Quote Originally Posted by Verlyn View Post
I removed the Earthly Star change for that reason. I think just giving it earlier is probably fine.
I think Malefic does need a damage buff though. Raid dps contribution isn't everything--AST really struggles outside of dungeons.

But I will die on the hill that it does need a rework. Very badly. It is a functional kit, and that is the best thing I can say about it. Design-wise it's just so bland, with very few spells even attempting to convey the flavor of the job's lore and mechanics (surprise, those are my favorite spells of the whole lot). The card system, like I said, is a minigame. You feel obligated to do it because you are expected to, not because it creates any gameplay or purpose for you, the caster. There's no reason to divide the job into two like the stance system does either, unless you either want it to be a greater or lesser version of the other jobs. Very few of the skills feel fun and impactful to use. It's just a mess. I don't have the most intimate knowledge of what it was like before Shadowbringers, but I could give that the card system at least could do something for you back then if things went sideways.

That said, if it isn't going to get one, fixing the cards and tweaking Draw/Undraw would work wonders for the job's overall engagement.
The devs dint balance around outside of instances content. It's literally impossible to fail any story content if you heal yourself and spam malefic forever. It is mind-numbing, but it isn't bad.

Raid DPS is everything from the balance point of view. If they buffed malefic they would have to need cards, and the cards are what they want in the job. They want it to be a support healer.

By your own logic every class is a minigame and you have 0 reason to play any of them even semi optimally except obligation.

Most jobs don't have real lore tied Into their kits in a deep and meaningful way.

The card system in stormblood wasn't the best. RNG fest that was either really good, alright, or it absolutely screwed you. I prefer the new one because I like having more consistency, but that's just me. Drawing anything other than AOE balance last expansion felt pretty bad. Sure getting a bike on a buster felt decent, but it wasn't likely to say you anything given it couldn't be planned. Idk. It was a really meh system.