What does everyone think about those AST buffs?

[TheSamplingParadise]

I woke up to get a drink in the middle of the night and saw these changes, and now I am too excited to sleep because our healing kit is ridiculous with these changes. OMG.

[tjw]

I woke up to get a drink in the middle of the night and saw these changes, and now I am too excited to sleep because our healing kit is ridiculous with these changes. OMG.

I'm sure its not ridiculous as you think. Outside of the potency increases for certain skills (and a decrease in one particular skill) we only really essentially received one extra tool to our healing kit (Synastry). The cards are still locked behind RNG, but now the pay-off is worth it. CO, Disable and CU don't directly increase healing, but the first two are now more viable and not as useless, whereas CU can be used in many scenarios now (especially in Noc, giving Noc Sect some form of passive healing). Generally good buffs across, but not changed so much as to replace WHM and SCH. AST is now more viable while still retaining some of its weaknesses, which are now better able to be justified given the strongest base potencies of the healers now (Nocturnal) and if good fortune smiles on you, noticeable buffs.

As someone mentioned earlier, this is definitely a required balancing of AST. AST still needs to contend with less off-GCD heals, sub-par mana management, sub-par DPS, longer cooldowns on buffs and RNG cards, but its healing throughput has been increased enough now to hopefully be competitive with WHM and SCH.

Potency changes

Benefic
Before Patch: 380 (Diurnal), 399 (Nocturnal).
After Patch: 400 (Diurnal), 420 (Nocturnal).

Benefic II
Before Patch: 620 (Diurnal), 651 (Nocturnal)
After Patch: 650 (Diurnal), 683 (Nocturnal)

Helios
Before Patch: 290 (Diurnal), 305 (Nocturnal)
After Patch: 300 (Diurnal), 315 (Nocturnal)

Aspected B.
Before Patch: 790 (Diurnal), 525 (Nocturnal)
After Patch: 1030 (Diurnal), 604 (Nocturnal)

Aspected H.
Before Patch: 640 (Diurnal), 294 (Nocturnal)
After Patch: 600 (Diurnal), 315 (Nocturnal)

[Rashammel]

-snip

Lets give AST the same amount of o-gcd of a Whitemage and let him whit the same potency of Healing and the support utility kit.
Looks very Balanced.

[tjw]

Lets give AST the same amount of o-gcd of a Whitemage and let him whit the same potency of Healing and the support utility kit.

I don't even know how you picked that up from my post. I never advocated for AST to receive all of 3 oGCD heals of WHM (of all the strengths of WHM to pick, you picked oGCD? Ok.)

I'm speaking up against those who think that AST is now OP. It isn't. It still has its own magnitude of problems to deal with, as both healers do, but its now more viable and COMPETITIVE with WHM and SCH.

What's so hard to understand about that?

[Archvile78]

So i wonder, with the Balance card + extended + TD + CO are we looking at 1min30 10% damage buff lol?

[Evanoel]

So i wonder, with the Balance card + extended + TD + CO are we looking at 1min30 10% damage buff lol?

But... but... isn't that what AST needs to be considered on par with the other healer classes? :/

[Archvile78]

But... but... isn't that what AST needs to be considered on par with the other healer classes? :/

I just think its pretty awesome.

[Velox]

But... but... isn't that what AST needs to be considered on par with the other healer classes? :/

Well there really isn't a guage in this game for being on "par" since people will always attempt to find situations where they can solo-heal every fight to maximize DPS. (I guess you could say party damage potential is the real standard in FFXIV). Basically it just comes down to if A, B, and C can all solo-heal every fight, then the one with the most utility is the best healer since utility (buffs, mitigation, debuffs, etc) is the only difference between each healer currently.

[lordparanoia]

But... but... isn't that what AST needs to be considered on par with the other healer classes? :/

it depends... AST can provide a RNG support. So you cannot count on it.
SCH can Bio2, Miasma, Bio, Aero, Shadowflare, Energy Drain and Broil + a continous buff (Selene). But SCH can also provide continuous burst healing with Lustrate, Indomitability and Emergency Tactics and a bigger AOE mitigation with Deployment Tactics.
But of course, AST have Celestial Opposition... :P

[Mimilu]

So i wonder, with the Balance card + extended + TD + CO are we looking at 1min30 10% damage buff lol?

30 secs x 2 from Extended + 15 seconds from Time Dilation + 5 from Celestial Opposition = 1 minute and 20 seconds of fun on the bun.