Possible AST nerf

[Reilyn]

AST Aspected Benefic regen average 2.8-2.9k tick
WHM Regen average 2.8-2.9k tick
Result: Basically the same

AST aspected benefic has a 200 potency initial heal portion.
WHM regen does not. Seems like you forgotten that?

The potency of diurnal aspected benefic is actually 220 initial, 154 per tick after sect bonus. It does one less tick than regen, but the initial heal more than makes up for it, and AST has the option of using time dialation + celestial opposition every once in a while to increase duration.

Exiled_Tonberry was actually right to say that AST regen is stepping on WHM toes in the regen department. It's close when it comes to medica 2 vs diurnal aspected helios, but AST's regen equivalent is just better than WHM's for the added use of being a passable upfront heal, on top of already beating its total potency, and still having the option to extend its duration.

Don't like to have to do this 'pick apart'-thing, but it just keeps coming.

Noct Astro needs to have more potent shields because they don't have any access to regen

SCH's regen is tied to one fairy, has a 21 second effect with a minute cooldown, and overheals alot. Most of the time in full parties, people don't just wait to let the HOT do the work, which is why things like medica2, and diurnal aspected helios tend to overheal.

If you're counting the fairy embrace heal as a sort of regen, it's there to alleviate the fact SCH doesn't have benefic 2/Cure 2. Mind you, it has been nerfed every expansion release, and it's healing potency is lower than the displayed 250 would have you believe since it's a pet.

no shield deploy

Really? A 2 min CD is an excuse?

nor does it have any free mitigation debuffs from Eos.

It increases each player's magic defense stat on their character sheet by 20% of what it was, and that's the only free mitigation buff Eos gives, which is almost the equivalent of putting on another set of magically-resistant pants. Again, another 2min CD. AST has the option of setting up the bole if you're desperate for mitigation, which would likely be more effective than Fey Covenant anyway.

All of this isn't convincing me that AST's shields are entitled to have a cheaper MP cost, and no cast time in the case nocturnal sect's aspected benefic's on top of superior shielding all the time in nocturnal sect. You're not making a very good case.

[Waliel]

stuff that bounces between players

I would give up my left buttocks for Prayer of Mending. Actually, give me WotLK era disc Priest, and I'd probably give up playing BLM this instant.

[loreleidiangelo]

They need to focus healing styles. If they want SCH as a shield healer, really go all out - think Cata/MoP discipline priest levels of shield healing with not just a single target and aoe bubble but raid defensive shields, cooldowns to turn healing into more shields, shields on crit, etc. WHM's current focus of "raw throughput" isn't enough - they need to focus how they get that throughput. They could easily turn it into a powerful regen-based healer. AST could perhaps shine through (in addition to their cards) ground-based healing/buffs, delayed/triggered heals akin to Earthly Star (perhaps a single target version of it?), stuff that bounces between players... anything to get them away from the overly simple "single target button, aoe button".

AST's entire design is hot garbage, tbh, and I say this as someone who mains it and was so excited for it prior to Heavensward. It's just basically impossible to balance in it's current state without glaring homogenization of its card system. Heals like a WHM or heals like a SCH, but has utility that neither of them can hope to match. Obviously I'd prefer if they didn't give our card utility away to the other two healers, so that leaves the only things the developers can really target as the "heals like a..." part.

My most fervent wish is for a remake of this job already come 5.0. The card system sans the OP-ness of Balance is a great system with decent versatility, decision-making, and flow, and I'd prefer not to have that gutted in any way. Just let it contribute to healing in a different way and then players can make the choice about whether AST's heals fit in with their comp enough to make it worth the card buffs, or if WHM and SCH healing work better with the encounter or group design.

I would give up my left buttocks for Prayer of Mending. Actually, give me WotLK era disc Priest, and I'd probably give up playing BLM this instant.

WoW gets crapped on a lot in these forums, but I still maintain that their healer design is leaps and bounds ahead of XIV. Playing a Resto Shaman feels nothing like playing a Holy Priest, even though they both fill the same niche in a raid. A Mistweaver Monk is nothing like a Holy Pally, which is nothing like a Disc Priest. They're all diverse, and as of Nighthold raid in Legion at least they're all fairly well-balanced against one another.

[Naunet]

I would give up my left buttocks for Prayer of Mending. Actually, give me WotLK era disc Priest, and I'd probably give up playing BLM this instant.

Oh man, I miss Wrath disc so much. xD (Though I loved Cata and early MoP disc too.)

