AST's weakness in end game

[HopeEstheim]

You don't have to be so mean ^^"
I think he is right about N. Stance, while Diurnal allow to replace a WHM easily when you are paired with a SCH ; Nocturnal makes you work extra hard in your mana management, stance dancing etc... to reach SCH level when you are paired with a WHM.

Seriously, in my static, my co healer is a WHM and she doesn't want to dps, so I take the role of SCH and I know I'm making her work harder because I don't have a fairy if I want to go N. Stance. Plus, my dps is worse and the cards not always make up for the loss of a SCH. The only time I'm happy with N. Stance is in A2S, where she is DPSing while I'm healing because this way, we don't use HoTs and tanks are happy .

So, imo, keeping AB on the tank/AH on the party in Diurnal, and +5% attack speed is way better when you take the role of an "off-healer" or "DPSing-healer", making Noct a bit... "not bad, but not good".

But please don't take this post as a complaint, I think AST is fine too, I enjoy my AST a LOT and every healer comp can clear savage... I just think Noct need help in terms of DPS.

[Risvertasashi]

I just think Noct need help in terms of DPS.

What would you propose?

AST has very powerful DoTs with no accuracy check, and a direct nuke that is more powerful than anything SCH has.

The only way it will fully be on par with SCH, however, is if you give it a healing pet.

[HopeEstheim]

What would you propose?

AST has very powerful DoTs with no accuracy check, and a direct nuke that is more powerful than anything SCH has.

The only way it will fully be on par with SCH, however, is if you give it a healing pet.

I don't know, giving a damage reflector to nocturnal field will help AST in terms of dps/healing cause you do both at the same time, like SCH. ^^ ( Plus it will make it unique ! )
I don't want to make posts about balance, sorry.
Of course AST have cools DoTs that cannot miss, but... when you look how much mana it burns compared to SCH...

[TatoRazzino]

.

You don't have to be so mean ^^"
I think he is right about N. Stance, while Diurnal allow to replace a WHM easily when you are paired with a SCH ; Nocturnal makes you work extra hard in your mana management, stance dancing etc... to reach SCH level when you are paired with a WHM.

Seriously, in my static, my co healer is a WHM and she doesn't want to dps, so I take the role of SCH and I know I'm making her work harder because I don't have a fairy if I want to go N. Stance. Plus, my dps is worse and the cards not always make up for the loss of a SCH. The only time I'm happy with N. Stance is in A2S, where she is DPSing while I'm healing because this way, we don't use HoTs and tanks are happy .

So, imo, keeping AB on the tank/AH on the party in Diurnal, and +5% attack speed is way better when you take the role of an "off-healer" or "DPSing-healer", making Noct a bit... "not bad, but not good".

But please don't take this post as a complaint, I think AST is fine too, I enjoy my AST a LOT and every healer comp can clear savage... I just think Noct need help in terms of DPS.

This is exactly the problem: your co-healer doesn't want to DPS. WHM/AST combo allows more AoE healing output and stronger single target burst for both healers, which means that both of you can stance dance in different situations and add your share of DPS. You can't use the same healing strategy you use for WHM/SCH because Nocturnal is not supposed to be a SCH replacement. Scratch the 2.X meta and use new strategies, instead of trying to make a job do something it was not designed to do.

[Troile]

I always find it funny how people jump on bandwagons. At first the general theme on the boards was "AST is broken", now it is "AST is fine". Well, I don't really like that. What I will say is this:

Yes, AST can complete all content. This is obviously the case as so many attest to it (therefore I don't need AST at level 60 myself to say that as well). However, the job needs some tweaks to nocturnal stance. Since shortly after leveling AST i have never seen a need to switch into nocturnal stance. I play everything, and play it well, in Diurnal. To me this smacks of a design flaw. There's really no need for me to even bother with nocturnal? Seriously? Then why is it even there?

If I look at it that way then a large part of the Astrologian's design is unnecessary, therefore it needs to be retooled. Either retool it, or give the job something useful in its place.

[Risvertasashi]

I always find it funny how people jump on bandwagons. At first the general theme on the boards was "AST is broken", now it is "AST is fine". Well, I don't really like that. What I will say is this:

Yes, AST can complete all content. This is obviously the case as so many attest to it (therefore I don't need AST at level 60 myself to say that as well). However, the job needs some tweaks to nocturnal stance. Since shortly after leveling AST i have never seen a need to switch into nocturnal stance. I play everything, and play it well, in Diurnal. To me this smacks of a design flaw. There's really no need for me to even bother with nocturnal? Seriously? Then why is it even there?

If I look at it that way then a large part of the Astrologian's design is unnecessary, therefore it needs to be retooled. Either retool it, or give the job something useful in its place.

I do agree that Noct could use some work. However, consider that AST can soloheal Thordan EX. The "AST is fine" bandwagon is pretty justified IMO: Overall, it is fine.

[MidnightTundra]

I do agree that Noct could use some work. However, consider that AST can soloheal Thordan EX. The "AST is fine" bandwagon is pretty justified IMO: Overall, it is fine.

While I do think that AST is fine in all content, Thordan isn't hard to heal when you have 5 DPS. The hardest parts to heal are double knights and the last phase before enrage. You should be killing a knight on the first divine right so the healing check is pretty much gone and you should skip the last phase before enrage with 5 DPS.

[Troile]

I do agree that Noct could use some work. However, consider that AST can soloheal Thordan EX. The "AST is fine" bandwagon is pretty justified IMO: Overall, it is fine.

I never said that any of the "bandwagons" were incorrect. I was merely making a comment on the act of "jumping on the bandwagon" without actually considering the truthfulness/accuracy of a topic. Meaning some people tend to just follow the crowd because many people are saying the same thing.

At any rate, we agree so I guess it doesn't matter. It irritates me so much that I can do my healing job without ever needing or wanting to dust off Nocturnal Sect. It makes me think that the job was short changed. I'd much rather it was replaced with something I would feel compelled to use.....

[HopeEstheim]

.

This is exactly the problem: your co-healer doesn't want to DPS. WHM/AST combo allows more AoE healing output and stronger single target burst for both healers, which means that both of you can stance dance in different situations and add your share of DPS. You can't use the same healing strategy you use for WHM/SCH because Nocturnal is not supposed to be a SCH replacement. Scratch the 2.X meta and use new strategies, instead of trying to make a job do something it was not designed to do.

Again this was not a complaint, just a fact, I don't have any problem in term of healing with my co healer. Of course a N. Sect AST will never replace a SCH, and I like the fact that I can adapt myself to all the situation with the stances. But anyway I was just saying that I prefer using Diurnal instead of Nocturnal with my co healer, nothing else. Moreover I don't care if I have to handle all the dps part myself, I love my AST too much, I will never change back to SCH, as long as it doesn't slow down my static.

[TatoRazzino]

Again this was not a complaint, just a fact, I don't have any problem in term of healing with my co healer. Of course a N. Sect AST will never replace a SCH, and I like the fact that I can adapt myself to all the situation with the stances. But anyway I was just saying that I prefer using Diurnal instead of Nocturnal with my co healer, nothing else.

I apologize if I sounded aggressive. My criticism was not directed at you specifically, but at your co-healer and at the community. You said you felt as if you were being carried, but you're also carrying a WHM if they refuse to DPS, since both AST and WHM have similar DPS spells/skills.