Really, really stupid idea on how to make AST's cards less galaxy brain for high-end.

[Teraluna]

A question that's always with me whenever people talk about Ast - Just how many people do we think actually use the card mechanic in day-to-day questing?
Not saying it's a good or bad mechanic here, I just wonder how used it is.

[Raikai]

The only way I can see cards getting more interesting effects again is if those effects are nothing but utility, put all the % damage increases into Divination and remove everything that increases % damage or buffs damage stats from the cards.
You will most likely still end up with one card being better than the others depending on it's effect but atleast the impact will be minor compared to 10-20% more damage for your entire party.

Exactly. Any kind of utility in the game that boosts damage% directly will always be the go-to route if they are ever paired with any other kind of utility.

Here are some ideas for buffs that don't boost damage directly:
- 5 seconds of Sprint
- Reboots the last shield or regen effect applied on the target
- Removes 5 seconds of the Weakened State debuff and applies a -10% damage taken buff
- +5% healing to all nearby targets
- Converts portion of damage dealt into healing for x seconds
- Buffs Piety for x seconds (disclaimer: this buff idea would only work if MP management would ever become relevant once more)

The +% damage boons could be exclusive to the Lady/Lord cards and Divination itself.

[Raikai]

A question that's always with me whenever people talk about Ast - Just how many people do we think actually use the card mechanic in day-to-day questing?
Not saying it's a good or bad mechanic here, I just wonder how used it is.

In my case, whenever I'm questing with AST, I just forget about Divination and just keep using Minor Arcana... I presume that's the route most of people take?

[IceBlueNinja]

A question that's always with me whenever people talk about Ast - Just how many people do we think actually use the card mechanic in day-to-day questing?
Not saying it's a good or bad mechanic here, I just wonder how used it is.

There times I be lazy and dont bother depending on what am running, like as i said sbh cards are as boring as whm atm, i feel nothing more than a better mobile whm sch with tons in healing and what not but over real power for ast which of cards is as bland as sch ghosting fairy issue. I for one felt more busier with stormblood cards . It was okish at least in sbh till they butchered sleeve draw to single stuff thing. Some love it but I dont ast was made to be hard and stormblood system succeeded this by miles. least to make it less urking they could have maybe get rid if 3 cards in sbh system since 2 if each same brain dead thing. I was a rare one that had use for all cards cept spire back in sb when tp got taken away, yes i say this 50mil times now I know but...Hell rng of sbh is far more annoying and less awarding than sb. Sprouts new to ast get confused because story yalks about the skills like road and time dilation lol

[IceBlueNinja]

Balance: Weak damage buff, but people will pick this.
Arrow: Messing with cooldown means shifitng raidwide buff/debuff & personal alignment. DNC & NIN especially will murder me if I throw in this buff for them.
Spear: Weak damage buff, but people will pick this, possibly stacking it with Balance.
Bole: Nice on paper, so-so in progression, & will not be incorporated into consistent gameplay. What happen when you need a bole but your RNG decides not to give you one? Niche at best.
Spire: Free heal, can be used.
Ewer: Same with spire but less useful because probably only your cohealer will benefit from this and maybe DRK & RDM.

We’re going to end up with people 100% fishing for Balance & Spear. The third card will most likely be Bole, Spire, or Ewer but at the end of the day none of these in the 3rd slot will matter because the system locks them behind the unreliability that is an RNG; it won’t be reliable.

Also I’m not sure how galaxy brained the current AST divination opener when the current iteration of Sleeve Draw (as of 5.3) already trivializes the RNG factor; meaning it’s far easier than ever to acquire tri-seal Divination as of now.

Blm loved arrow. They could then save their ley lines up. I only arrowed blms myself or whm/sch but never melee or physical dps or smn or rdm for them to chew me up

Ewer nice for if i died after i literally use lucid and it has to cd

Bole was nice for tank for trash pulls to help gravity trash.

spear very very very to me is niche but 10% crit monk and bard loves you though spread this via spire is 5 for entire team more crit bigger heal and dps

spire i burned it all the time after tp vaish as only ninja had use for it when they were tp heavy related from what a friend of mine told me who mains it.

Idk seem people all have the same mind set when it comes to playing healers . Even if something is not mostly used like synastry for me still has their use. All card while some are niche was good in their aspects. it utlilzing them for not just others to please in party but to also please you about why you play the class. Let someone be mad at me in stormblood cause i didnt only fish for balance oh well play ast yourself then xd. Like a fightning game the most nerf and water down char if used by the right player can be deadly even if others dont see how.

[glamazon]

I always here this and from what I’ve seen on forums it was probably a small vocal minority who ruined things for the rest. The only bad card seemed the tp one and even that had a niche use

[IceBlueNinja]

I always here this and from what I’ve seen on forums it was probably a small vocal minority who ruined things for the rest. The only bad card seemed the tp one and even that had a niche use

My point exactly only spire was very niche to the point of useless when tp was gone. Ninjas from what my ffriend who mains it tell me for them it was very nice when their skills was very tp reliant.

