It has begun!

[shadowrell_d-_-b]

So I'm navigating the PF looking for potential farm groups for primals to try to get a new mount, and I noticed something I think many already seen coming. Numerous farm group with requirements for double AST! I mean seriously! Mind you I am a sch main and have successfully (and quite efficiently) cleared both SusanEX and lakishaEX with both a whm and ast partner multiple times! I guess when SE decided they wanted to balance the healers they literally only want ast BALANCE in fights (see what I did there) lmao.

No but in all seriousness is this truly balanced when one healer class clearly shines above the rest to the point it's the preferred healer for everything? You created a class that's does exactly what a whm and sch can do better than a whm and sch can do it? SE need to seriously consider its current healer situation and the games population need to stop feeding this mentality that whm and sch arn't effective before this gets further out of hand!

[Medicine]

It's 3.0 Warrior all over again.

[xNewbx]

The farm groups I go in only have 1 healer, and it's an Astro. The content out right now really doesn't require 2 healers if people know what they're doing. And most of the time I'd assume farm groups know what they're doing (not always though... >.>)

[Zojha]

SE's response:
"All healers can clear the content, therefore all healers are viable. It's fine, you need to calm down!"

[paoweeotter]

I've cleared Lakshmi Ex and Susano Ex with Double SCH. The AST-AST PF groups are nothing but sheeple. Following the meta-herd hoping that an overpowered class can carry them in "end-game" Sad.

[Exiled_Tonberry]

SE probably looks at this and goes "eh, they can clear all content, good enough!" And moves on to buff AST more.

Honestly I hope it gets worse. I want the power gap between AST and WHM/SCH to be apparent, and that starts with locking them out of PF.

[MsTanya]

I had a similar issue where many of the party finder groups had healer slots with only whm/ast available, sch wasn't even an option. So disheartening.

[Starflake]

I've cleared Lakshmi Ex and Susano Ex with Double SCH. The AST-AST PF groups are nothing but sheeple. Following the meta-herd hoping that an overpowered class can carry them in "end-game" Sad.

Or, you know, picking classes which bring the most to a raid for faster clears and thus better productivity?

[Exiled_Tonberry]

Or, you know, picking classes which bring the most to a raid for faster clears and thus better productivity?

Seriously, people act like choosing the obvious best jobs is being a tool or something.
These are not small differences. 20% balance and chain is the difference between wiping from low DPS/multiple deaths and clearing.
Why wouldn't you want that over fucking Plenary Indulgence?

[Fernosaur]

Or, you know, picking classes which bring the most to a raid for faster clears and thus better productivity?

Tbf, double AST is a terrible combination due to the lack of passive healing from NoctAST, and only ends up making matters worse for both healers.

Yes, AST is ridiculously powerful, we all know that, but NoctAST continues and will continue to be crap and unable to bring what SCH can bring with the passive and literally free healing, both in AoE and single target, as nerfed as Embrace and Fey Illumination were.

This, however, is precisely the problem that WHM faces. AST+WHM will never be quite efficient so long as NoctAST cannot completely replace SCH's passive healing output. People who go around thinking double AST is the optimal meta are delusional and have no idea what efficient healing looks like. The problem here isn't that NoctAST is "weak," it's just that the design itself of Astrologian is flat out terrible from its conception, since it was made to replace either WHM or SCH in a party instead of allowing it to have its own identity.