What does everyone think about those AST buffs?

[Luvbunny]

Now you pretty much have two options: defensive healing set (Ast + Whm, Whm + Sch), or offensive healing set (Ast + Ast, Sch + Ast). Then you can pick and choose, if you want to bring a buffer (either bard or mach) or go full attack with 4 DPS (mnk, drg, ninja, and blm). It opens up a lot of possibility and strategy. Double AST set can finally reclaim its place as the major force, and yes, this means, say goodbye to your WHM + SCH (which still works very well to a finely tuned party and a much much safer bet in progression party). With this fix, AST is finally can become the wildcard and giving the players more options than the tried and true set up.

[lordparanoia]

But... but... isn't that what AST needs to be considered on par with the other healer classes? :/

it depends... AST can provide a RNG support. So you cannot count on it.
SCH can Bio2, Miasma, Bio, Aero, Shadowflare, Energy Drain and Broil + a continous buff (Selene). But SCH can also provide continuous burst healing with Lustrate, Indomitability and Emergency Tactics and a bigger AOE mitigation with Deployment Tactics.
But of course, AST have Celestial Opposition... :P

[Mclyde]

It's not because it's not as Op as the two other healers, that it isn't op at all.
In dungeon Sch and whm just sleep. Healing in this game is far to easy, and now we'll see tons of Astros cause it wont be hazardous anymore to play it (i'm not talking about the rng system)

Farewell Healer Job !

[OmegaFlare]

Thing is, it was possible for astro to solo heal content already. I've seen astros solo heal ravana before like it was no big deal, we bring solid dps buffs to the entire raid along with mana and tp regen, these things are not to be overlooked. Think about having a 35 second enhanced arrow on yourself, and how that will affect the amount of healing you will be able to put out combined with synastry and solid healing or shielding, it's not to be underestimated. Or using that kind of logic, put that arrow on your white mage instead and twiddle your thumbs because his healing will go completely nuts, especially if he pops POM at the same time.

tldr, we make everyone else overpowered just by rolling our cards and getting lucky.

There is no healing in ravana. The real healing takes place in savage especially A3S and A4S.

[Farrell]

I think SE was drunk.

Inb4 AST nerfs.

Welp, you still have a minimal amount of dps, so for progression you won't be replacing the sch. Once things are on farm Ast/Whm might be the best combo, but we aren't there yet. So for progression, you will be trying to replace the whm spot. Can ast do that now? Well, im not totally sold but if you can, the card buffs going out from the solo healer will be amazing. Your hots were already good and now they are even better, but most people have at least watched a vid of what the last two turns of savage are about.Big damage all the time. Combine that with the fact that few ppl have been gearing ast with their eso tomes I would imagine. This combination of events does give some people the opportunity to really shine with the class though. Good luck to anyone going for it.

[lordparanoia]

Thing is, it was possible for astro to solo heal content already. I've seen astros solo heal ravana before like it was no big deal, we bring solid dps buffs to the entire raid along with mana and tp regen, these things are not to be overlooked. Think about having a 35 second enhanced arrow on yourself, and how that will affect the amount of healing you will be able to put out combined with synastry and solid healing or shielding, it's not to be underestimated. Or using that kind of logic, put that arrow on your white mage instead and twiddle your thumbs because his healing will go completely nuts, especially if he pops POM at the same time.

tldr, we make everyone else overpowered just by rolling our cards and getting lucky.

I don't think that we can consider Ravana Extreme something very hard to heal because it's a very easy fight with a small amount of HPS that must be provided to survive.
I'm talking about A3S/A4S

[Noira]

Kinda talking like the end of the world no ?

I highly doubt people will jump on the Astro bandwagon again.

Most likely what will happen is the ones who quit due to the problems astro had will come back (myself included)

[Luvbunny]

One thing is for certain, I will be leveling my AST as soon as I log in next time. Time to ditch the whm

I would not count WHM out just yet, since as of now, there is no healer that can rival the power of healing from WHM. If anything, WHM is your tried and true, safe bet, and by far, the best healer in the game. AST at least now can compete with SCH since with the card tweak, AST buffs is far superior overall and you can almost keep the buffs forever.

WHM is the defacto healer, you always want one if you need a solid healing output. AST is now at least on par, and bring the buffs (granted, still random) to the party, and it can be sustained forever, at least one party member will always get buffs, or everyone could get buffs every 30 seconds (which can be extended). AST is still the third in position when you rank healers in this game, but at least now we are way way better than before patch 3.07.

[Selli]

You don't want MND party buff? :/

asdfghjkl;'\

It really peeves me that ASTs who want to do the current hardest (usually raid) content are limited to half their play style because they offer the same buff as SCHs... at least until the content becomes laughably easy.

[Mog77]

There is no healing in ravana. The real healing takes place in savage especially A3S and A4S.

of course it does, but ravana is relevant content right now and solo healing it a 180 can be tough. You're talking about 1% of the population right now, who can probably manage to solo heal that fight from banging their head on it for 12 hours a week for two weeks at this point. I'm sure anyone with that much practice has a chance of solo healing that fight, if they know it that well, and that even includes astrologist thanks to the buffs. one instance =/= all content in the game.