Thread: Astrologian 5.0 Discussion

I feel like there should still be unique effects on each of the cards. Like, keep the overall damage increase for all the cards, but also include a bonus depend on the card you used.

Balance: 5% Direct Hit Chance Buff
Spear: 5% Critical Chance Buff
Arrow: 5% Recast Time Reduction
Bole: 5% Damage Reduction
Ewer: Increased MP Regen
Spire: Increase HP Regen

Hell, maybe make it so that Divination requires a card to be drawn to use and that bonus effect is spread to the entire party.
Will people fish for the best card still? Yeah, probably, but the best effect is still on the card, the flat damage increase, so it's fine either way.

Originally Posted by Mansion

I agree, it's less "challenging" than current cards but I don't know if it is really that bad, especially if fights need more healing and you Draw more frequently.

Let me help you: it is hella bad

Originally Posted by Rahspdoy

*apparently it wouldnt let me make a new post, so adding to this one*



If no one cared about, or wanted any of the other cards at all, then why even have Astrologist in the game?

Just buy 99 of these: Braised_Pipira and your all set!

Instant Astrologist. +8% damage that lasts for 30 minutes, and with the added benefits of not disappearing when you die. Instant cast time, You didnt have to wait for them to get a tripple set of Signs... and frees up a extra place for another DPS in the group!

Because that is exactly what i feel Astrologist are now. A walking Food buff.

Again, this comes as a surprise to me that this is such an epiphany for many of you. I mean, why do you think your parties always preferred you over WHM since late HW? Did you think it was because you feel you can heal better than they can, or somehow bring more pDPS? Did you think it was because of Synastry, Lightspeed, Essential Dignity, Earthly Star, or Collective Unconscious? Did you think it was because of your access to the Bole, the Spire, the Ewer, or the Arrow?

This is why earlier I said the core concept of AST has not changed with these 5.0 job actions, and that you're still going to be able to do what you've been doing for an entire expansion: Increase rDPS. Despite the ridiculous amount of utility AST currently has, this is the sole reason why you are chosen over WHM and will continue to be. If it was taken away in 5.0, you would be replaced by WHM because at least they will be able to increase damage reduction for the raid, and also very likely bring more pDPS.

The complexity of the current card system that is going away will only be missed by the AST's who enjoyed the fishing. You feel like the job has been disemboweled yet it will still have a warm seat waiting for them in the meta. Would you like to take a guess why? The answer is in your closing statement.

Called it back then. Didn’t trust them when they told us there will be no 4 healer this expansion so they can balance healers and now we got his. Can I have my bahamut and ultima Token for my astro weapon back pls ? So I can buy a weapon for a job that isn’t gutted and feels like a boring farce.

Originally Posted by MrAptronym

Do the cards need to be balanced against each-other though? I think an RNG based mechanic is fine having mediocre, decent and amazing outcomes.

This would be fine if AST was forced to use the card they are dealt like when they first get access to draw @lv30. It is also the only way I can see the cards keeping the effects they currently have, but...

The job gives you tools to try and mitigate what the RNG gives you, having a goal when you use them isn't a bad thing.

The goal determines what you do with the card instead of the situation. Sure, every once in a while you might draw the Ewer after raising a caster, but would you redraw the Balance in this situation to try and get the Ewer? All those RNG mitigation tools just make it more and more like fishing for that single goal. It is bad because the way I see it, it was inevitable that the Balance would cannibalistically devour the entire card system until only it remained. And now here we are.

It could be worse. They've could've scrapped the card system entirely and just gave AST a ogcd that simply increases rDPS by 8% with a 3 minute CD.

Thank you to the other people voicing their frustration with the changes, as I have been very upset to see my favorite healing class in any game simplified and gutted.

AST was about working with what you drew, choosing which card to royal road, etc., and developing a strategy from the chaos. There is barely anything random with the new system and little challenge. Everything that made me main AST and love playing it is being removed.

For those who keep telling us to calm down and stop complaining, consider your favorite class being gutted. If you are excited for aspects of the expansion, that does not mean you cannot have understanding people who are watching their job be ravaged.

Originally Posted by Punslinger

Yes, the fishing was a big part of what made AST engaging. It certainly wasn't the healing, because every healer's toolkit is absurdly powerful relative to the pitiful amounts of incoming damage in FF14's fights. It certainly wasn't our mindless DPS "rotation" consisting of one button we push over and over and over and over and over and over and over. The ONLY unique and even remotely engaging thing about AST was the card system and the tools (TiDi, CelOpp) it had for playing with buffs. Otherwise, it's just a WHM reskin.

I understand that frustration, and know how it feels to have your job gutted. Thing is though a lot of those card buffs were going away one way or the other. We simply could not continue with AST and SCH being able to increase dmg, crit, and speed. Those are all variations of a rDPS increase. Plus they can also increase rDEF on top of that. What truly makes zero sense is they didn't give at least AoE haste to WHM, or AoE cleanse from SCH to WHM? These stay in the realm of their 'pure healer' concept and they just blasted them into space.

You said that "cards aren't jobs" and that we can't just have all BLMs because not everybody likes the BLM playstyle. Yet you see no problem with all three healers playing exactly the same way in 5.0? Having exactly the same "one DoT, one spammable nuke" DPS rotation that AST currently suffers from?

This is a separate issue. I know it is relative to your statements, but answering the questions would veer things off topic. However, I did brush over my thoughts on AST DPS in my initial post in the thread.

There is a vast middle ground between the status quo and the "everything's a Balance" abomination that is Nu-AST. Maybe, just maybe, Balance should have been nerfed instead of copy/pasted onto the other five cards?

The problem IS the Balance. It's a virus within the card system. I actually think letting healers have any form of rDPS is implosive for the healer role in general. The balance is ironically preventing the balance. I think the cards should have different effects too, but none of them are a rDPS increase. Leave that for the DPS. They should get healer related buffs: MP refresh, AoE cleanse, mDEF increase, increased healing from healing magic, ogcd heal, self-haste; there are all kinds of effects they can give to those cards, even if they wanted to keep the 3-seal system they're going with. But I can't emphasize or repeat enough that rDPS increase from healers needs to go away completely.