AST Cards: Why they aren't fun and how they can be made better

[ReiMakoto]

AST is my favourite healer, and it still is.
I play AST for it's Time/Space Mage roots, for its Diurnal/Nocturnal sect versatility, and it's role as a damage buffer rather than personal DPS.

Its a crying shame that the only time mage related skill that ast has managed to keep is gravity

Onto your other suggestion, I think its straight up worse than the current system, I don't think anyone would use minor arcana if it was like that, because AST already has enough healing and mana regen

[Allegor]

You know, Undraw being changed to restore MP in exchange for burning a card doesn't seem like that bad of an idea, specially when you have, say, 2 ranged and keep drawing Arrows and Spears (or vice versa). It'd give AST that bonus MP regen ability like SCH and WHM, and more options are never bad /shrug

[technole]

You know, Undraw being changed to restore MP in exchange for burning a card doesn't seem like that bad of an idea, specially when you have, say, 2 ranged and keep drawing Arrows and Spears (or vice versa). It'd give AST that bonus MP regen ability like SCH and WHM, and more options are never bad /shrug

Since the removal of MP batteries in the game (Aiming Refresh, MP Ewer, etc), I still felt they forgot to address AST MP economy when things hit the fan. We got a useless Undraw button, and three charges of Redraw. Lightspeed being shortened isn't really an answer because it's also used for Sleeve Draw.

[Dyvid]

No. Just no.

MND, Tenacity and Restore MP would automatically be useless compared to the other cards, and you'd be screwed if you don't have a physical/magic ranged dps.
Which is already a problem with the current system, since you don't always have both a melee and ranged dps in your group.

Yes. Oh yes.

MND effect healing and dps, Tenacity effects DEF, DPS, and HP restored. Also as I mentioned the cards would have a blanket 1-3% Crit or Direct Hit buff in case you don't have the desired job for the draw. MP Restore is a whammy meant as punishment for AST like the mudra rabbit. You also have Divination to increase DPS of the whole group on top of cards.

I suppose if everyone wants nothing but a sure thing out of a gambler job, we can delete cards all together and change divination to a flat 6% DPS buff every 120s. Making the job simple is working out great so far.

But I'm curious now, how would you fix "useless" cards to make them work as RNG?

[CrimsonGunner]

hello

unlike popular opinions here,i actually liked the astrologist right now.
other then the cards buff his kit is very fun and appropriate with his lore and power.
i understand why u don't like cards so much cause the buffs are rather plain and not that appealing.
so my thought on how to improve said cards is just had a reverse effect on them.
i do understand that each card had a unique effect made them special to use,but since from what i gathered most just fished a specific card and didn't use the rest cause this situations.

giving 2 same buffs that work on different class is fine to solve such solution but its a boring solution.
if we want to make it interesting without the need of a rework in 6.0 then maybe just add a debuff effect to them based on their seal(reverse arcana)that can be done to mobs and bosses.
2 buffs and 3 debuffs.

in conclusion,i know 2 same buffs isn't that glamour or who knows maybe they will do 3 buffs at 5.1,but i think if we gain a reverse effects as well it can still be fun for those who played astro in previous expantions.

[TankHunter678]

Yes. Oh yes.

MND effect healing and dps, Tenacity effects DEF, DPS, and HP restored. Also as I mentioned the cards would have a blanket 1-3% Crit or Direct Hit buff in case you don't have the desired job for the draw. MP Restore is a whammy meant as punishment for AST like the mudra rabbit. You also have Divination to increase DPS of the whole group on top of cards.

I suppose if everyone wants nothing but a sure thing out of a gambler job, we can delete cards all together and change divination to a flat 6% DPS buff every 120s. Making the job simple is working out great so far.

But I'm curious now, how would you fix "useless" cards to make them work as RNG?

Tenacity as a Stat only affects tanks, and requires massive amounts in order to even have value. It is better to leave Bole as a % Damage Resistance which makes it useful on anyone it is cast on. You are also better off keeping the 3 well known DPS cards as sub stat DPS increases rather then main stat so that each card does not feel useless depending on party comp. Change Balance to Direct hit to reduce fishing and bring it more in line with Arrow Haste and Spear Crit.

Spire could become Det, making it at least decent for all situations.

To assist with RNG control put in a skill that functions as a "stance" allowing one to align with a particular constellation/card and a skill to act on that allowing one to force pull that card with a 60 sec cooldown. Combine with 2 spread slots and royal road being back with if need be Enhanced buffed from 150% card effect to 200% to make it more desierable. Do this and the system will be very flexible while having 0 useless cards. Hopefully without the fishing. Minor Arcana would go back to being either an oGCD attack (converted a DPS card) or a oGCD heal (converted utility card).

[Side-Eye]

Need to stop asking for them to revert the changes. It's never going to happen.

They don't go back on decisions like this when they've put this much effort into it.
It's not like they just changed the card effects, they made an entirely new system (seals, divination) and a load of new graphical assets for it.

They also likely made the changes for valid balancing issues.

That's the kicker. I don't think they DID put "much effort" into it. They didn't even bother to retain any semblance of relation with respect to which roles/jobs are the best recipients for each buff. Otherwise Bole would still be preferable for tanks...

Nah. It's pretty obvious that the entirety of the new card system was the product of a dev or two brainstorming how to create something so incredibly simplified that it would be quick and easy to code.

[Almostward]

Need to stop asking for them to revert the changes. It's never going to happen.

They don't go back on decisions like this when they've put this much effort into it.
It's not like they just changed the card effects, they made an entirely new system (seals, divination) and a load of new graphical assets for it.

I've played this game for a long time and seen most reworks. This looks and plays like the laziest rework they have done. Lore is messed up. Cards are bad. Mp management is bad. They put the hard work elsewhere, and put a intern on Astro rework duty

[Seraphor]

Don't confuse 'thought' with 'effort'.
"The system sucks therefore they didn't put any work into it" is an asinine statement.

They created assets for it, that's work.
They had to run the numbers and test it to balance it, that's work.

And it's not about making something 'so ridiculously simple', it's about balance.
About removing healer toolkit skills from RNG, and removing crit and speed as they're difficult to balance.

Onto your other suggestion, I think its straight up worse than the current system, I don't think anyone would use minor arcana if it was like that, because AST already has enough healing and mana regen

You don't think people will want an party wide 10% damage buff? By sacrificing three single target buffs, while getting MP and healing boosts at the same time?
The numbers are objectively better.

[MuseTraveller]

They did remove the castbars from HW Bard after many complained, sadly it was in the next expac so I have hopes they will change how AST works in 6.0 and return to having variety of cards or a whole different system.