[Rein_eon_Osborne]

Those effect are not on the cards themselves, though. They're simply bonuses that apply when Divination, which is still on the same cooldown, is used. Would you honestly hold off on using Divination just to have both Balance and Spear on it? No, you'd use what you have loaded up to get Divination off for the overall buff. The effects are just there for flavor and to keep the cards unique, while Divination is still the focus. That's what I meant.

Oh I do get that you’re saying that those aren’t the effect of each individually played cards. Which is precisely why people -will- fish for that balance and spear possibly within first 3-5 GCD into pulltime even more; put anything offense related statistic and majority will gravitate toward those cards. It makes opener that doesn’t include both cards feel really awful to execute. I do like if the actual damage% buff only comes from the Divination. To avoid the fishing tendency, I think it might be better to leave the crit% & dh% out. Replace them with non-offensive options.

snip

Except with whatthr OP proposed, we don’t get to choose who we’re going to buff the arrow effect to. It’s essentially slapped together into the divination if an Arrow card is played. It’s basically: ” Hey, to those SMN, MCH, DNC, and NIN in the party: I’m sorry but for the raidwide damage% I must apologize if I get an Arrow card!”

Basically in this case it further reduce the reason to use Arrow if the party composition includes any of those alignment-sensitive classes—and even more reason to fish for Balance & Spear because those two are the only buffs that benefits the group no matter what phase the encounter is going through (except downtime).

No matter how you try to look at it, if one of the card has any sort of offensive buff slapped on them, that particular card will almost always be prioritized over the rest because as long as the encounter is still going on, there will be always something to attack (henceforth cause damage). Bole Spire and Ewer—according to the OP is just more situational than the ever-useful offensive buff. If all cards are situational then -perhaps- we can semi-eliminate fishings but at the same time it feels awry when you don’t get the cards you actually need at the moment. If it’s some crucial buff required for an encounter then being inconsistent in chance of success is the last thing you’ll want to see.

[IceBlueNinja]

Oh I do get that you’re saying that those aren’t the effect of each individually played cards. Which is precisely why people -will- fish for that balance and spear possibly within first 3-5 GCD into pulltime even more; put anything offense related statistic and majority will gravitate toward those cards. It makes opener that doesn’t include both cards feel really awful to execute. I do like if the actual damage% buff only comes from the Divination. To avoid the fishing tendency, I think it might be better to leave the crit% & dh% out. Replace them with non-offensive options.



Except with whatthr OP proposed, we don’t get to choose who we’re going to buff the arrow effect to. It’s essentially slapped together into the divination if an Arrow card is played. It’s basically: ” Hey, to those SMN, MCH, DNC, and NIN in the party: I’m sorry but for the raidwide damage% I must apologize if I get an Arrow card!”

Basically in this case it further reduce the reason to use Arrow if the party composition includes any of those alignment-sensitive classes—and even more reason to fish for Balance & Spear because those two are the only buffs that benefits the group no matter what phase the encounter is going through (except downtime).

No matter how you try to look at it, if one of the card has any sort of offensive buff slapped on them, that particular card will almost always be prioritized over the rest because as long as the encounter is still going on, there will be always something to attack (henceforth cause damage). Bole Spire and Ewer—according to the OP is just more situational than the ever-useful offensive buff. If all cards are situational then -perhaps- we can semi-eliminate fishings but at the same time it feels awry when you don’t get the cards you actually need at the moment. If it’s some crucial buff required for an encounter then being inconsistent in chance of success is the last thing you’ll want to see.

Fair point if is in that situation where all those job who dont want arrow and not the ones I mention happens which is surely possible yeah, I get what you mean heh.

[Payadopa]

Balance: Weak damage buff, but people will pick this.
Arrow: Messing with cooldown means shifitng raidwide buff/debuff & personal alignment. DNC & NIN especially will murder me if I throw in this buff for them.
Spear: Weak damage buff, but people will pick this, possibly stacking it with Balance.
Bole: Nice on paper, so-so in progression, & will not be incorporated into consistent gameplay. What happen when you need a bole but your RNG decides not to give you one? Niche at best.
Spire: Free heal, can be used.
Ewer: Same with spire but less useful because probably only your cohealer will benefit from this and maybe DRK & RDM.

We’re going to end up with people 100% fishing for Balance & Spear. The third card will most likely be Bole, Spire, or Ewer but at the end of the day none of these in the 3rd slot will matter because the system locks them behind the unreliability that is an RNG; it won’t be reliable.

Also I’m not sure how galaxy brained the current AST divination opener when the current iteration of Sleeve Draw (as of 5.3) already trivializes the RNG factor; meaning it’s far easier than ever to acquire tri-seal Divination as of now.

The typical response.
Might as well delete all jobs but the 'best' one then. lol