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

[Luvbunny]

I don't quite have what you're asking for but I can say that, leveling AST and trying it out in some level 60 dungeons-- timed buffs can be quite powerful. It's not particularly reflected in encDPS but it can be very bursty. If you're curious to try it yourself, try running stuff with DPS you know well and maybe have ACT help you track their rotation (but you'll still need to be somewhat familiar with it).

I will be curious to see, if people here has another AST they know well, and can communicate via voice chat, and try the double AST + another full time buffer to see the difference. I think healing wise, AST is below the other two healers, they can't even compare to Scholar + fairy. But AST healing potency is not astronomically shitastic either, it's just taking some getting used to compare to the other two healers. Assuming you get two AST who can sync and complement each other, I can almost see why they are taking caution adjusting the buffs. With 2 astro, one of your party members will always get a buffs every 30 seconds, and a party wide buffs every 60 seconds, as well as normal buffs from your bard or machinist. We can almost see how nasty these triple threat combo can do.

One AST can synastry one tank + off tank, the other one can do it immediately after, thats synastry bang a gong every 60 seconds. Time Dillation every 45 seconds, extending Balance card to 30 seconds or 45 seconds if you extend it. Meaning those stacking abilities are going to start showing its nastiness in numbers, even at your worst outcomes. And with TP refresh almost nonstop... one or two DPS are gonna go all out with no abandon. I mean, they could assign which one of your party members will always get which buffs, so somebody, will always have buffs for 15 seconds, at any time, every 30 seconds, for the entire duration of the fights. Just to be sure, you cannot get TWO buffs from both AST right? Only one at a time?

If I am trying to predict, based on FFXI, where most party will not do anything without their Bard buffs... Bard + Corsair + Geomancer + Red Mage + Summoner buffs are extremely OP beyond beliefs.... Even if you end up with just two of them to buff your party full time. Right now AST buffs are just too much too random, especially if you are paired with strangers in DF, though in static, where both AST can communicate, would you think, the two of them plus another buffer, can do a decent amount of buffs (even with the randomness - since the worst card to come would be MP + Bole, but both can be Royal Road).

[Momo-Quint]

Original Article posted August 11, 2015 @ 7:40PM JST

Short translation from Reddit

Reddit post quoted below for those not wanting to go to Reddit:



A reddit post for the same article with a different translator and more detail can be found here

Here are the bits relevant to AST

This was to be the best day since i've been waiting for news on AST, Thanks for posting it Ghishlain <3!

[Evanoel]

I'm so excited about this, looking forward to the upcoming adjustments to AST.

[Cupcakesu]

This interview gave me the confidence to spend my ESOs on AST.

[Nicobo]

Really surprise so many "I am happy..." when Yoshi doesn't want to talk to "the players base" by Letters from the Producers recently. ^^;

[Geardagas]

Really surprise so many "I am happy..." when Yoshi doesn't want to talk to "the players base" by Letters from the Producers recently. ^^;

I dunno, maybe because he acknowledged that ast is weak and plans on making adjustments to fix the issue. Just a shot in the dark.

[Dyvid]

Well after reading the interview I think the primary focus should be on buffing the cards over the heals mainly to give AST a better identity.

[SuzakuCMX]

Well after reading the interview I think the primary focus should be on buffing the cards over the heals mainly to give AST a better identity.

They should buff both. The heals don't have to be quite equal to SCH/WHM but right now they are about 15% behind either, and that's in Diurnal. Nocturnal is even worse.

[Nihility]

as much as i like yoshi-p those statements just seem like a bunch political nothing.

Like the whole line about cards buffing the party as a whole so the healing has to be worse.
Even in an ideal world the cards are a lesser buff than fey wind from scholar, where's the explanation for that?

[Dyvid]

as much as i like yoshi-p those statements just seem like a bunch political nothing.

Like the whole line about cards buffing the party as a whole so the healing has to be worse.
Even in an ideal world the cards are a lesser buff than fey wind from scholar, where's the explanation for that?

Well base line Arrow is far greater than Fey Wind. Only difference is Fey is a guarantee buff every minute and arrow isn't. As I said in another post, the cards are too specialized and need to more generalized to actually make every card worth using.

They should buff both. The heals don't have to be quite equal to SCH/WHM but right now they are about 15% behind either, and that's in Diurnal. Nocturnal is even worse.

Both have advantage and disadvantage. Noct's 5% healing buff helps to close the gap but Aspected sucks with paired with SCH. Diurnal is great HoT healing but robs you of mp fast.