New AST from a New Player

[ZeroFool]

Fishing for cards sounds less like an inherent issue and more a natural outcome of a mechanic designed around RNG. Wanting to draw a Balance seemed par for the course, but like with anything chance-based, shouldn't the desired outcome be considered a reward and not a necessity?

Relying so heavily on a single outcome of six just sounds like setting oneself up for frustration, as opposed to anticipating the possibilities the next Draw may bring to the current situation. A bit of an unfair statement, but if people are so focused on consistency there are other jobs that may be more to their satisfaction, which I only mention because AST did not need to be that job.

At most, tools to mitigate unfavorable outcomes like Redraw should have sufficed. The changes just seem so heavy-handed and unwarranted.

[ForteNightshade]

Fishing for cards sounds less like an inherent issue and more a natural outcome of a mechanic designed around RNG. Wanting to draw a Balance seemed par for the course, but like with anything chance-based, shouldn't the desired outcome be considered a reward and not a necessity?

Relying so heavily on a single outcome of six just sounds like setting oneself up for frustration, as opposed to anticipating the possibilities the next Draw may bring to the current situation. A bit of an unfair statement, but if people are so focused on consistency there are other jobs that may be more to their satisfaction, which I only mention because AST did not need to be that job.

At most, tools to mitigate unfavorable outcomes like Redraw should have sufficed. The changes just seem so heavy-handed and unwarranted.

Unfortunately, I think the dev team overreacted to a very small amount of complaints. Astro's only major problem was its sheer dominance over White Mage due to its utility. I won't speak for everyone but I almost never saw people decrying the old card system on either here or reddit. You'd see some mentions about Arrow but that was about it.

People forget illusion of choice isn't always a bad thing. Getting Balance felt rewarding because it was RNG. Without said RNG... the cards feel far less impactful because, well, it's the same thing every single time. And people always point out you now have to think about burst windows and etc. No, you actually don't. Assuming everyone is of comparable skill level, you will always prioritize BLM/MNK outside the opener. If you don't have a MNK? Go down the list from SAM, DRG, NIN.

[ZeroFool]

Unfortunately, I think the dev team overreacted to a very some amount of complaints. Astro's only major problem was its sheer dominance over White Mage due to its utility. I won't speak for everyone but I almost never saw people decrying the old card system on either here or reddit. You'd see some mentions about Arrow but that was about it.

People forget illusion of choice isn't always a bad thing. Getting Balance felt rewarding because it was RNG. Without said RNG... the cards feel far less impactful because, well, it's the same thing every single target. And people anyone points out you now have to think about burst windows and etc. No, you actually don't. Assuming everyone is of comparable skill level, you will always prioritize BLM/MNK outside the opener. If you don't have a MNK? Go down the list from SAM, DRG, NIN.

I don't understand the angle of the ones arguing about the old cards being "worthless" because it is an illusion of choice. What makes ASt's so-called illusion of mitigation with Bole or mp regen with Ewer any less valid than the illusion of a SMN's choice to apply DoTs before going for the bursts? (SMN here being my only significant DPS investment) Sure the big numbers kills things quicker and that may be argued as being enough to establish it's validity, but you're going to be dealing damage regardless as a DPS whether the choice to optimize it is made or not, just as ASTs are going to heal and buff(or not, because they had so much more to do but this choice was the point!).

And to your mention of the argument that now for AST to be effective, it would have to keep a rapidly growing mental map of every move and manner of each team member otherwise it is underperforming. I thought the changes were made to be accessible, not make it so that only AI neural network can play it to great effect, or barring that, top-tier players who can galaxy-brain every single battle.

I don't mean to drag DPS or any other class, I only want to know why the same concessions DPS gets are suddenly a point of contention against ASTs. An illusion of choice is as valid as any in a videogame literally programmed to provide illusory choices. Thank you for bringing these points up as it shines a light on how the new cards vs the og cards were perceived.

[LunarShadow67]

I myself am pretty much new to the game. I dabbled in it in the past, but never got past ARR due to....well the pretty long and tedious MSQ for it. With the launch of Shadowbringers and the praise it was receiving I decided to push through this time and level.

As it currently stands I am in Stormblood content (LOVED HW) and, I have primarily been maining Astrologian...along with Scholar depending on my mood.

I do not know much about how Astrologian plays as compared to before. Overall, I love the animations of the job and I enjoy its pace. Lore wise, I have to agree for the cards and their uses. I thought there would be more....purpose for each card compared to the Job quests descriptions.

With that being said, I understand everyone's frustration about how AST is in its current form. I know what its like to have class identities gutted and changed every expansion (former WoW player here). I also understand the needs for the balancing from the dev team.

