Every time I decide to play Ast, I find a thread that destroys my enthusiasm.

[LanarDrexel]

I just got back after a long break, and really want to start healing properly. I just can't decide which of the 3 I should focus on to get try and get good at.

Everyone loves scholar, myself included, but the skill requirement with micromanagement and lack of party wide power heals makes it pretty stressful. White mage is just the best brute force healer, and is the easiest healer to learn apparently. But for some reason I really want to try Astro, the buffs are nice even if they are random, and the mobility you get from instant cast heals gives it a nice feeling. It is also much more comfortable to use if you need some big heals than scholar, even if it can't match whm.

But just like last time I find a thread with a bunch of people telling me why it is inferior and not wanted in late game content, and I suddenly don't feel very much desire to play it.

Should I just stick to White mage or is astrologian worth a proper go?

[Tayolynn]

Just feel free to try out AST regardless of what people say. You may even surprise them when you practice enough to out-heal scholars/white mages. When I heal, I mainly heal as an AST and they're quite easy to play as when you get the hang of their utility and knowing what cards to give when you pop them. They're quite fun, useful when you're filling in HoT or damage mitigation roles (Noct/Diurnal stances) and they're fabulously flashy to boot. Give it a go. I don't see much "AST is inferior" advice lately since they've been buffed pretty well. But then again, I liked AST even before they got a buff.

[DarkmoonVael]

Stick with AST and dont listen to the others. All three healers are exceptionally good classes, all three can be used in any content, and all three are fun.

AST has had the hardest time out of the three new classes as it was released in an underpowered mess, but this has changed. Sadly some peoples minds have yet to adapt to this change and they are still in the mind set of "AST sucks".

AST is fun, and if you enjoy it, keep playing it .

[nexas506]

You do what makes YOU happy.
No harm in trying AST for i while, and if its not for you then its not for you.

[LanarDrexel]

It is a fun class to play, I just don't want to end up being ignored in favor of a white mage regardless of individual player skill because if a classes reputation or something. That is assuming I turn out any good as a healer in the first place.

[Velox]

AST has had the hardest time out of the three new classes as it was released in an underpowered mess, but this has changed. Sadly some peoples minds have yet to adapt to this change and they are still in the mind set of "AST sucks".

Agreed. Since the buffs, I'd say WHM is currently the weakest of the 3 jobs (notice I didn't say useless, just weakest) because they bring the least amount of support to a party. Nocturnal AST leaves a lot to be desired, but Diurnal AST can pretty much heal on-par with any WHM and still offers party buffs via cards.

[Whiteroom]

Why would you let a thread decide what class you play... Play whatever class makes you happiest.

[Kabzy]

It is a fun class to play, I just don't want to end up being ignored in favor of a white mage regardless of individual player skill because if a classes reputation or something. That is assuming I turn out any good as a healer in the first place.

After the buffs AST got, I would not consider them inferior to WHMs. The reason that AST 'might' still be seen in bad light is because you need a very skilled healer behind the job to make it shine. AST has fewer emergency heals, so the healer really needs to be on point with their healing. That's about it, I raid with an AST and there's nothing we miss from a WHM.

No point making a comparison with SCH though as they both fill very different requirements within a group, even if they are the same role.

[LanarDrexel]

In 8 man content how would an AST do as a backup healer to a WHM? One of the reasons I am not that keen on WHM right now is the fact that being a main or solo healer in large raids feels a bit daunting.

[Kabzy]

In 8 man content how would an AST do as a backup healer to a WHM? One of the reasons I am not that keen on WHM right now is the fact that being a main or solo healer in large raids feels a bit daunting.

People generally will not go with a WHM/AST composition. It can be done, but unfortunately due to the way fights are designed at the moment, a SCH is almost a necessity for all groups. They can safely DPS with their fairy healing and still have unmatched mitigation in the form of Adloquium + Deployment Tactics. That's not to say an AST can't perform a similar role, it's just MP wise, DoTs wise and fairy wise a SCH will always be the best sustained DPSer. With DPS checks being all the rage so far, it's just not wise not to take a SCH in progression groups.


That being said, being the main healer is not as daunting as it may seem. The majority of the time all you'd need to do is use your AoE HoT when raid wide damage occurs and then go back to topping tanks. When DPS take avoidable damage, that's not something you should be held accountable for.