So I'd like to preface this by saying that I'm posting this as an AST main who hates the looks of the changes, I don't wanna open a debate I'm just putting it out to the devs about how I feel about the recent info about AST.
I know that buffs are moving away from the healers to the ranged physical dps, but honestly having AST go from this versatile buff giving healer who can stand with the powerhouse of WHM and SCH with both shields and heals to a damage buff only healer seems oddly counter productive to me?
I love how I can currently plan ahead with my buffs, burn cards to give certain strong effects and adapt to each situation as needed. I love how strong and impactful I feel as an AST in a party during boss fights and burn phases, not with just my healing but improving everyones play while i'm going. Like giving the BLM a 200% arrow when its burn phase, or giving the other healer mana when things get hairy.
by setting AST to just give a flat 3-6% damage buff it takes away all that fun that the class had and makes it 'just a healer'. I don't mind healing, I like it, but over simplifying the cards like that just ruins why I and many other AST mains play the job in the first place.
I do like the seals idea, I feel like that could be a lot of fun, but getting rid of the planning and versatile nature of AST with the card systems seems really terrible.
I think if ANYTHING you could add the seals + 6% up on top of the current mechanics, even if you get rid of burn/spread, which I still won't be happy with but hey ho, it'd make it way more interesting to play AST.
people complain about having obselete cards when playing AST, obviously TP is going away, so why not just split spell speed/skill speed between spire and arrow? it'd make it useful and still have the ranged/melee damage buff of 3-6% and be useful again.
With the mana changes, you could have euwer increase piety for increased mana regen.
I like the new skills and visual effects they have, they suit the job and look lovely. The seals idea is cool and I like the aoe buff changing from burning cards to just stacking the seals, but i think if you take away the cards usefulness outside of damage then you're hurting the class more than anything.
I hope that this gets changed before patch day, I'd hate to lose my favourite thing to play in the game due to these changes ): I even have an AST necklace bc I love the job so much.