Yoshi-P's Interview with Famitsu includes a few comments about AST

[Taranok]

While i agree the ast aint bad because it gives bad numbers.
Design wise it is honestly just a mash of ideas that don't work together.
Let's hope that they make the healing and cards actually work together instead of being an half support class in a game that doesn't allow it.

It really feels like all 3 of the new classes fall into this category. They all feel like they're a hodge-podge of poorly thought out ideas that don't quite fit together. It's most obvious on the AST, but the DRK also has a rotation that is cumbersome at best due to the nature of how the class plays, as an example. It's almost as if, in an effort to make them all different, they tried new ideas that don't quite work out. Hell, even the Ninja has a bit of this problem that was made a bit worse in HW (namely, how Armor Crush essentially kills your ability to use Aeolian Edge in the rotation if a WAR isn't present).

But I digress.

[Alahra]

It really feels like all 3 of the new classes fall into this category. They all feel like they're a hodge-podge of poorly thought out ideas that don't quite fit together.

I'd agree on AST and DRK, though MCH feels coherent to me. I imagine they started working on it earlier (since it seemed like we were originally going to get NIN and MCH at the same time, judging from Yoshi's prior statements on new classes during ARR), so it's got more polish.

[technole]

DRK is in a good place as a main tank. Despite some of clunkiness like Parry RNG based mitigation *sigh*, and mitigation-combo higher potency than aggro combo. It does reliably replace PLD in savage floors, while offering more DPS as MT. Of course with a two-handed tank w/o a shield it's going to have less potent physical cooldowns aside from shadowskin, But instead have magic-based cooldowns and raid-wide mitigation if you don't have a MNK in your party, you still have the INT debuff.

Now as an OT, you are missing out on WARsized DPS, and if you have MNK Dragon Kick, then there is really no added utility.

AST is supposed to have less healing potency at the cost of offering buffs that other healers don't have. Despite full of RNG, we have hefty cooldowns on things like Shuffle and Synastry. You can sometimes spend more time thinking of where is my utility if i'm waiting around to get something useful. When the stars align and you get RR balance on the party during a burn phase, or even just on the SMN during trance it can be fulfilling at-times. The job isn't bad in the hands of a good healer though, hence it's successes in savage. Just it can surely offer more reliable utility.

[PiedPiper]

Thing is "in the hands of a good heler" sch nc whm bring more to the table than astro. That's the whole point. Anyone good enough to take Astro through savage would contribute more to a progression group as sch or whm.

[Mclyde]

Thing is "in the hands of a good heler" sch nc whm bring more to the table than astro. That's the whole point. Anyone good enough to take Astro through savage would contribute more to a progression group as sch or whm.

It's not necessarily a problem though.

We don't ask to get 2 Dragoons + 2 Black mage as a damage dealer team. We just do it with what we get. As long as "it's possible to win"

[Pentt]

It's not necessarily a problem though.

We don't ask to get 2 Dragoons + 2 Black mage as a damage dealer team. We just do it with what we get. As long as "it's possible to win"

Not only is that a terrible team and terrible for LB meter, but there's 4 spots for DPS in the first place.

[Assirra]

It's not necessarily a problem though.

We don't ask to get 2 Dragoons + 2 Black mage as a damage dealer team. We just do it with what we get. As long as "it's possible to win"

A couple key differences

- only 2 healers in a group which means that having a "worse" one is going to hurt a lot more.
-you can have a dps that is a bit lower unless the fight is a heavy dps check, however a fight will always be a healer check
- when there is less damage, stuff dies slower, when less healing, people die.

[Eudyptes]

It's not necessarily a problem though.

We don't ask to get 2 Dragoons + 2 Black mage as a damage dealer team. We just do it with what we get. As long as "it's possible to win"

In addition to what the others have said, many dps bring things that the others don't. Currently, AST brings nothing to the table that the other two healers can't do and do better, with the exception of mana/tp regen. If AST brought something unique, or could perform better in any aspect then it might be a different story.

