What do you want in your AST?

[Brandedblade]

Solo content still exists. And it’s usually pretty painful on healers (since the gutting of SCH, anyway). And considering AST is behind the other healers in rdps even when they’re buffing dps effectively, they must be especially painful in solo content (I haven’t tried solo content on AST post 5.0 so I can’t say from personal experience). It’d be nice if AST’s buffs could at least get it up to where near where the other healers are in solo content. Even if you did that it still wouldn’t be optimal to use it on yourself in group content, because a x % damage boost on the class with the lowest pdps in the game is never going to be as effective as a damage boost on literally anyone else.

You couldn’t buff the cards that much, since that could end making the AST too powerful compared to the other healers (not saying they’re at the perfect level now, just that there’s a point at which you wouldn’t want to increase it any more). However, Roxas’s suggestions shouldn’t increase AST’s rdps, but they would make AST more effective in solo content, while also making that solo content more satisfying. I really don’t see any problem with that.

What his suggestion does mean that cards will most likely be changed into another aetherflow mechanic where your goal in optimizing them is to minimize their intended use by trying to throw out as many Lord nukes as possible.

[Roxas_Andrade]

And again, I fail to see an issue with this. I understand what you mean now but is... is this really an issue? It sucks that a mechanic meant to help you buff your party...is less optimal when used selfishly? So what?

So... nothing. It's just that this is a topic for thing you want on AST and I think in this aspect, pre-5.X had a better point o some skills. It's just something I want back. We're just talking...

What his suggestion does mean that cards will most likely be changed into another aetherflow mechanic where your goal in optimizing them is to minimize their intended use by trying to throw out as many Lord nukes as possible.

I can totally see this happening O.O
When new cards came, a lot of people thought about simply not using Divination mini-game and go Lord/Ladying everything for the bigger buffs. Until the math people came and we saw that Divination is worth it more than that. It's just a matter of making Seals a beter advantage to the group than Lord nukes...

[Nhala_Levee]

I know this is going to be difficult for you, specifically, to understand, but the mechanic wasn't previously designed specifically utilizing the voice of players of other jobs.
As it is right now, the cards are for the others to have, but not for the AST to play with. And that's wrong.

Im totaly agreed with that. As it is right now, the cards are not for AST to play with. And yes, it is VERY wrong.

[KanameYuuki]

You've already lost most of the people here by saying that Balance was the worst card.

They are not wrong, Balance was only the "right" / "best" card for savage raiding purposes and even if your AST wouldn't get it is not like that meant doom and fail, complete wipe annihilation, it just meant that when you got it the kill was going to be slightly faster.

The other cards had a place and time for every day content. Giving an Arrow to a caster or a Spear to BRD / MNK felt more impactful and empowering to both the AST and the one who receives it, same a Bole to a tank or a refresh to someone that needed it. If you ask me, I would have rather 100% the removal or rework of Balance, than what we got every card being it.

Besides isn't this thread supposed to be about what any one person likes, if they find Balance the worst it is their own opinion, maybe their gameplay goals are not the same as the hardcore raiders, I do apologize if I sound on the offensive but I don't appreciate the shut down of their opinions like that.

[Nhala_Levee]

Besides isn't this thread supposed to be about what any one person likes, if they find Balance the worst it is their own opinion, maybe their gameplay goals are nor the same as the hardcore raiders, I do apologize if I sound on the offensive but I don't appreciate the shut down of their opinions like that.

Thank you.
And yes, my goal is not to become a harcore progress chaser. Just to have fun with my friends casualy in game.

[Hereon]

I just want AST to be the king of support again. IM ok with him being the weakest healer hps and dps wise, if he rocks the house in the buffing department. thats why he can be weak and complicated to play. AST is like a specialized tool. Hard to learn, not that usefull on its own, but extremly effective when doing the job it is ment to do. i know, now the new kid in town(DNC) is suppose to be the king of buffing. and i agree he should definitly be the 2nd highest. but ast should stil lbe higher imo...

i know its just wishfull thinking, but thats what i would want AST to be. the weakest on its own. the strongest in a good team.

[Allegor]

Thank you.
And yes, my goal is not to become a harcore progress chaser. Just to have fun with my friends casualy in game.

Same. I can understand that every job should be able to play at their best in the hardest level content, but I don't think focusing the entire job mechanic into such a niche crowd's preference while ignoring....literally everything and everyone else is right. I used Bole, Ewer, heck, even Spire to let WARs go crazy. Balance was the best card, but it wasn't the be-all and end-all people want to make it seem.

[Kuwago]

What I want the most as of now is to have the ability to increase buff duration again, that's like one of the unique things that made and solidified AST to be the Emissary of Spacetime and Fate. AST IS TIME MAGE ITSELF!

[Eisenhower]

Giving an Arrow to a caster or a Spear to BRD / MNK felt more impactful and empowering to both the AST and the one who receives it, same a Bole to a tank or a refresh to someone that needed it. If you ask me, I would have rather 100% the removal or rework of Balance, than what we got every card being it.

This right here. I really enjoyed AST feeling like the job that performed ally manipulation. When I ran AST in savage and ultimate, getting Balance was the efficient and desired target. But what felt way better was putting a spear on a monk or bard and have them be happy about procs and chakra, or giving arrow to a black mage and have them become one with the speed force inside their ley lines.

Using time dilation on a tank with diurnal effects and bole on them also felt great. But I also hated how you never could plan around bole in savage and ultimate content. So I'm less upset about bole disappearing from those scenarios.

I honestly think that nocturnal AST should stop providing the same kind of shields as scholar and find another niche so that ASTs can finally be allowed to go between sects in combat. It would also help with the previous problem of time dilation effects doing just about nothing for nocturnal effects. There's a massive design space that remains unexplored because SQEX are so tunnelled into the shield/regen SCH/WHM duality that dominated ARR and still can't leave it.

[ForteNightshade]

They are not wrong, Balance was only the "right" / "best" card for savage raiding purposes and even if your AST wouldn't get it is not like that meant doom and fail, complete wipe annihilation, it just meant that when you got it the kill was going to be slightly faster.

The other cards had a place and time for every day content. Giving an Arrow to a caster or a Spear to BRD / MNK felt more impactful and empowering to both the AST and the one who receives it, same a Bole to a tank or a refresh to someone that needed it. If you ask me, I would have rather 100% the removal or rework of Balance, than what we got every card being it.

Besides isn't this thread supposed to be about what any one person likes, if they find Balance the worst it is their own opinion, maybe their gameplay goals are not the same as the hardcore raiders, I do apologize if I sound on the offensive but I don't appreciate the shut down of their opinions like that.

I said throughout Stormblood Balance should have been changed to Direct Hit to lessen its dominance. Case in point, look at current Litany and Battle Voice. They offer 10 and 20 percent, respectively so neither overlap one another. While Spear would probably be the preferred choice, new Balance wouldn't be a significant loss, especially if more jobs had Direct Hit buffs added. There were plenty of other options they could have adopted—none of which reduce the cards into nothing more than crappy versions of Balance.