AST soloing in Seal Rock

[Sylkis]

Do you think playing without the rest of the party is viable?

AST has:
-Natural provoke in pvp
-Good self mitigation and both short and long term survivability


I play it this way and it is enjoyable in its own way (video) but the rest of the team thinks its not good, because obviously the party is one healer down. I justify going off on my own by thinking it distracts the enemies (like using CC) and its sometimes possible to encourage the two opposing GCs to fight each other by pulling them to each other. This provides some indirect benefits to the team.


Without consideration to the fun factor, what do you think? Is it a viable strategy.

[Dimitrii]

I see AST do this sometimes on my data center. Sure you can go around kiting 1 to 4 ppl indefinitely but this assumes you are playing against idiots who would actually waste their time chasing a lone ast. I myself as a dragoon do not bother chasing them and if they try to get my attention in a feeble attempt to provoke me to chase them (usually by trying to heavy me, stun me or cast dots for pathetic dmg on me) I will literally spam /laugh emote at them for a couple seconds and just keep on ignoring them. You would be much more valuable to your team assisting them at nodes than wandering off hoping you can find a couple of noobs who would actually chase you all over the map.

[Sylkis]

I see AST do this sometimes on my data center. Sure you can go around kiting 1 to 4 ppl indefinitely but this assumes you are playing against idiots who would actually waste their time chasing a lone ast. I myself as a dragoon do not bother chasing them and if they try to get my attention in a feeble attempt to provoke me to chase them (usually by trying to heavy me, stun me or cast dots for pathetic dmg on me) I will literally spam /laugh emote at them for a couple seconds and just keep on ignoring them. You would be much more valuable to your team assisting them at nodes than wandering off hoping you can find a couple of noobs who would actually chase you all over the map.

Getting people to chase forever never happens on my server (JP server), mostly I try to close the gap between the 2 opposing GCs. Everyone that attacks me usually gives up and goes out after a minute or less if I don't die.

[Cidel]

Personally, I think if you're goal is to run around fairly aimlessly and troll a GC (that your own team may not even be focusing on), you're not being very productive, so in that sense I agree with Dimitrii that you're better off actually, you know, being around people that need heals. And I also agree that any less than 4 people chasing an AST or SCH who already has momentum on them could be wasting time.

You at one point "distracted" an enemy GC at a tomelith who looked like they weren't going anywhere anyway (a WAR that I assume didn't even see you just stood at that tomelith up the cliff at mid). However, I'm not going to deny that ASTs are a great independent job; and if you're going to be running off on your own, I'd hope you're at least preempting tomelith spawns in potentially risky areas or stealing unguarded ones. I love AST's ability to keep itself alive in tight situations, but I'm not going to be constantly putting myself in harm's way alone just because I can. Especially when you inevitably run into a small group of players that know how to stunlock + melt even the mighty SCHs and ASTs.

I'd feel more useful tossing constant heals + Noct shields on other party members that can actually kill enemies.

EDIT: If all it takes is one AST to pull an entire team into a pointless fight with the other opposing team, I can't help but feel like you've just discovered some terrible players and any player worth their salt would turn around as soon as they see you running into the other team's camp.

[Sylkis]

You at one point "distracted" an enemy GC at a tomelith who looked like they weren't going anywhere anyway (a WAR that I assume didn't even see you just stood at that tomelith up the cliff at mid)

The video was for fun, but the situation was the WAR used a knockback and sent me there but didn't know I didn't fall off. He later realises but falls off trying to come to me. My team controls the tomelith just below, so I think it kept them busy from attacking the tome below. Either way, video was for fun and isn't really related.

EDIT: If all it takes is one AST to pull an entire team into a pointless fight with the other opposing team

To clarify, its a fight for a tomelith, so the enemy has a choice to attack our tomelith or the other teams tomelith (and both may seem to be reasonable choices). I try to get them to attack the other one.

e.g. I am in team A and there are 4 tomeliths on the map:

A-------B
---------
A------
------C

A: 100/800
B: 300/800
C: 200/800

C has the choice of attacking A or B:
C may attack A as A is likely to be not as defended as B, because team A has 2 tomeliths to defend
C may attack B as B is in the lead

From here I will go into C from the north and try to lure them up to attack B's tomelith. Once team B comes in contact with member of C, their alliances may commit to a teamfight or back off. Either way, members from their team have been drawn away from A.

I can't help but feel like you've just discovered some terrible players and any player worth their salt would turn around as soon as they see you running into the other team's camp.

Yes, it only works if enough people are commited chasing me. It usually ends in me dying halfway if theres half their alliance there (or the other GC comes as well and they meet up and I get away), but they end up continuing going up for the other GC's tomelith after I die. When its less than 4 people, they will turn around and go back when they see the other GC. At that point I run along with them who are running away, applying heavy etc then funny stuff happens - probably no major effect on the game itself

[Redfame]

Atm is the astro to strong for pvp, there is whm and schol a joke.
1,5k-3k heal + 130% from heal as shield, so you have 3k-6k at the end! And that with an instant cast ...!!??
Don't know what SE do, maybe they should play there own game and not only put the shit in.
Check my astro video to this topic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2o9XSI5bTtc

Sry, now right link.

[Evangela]

AST is the most OP healer right now. 2-3 DPS can gang up on one AST and he would be survived for a minute then the DPS will give up and let him go.

[Maxwell]

Baiting people into your kill zone is a perfectly viable strategy, but please do this within the scope of your team's objectives. Just dont abandon your team and play seal rock all alone. It would make you a burden for everyone.

[LStarbreeze]

It really depends on what's going on in the field. I play SCH and I only do something like this to delay another GC from hitting my tomelith, but eventually run back. A few dps will get mad they couldn't kill me, so I can run into my GC and get a few kills from tunnel visioned dps. That and the 10-15 second set back can make a big difference. It's the only time I feel really comfortable doing it. But, yes, a viable strategy, if your team doesn't need you healing. That is your primary responsibility. Unless, I would say, there are two or more other healers in your party. I often choose to play SCH just so I can tank more instead of heal. If I see the other healers suck, then I heal full time. Like I said, it depends. Are there other healers? Are they keeping up? Does your GC need you? Etc.

[Rollan]

As someone who does shot calling for the Adders; I main AST and I do almost exactly what OP says.
Almost sounds like a troll, but it's not. AST's superior healing and slipperiness allows us to do the following sorts of tactics.

-AST and NIN are the two jobs who can effectively "scout" the other team and still make it out alive.

-AST shines when you can completely "Provoke" a whole alliance of dumb melee to attack you, use Attunement, and have multiple caster LBs go off where you are. Bye bye.

-AST even further shines when you can redirect an entire alliance to go one way (maybe even into attacking another alliance instead, or having a team go mid accidentally because of you) This effectively prevents sandwiches and can put you in prime attacking position for kills.

I really should stop giving out my secrets.