It has begun!

[Starflake]

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.

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 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.

As someone who mains a WHM now instead of SCH with a Noct Astro healer, I have no idea what you are talking about. Embrace isn't even that great. Noct AST has greater shields, single target and aoe (beats succor). The only thing that it does not have is a spreadlo, which is rarely required purely in itself. AST also has a better bubble to stand in. It has access to Bole and all sorts of party buffs. WHM raw healing is incredibly strong and so is its DPS. Its a perfectly fine combo and perhaps the strongest one out there at the moment.