I keep running into Astro running Shields in Farm PTs as a SCH. (Why?)

[Kurando]

It's not really a competition of who is better though, general PvE content is about working together. Sure if an AST doesn't want to change sects then fine, can't really do anything about it, but there is no harm in asking them to switch. It benefits the entire party much more than playing the sizing contest...

[vVAstrAVv]

Youre taking too literally what was said just to help ops anxiety a bit man -_-

Like in that situation its not really in their own best interest to take even easy content 100% serious when he can just shrug it off with an "oh well ill just be better than them"

It is a game
And while it would be nice
Not everything has to be optimal

[Kurando]

No one said anything "had" to be optimal nor did I suggest people can't play the game how they want. I think you are creating your own interpretation of what I am trying to say. Perhaps it's better if you agree to disagree maybe?

[Risvertasashi]

Preventing damage is still strictly better than healing up the damage later, so you should be going Nocturnal with a WHM even if the shields "don't seem very useful".

I've stopped asking ASTs to switch now. True, I'm on WHM so it's not as bad as SCH have it but it still grates. I can literally feel the overheals ticking away.
But, there are hills to die on and the DF is certainly not one of them.

Frankly, Diurnal is the better stance. Even with a WHM, Diurnal 'should' be used unless shields are absolutely needed (as in, attacks will oneshot the tank/party without the shield. Even most savage/extreme content does not meet this criterion). Saying that preventing damage is better is just flat out wrong. Regens are vastly more effective than shields, allow more uptime for DPSing, are more MP efficient, and so on.

*'should' as in optimal play. If you just find Noct more fun, then by all means use it.

[MoroMurasaki]

Frankly, Diurnal is the better stance. Even with a WHM, Diurnal 'should' be used unless shields are absolutely needed (as in, attacks will oneshot the tank/party without the shield. Even most savage/extreme content does not meet this criterion). Saying that preventing damage is better is just flat out wrong. Regens are vastly more effective than shields, allow more uptime for DPSing, are more MP efficient, and so on.

*'should' as in optimal play. If you just find Noct more fun, then by all means use it.

I would agree here. I enjoy double regen healing, though there are certain weaknesses that you just can't fully cover with it. Some of my favorite o5s&o6s runs were double WHM. The throughput of regens is nothing to laugh at.