Please do not nerf Astrologian instead buff WHM/SCH

[dynus]

When I play my AST the feeling is no where near the same as WHM or SCH, as I have played all three, AST to lvl 68, WHM to 60 and SCH to at least the early 50s, I feel 3 very distinct, very different play styles. While AST has the ability to apply regens like WHM can, there is still the undeniable fact that both classes are very different. I wouldnt wanna play AST if it were to suddenly change. This is not to say that I cannot adapt, just that I love how it is designed with such fervor that I wouldnt be willing to continue if the design Ive come to love was suddenly gone. This has nothing to do with it's strengths or weaknesses, just purely how it has been designed. Take that away, and my reason for playing the class is taken, I wouldnt be surprised if others feel the same.

Addendum: I understand that people here in this thread are just giving their thoughts, their ideas, but radically altering AST, even just two of it's abilities, isnt going to solve the present issues with SCH, or whatever issues there are with WHM.

If they don't change that then maybe they should reduce the potency of the shields and regens granted by the Sects. A. Helios is either a Medica II with a slightly less potent regen effect or a Succor with better shielding. A. Benefic is a bit harder to compare, but running the math, it provides a better shield than Aldo despite the lower potency. It's seriously bad design that it can do that. So lower the potency of the regens and shield by like, half, (not the base heals though, that would be bad) but let ASTs have the ability to switch between Sects in battle with a five second cool down, or something.

Fact still remains, AST as a hybrid job shouldn't outstrip the other healers at their specialties. I mean, you could argue White Mages are the pure healers, and in that case, it's not outstripping them.

[Ootarion]

Fact still remains, AST as a hybrid job shouldn't outstrip the other healers at their specialties. I mean, you could argue White Mages are the pure healers, and in that case, it's not outstripping them.

White Mage: Benediction, Tetragrammton, Assize, Asylum, four very strong and useful OFF GLOBAL cooldown abilities used for healing and can be chained together without any interruption in what they do.

Astrologians: Essential Dignity (not anywhere near as good as Benediction despite its shorter cooldown), Collective Unconscious (requires you to remain MOTIONLESS, IE you cannot turn or move), Earthly Star (requires at least 11 seconds to reach maximum strength and even then if the enemies move out of it, it is useless and if your party doesnt stand in it for the heal, again, useless). So really, most times, ASTs at best only have 3 useful Off Global Cooldown abilities (3 if you are including Lady of Crowns which is a 550 Potency instant heal that is off global), but they are hardly as useful as Benediction, Tetragrammaton, Assize and Asylum.

Scholar: Powerful damage mitigation, at least they used to prior to SB, but that problem can be fixed with them getting buffed

[simiii]

Benediction-is 180 cd that more often then not don't even save the person cuz of its delay.

Essential dignity-heals ALMOST just as much as a benediction it's on a 15-30 sec cd (idr) and best part of all no delay!

Asylum - is no where near being considered a "strong" ogcd it's more like "oh it's up might as well toss it somewhere"

Tetra* only skill I can consider "strong" even tho it's just a insta cure2 but weaker and on a longer cd then essential dignity

Assize* was a great skill was one of a kind only skill in game that heal and did damage......and then ast got earthly star lol. Fun fact you don't need wait the 10 seconds for earthly star you can insta pop it and it's still pretty damn strong

But hey since your so ungrateful about your essential dignity and think benediction is all that maybe just maybe we can work together to get se to swap skills? I'll even throw in pi and my 68 trait and my lily's just for essential dignity.

[Minizomb]

........

How is it not saving someone? Isn't it an instant cast like essential? Essential used to be 60s now its what 40s. So I can understand why whm would be upset with how long a cooldown of benediction is.

Well, I doubt people are instant popping star it's not that great at the first level and timing the skill by far more helpful. Unless you're going to save someone with it immediately, why pop it. timing and knowing the fight is far more productive use of star when you can time it to hit an aoe dmg and save some mp. If your bitter about the damage I could honestly lose the damage on it I don't use star for the damage. Its more about saving some mp on heals after aoe dmg.

I personally like astro were its sitting at but I didn't have all to much trouble even before it was buffed.Then again I don't try to match it next to other heals. I play it becouse I like its toolkit and style.

[Verdan]

How is it not saving someone? Isn't it an instant cast like essential? Essential used to be 60s now its what 40s. So I can understand why whm would be upset with how long a cooldown of benediction is.

Benediction, as with Hallowed Ground, only takes effect after the ANIMATION is complete. Ask paladins how many times they've hit that button and died, and it's the same with us.

Also, the heal at level 1? That's much better than Assize. It's actually the same as Cure 3.

[Minizomb]

....

Why do you have to yell animation, lol.

That is rather annoying it's like the stall of celestial opposition and takes a few before it actually pops the status and that one drives me nuts, they really should change benediction. Nothing worse than thinking your saving someone and it wasn't fast enough and you hit yourself instead. Lots of timing associated with benediction then, have to count in your animation like celestial which is annoying, would be worse for benediction celestial really more timing and knowing the fight then popping it just in case. They really need to reduce the timer then on benediction and fix it to instant cast would probably help the most for it.

What heals at level one? We start at 30, so I don't even remember a level one? Do you mean ben at lvl 2? or do you mean you get essential to soon? That only really matters in roulette and I think we get it at 15.

[Verdan]

What heals at level one? We start at 30, so I don't even remember a level one? Do you mean ben at lvl 2? or do you mean you get essential to soon? That only really matters in roulette and I think we get it at 15.

I thought it was clear enough in context that I was talking about Earthly Star level 1, but I guess not. It's heal is a potency of 540, which is more than Assize's 300. It's basically the same as Cure 3's 550.

[simiii]

Benediction is insta cast the heal itself has a delay to it. Idk how explain it if you ever used benediction you would notice. I don't even use it as a emergency heal anymore I just use it as a "I don't want stop dpsing" heal.