Never healed before in my life in a game until now and I gotta say....

[Valic]

*snip*

If I'm honest.... I'm prolly that player that would "just want to heal". That's not saying I don't dps in down time where there's clearly nothing to heal... But rather, I'd prefer being able to fulfill my role in its avenues specifically to mitigate/protect/heal my party over deal damage. However.... I do appreciate design in where this concept it coupled with a reward of extra damage. Things like how Holy causes stun, and thereby is a form of mitigation while dealing damage. Or how WHM gains a blood lily for healing and etc. I like these concepts of "you're doing your job well, here's something akin to a reward for your job" type of deal. So far on AST, I'm mashing malefic and keeping up a dot... I know I get earthly star but that looks like a "plant it and let it be" type skill like DRK's salty earth lol.

If every job could get a form of synergy in what their dps is with their healing capabilities, even if it's subtle/small... I'd like that. I don't want the job to be "when can I stop healing so I can go back to mashing 1 and dotting again"... Rather, "I can't wait until I blank enough so I can provide blank". I don't want to be a dps with healing capabilities I guess is my point here... but I do need something that synergizes with what I do to give me some form of "feel good" thing. Whether it's you do healing/cards enough you're rewarded a fantastic self bonus, group bonus, or mitigation or guaranteed crit heal, crit on a damage skill... ANYTHING like that would be nice. It doesn't necessarily need to be "you do higher dps cuz you heal gud" either. As I typed this, I realized I think the only thing I get a high from AST atm is all 3 different seals and getting to use divination but.... trying to pop it on everyone in the group when they're spread out and the fact cards are a chore kinda nullifies that feeling sometimes. It's a short duration and long cd too.

I won't say I wish that all I had to do was heal. However I will say that for all I have to do on AST so far, I'd appreciate more noticeable differences or more enjoyable buffs that make me shine with this job over the other 2 just as they shine in particular ways over the remaining 2. I shouldn't need encouragement to dps as a healer, or a feeling of "relief" when I see everyone's topped off and I can continue casting malefic. I should feel a sense of accomplishment and pride that by doing what I do best, I'm rewarded with something to provide to the party or myself that others cannot provide. I feel like the former cards were a bit of that, maybe not as much of a buildup but just knowing you had the power to hold cards for specific situations sounded like AST was a utility healer. It didn't excel particularly in any one situation, but it looked like it could adapt to whatever situation it was dealt with.

This is only speculation though from what I remember seeing out of AST's back in the day. I remember boles saving people on the final boss of Sohm Al Hard because that mitigation could let a dps take the tank buster and survive. It wasn't that it was necessarily required or needed, but the fact "you could" and it showed for it.

[Saefinn]

I think pretty early on you're seeing where some of the complaints are coming from and IMO you're playing the job with the most to do and least unlikely to have problems with 'boredom' from the perspective of downtime, because if I heal, I pick AST as I find it less boring than SCH or WHM ATM. Though you are noticing where many of the problems are with AST and also its lack of satisfaction.

However, it terms of flow, I think out of the three, WHM is probably the most fluid at the moment. SCH flows better than AST, but I think a couple of their skills down meld as well together.

In terms of getting a 'high', it is of course subjective, but many of us posting in this section of the forum aren't getting that high either. We used to. I generally get my high when the group is struggling and I'm having to carry them, because they are testing my ability as a healer to keep things under control. When people are doing well enough, not much fun.

[Valic]

I just did Dun Scathe for the first time with another AST. I went Noct sect, and I actually had fun keeping people topped off. Same with Alexander A12, felt like I had more satisfying things to do at least... Still felt like the cards were tedious though among all the healing I did.

[MitsukiKimura]

I just did Dun Scathe for the first time with another AST. I went Noct sect, and I actually had fun keeping people topped off. Same with Alexander A12, felt like I had more satisfying things to do at least... Still felt like the cards were tedious though among all the healing I did.

Healing with AST feels really good, it's always been my favorite healer. It's a worse feeling from all the way from level 30 to 70, your cards won't feel like they're contributing anything until higher levels. The one card I loved and begged every AST to give me when I was a black mage was arrow. Bigger numbers with balance? Didn't care for it. 25% faster cast rate for 30 seconds? I felt like a god

[Saefinn]

I just did Dun Scathe for the first time with another AST. I went Noct sect, and I actually had fun keeping people topped off. Same with Alexander A12, felt like I had more satisfying things to do at least... Still felt like the cards were tedious though among all the healing I did.

This is how I’ve been playing AST, whilst Noct being weaker than Diurnal is a complaint on AST, when one of the general complaints is that healers heals too well, I think this is better.

[Mortex]

The problem is astro is the healer we’re you have the most things to do. That doesn’t mean it feels fun and good to play. But as a healer main in a static having to go whm because it’s way more safe and can heal big chunks faster to learn the fight, it becomes so boring after you know the fight. I whas a whm Main all expansions before and now I want out of sheer boredom play astro as main so i don’t fall asleep when I do a fight

[Deceptus]

I mean, I guess my point there was.... why give me a dozen abilities at level 30 including a buff that adds regen to specific spells... and then not give me at least one of said spells? It's like Machinist getting their overcharge heat buff but they don't even get the heat blasts/arrows or even the potency buff.... At that point, why bother? Seems like they should've given me a sect + aspected benefic to start ya know?

Same reason Warriors used to get Defiance at lvl 30 without anything to use it with. It happens. It's absolutely terrible design but it happens.

This is how I’ve been playing AST, whilst Noct being weaker than Diurnal is a complaint on AST, when one of the general complaints is that healers heals too well, I think this is better.

Diurnal works if you're paired with a WHM, or SCH. (regens can stack)

Noct doesn't (shields don't stack)

[Valic]

Same reason Warriors used to get Defiance at lvl 30 without anything to use it with. It happens. It's absolutely terrible design but it happens.

Again, that's not the point... Defiance back then still changed your stats and gave you increased enmity. You could use it and it did "do" something for your job even without any actual skills to couple it.... I can use Diurnal Sect being level 30-34.. but nothing affects it and I don't get any boosts for activating the stance to begin with.

[Billythepancake]

Again, that's not the point... Defiance back then still changed your stats and gave you increased enmity. You could use it and it did "do" something for your job eve without any actual skills to couple it.... I can use Diurnal Sect being level 30-34.. but nothing affects it and I don't get any boosts for activating the stance to begin with.

Yeah it's really dumb. Diurnal used to increase your healing by 10% back in SB, now it just does nothing until you get an aspected ability

[Ardox]

/snip

I guess it was a way for SE to force player into selecting one sect before the start of a fight [?]