AST's weakness in end game

[AzureFlare]

Well yeah but you just cherry picked the most forgiving MP fight in the game. Check your mana in A3 by the time the final phase starts and you've been dpsing 90% of the time before that, or even in A1 at the first drop and you have a tank to heal after you've been dpsing until the add dropped. It's not a great position MP wise to be in. Especially when the competition is versus a SCH who never has MP issues, ever.

Can it be done by a skilled player? Of course, but that's not really the issue.

The issue is that low HPS requirements + high DPS uptime + healer with mana-neutral DPS when given the chance to spam Energy Drain (and do a good chunk of damage if you actually care to use it during Cleric, which you should) without thought = stupid and not properly thought of by SE, whether it be the encounter or SCH itself. When it is so bonkers you can use your super mana-inefficient spells (Shadowflare, Broil, Ruin 2, Blizzard 2) like crazy instead of spending it wisely (no filler/Ruin only as filler) surely alarm bells should already ring.

[Sidra]

The issue is that low HPS requirements + high DPS uptime + healer with mana-neutral DPS when given the chance to spam Energy Drain (and do a good chunk of damage if you actually care to use it during Cleric, which you should) without thought = stupid and not properly thought of by SE, whether it be the encounter or SCH itself. When it is so bonkers you can use your super mana-inefficient spells (Shadowflare, Broil, Ruin 2, Blizzard 2) like crazy instead of spending it wisely (no filler/Ruin only as filler) surely alarm bells should already ring.

I dunno I don't really think that's the issue - that's just the way the game is. So given the game as they made it, all 3 healer combos should be just as viable in difficult content, and WHM/AST is clearly below the level of AST/SCH or WHM/SCH.

Would I mind if they increased the hps requirements of encounters in the future? Not at all. I think having the variety and testing multifaceted healer skill would be great. In one fight have super crazy dps checks like they have now where tanks and healers are squeezing out every ounce of dps they can while staying alive - and the move to the next encounter where there so so much damage that the death risk comes from healers running out of mana from only healing. But thats a totally different discussion than what are AST's deficiencies in the game now as it is.