Suggested changes to AST Design to bring it in line with WHM/SCH

[GarnetTribal]

They really don't need that much changed. Quite frankly, there's some OP stuff going on with those changes. Also, we need to move AWAY from whm/sch identical behavior.

In Noct stance, it's super easy to drain their mp. Perhaps adding an increase in potency for Lum Aeth. The shields are too similar to SCH, and the AST doesn't do as much dps. Adding an effect where damage is reflected when allies are shielded would help, even if just a little.

The only thing I find frustrating in diurnal is the range of asp Helios. Yes, this is a Medica II thing - but quite frankly, they've still got a place as THE healer. Adding range to asp Helios is going to make it less frustrating to pump out the AoE heals.

Combine Ewer and spire. Make spire an increase in crit %. And spear should apply to current cooldown time. This would make all the cards useful all the time instead of situationally.

[AzureFlare]

@Mibgestalt: That is a very true observation and indeed, we don't have enough information yet to state what the 'blueprint of raid design' is that SE follows and if it does follow something that will always be more favorable to the other healers, AST will need something to be compensated with. Until then the only things we can do are compare with what is on the table and crunch numbers to show what AST is and isn't capable of.

[Miscreant]

The responses in this thread are amazing... how can anyone not think Ast is still underpowered? I would much rather be paired with a Whm any day, whenever I'm pared with an Ast I find my self covering for their healing. Obviously it's amazing in PVP and has cool animations, but no ones going to be using it for early progression with how it is now. Lower healing output = lower healer dps = harder longer kills.

Got to say my favourite part of this thread was when someone told the OP why his group took a Drk instead of Pld for A3 & 4, I guess no one told him during those hours of progression.

For me I think one of Ast's biggest weakness is topping up raid wide damage fast, Whm can Divine Seal Medica/Medica 2/ Cure 3. Scholar can Emergency Tactics + Succor, Indom or Fey Illumination. Ast doesn't really have a CD that can give them that single burst raid wide AOE heal, it always takes a couple of GCDs which isn't really ideal.

[Vlady]

He's probably a bit more qualified to speak on how high end competitive raiding will go.

I don't really agree with all of OPs changes, they seem like too much, but the point about GCD use being on the high side comparatively does feel right to me.

And I was a high end healer when t5 was the superboss. That is as relevant as his credentials when he is still flat wrong. Astro was buffed days after the world first. Astro can match and surpass white for on demand healing just not as many times.

[TatoRazzino]

The responses in this thread are amazing... how can anyone not think Ast is still underpowered? I would much rather be paired with a Whm any day, whenever I'm pared with an Ast I find my self covering for their healing. Obviously it's amazing in PVP and has cool animations, but no ones going to be using it for early progression with how it is now. Lower healing output = lower healer dps = harder longer kills.

Got to say my favourite part of this thread was when someone told the OP why his group took a Drk instead of Pld for A3 & 4, I guess no one told him during those hours of progression.

For me I think one of Ast's biggest weakness is topping up raid wide damage fast, Whm can Divine Seal Medica/Medica 2/ Cure 3. Scholar can Emergency Tactics + Succor, Indom or Fey Illumination. Ast doesn't really have a CD that can give them that single burst raid wide AOE heal, it always takes a couple of GCDs which isn't really ideal.

Funny thing, my SCH partner says he'd rather heal with AST during progression raiding, and I do most of the healing and I cover him up most of the time whenever we have to do split healing. Another thing: Fey Illumination affects everyone in range of the fairy, which means the AST would also be affected by it. Emergency Tactics + Succor adds up to 300 potency, which is as strong as a Medica or Helios, and the burst of Medica II and Diurnal Aspected Helios is the same. 20% of extra healing from Synastry raises it to 240 and raises each tick to 48; Divine Seal raises Medica II's burst to 260 and each tick would heal for 65 instead of 50. The difference is not that high in the long run, so there's no need to say that this would hurt healer DPS. A Balance or an Arrow in any part of the fight would make up for the healer DPS you're supposedly losing. Also, if you're stacking for Cure III it means you can stack for Collective Unconscious, which reduces damage taken by 10% and adds a regen tick to the group that keeps being refreshed if they stay under the bubble and that stays with them when they walk out. Another thing: for big hits that would require Cure III, AST can use Disable (which stacks with Virus) to reduce the damage even further. And finally, Celestial Opposition can add 5 more seconds to all of these regens.

[AzureFlare]

Scholar can Emergency Tactics + Succor.
Ast doesn't really have a CD that can give them that single burst raid wide AOE heal.

Are you.. even trying?

[Vlady]

While we are at lets give the astrologian a floating wisp pet that is auto nocturnal stance and can throw out aspected nocturnal bubbles so it more closely matches scholar. Also we need to up Essential to 3 times use per minute with a drain type ability that lets us retain mana at a better pace. Then we can give the astrologian shadow flare, dot spread and then we can say astro is on par with scholar. Just need a few more potency buffs and healing cooldowns to make us on par with white mage. After all that we can talk about buffing our cards.

[Valesti_Peleiades]

Another thing: Fey Illumination affects everyone in range of the fairy, which means the AST would also be affected by it.

Right, I forgot that WHM isn't affected by Fey Illumination; Eos hates WHMs.

How silly of me.

[TatoRazzino]

Right, I forgot that WHM isn't affected by Fey Illumination; Eos hates WHMs.

How silly of me.

People were claiming that SCH being able to use Fey Illumination would be a setback to AST. I was reminding them that it isn't a self-buff, but a party buff. Some people in this forum tend to forget that ASTs are part of the party and get the benefit from everything that is going on there. If you want to compare Eos's skill, you could mention that an AST can't buff the healing potency of the other party members; that is correct, but WHMs can't do it either, they can only buff themselves. Well, ASTs also have a self-healing buff, so what's your point exactly? That the fact that a WHM has to burn 3 cooldowns to do something that an AST can do easily by using Synastry is ok, but when an AST has to burn 3 cooldowns to do something a WHM can also easily do with Assize it's "OMG JOB IS BROKEN, IT NEEDS BUFFS". It is perfectly ok for a SCH to burn a cooldown to get a 300 potency AoE which AST/WHM has by default, but god forbid an AST having to do anything remotely like that. Again I ask: what's your point exactly?

[Vlady]

Its not the point of can they give astro more self buffs but why should they? Astrologian has the king of healing buffs right now and white mages have 3 more rapid healing buffs they can rotate. Seems like a good trade off to me.