Thread: Astrologian 5.0 Discussion

Originally Posted by Mansion

Now I do feel the new system is a bit lackluster. Having each pair of seal having a different effect would have been nice (DMG, Crit and DH up for instance), even if it's just flavour because it ends up in DPS up anyway. Then I wish we would have had a system like Divination that would spread card effects based on active Seals... It would have been a nice compensation for losing Royal Road.

Remember that cards where changed in the early 4.0X patches, so there is still hope there.

Nice idea, and to add or change to my previous post:

Originally Posted by Seraphor

The biggest downside to this Card system gutting, is the lack of agency we now have.

Sure, fishing for Balance might be irritating, but you did have options in Spear and Arrow, and the option to decide where these cards would be most effective.
Who’s doing the most damage? Who benefits more from Crit? Who benefits more from speed?
Now, you get a half-Balance to use on the player the game has selected for you to use it on… which basically makes the melee/ranged distinction pointless, you will use it on whichever gives the full effect.

How I would do it:

Minor Arcana and Seals stay as they are. Lord/Lady giving 8/4% to melee/ranged, and Divination giving AoE 6/3% based on Seals.

Balance: 8/4% Direct Hit to Melee/Ranged, grants a Solar Seal
Arrow: 8/4% Speed to Melee/Ranged, grants a Lunar Seal
Spear: 8/4% Critical Hit to Melee/Ranged, grants a Celestial Seal

Bole: 8/4% Direct Hit to Ranged/Melee, grants a Solar Seal
Ewer: 8/4% Speed to Ranged/Melee, grants a Lunar Seal
Spire: 8/4% Critical Hit to Ranged/Melee, grants a Celestial Seal

This way, you have the same ranged/melee system, but maintain some agency as to which method of DPS increase you employ and where.
Each option isn’t a full on Balance, so there’s nuance to your choice, and potencies increased to 8/4% to account for that, but each one upgrades to a Balance via Minor Arcana or Divination.

Draw a Bole, that’s as generic as you get, use it on a ranged DPS and get a solar seal.
Draw a Spear, do you have a Monk? Great! Use it. Do you have a Bard and Samurai? Oh... maybe it’s more useful on the Bard even at half potency… get a Celestial seal.
Draw a Spire, you already have a Celestial Seal, Minor Arcana it into a Lady for a flat damage boost for ranged.
Draw an Arrow, you have a BLM and a NIN? Then it’s actually better to use on the BLM even though it’s down to 4%. Get your Lunar Seal.
Use Divination for your 6% AoE Balance.

Perhaps instead, it could be:

Balance: 8/4% Determination to Melee/Ranged, grants a Solar Seal
Arrow: 8/4% Direct Hit to Melee/Ranged, grants a Lunar Seal
Spear: 8/4% Critical Hit to Melee/Ranged, grants a Celestial Seal

Bole: 8/4% Determination to Ranged/Melee, grants a Solar Seal
Ewer: 8/4% Direct Hit to Ranged/Melee, grants a Lunar Seal
Spire: 8/4% Critical Hit to Ranged/Melee, grants a Celestial Seal

Minor Arcana could be maintained as:
Lord of Crowns: 8/4% flat damage buff to Melee/Ranged
Lady of Crowns: 8/4% flat damage buff to Ranged/Melee

Then Divination would be:
2 or 3 Solar Seals: 4% AoE Determination buff
2 or 3 Lunar Seals: 4% AoE Critical Hit buff
2 or 3 Celestial Seals: 4% AoE Direct Hit buff
One of each: 6% AoE flat damage buff

I have to corect something here:

Originally Posted by Mansion

AST has lost its healing buff of sects but all its GCD heals have been buffed.

That is a problem! I can show you what I mean:

In the case of Helios Mansion is right (But only for Diu [+10%] and not for Noc [+15%]:



In Noc Helios need a HP from 345 for not been nerf.

In the Case from Asp. Helios its a hard to see but there is a nerf:




In Diu it has the same HP (600HP) but without 10% Healing boost (now it has 660HP)! In Noc it look like now we have a HP from 172,5 and a shild with 259HP. With SHB we have a 100 HP heal and 250HP that is stronger nerf.