I guess ignorance is bliss cause I do enjoy how the job plays right now. Would I be upset if they changed the way the cards work and bring back the original design or something similar. I would say no. I love playing a buffing type healer over a straight up healer. So if they brought that system back to make it interesting or change it up. I would be down.

[Nhala_Levee]

I love playing a buffing type healer over a straight up healer. So if they brought that system back to make it interesting or change it up. I would be down.

I dont think so. I think you would love the old astro. Thats WAS the real buffing type class. Yes, not only dmg buff, but more situational and more completed. And with that many combination, if you like buffing and mixing buffs into new ones or stronger ones, the old astro is for you.
For more dps supporting, there was the Bard. Bard had many party buffs whats mostly orinted to support the damage dealers. I didnt realy tryed bard now, dont know if it changed.

[Kuwago]

I dont think so. I think you would love the old astro. Thats WAS the real buffing type class. Yes, not only dmg buff, but more situational and more completed. And with that many combination, if you like buffing and mixing buffs into new ones or stronger ones, the old astro is for you.
For more dps supporting, there was the Bard. Bard had many party buffs whats mostly orinted to support the damage dealers. I didnt realy tryed bard now, dont know if it changed.

Bard kinda changed they lost their Crit from the songs and Requiem so now they deal more dmg closer to Machinist, they still have Battle Voice but other than the ones that I can think of whilst Dancer got all the utility for low damage.

Old AST WAS the epitome of a buffing healer class, there was so many things you could do with your cards, along with being able to increase Buff Durations with Time Dilation and Celestial Opposition. How badly I want those two to come back or at least come back under a different skill or as an added effect since AST buff durations are hella short ESPECIALLY for Divination, I thought they increase it to 30s so that it actually makes an impact.

[Nhala_Levee]

Bard kinda changed they lost their Crit from the songs and Requiem so now they deal more dmg closer to Machinist, they still have Battle Voice but other than the ones that I can think of whilst Dancer got all the utility for low damage.

Old AST WAS the epitome of a buffing healer class, there was so many things you could do with your cards, along with being able to increase Buff Durations with Time Dilation and Celestial Opposition. How badly I want those two to come back or at least come back under a different skill or as an added effect since AST buff durations are hella short ESPECIALLY for Divination, I thought they increase it to 30s so that it actually makes an impact.

For me, astro was the life in this game. It was my favorite, but that exact one. Other classes was nice and all, but my everything was astro. Now im mostly just running around or talking with my friends online.
Sadly im loving unique games too much. And Final Fantasy 14 was unique. I liked every class as they was. And now, they becomed so similar to WoW classes, i lost my interest about the game. :/
Healers just do buffs. DPS classes dmg boosts are mostly usable once / bossfight. And there is just one, just like in wow. Tanks are becomed very similar to WoW tanks too, with these mechanics, and with that so many lost skills.
Dont know, everywhere in this game i see WoW now. Classes lost their meanings. But realy... a bard... singing, telling tales, inspireing they team mates to become more. Lost them skills? Becomed so called "balanced"? Balance means we rework all classes to be "equal"? Even if cause this the game loseing its very thing that made it diferent from the others? I don know anymore...
I simply lost my interest in this game...
Sad thing...

[Nhala_Levee]

But the worst thing about all this, i cant even have any options to play that what i loved in this game.
There is no diferent kontent servers. And sadly there is not any private servers too, to have just a little chance to go back to stormblood, where the whole game was that good as i loved it so much.
Damn shame...

[Mesarthim]

Redraw feels so bad now. Oh sure they gave it 3 charges but you can use up all 3 and still not even get the seal you're missing for that tiny 1-2% increase.

[Billythepancake]

Fishing for cards sounds less like an inherent issue and more a natural outcome of a mechanic designed around RNG. Wanting to draw a Balance seemed par for the course, but like with anything chance-based, shouldn't the desired outcome be considered a reward and not a necessity?

Relying so heavily on a single outcome of six just sounds like setting oneself up for frustration, as opposed to anticipating the possibilities the next Draw may bring to the current situation. A bit of an unfair statement, but if people are so focused on consistency there are other jobs that may be more to their satisfaction, which I only mention because AST did not need to be that job.

At most, tools to mitigate unfavorable outcomes like Redraw should have sufficed. The changes just seem so heavy-handed and unwarranted.

That's the part that gets me, like, the class is card based. Cards are, by nature, random and unpredictable, so having them tied to RNG I don't think is a problem. A way to force the card you want at a cost would've been a nice addition to AST, instead of outright removing what a lot of people loved about the class in the first place.