Learning how to properly play AST

[Kerrigen]

Lol love all the hate nocturnal sect is getting. I have watched an astro solo heal ravana ex in nocturnal. I can't do it personally, but I'm trying to get better with it. Personally nocturnal to me is fun as shit. And very helpful. But yes, you do more overall healing in diurnal.

Ravana ex was solo healable like 5 months ago, I'm not sure this is a good benchmark.

[AzureFlare]

Lol love all the hate nocturnal sect is getting. I have watched an astro solo heal ravana ex in nocturnal. I can't do it personally, but I'm trying to get better with it. Personally nocturnal to me is fun as shit. And very helpful. But yes, you do more overall healing in diurnal.

Only two parts about Ravana ex that made it difficult solohealing Ravana was the second 'neutral stance' phase, and the third one. Once you get the timing down for the AoE you can just pre-cast Helios and get right back to healing the MT. Not difficult at all.

And nocturnal sect isn't getting the hate, but no one wants to speak the forbidden words since we all know what happened when we got remotely close, so asking for nocturnal to get buffed/revised (or AST as a whole) seems more lucrative. Nocturnal sect is fine in a vacuum, behind Diurnal but being able to grant more eHP than Diurnal and stronger burst healing (and making AST ridiculously mobile). The results show in Seize Rock where Nocturnal Sect shines, but fights like that won't happen in PvE for the next 3 years or so, if we are lucky.

AST plays out really nice compared to the other healers when you get the 'combo' feel going, where you can chain CU into an AoE card into LA + CO, or similar combos with Synastry + LA&CO, but it also means you might need to delay LA for longer than you want or give up on the extended LA which makes your cooldowns line up differently and may hurt in the long run.

[GarnetTribal]

Lol love all the hate nocturnal sect is getting. I have watched an astro solo heal ravana ex in nocturnal. I can't do it personally, but I'm trying to get better with it. Personally nocturnal to me is fun as shit. And very helpful. But yes, you do more overall healing in diurnal.

The fight is rhythmic. Just like Shiva, if you get it down, you don't really have to take any damage. Solo healing Ravana isn't saying much.

[NamoNanamo]

Don't spread such rubbish about me when you clearly don't know anything about me or my posting history, thx.

I don't need to know about your posting history.
You think you are better than him, you think you are clearly stating fact but you aren't.
I don't care that you want Astro to be the best healer, I don't care that Ast is your favorite healer. It's not relevant at all.

This is a fact, and anyone who says otherwise is honestly highly uneducated. /sarcasm

Now, if you want to prove that whm/sch is better than Ast. Don't give "fact" but explain why you think they are better.

[FoxyAreku]

I don't need to know about you posting history.
You think you are better than him, you think you are clearly stating fact but you aren't.
I don't care that you want Astro to be the best healer, I don't care that Ast is your favorite healer. It's not relevant at all.

I don't agree about your "fact" and you didn't really explain.

This is a fact, and anyone who says otherwise is honestly highly uneducated. /sarcasm

I don't think I'm better than anybody, I just know Vlady is biased. Being biased doesn't make you any worse than anyone else, rather rude of you to think that I'd say. It just makes arguing with you pointless, hence why I don't give him the time of day.

Maybe, instead of attacking me, we can have a reasonable, intelligent conversation and you can tell me which points you felt weren't backed up enough? I'll gladly present facts to any claim I've made in here. I will admit I was rather vague with some of the backing just for the sake of saving time.

[Vlady]

I am biased when I am asking for each job to remain relevant in thier own category? White mage should be the supreme raw healer in numbers. Scholar should be the mitigation with the toolkit to help with damage. Astrologian should be able to use both stances during combat and bring group buffs and thier own unique healing mechanic which we have a golden opportunity with nocturnal.

[Leigaon]

Came here for this and lots of great little tips for playing AST. I just started last night and I was loving it trying to remember the cards..I'm a White mage and SCH normally, so I figured AST would be territory I was use to.

So far the healing is fine but maybe that changes later? I'm not talking about Savage, I never plan to go into Savage. Right now I enjoy having my instant heal at a low level and am ready to start managing my regens / shields as time goes on.

One thing I was wondering though are the cards, it seems that a lot of people are not aware of them even being on them. Or if they are casted on them, what they do. I guess I need to make macros, if anyone has any short handed descriptions I can let people know what they go.

I understand my use of cards will change down the road..using RR to boost the next or what I have stored. Still there's have already been some times where I will cast say the spear, on a heavy OGCD job like a PLD who normally buffs up before boss runs, won't bother or activate before I can give it which is my fault for not letting them know I guess.

Or Ewer for the BLM who might be able to get off an extra fire spell? Or is it not that potent?

From what I've read and my understanding two things, so please correct me.

Spear: Reduces OGCD by 20% only ones that are activated at that point? So ones that are already activated, it won't help them at all? I was hoping it would, then that would help a lot more but maybe that's too OP of a change to ask for.

Shuffle: I originally thought it was "Okay I got spear..shuffle" and it would take Spear out of the equation so I can get Balance or something else. Seems that's not the case..I guess there's nothing I can do to fight against that is there? Unless they change it?

[Nekotee]

We would all move to macro pour card to let people know when and what they do...
But it would require like 24 macro for all card and RR card

NEVER use Ewer on a black mage, he will hate you so much for messing up his cycle

Spear... Useful for RR
Or if you are about to use luminiferous aether or any of you long CD (useless on essential dignity)

[Leigaon]

NEVER use Ewer on a black mage, he will hate you so much for messing up his cycle

So it's not about whether it gives them more MP to do anything it's the fact they have to break their current DPS cycle? Limits it a bit more then I guess since I don't think it helps DRK's at all, as a SMN I don't ever really have MP issues unless I'm just not paying attention. Guess that leaves it for...PLDs? Would it even benefit a bard keeping buffs up a bit longer if needed?

[Vlady]

Bards cant benefit from mana song do I doubt ewer refresh would work.