SCH and AST

[CrazyAce]

There's no point to AST even having cards to draw, now. They might as well have had the card graphics play randomly with a single button and saved us a GCD input, since they're already dumbing it down into oblivion.

I've now switched to WHM because it's the only healer that hasn't been nerfed into the ground. I don't even have the motivation to level AST or SCH any more; SCH especially is just plain frustrating with half our tools gone. The mechanics that made AST fun, engaging, and very different from the other healers has been reduced to a slight damage buff with a long cooldown and poor duration considering its overall mediocre effect. I don't even bother looking at seals types. Divination has so little uptime (and terrible AOE range to boot) that it barely even has an impact even if I decide to not use it at all during a fight.

[Alrin]

I am currently leveling WHM with AST side by side and I dont understand why I should continue to main AST who has worse healing output, lower DPS and most importantly is not fun for me anymore due to changes to card mechanics and removed time magic. I mained AST for more than one year and I really wanted to like the class even in the Shb... but i just dont... I want my old AST back

[galbsadi]

I've leveled SCH to 80, toyed with WHM, haven't touched AST yet this expansion...here's what I've noticed:

First, as SCH:

I do like the idea of Seraph, and it is fun to use, but it's a bit wonky to have the double-charge Consolation that must be used within a 20s window. Further, it's kinda sad that Angel's Whisper is no better than Whispering Dawn (like what's the point of even naming it differently?), Fey Blessing would probably be nicer if it didn't have a cooldown, Fey Union feels weaker than ever.

The forced crit to galvanize is nice, as is deploying off myself.

Eos and Selene being identical is stupid.

Aetherflow is a problem...I mean, either I have nowhere near enough stacks...or I have stacks for days. There is no middle ground. It's also ridiculous that it can't be activated pre-combat when at least one other class (WHM) gets their full kit pretty much right away.

Overall, I feel slightly more capable on the healing side, massively nerfed on the DPS side, clunky overall, and it's boring to DPS. Yay?

Now, as WHM:

Healing feels as great as ever, possibly more so due to the WHM Lustrate (whatever the lv52 rose healing ability is), and I feel like I have more time to try and DPS.

DPS feels mostly the same as ever (I barely miss Aero2), and from the WHM in my static I've heard (and seen secondhand) the godly DPS that comes from the blood lily. WHM is in a good place.

Overall Thoughts:

It should be noted that the DPS difference is substantial...which the median WHM DPS being 17% higher than SCH (and rising as high as 20% higher as skill levels rise) while providing more substantial healing, having abilities that can stack with all other healers (including another WHM), better MP management tools, etc. I'm not sure if a 15% crit buff 12.5% of the time (net 1.875% crit if used on cooldown) to the party is necessarily worth bringing a SCH over a second WHM or an AST if a party is in a tight spot when WHM personal DPS might more than make up for that difference alone and an AST can give a flat 6% DPS buff to the party roughly 10% of the time while boosting individual members [such as the party's best individual DPS] throughout.

Sure, SCH does also have shields, but so does AST, so it's not like there's any special identity there.

A fix needs to happen for Aetherflow...several good options have been presented throughout these forums, such as returning energy drain (even if it just did MP restoration and no damage), having held stacks provide a buff to the fairy gauge, etc.

SCH AOE is way too expensive (basically a more expensive [albeit instacast] Holy without the stun [but a smidgen more potency] for 33% more MP), and without the MP management that WHM has...it's even more underwhelming. Something should probably be adjusted here, whether it's the MP cost or the potency (even if that means adding a cast timer to compensate).

If SCH is going to be primarily shielding or healing...the shields should probably mean more.

Seraph should be more meaningful (perhaps by buffing Angel's Whisper, buffing Consolation but taking it down to just one stack).

Fey Blessing shouldn't have a cooldown (even if we lost a bit of potency to make such happen), or it should be more meaningful to account for the cooldown (even if it cost more fairy gauge as a result).

[TankHunter678]

Sure, SCH does also have shields, but so does AST, so it's not like there's any special identity there.

If you want your AST to have no MP anymore sure, bring a Noct AST instead of the godly SCH. Bringing the Noct AST also means less rDPS since SCH actually does good DPS and AST just does not buff enough to make up for their lack of DPS and lack of healing which forces the WHM to have to cut into their DPS to make up the healing slack. Whereas a SCH can pretty much solo heal currently and let a WHM use their massive DPS to make up for the lack of AST raid buffs.

[LegoTechnic]

If you want your AST to have no MP anymore sure, bring a Noct AST instead of the godly SCH. Bringing the Noct AST also means less rDPS since SCH actually does good DPS and AST just does not buff enough to make up for their lack of DPS and lack of healing which forces the WHM to have to cut into their DPS to make up the healing slack. Whereas a SCH can pretty much solo heal currently and let a WHM use their massive DPS to make up for the lack of AST raid buffs.

To be fair, as long as the content can be cleared then at least 6 out of 8 party members (basically everyone but the healers themselves) will prefer any combo that includes an AST because of their effects on their own personal DPS parses.

[Seoulstar]

I only managed to deal with leveling AST one level since the expac..and that was because I was helping others avoid paying healers to get runs done. It wasn't fun, I felt like the fun was sucked out of the class and I just couldn't deal with it. It's sad because I love the class but..the changes just made the class an unfun balance bot.