AST should have one default and one toggled sect

[Seraphor]

'Being able to shield' isn't much of an identity if you ask me, since 2/3 of the healers can do it. And if we can strip out a load of bogus identity crap to make way for actual job identity, that would be pretty nice.

I agree that healer identities need to distance away from being either regen or shield healers, but this is a fundamental part of the AST's indentity, and removing Nocturnal sect would just fuel the concept of AST merely being a WHM clone even further.
I think all healers need to be able to do both to some degree, and the sects is ASTs way of doing this evenly.

I think Nocturnal sect should be made more relevant personally, and perhaps this could be forced by simply making Diurnal Benefic and Regen unable to stack or something like that. Therefore WHM+AST forces you into Nocturnal sect just as much as SCH+AST forces you into Diurnal.

[YusiKha]

I agree that healer identities need to distance away from being either regen or shield healers, but this is a fundamental part of the AST's indentity

It's been there since the beginning, but I disagree. Aspected Benefic and Helios have always been footnotes in AST's healing identity. What I think of instead is Earthly Star's delay and timing, Essential Dignity's low% HP mechanic, The ability to extend regen effects by 3 to 5 ticks (which did nothing for shields by the by).
Those have always been the memorable parts of AST's kit. Changes in ShB have brought the sects more into general usage (CO/CI), but that's not what I think when someone says 'AST healing identity'

removing Nocturnal sect would just fuel the concept of AST merely being a WHM clone even further.
I think all healers need to be able to do both to some degree, and the sects is ASTs way of doing this evenly.

Could it be that AST feeling like a WHM clone is actually because WHM itself is a boring cardboard cutout baseline of a healer instead of DiuAST being similar? Because their only similarity is their GCD skills.
Don't get me wrong, WHM works in its current state but its skills are almost entirely just +HP or +HP over time. The more interesting skills being assize, which the on-cooldown demand makes rather dull, and Asylum, whose healing buff could make for interesting teamwork potential but its high potency results in basically just another +HP skill.

If anything, AST's raw healing tools of Earthly Star and Essential Dignity, with their more engaging mechanics, make for more an evolution of WHM's concept than any skills attributed to WHM itself.
Is it really AST's fault for being 'samey' with WHM, when WHM boasts a base kit and little more?

I think Nocturnal sect should be made more relevant personally, and perhaps this could be forced by simply making Diurnal Benefic and Regen unable to stack or something like that. Therefore WHM+AST forces you into Nocturnal sect just as much as SCH+AST forces you into Diurnal.

The skills not stacking won't force Nocturnal. Nocturnal fails because shields aren't necessary in 90% of encounters, especially with allies who avoid avoidable damage.
If you don't need shields, then having them is worthless. So the sect that boasts higher healing numbers wins.

Nocturnal can't be forced unless shields are forced, and forced shields are eventually circumvented with tank cooldowns and gear progression. AST just needs a singular healing kit, with some regens and some shields, and no bogus 'dichotomy' shoehorned in.
The same with WHM, and SCH, and the next healer.

[Heilstos]

The skills not stacking won't force Nocturnal. Nocturnal fails because shields aren't necessary in 90% of encounters, especially with allies who avoid avoidable damage.
If you don't need shields, then having them is worthless. So the sect that boasts higher healing numbers wins.

Nocturnal can't be forced unless shields are forced, and forced shields are eventually circumvented with tank cooldowns and gear progression. AST just needs a singular healing kit, with some regens and some shields, and no bogus 'dichotomy' shoehorned in.
The same with WHM, and SCH, and the next healer.

I think SE make this in this addon well. That OP, CI and neurtal sect.. For my person I like it to have a doubled asp. Helios and the play with the stances.



In an Opener you see that you can have strong shilds. So shilds are not a problem here. You get till shiva no much dmg for the first group buster. Same it you do not use noc field and a spreadlo form SCH.

Neutral makes a great Job and would like to tempt me to use GCD healing in the event of severe damage to groups without a guilty conscience.

This Healer Kit from the AST is powerful, BUT you have to understand how to play with this power. And I agree Yusi Kha in her thread that "Remove the GCD cost from on-demand healing". The AST has a great GCD healing Kit but it punnishes the DPS part.
I think its okay to use this Kit but than give the AST something for use a Asp. Benefic or Asp. Helios.

Atm you get punnished because using much GCD healing bruns your mana down, but CDs like Horocop or synastry force you to use them. And here is the problem in the Kit which is going to hold as "weakness" or special way to heal.

I liked the SHB healing kit because SE care about the CDs in Noc and found a way to make Diu in the pure hot stance.



The Noc stance make his Job great to participate inc. dmg. I watch a person with gthe name "Barlow" and he told his viewer that "Bring the Player and not the class".From my point of view, this philosophy stands out for the astrologer, which is certainly contestable.

I would be painfully touched if SE change these two strong forms in a 0815 healing direction. Just because the opinion prevails that a stance does not promise "sufficient" healing.

P.S.: For completeness I made a screenshot to reflect the shields and buffs in Nocturnal, which is not bad compared to the SB Nocturnal healer. And trust is a way to show how tall shilds can be on our friends^^