[technole]

*Just another one-sided argument that lists all things AST doesn't have*

I'll just use A1S and AST replacing WHM. I could go further but I don't think I need to beat the point down, we all know it has less potency but it can still do the job and sometimes with additional utility if the cards work out.

When replacing the WHM with an AST in AS1

• No PoM. (You have lightspeed and a way to help MP management)
• No Div Seal. (Missle damage isn't that high where it's absolutely required, if partner is using Eos, it's more than enough as well)
• No Benediction. (Essential Dignity is fine here. You don't have to 100% top WAR on Holmgang as they are not going to die after going to 1 after buster)
• Weaker AoE HoTs with a smaller radius. (You mean it's equal to Succor at 15y. Plus not even Medica II may hit both tanks here, but thats ok. You got aspected benefic)
• No off-gcd raid Heal (Assize). (It's really for more oGCD DPS, MP, and top-off before jumps. Aether/Ewer/lightspeed/helios can work just fine.)
• No Asylum outside of CO which is severely limited. (CU works just as the same effect sacred soil would here before they come back down)
• No MND party buff. [I](Not a big deal as this is made to be especially for this instance, potency is equal to having nearly one ring)
• No E4E/Virus. (So? Disable works the same way for tank buster.)
• No Cure III. (Synastry is superior for the situation given with prey/cleave/buster.)
• Weaker DPS. (Lets not fool ourselves that WHM is going to be high in DPS in the first place here. Some less potent but also still has DoTs. Balance cards can make up in this area should RNG work out)

[FaizeD]

*AST fanboy delusions*

When replacing the WHM with an AST in AS1

• No PoM. (You have lightspeed and a way to help MP management)
  Lol. Lightspeed doesn't increase healing output. In frontloads your first heal, and gives you one for free.
• No Div Seal. (Missle damage isn't that high where it's absolutely required, if partner is using Eos, it's more than enough as well)
  Not required, but extremely efficient. What does AST have to compensate for the loss of Div Seal? And why would a SCH give up Fey Wind just to make up for your shortcomings?
• No Benediction. (Essential Dignity is fine here. You don't have to 100% top WAR on Holmgang as they are not going to die after going to 1 after buster)
  My point was that WHM has two off-gcd insta-heals and AST has one.
• Weaker AoE HoTs with a smaller radius. (You mean it's equal to Succor at 15y. Plus not even Medica II may hit both tanks here, but thats ok. You got aspected benefic)
  I don't even know what this means. I was comparing AoE HoTs. Medica II vs Aspected Helios in Diurnal. Medica II is superior. Whm has Regen for the tanks too, and *gasp* it's better than A. Benefic.
• No off-gcd raid Heal (Assize). (It's really for more oGCD DPS, MP, and top-off before jumps. Aether/Ewer/lightspeed/helios can work just fine.)
  Not the same potency as Assize. Does no damage. Assize is free. Ewer is RNG. I can swiftcast Medica too if I wanted. Woop.
• No Asylum outside of CO which is severely limited. (CU works just as the same effect sacred soil would here before they come back down)
  I was comparing it to Asylum. Can you read? Either way it's still objectively more limited than Sacred Soil too.
• No MND party buff. [I](Not a big deal as this is made to be especially for this instance, potency is equal to having nearly one ring)
  Why even bother upgrading any of your gear to i200 then? It's only a small potency boost.
• No E4E/Virus. (So? Disable works the same way for tank buster.)
  Except it only works for one attack and can be consumed by auto-attacks. And you ignored E4E.
• No Cure III. (Synastry is superior for the situation given with prey/cleave/buster.)
  I Cure III after the jump. Synastry is nice.
• Weaker DPS. (Lets not fool ourselves that WHM is going to be high in DPS in the first place here. Some less potent but also still has DoTs. Balance cards can make up in this area should RNG work out)
  *Should RNG work out* Oh, you're hilarious.