is just imitations...in some cases very poor imitations. dignity ~ tetragrammaton (yes, it scales with the target's HP, but in practice it usually has a lower potency than tetra), channeled skills ~ asylum/sacred soil (poor imitations since they pose a restriction other healers don't have to use equivalent abilities, same goes for disable), AoE stun is useless so I can't even consider it, Lighspeed effectiveness is very limited (actually it's useless, no mechanics force you to heal for 10 seconds while moving) and it doesn't increase healing throughput anyway unless you use Aspected Helios (once). Now, this is disputable so I can understand what you mean when you say it is enough to "differentiate" it...but to me it's not enough. At all. But this is not the matter here, the real issue is that not only AST plays a LOT like a WHM that exchanges HoTs for shields when in Noct...it's instead that its healing toolkit is lacking and the cards' weakness doesn't justify the rng part of this gimmick so that in practical application the contribution of your cards is negligible. I'm sorry, but this job is a complete failure as it is (imho). What you call "a little loving" is actually a total rework on some abilities, especially CU, CO and the whole cards system. Also, SCH and WHM become really OP with post 50 skills, so I recommend you finish leveling your WHM to see why I'm so dissatisfied with AST.

[Seryl199]

Synastry is the only thing that feels new and I really like it, however everything else is just imitations...in some cases very poor imitations. dignity ~ tetragrammaton (yes, it scales with the target's HP, but in practice it usually has a lower potency than tetra), channeled skills ~ asylum/sacred soil (poor imitations since they pose a restriction other healers don't have to use equivalent abilities, same goes for disable), AoE stun is useless so I can't even consider it, Lighspeed effectiveness is very limited (actually it's useless, no mechanics force you to heal for 10 seconds while moving) and it doesn't increase healing throughput anyway unless you use Aspected Helios (once). Now, this is disputable so I can understand what you mean when you say it is enough to "differentiate" it...but to me it's not enough. At all. But this is not the matter here, the real issue is that not only AST plays a LOT like a WHM that exchanges HoTs for shields when in Noct...it's instead that its healing toolkit is lacking and the cards' weakness doesn't justify the rng part of this gimmick so that in practical application the contribution of your cards is negligible. I'm sorry, but this job is a complete failure as it is (imho). What you call "a little loving" is actually a total rework on some abilities, especially CU, CO and the whole cards system. Also, SCH and WHM become really OP with post 50 skills, so I recommend you finish leveling your WHM to see why I'm so dissatisfied with AST.

I hate arguing about AST, I plan on leveling WHM anyways but I'm not about to argue for or against obliterating AST. I like how the job feels, sorry we feel differently. Good day

[Yumi_umi]

Dont think they came to this conclusion from ppl's forum posts lol. Think the majority of feedback/ data were from the top groups.
So ppl that ACTUALLY did the content and ACTUALLY have exp that can back up their data vs ppl on forums just theory crafting.

So lets all be thankful for the ppl doing A3 savage. Without them yoshi would still be more hush hush about it.

[Zaresin]

I'm glad they are being wise about rushing to change astrologians.allot off what people post is not legitimate feedback bit changes that would overpower the job.

Your parents need to take away your internet privileges. Let the adults talk. Please go back to go fish.

[Kumori_Kumo]

it also bothers me they have walk on eggshells to balance the class properly w/o it becoming overpowered.

It's much easier to introduce buffs to a class that needs it than to introduce nerfs. Just look at how they handled the fairy healing for Scholars- it's a pretty obvious nerf, but they did their very best not to even mention it. It's more of a PR move than a pure gameplay one.

[EchuKayu]

I'm baffled that you find it baffling. Honestly. It seems pretty obvious to me. In creating a healer that can swap between regen and shields, they created a unique healer. Plenty of people love ast, it's just a matter of balancing and ironing out the rough edges.

They weren't stupid, they just approached a new healer differently than you would have. Doesn't make them stupid.

Lol. Really? You define unique on the ability to switch between sects? That's like saying all of the tanks are unique because they can change between defensive and offensive stances, but there's that one tank that can't, so they're unique.

Unique are cards, unique is Synastry, unique is that side of AST. It is most definitely not creating a job that is a ripoff of a WHM/SCH, while leaving out the things about those two healers that give them their strength. (Crit shields/High potency spells and aoes)

[Iagainsti]

My reaction to no mention of a Warrior nerf

[Risvertasashi]

It's much easier to introduce buffs to a class that needs it than to introduce nerfs. Just look at how they handled the fairy healing for Scholars- it's a pretty obvious nerf, but they did their very best not to even mention it. It's more of a PR move than a pure gameplay one.

Yup yup. And lustrate... really a net buff for the ability, but those that cry nerf... what the really cared is about their ability to use it in cleric stance. Between that and the fairy, SE's make it harder for SCHs to DPS and heal... although they still do pretty well at DPSing, just not as easy to do both now.

[SuzakuCMX]

I'm happy they're considering buffs but very disheartened that they won't come until 3.1 which is at least another month away AST has already been flopping around for a month and a half at this point and people have already had to abandon it for their first Eso weapon, so even if AST is buffed to be comparable to WHM/SCH in 3.1, they'll be far behind in the gear game unless you already devoted all your Eso to an undertuned class.

Also they were talking about DRK and MCH being used in savage being a sign of flexibility, but both DRK and MCH have things that clearly separate them from other classes in their roles. DRK has higher DPS than PLD but also better magic mitigation and utility (Reprisal, Dark Dance, Dark Arts abilities, infinite MP). MCH has similar DPS to BRD but also has damage-down attacks and can give Physical Vulnerability up. AST has less healing output with small variable buffs to the group. AST is clearly different from DRK/MCH in that they are significantly worse than its counterparts in a clear way.