SCH vs AST?

[RichardButte]

Astro can handle all current content fine

Addendum: AST can heal all current content just fine if the group is competent and avoids avoidable damage.

If multiple players in your group are getting hit by AoEs, AST completely falls apart whereas the other healers have the emergency buttons to save a situation like this from becoming a wipe.

Also, AST's card buffs simply aren't worth the tradeoff of lacking the solid emergency options that the other healers have.

[Rewind]

Been hearing alot that AST healing is worse than WHM/SCH?

How exactly is this class worse than SCH?

Neither are worse than the other, each class has its own benefits and different roles in raid.
WHM is a solid raid healer
SCH is a solid mitigation healer
AST will be a solid support healer

There is little reason to start the who is better debate (none are better), especially due to the fact SE has admitted to AST needing a lot of card changes. It's too preemptive to make judgement. Furthermore, it is too preemptive to make judgement based on the current level of content, when we have no idea what savage will be about.

[Seryl199]

AST abilities excel at sustaining the party. A lot of its abilities, while slightly lower potency than other classes, also cost a bit less MP. Avoiding overheal and utilizing HoT's smartly will keep your rate of MP consumption pretty stable.

However, when players start making mistakes or AST falls behind, that overheal becomes harder to avoid, and AST must use its basic healing kit to catch up. WHM has DS, Tetragrammaton, Assize, Benediction, and Asylum, while SCH has Lustrate, Indomitability, and the fairy's sustained healing and CD's, depending on the fairy, as entirely MP free ways of catching up. AST only has Essential Dignity, an instant fire heal that scales up to 1000 potency based on the target's remaining HP, and Synastry, which gives 50% of your heals to a single target.

This means that AST will be casting more heals in comparison to SCH or WHM, so they must be more vigilant of their MP, as patching up continued mistakes will take a toll on AST the hardest. However, when things are going smoothly, mechanics are handled properly and excessive damage is avoided, AST really shines. It can maintain HoT's without straining itself, throw down buffs to conserve the party's resources or pass DPS checks faster, and has strong mobility, allowing it to heal while dealing with mechanics or dodging.

[Zari]

In most content I have been parsing as astro much better than the sch's I've run into, and that's including their fairy. But I believe this is more of a skill problem, skilled sch's are few and far between, but the good ones will trump astro by a good bit. Whm are truley a powerhouse right now, in Alex fights lately I've been around 1400-1500 HPS on astro where whm are 1500-1800. Sch for has been around 1000-1100 (300 being fairy) then whatever shield mitigation added in.

You should not use hps to determine how skilled a SCH is since the shields dont count. That SCH could be doing much better than the other two but it wouldnt show that on a parser because the shields, which are a huge part of SCH, dont count towards it

[Krixus]

Yes I mentioned that.

[AlexanderThorolund]

I mained SCH since I started FFXIV then I switched to AST and I've never looked back. Ive only ever ran into 1 or 2 occasions where I've had to throw myself a hi-elixer. It takes quite a bit of patience to get into the groove of playing AST. I understand fully how new AST have MP issues.

It comes I think from playing SCH, when your MP pot felt endless so you could do what you want, when you want. With AST it's all a bit more reserved and casting at the absolute right moments. Precision is key.

[o3o]

I mained SCH since I started FFXIV then I switched to AST and I've never looked back. Ive only ever ran into 1 or 2 occasions where I've had to throw myself a hi-elixer. It takes quite a bit of patience to get into the groove of playing AST. I understand fully how new AST have MP issues.

It comes I think from playing SCH, when your MP pot felt endless so you could do what you want, when you want. With AST it's all a bit more reserved and casting at the absolute right moments. Precision is key.

That's kind of an issue though. The job is much less forgiving for no reward at all. It doesn't even buff the party as well as a sch does for meeting dps checks in the long run.

[o3o]

Atually lets talk about this....

What does an astro do better than a sch?

Because it can't heal as well.
can't dps as easily.
and buffs are kinda iffy because you can't really count on rng. Good buffs on astro sometimes being few and far between.

[Krixus]

Atually lets talk about this....

What does an astro do better than a sch?

Because it can't heal as well.
can't dps as easily.
and buffs are kinda iffy because you can't really count on rng. Good buffs on astro sometimes being few and far between.

We have the heart of the cards. But really, you want to talk about the same thing this forum section has gone over endlessly.

[Akyio]

SCH vs AST?

Imagine being a SCH. But having weaker heals/shields in general, having atherflow with triple longer cooldown, and having 1 lustrate every 40 seconds or so. And imagine having no fairy next to you. But having some cards that are very random, and in the best case with best combination still are below mediocre, that's how it feels being AST with nocturnal.
Its fun as hell but most of abilities need adjustments or complete rework