But yeah, when I said that, I was thinking something akin to PoM or even Chain Heal. A ripple effect could also be neat, where you place a star on someone and it expires/you detonate it, it also bounces to other players nearby.

My most fervent wish is for a remake of this job already come 5.0. The card system sans the OP-ness of Balance is a great system with decent versatility, decision-making, and flow, and I'd prefer not to have that gutted in any way. Just let it contribute to healing in a different way and then players can make the choice about whether AST's heals fit in with their comp enough to make it worth the card buffs, or if WHM and SCH healing work better with the encounter or group design.

I agree! It needs to be distinguished COMPLETELY from WHM and SCH, not just "a little of one, some of the other".

[Aomine1992]

If devs start going around with a buffing stick every time theres a balance issue well eventually reach a problem with power creep, with super high number and a super high gap between jobs.

Lol well the issue with balancing is that the other healers should be where AST is now, especially SCH, WHM needs some minor tweaks on skills But I find it weird that SCH was stepping on healer classes all HW with dps, pretty much the same healing output as a WHM, and OP shields and now its a huge issue because AST is the potent healer this time around which was arguably the worst healer before but party buffs yay :/

But as for nocturnal they could lower the shields a bit but not whole a lot or WHM/AST parties will be kind of dumb like it was before when the shields where out right terrible, But yea nerfing one will not fix any of these issues

[Daralii]

Lol well the issue with balancing is that the other healers should be where AST is now, especially SCH, WHM needs some minor tweaks on skills But I find it weird that SCH was stepping on healer classes all HW with dps, pretty much the same healing output as a WHM, and OP shields and now its a huge issue because AST is the potent healer this time around which was arguably the worst healer before but party buffs yay :/

But as for nocturnal they could lower the shields a bit but not whole a lot or WHM/AST parties will be kind of dumb like it was before when the shields where out right terrible, But yea nerfing one will not fix any of these issues

I remember how AST was released with worse healing and personal DPS than either of the other two healers because of their group utility. The result was that no one used them and they had to keep being buffed throughout the majority of Heavensward.

[loreleidiangelo]

I remember how AST was released with worse healing and personal DPS than either of the other two healers because of their group utility. The result was that no one used them and they had to keep being buffed throughout the majority of Heavensward.

It's kinda like everyone forgets that Bałance wasn't as good as it is now, that Redraw could give you the same card and was on a two-minute cooldown, and that Spread was on like a three-minute cooldown too!

Can we maybe accept that if AST's AOE Balance had the same power and ease of aquisition that it does now that MAYBE groups would have magically learned to live with the lower healing? Don't get me wrong, Lightspeed and Disable were stupidly ineffectual and I'm glad they got changed. I'm glad Synastry became a throughput buff too. But did ASTs REALLY need the buffed Lumi Aether, the better Soil-Asylum hybrid AND the buffed potencies to their basic heals? Benefic was only 20 potency less than Cure, a 5% healing downgrade. FIVE PERCENT, in a game where healing requirements are already laughably lax. I guarantee that if those few targeted areas had been buffed (card QoL, adding throughput to Synastry, fixing Disable and Lightspeed) that no one would have given a crap about AST's "lower heals".

tl;dr AST's problem at launch wasn't just "weaker healing", it was stupidly punitive abilities like Lightspeed and Disable, and much lower odds of AOEing a Balance than we have now that made it undesirable at launch. Its healing could easily get the bat now and groups would still take it for Balance, even if they took WHM/SCH for initial clears/prog.

[PharisHanasaki]

You do realize that, as far as development time goes (which costs money), it takes a lot less time to alter 1 job than it does to alter 2+ jobs.

For real? You do realize SCH is under performing right now more than AST is OP. Yeah, nerf AST so all jobs can suck equally.

On a side note, I find it funny that 2 years ago 'AST sucked please rework'. Now it's OP and everyone is crying over it.

[TankHunter678]

I'm glad Synastry became a throughput buff too.

I personally hate that they split Synastry into 2 90 sec cooldowns. So I basically have to burn 2 cooldowns for the same effect back in HW I got with 1 cooldown. Also I liked HW Lightspeed because of Stoneskin. Now I rarely use it unless its for healer checks like Akh Morn.

[SendohJin]

On a side note, I find it funny that 2 years ago 'AST sucked please rework'. Now it's OP and everyone is crying over it.

AST healing needs a rework like BRD got. it shouldn't have a SCH stance and a WHM stance, that's weird.