But the hards nerfs comes here:



Benefic gets a hard nerf without the stance. It has a HP lose from 40HP in Diu und 60 HP (!!!) in Noc.

Same with Benefic II:



In Diu it has now 715 HP/in Noc it has now 748 HP, but with SHB 700. Yop quite the same or.

The stance Fall of is a hard nerf for GCD healing from AST. Than we look next:

Originally Posted by Mansion

Earthly Star is still a powerfull free heal every minute.

Is the same like in SB so its okay (until the 50DP nerf from both steps of the star)

Originally Posted by Mansion

Collective Unconscious still has a strong regen and mitigation.

This is in one Hand true but in other Hand its false aswell.



The Bubble ... mhhh Its lose his power from 2/3 in SHB and has only a HP from 550 (if the server is on your side from 600HP) but you have to stand still and do nothting for 6 GCDs the other healer have not to that. Its great if mana is low.^^ But from me its not okay if the other Bubbels can heal and have extra effect. Maybe a better manareg. in the bubble for the AST?

Originally Posted by Mansion

Horoscope is a nice "Plenary Indulgence" top off if one GCD heal is not enough.

I belive the skill is stronger than the star.

Originally Posted by Mansion

Synastry is still there (although slightly nerfed, but the base GCD heal is buffed so I guess it's not a big difference).

This is a hard nerf aswell. As you see single taget Heals get nerf as hell. So synastry is nerf as well! It makes worser aswell for the time. But I understand the goal Synastry should be rdy in the same time like neutral stance. Its only a nerf for old contant that saw a 90s timer for.

Originally Posted by Mansion

Celestial Opposition is now a new free heal.

Our biggest headache CO. Its a strong skill now the 10s extended buff is so strong. And in SHB ....



Its in Diu its a 400 HP heal and in noc 100 HP heal and 250HP shild. FOR A 2MIN CD!! Oo but hey its free. There musst be happen something. If ASP. Helios is better than this skill. Maybe make 1 min cd than it could be okay. Here musst SE do something or this skill can be a meme.^^

Originally Posted by Mansion

Celestial intersection is likely to be situational, but it's on a 30seconds CD so it's a nice free oGCD.

This is a great skill in Diu it is a 50% from a Divine Benison.^^ and a 500HP in Noc so its okay. Time will tell if its okay.^^

Originally Posted by Mansion

Neutral Sect is a heal burst tool, although based on GCD, is heals, regens and shields. It's quite powerful.

Its cool but the NS should be work with CO and CI aswell. And thats okay.

Originally Posted by Mansion

We have two charges of Essential Dignity (which is arguably one of the best healing ability in the game due to its crazy potency and short recast timer).

This change is okay, but not the great for LS.its in the best case a 10s present but not more.

Originally Posted by Mansion

For MP management, we have Lucid Dreaming more frequently (20seconds of MP regen every minute) and Lightspeed that got a shorter recast time.

The lose of mana from The Ewer is hard if you rly need mana (LD+mana card = 270 MR) , but the skills from AST are cheap so we have to test it.

With the lose of TD and CO Diu AST gets a hard nerf in the HP. I belive thats fine to bring DIU and NOC to the same place. But I will miss the time aspect from AST.

Originally Posted by Connor

Having variety with Astrologian cards is great and I’ll be sad to see it go. At the same time, I’m interested to see how things work with the new stuff like seals, Horoscope, etc.

I do understand why they homogenised card effects. Currently there’s very little actual justification to use cards like Bole, Spire, and even Ewer; Spear and Arrow are useful, but they’d still be Undrawn or used with Royal Road any time you can use Balance instead. At least this way we can’t draw a card and be like ‘oh well I can’t use this and Shuffle gave me a duplicate, guess I’ll just wait another 30 seconds to maybe get a buff that’s useful.

That said couldn’t have cards worked just as well with Seals and their original effects lol? Maybe with nerfed Balance to make it less central to the ability. I mean, the seals would incentivise using cards you wouldn’t have used before like Bole/Spire/Ewer

I would have to disagree. There actually were justifications to use the cards...oh well. Not like it matters anyway now. They took the most interesting part of AST and destroyed it. I was not expecting this, I was hoping for some changes..but certainly turning every card into a balance was not one of them.