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

[DarkmoonVael]

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 individu
al player skill because if a classes reputation or something. That is assuming I turn out any good as a healer in the first place.

Where as a AST heals slightly different in diurnal Sect than WHM, and has fewer emergency heals, AST can bring something that WHM can not bring, and thats buffing the party via cards.

The spot in a raid team that WHM takes is pretty much interchangable with a Diurnal AST. Any sensible raid team would take a good AST if they needed this spot filling, and not just go for a WHM.

In any other non-raid content, healing composition does not matter, so play what you enjoy the most.

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.

This may change in 3.2 where DPS checks in raids may not be so tight as they have been in 3.05.

I hope Alexander: Midas will be designed in such a way that it allows the use of any combination of the three healers.

[LanarDrexel]

Basically what I am hearing is WHM for progression, and Astrologian for farming content. Which I suppose makes sense but meh.

[Yawnie]

Honestly AST isn't a bad class, nor is it really inferior to any of the other healers. Sure, it might have a bad reputation with the state it was first released in. AST just needs to be able to think ahead. Especially in end game content. For example: Feel like you're going to have to use Luminferous Aether? Save a spear and try to royal road The Bole. Use it on yourself and boom! Quicker cooldown. AST has tons of utility. Just need to have quick thinking to fully utilize it.

[Kacho_Nacho]

Basically what I am hearing is WHM for progression, and Astrologian for farming content. Which I suppose makes sense but meh.

Stop looking for approval from some nameless hive-mind group of naysayers. People have already advised you to play whatever you like.

Why do you insist that people are telling you otherwise? Silly pessimist. :P

If you want to play an Astrologian, play an Astrologian.

[Mendalas]

AST is amazing! I mained White Mage since 2010 before the job was even out and it was only a class. When AST came out I levelled it to 60 alongside my white mage to see how I would like both of them. I really loved white mage's new abilities but I also really enjoyed AST. Once it got both to 60 I found WHM way more powerful simply because AST had not been buffed yet. As soon as the buffs came out for AST bye bye white mage. I haven't touched it since. AST is the shit and I find it more powerful than white mage currently. So there you go. It made a 5 year white mage vet switch because of how fun it is. White mage can dps and heal; AST can dps, heal, and buff the whole party with some sweet buffs!

[CBellz]

Basically what I am hearing is WHM for progression, and Astrologian for farming content. Which I suppose makes sense but meh.

WHM is better equipped with emergency heals and is just safer in general. This only matters, however, if you're looking to clear content at the fastest rate possible.

I personally love healing on AST, and started leveling it first because I enjoyed its draw mechanic. AST is a little weak in the sense that you have to spend GCDs to do what other healers can do in oGCDs. This just means that you have to try to avoid wasting GCDs and burning CDs like ED, CU, Synastry at inopportune times, which one will do while playing at a high level anyway.

[Sleigh]

WHM is better equipped with emergency heals and is just safer in general. This only matters, however, if you're looking to clear content at the fastest rate possible.

I personally love healing on AST, and started leveling it first because I enjoyed its draw mechanic. AST is a little weak in the sense that you have to spend GCDs to do what other healers can do in oGCDs. This just means that you have to try to avoid wasting GCDs and burning CDs like ED, CU, Synastry at inopportune times, which one will do while playing at a high level anyway.

This exactly.

WHM and SCH are perpetually strong with their basic tools. They're at around 80-85% of their core strength at all times, doing what needs to be done, and their oGCDs are obvious in use and do not demand much in the way of timelines, fight knowledge, or group spacing. A great WHM will trash a good one but a good one will do fine.

AST is the weakest by default. In Diurnal, its basic gameplay is put up HoTs, put up AH, and cure/DPS while it does so, all slightly worse than WHM. The cards do not in any way make up for these lackings of core strength. The key to strong AST play is strong AST CD usage. The "problem" is they are all specifically strong at what they do and not so strong at what they don't do, not obvious where to place them without looking at timers, and they require more planning of not just you but the party sometimes. Even something as basic as Essential Dignity can be used normally, or used to maximum effect with its HP bonus on a planned Holmgang/Living Dead. Good luck using Synastry on CD as a WHM can with Divine Seal, the WHM will destroy AST. Those looking towards Collective as an Assize variation will find it's woefully different in application and much worse to just wing. Even Luminous and Lightspeed are ideally timed in accordance to heavy AoE healing areas and, in a perfect AST world, with Celestial for an extension.

To be a blunt, an experienced AST will demolish a "good" one, or even the same AST who hasn't planned a fight out. I don't think people en masse realize that AST is the hardest healer this game has yet seen to play at a high level.

[Averax]

If you want to play it, play it. Each healing job has its strengths and weaknesses.

For example;

White mage is the best pure healer overall, and will most likely have more healing put out than the other two.
Scholar is the best proactive healer, and can add dps more safely than the others while the fairy off heals.
Astrologian is the best reactive healer (while having fewer healing utilities, they can get a bunch of burst healing out in a pinch with lightspeed). There's also the buffs.

[Starbirth]

The problem with AST is Diurnal sect completely blows Nocturnal out of the water even after the buff to its shields. Try out both sects while solo healing the first phase of A1S and you will see the difference. AST is basically 75% of a healer because their kit is split into different stances that cannot be switched in combat. It is like this because of the cards which, due to the rng nature of them, are not reliable to help you keep your party up during damage intense phases. The ASTs only saving grace is Synastry and Lightspeed which are overpowered band aid skills to cover their other weakness'. This only pertains to the difficulty of Alex Savage though. In content below Alex Savage the clunkiness (made up word) is less noticeable. Some things that weaken AST as a healer are the low range of their AoE heals. I can't tell you how many times I've stood with a whm with s/he hitting everyone with Medica 2 while I hit 4-5 with Aspected Helios.

The AST does have its charm though. Even more so than WHM and SCH and that's what draws people to it. If you want to play AST then do it because it is a satisfying class, just be prepared to be in Diurnal 99% of the time.

[Aomine1992]

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.

Whoa whoa whoa lol lets not get hasty from someone who plays both classes white Mage is in no way weaker cause what it may lack in support versus a AST, it makes up in dps where as we know AST are lacking a bit, which can be invaluable where you need both healers putting out some numbers and not to mention MP management on a WHM is still a lot better then AST so don't count WHM as the weakest just yet...and the aoe healing is still best of all three classes...

But AST is still a awesome class OP I enjoy it a lot