Regarding AST

[basketofseals]

Anyone who thinks AST is in a bad spot right now is kidding themselves. No healer is weak right now.

Regardless of balance, I still retain that it's a poorly designed job. AST is less notable for what it has, and is more so notable for what WHM doesn't have. It has very few tools and way too many situational ones. They don't even bring the best damage buffs.

Regarding Medica 2, it is only a tiny bit better after considering the AST stance bonus and is not something that can be spammed. It only needs to be cast every 30 seconds for 100% uptime. That doesn’t make up for Helios, Asp. Benedict, Benedict 1, and Benedict 2 being strongest in their respective category. Those can be spammed every 2.5 seconds so the impact has the potential to be much higher when a lot of healing is required.

ASTs higher potencies come with the very significant drawback of having the worst oGCD healing in the game by far. They HAVE to spend most of their time healing compared to the other jobs. The gap between SCH and AST is simply too wide.

[KDSilver]

Anyone who thinks AST is in a bad spot right now is kidding themselves. No healer is weak right now.

Ast isn't in a bad spot. Ast isn't weak.
I totally agree. We're far from what healers were in Heavensward.

However, Ast still stay weaker than Whm and Sch.
Only a full aoe balance uptime would make it better at increasing raid dps.
He still lacks of oGCD healing and has the worst mana among healers.

Yes, every healers are totally capable of doing the content, even very well.
He's just behind but it's more balanced now so it's okay.

What hurt Ast is Whm being able to use Devine Benision every 30s and Sch having succor buffed.
A good WHM who can provide a very good healing and dps overshadow ast buff. And SCH is SCH. His versatile toolkit, aetherflow and fairy and buffs will always make him far better than ast as the "shielder healer".

But again, I repeat myself, it doesn't make Ast weak at all. They made good adjustment so far.
That's just an analysis over all my game experience and everything I've read and watched among the FFXIV community

If they had to make adjustments right now (it's not necessary cause Ast can still do the job well, but in comparison with other healers..) it could be really small. Like maybe increase Malefic III potency to 230. Reduce Aspected Helios and Benefic mana cost (small reduce). Cause Ast lost one server tick for his mana refresh. Luminferous Aether used to be at 24s (+10 with CO).
And yes, one small increase to Malefic because as I said, Ast can't beat WHM unless he has great aoe uptime buff (especially balance).
And a very small potency buff to Nocturnal Stance who still can't compete with Scholar's toolkit. (aspected helio especially).

Any major changes will be done at 5.0

Also, I agree a 4th healer is needeed so Astrologian could gain his "own indentity" (and not just the "be paired with a whm or a sch")

[LachleinStratos]

Ast isn't in a bad spot. Ast isn't weak.
I totally agree. We're far from what healers were in Heavensward.

However, Ast still stay weaker than Whm and Sch.
Only a full aoe balance uptime would make it better at increasing raid dps.
He still lacks of oGCD healing and has the worst mana among healers.

Yes, every healers are totally capable of doing the content, even very well.
He's just behind but it's more balanced now so it's okay.

What hurt Ast is Whm being able to use Devine Benision every 30s and Sch having succor buffed.
A good WHM who can provide a very good healing and dps overshadow ast buff. And SCH is SCH. His versatile toolkit, aetherflow and fairy and buffs will always make him far better than ast as the "shielder healer".

But again, I repeat myself, it doesn't make Ast weak at all. They made good adjustment so far.
That's just an analysis over all my game experience and everything I've read and watched among the FFXIV community

If they had to make adjustments right now (it's not necessary cause Ast can still do the job well, but in comparison with other healers..) it could be really small. Like maybe increase Malefic III potency to 230. Reduce Aspected Helios and Benefic mana cost (small reduce). Cause Ast lost one server tick for his mana refresh. Luminferous Aether used to be at 24s (+10 with CO).
And yes, one small increase to Malefic because as I said, Ast can't beat WHM unless he has great aoe uptime buff (especially balance).
And a very small potency buff to Nocturnal Stance who still can't compete with Scholar's toolkit. (aspected helio especially).

Any major changes will be done at 5.0

Also, I agree a 4th healer is needeed so Astrologian could gain his "own indentity" (and not just the "be paired with a whm or a sch")

I really like this thanks for sharing! Totally agree about astrologian need his own identity. Cant wait to see this come true.

[Waemliht]

Healers are p balanced I agree. I'm pretty sure astrologian has mana problems though? Maybe tune some mana costs and make their aoe gained at a lower level. I don't play astrologian but it looks like clipping hell. I think asts have been wanting a ruin or smth.

[LachleinStratos]

Healers are p balanced I agree. I'm pretty sure astrologian has mana problems though? Maybe tune some mana costs and make their aoe gained at a lower level. I don't play astrologian but it looks like clipping hell. I think asts have been wanting a ruin or smth.

Ast probably need to manage mana more carefully however
The ewer + time dilation and
lucid dreaming + celestial opposition
Are both pretty good

[Ametrine]

I have a hard time with the idea of SCH outbuffing and outhealing healing AST with a Fey Wind/Chain as Fey Wind means Selene usage, and losing access to Whispering Dawn and Fey Illumination, which is a steep cut to SCH's overall heal potency. Which is the entire point of Selene verses Eos.

AST, either stance, will never gut itself one way or the other like fairy choice does. You still have all the powerful heals, and still have access to the cards. (And said cards are far more forgiving between the Spear changes and Minor Arcana).

It's pretty balanced.

Also, might just be a stylistic choice, but Noct Aspected Benefic and Essential Dignity always felt like plenty for instant saves, further boosted by good Lightspeed usage, at least next to SCH who heavily relies on OGCD heals for most actions.

[VanilleFang]

Forgive me if I'm a bit jaded toward supposed AST weakness at the moment. Current meta still calls for SCH/AST comp, after prog.

I'm also a bit confused why it always seems that some AST mains always act as if the sky is falling when they aren't blatantly OP. AST is in a perfectly fine place right now. Healers have no where near the level of disparity that they had in HW.

[KDSilver]

I'm not main AST (if that's what you understood)
I'm raiding as a Scholar most of the time, but I play the three healer. (and play as a scholar almost since the beginning of my sub)

I like healing in general and the three of them.
I never debate around healer because "my class is not OP" or anything. (something i find stupid)

As I said no they aren't like in HW indeed. I was just pointing some Ast's weakness in comparison.
But yes, right now, there's no need for any changes, even if some really little changes could eventually be good.
But again, not absolutly needeed to heal properly.

[VanilleFang]

snip.

I wasn't referring to you. Sorry if it seemed I was.

[Vyriah]

What about AST OGCD game is weak ? They clearly have the most powerfull ones, that's why they don't have a lot of them. And they have pretty low cooldown for what they do. Again, a simple healer vs healer vs healer means absolutly nothing. Everyone use this to make every other job both the worst and the best at the same time.

It's the healer that would benefit the most from having an instant cast spell, but they sure don't need more OGCD they alreday have. Most of AST gameplay is OGCD, just managing cards is 6 OGCD, 9 with discards. Clearly, having even more of them won't get AST a better uptime at all. It'll make the job much more cluncky to play.

We absolutly don't need healer that are tailored arround what SCH is right now.