Thread: Astrologian 5.0 Discussion

There are so many problems with this system as a whole. It's the core aspect of AST's gameplay, what differentiated it from SCH/WHM (let's face it, AST is STILL a taped together SCH/WHM with these changes) and now it's been reduced to this.

It shouldn't be more appealing to me to Minor Arcana a card when Divination isn't available. We don't need 6 cards when there's only 3 unique effects just to support Diviniation. And everything being a basic flat damage increase is, well, boring.

I would have rather they flat out removed Balance than done this. This is insulting.

They really need to change the name of that skill, Neutral sounds like is no good with one or the other, but something like Twilight, Eclipse Trance or honestly,anything but neutral would make it sound more like a perfect mixture and balance of both.

They have great name for AST skills: Lightspeed, Time Dilation, Collective Unconscious, Celestial Opposition, Earthly Star, etc. and then Neutral Sect.

I made my own post about this but figured i'd copy/past here just to join the Discussion.

Its the changes to the 'non-healing' side of Astro that i feel was butchered. The Entire card system for Astro has been 98% gutted.

For instance, take below:


On the left, you have Astro's options as of Heavensward and Stormblood 'purely' on the side of how their card system worked. On the right, you have what i could best do to describe what the 'new' card system is based off the media build you let people record their gameplay of. And this is from a person who has PLAYED Astro, and LIKES Astro. (its the one and only healer in FFXIV i enjoy playing). That is how i 'visually' feel you turned Astro's card system into.

The 'new' Card system is only Damage % buff. Nothing else. Just Damage % bonus.
1 card that gives 8% damage bonus to mele dps and 4% damage bonus to ranged dps.
And a 2nd card that does the opposite, 8% damage bonus to ranged dps, and 4% damage bonus to melee dps.
Then you have 3 signs that are randomly assigned to these 2 cards.

Using cards with 3 different signs in a row, unlocks.... get this... a 'better' Damage % buff.

They have taken a 'fun' Card system that used 6 different cards, and turned it into a 2 card + 3 sign system.

You dont even NEED 6 cards anymore.. in fact i can only guess they left it as 6 cards to make it 'seem' as if there were more options than there actually is. At its 'core', the current changes to Astro = a 50% chance on if we get the Mele or Ranged DPS card, and a 33% Chance on if we get 1 of the 3 signs.

6 cards, down to 2. With 3 'signs' for the sake of the new 'bonus % damage buff' mechanic.

Thats it.. thats the entirety of the Astro card system as of ShadowBringers if they go through with the changes that were in the Media preview build.

1. pull card
2. Check the sign, have you used it yet? yes/no
2.a if yes, cycle.
2.b If no, what class? ranged or mele?
3. Cast card on friend of appropriate clsss ranged/mele.
4. return to step 1.

Thats it.

ALL of the diversity that many of us Astro players LIKED about the class.. is gone.

When I am currently playing as my Astro, i get to make on the fly choices. Do i want to give this Ninja a Skill-speed Buff... or give him Crit chance?. Do i want to give the Crit-Chance to the bard and instead give the Skill-Speed to the BLM? Or do i want to cycle Balance and get a more powerfull version of the Crit-chance buff and throw that on the ninja?

In ShadowBringers?..... 2 choices. Is my target Ranged or Mele? And have i used this sign before? Thats it.... thats not fun.. thats Dull, thats boring.

The people in the party may as well just bring + Damage % food items with them rather than us. As WHM's will still have better (more potent) 'healing' abilities than we will have.

Originally Posted by Mansion

I'm actually ok with it?

From what I understand the cards are nerfed but it's more about having options of drawing specific cards and doing so more frequently. My only "concern" is the Divination buff, which is a good idea in theory, feels clunky in potency compared to duration. 15 seconds of 6% damage up every 3 minutes that's low compared to the potential spread balance we had every minute.
I don't know if someone already has mathed out the frequency of drawing and having cards up on individuals compared to every 30 seconds (every minute if you royal road). I think it's just a different playstyle. I want to play it before saying it's been slaughtered.

Now the healing oGCDs are a bliss, not just kicking WHM in the gutter once more, I love how AST embraces its versatility now. Coupled with a SCH, it's going to be very powerful, healing wise.

Its not that the cards are 'nerfed' is that you lack choices.

we 'had' 6 cards with 6 individual effects.

Now we have 2 cards, and the chance of 1 or 3 different 'seals' appearing above those 2 cards. Oh, and both cards to essentially the same exact thing. One just gives a better bonus to mele, while the other gives a better bonus to ranged.

They didnt 'nerf' the cards, they removed them. and gave us a coin to flip instead.

Ast cards now: Royal road/minor arcana ewer or spire, maybe use ewer on a healer that died if you have it for fodder.
Maybe use a spire on a dps in dungeons for aoe.

Fishing for spear for monks and bards and balance for everybody, arrow could go on the caster in case you get nothing else. But what everybody wants is balance since balance is the best anyways.

Repeat.
Get bad cards and just minor arcana them since you can't do anything else with ewers and spires other than royal road but it's already on aoe.

But the decisions of maybe spreading a bole is gone, oh no, just use aspected helios in shield and or use the bubble, the bubble is amazing, asts don't use the bubble, why not use bubble, bubble nice, bubble friend.
The ability to help a res'ed healer is gone but what ast usually holds anything but an balance/spear or maybe pity arrow?

Ast cards in shadowbringers:
Still rng, but now ranged and melee are seperated. Each has 3 cards, each different card has a different seal. ALL are balances, all have the same effect
YOu want to fish for the buff your team needs depending on what class they are(don't forget that it will take more time in 8player content) to get 3 seals to use divination for an extra buff, repeat.

What you lose: Aoe, bole, tp/mp management tools that 90% aren't used since the ewer/spire got foddered off already for minor arcana or royal road.


Also, bards procs will not be dependant on crit anymore, they don't need spears anymore.

And you can't tell me that your tank loves getting a bole after an aoe balance because they apparently can't have it. ANd that it's really needed.
It's just a nice tool to have but the actual usability of it is niche at best.


TBH it doesn't sound too different to me, it's just different... dunno man, i will see. But the cards are the tiniest problemchange in my opinion since it's a tastething and we can't really talk about a TASTE thing without being able to actually TEST it. SInce looking is still different than playing yourself.

Originally Posted by Cheremia

*snip*
TBH it doesn't sound too different to me, it's just different... dunno man, i will see. But the cards are the tiniest problemchange in my opinion since it's a tastething and we can't really talk about a TASTE thing without being able to actually TEST it. SInce looking is still different than playing yourself.

To make it as simple as possible, its about choice.

Those of us who 'liked' having multiple options given to us, because it made the class 'fun' are upset that we are having all semblance of 'choice' removed.

Those who ignored all choices and only 'fished for balance', like the change because the change caters to their playstyle, literally, by making every single card balance.

To many people, the fact that we had multiple ways to 'use' cards, is what made it 'fun' to play. While those who rolled their eyes every time they didn't get a balance card hated the fact that there were actually 'different' ways to play.

The change takes away 'all' semblance of 'multiple ways to play'. And makes it literally a 1-trick-pony gimmick.

Which, makes those who rolled their eyes all the time when they didnt get a balance happy. But all but destroys any 'want' those of us who liked the variety had for playing the class.