Remove Divination CD?

[Bedlaam]

Personally, i feel that adding a cool down on balance fishing is all that changed from stormblood till now.

If i have to think on my feet to get three seals while weaving, dodging, and healing, then let me play them when i have my set of 3.

I understand with AST's current Kit and Potencies that this would break the meta. So lets think about how this could be doable!

EX: I know that sleeve draw would probably make completing divination too easy and frequently occuring. Maybe Sleeve draw could be changed to an ability that just completes the set of seals when you have 2 already.

That would fix a lot of the unnecessary business of the job. Spamming redraw isn't fun, and if you are left with three draws, and three redraws completing divination is taxing while almost assured.

Furthermore you should just start combat with 3 seals and no card.

These are obviously just my ideas so far and i know the community as a whole are more clever and innovative than i am. I can imagine a no-cd divination version of the job and the business removed and i know i'd enjoy that style of play.

[Lodi]

Fun fact, the difference between 1 and 3 different seals is currently so small, you can completely ignore them and nobody will notice.

I did the maths for "fun", and found out that between zombie play (give every single card to your top dps) and optimal play (3 seals, minor arcana everything else, cards go to corresponding role), the dps difference is extremely small. Barely 0.5% of the group's dps.

Either the card system should be less of a chore, or it should be more rewarding. And it needs to be more rewarding either way, because right now a white mage binding every key to Glare and then smashing their forehead on the keyboard gets better numbers.

The current card system needs to change again, it's simply bad as it currently stands. Changing potencies or CDs would be the laziest solution.

[Bedlaam]

I definitely agree with you. I hope they do more than fix just one of AST's issues. The CD on Divination specifically just really grinds my gears because if i went through all it takes to get 3 seals in the first place, I feel that I shouldn't have to wait on another ability CD to activate them. You already have to deal with the draw CD at least 3 times assuming that you didn't use Sleeve draw to get them. If you are locked by the Divination CD, they might as well just take away the seals in the first place. (Don't do that. i don't want a 1 button dps mechanic)

[Lodi]

I think that going back to the old system with some tweaks (Spire gets another effect, and Balance gets balanced or cannot be obtained too often) would be a good idea. This entire system reeks of a bad, five minutes brainstorming.

I still don't understand why they changed a unique, fun and engaging system into a coin toss that somehow requires you to toss the coin in a certain way to land well.
It's a chore, it feels weak, and it is weak. DNC buffs just as much, it gets nice interactions and a dancing minigame on top of it.

[Samsta]

Fun fact, the difference between 1 and 3 different seals is currently so small, you can completely ignore them and nobody will notice.

I did the maths for "fun", and found out that between zombie play (give every single card to your top dps) and optimal play (3 seals, minor arcana everything else, cards go to corresponding role), the dps difference is extremely small. Barely 0.5% of the group's dps.

Either the card system should be less of a chore, or it should be more rewarding. And it needs to be more rewarding either way, because right now a white mage binding every key to Glare and then smashing their forehead on the keyboard gets better numbers.

The current card system needs to change again, it's simply bad as it currently stands. Changing potencies or CDs would be the laziest solution.

I still hope they will change the card system in 5.1, call me naive but i absolutely loathe what they did to astro.

[Kuwago]

If they made Divination to do more than be a slower, less effective and lackluster AOE balance then I wouldn't mind the CD on it but seeing as how its a weak and short party buff compared to other party buffs then the CD isn't justified.

I know that Divination is basically the Class Defining Skill for AST but it seems to be so weak and empty for what they are going for. IMO, if they put in old card effects into Divination along with old CO effect of buff time increase then it could honestly be a good start. At this point, anything they could add on top of the 4/5/6% damage increase would likely improve Divination. Of course, that would only be on Divination itself, the new Card effects and seals mechanics needs an overhaul as well as fixing Redraw to pull up a new card that's a different seal instead so that it doesn't pull up a different card but same seal.

[mint-pineapple-cola]

Divination isn't a weak cooldown. Quit spreading (obvious) misinformation. Divination is at least as strong, and in a well co-ordinated group, stronger than Chain Stratagem. This can be easily confirmed by checking speedkills that use an AST/SCH comp.

[Samsta]

Divination isn't a weak cooldown. Quit spreading (obvious) misinformation. Divination is at least as strong, and in a well co-ordinated group, stronger than Chain Stratagem. This can be easily confirmed by checking speedkills that use an AST/SCH comp.

It's a good cooldown, on par with things like technical step, maybe a little weaker, however it's not good enough seeing that astros still pull the least amount of raiddps while being the most busy, being a significant chunk behind both scholar and white mage while scholar is tailgating white mage. It just feels like it's not enough, especially when the reward for playing optimally is so poor compared to playing badly. I would absolutely be okay with it being at least 4%/6%/8% increase, but I would personally like to see 3%/6%/9% if we are going to fix it via lazy number changes. I feel that astro deserves to be on par with other healers damage-wise.

[Lodi]

It's a good cooldown, on par with things like technical step, maybe a little weaker, however it's not good enough seeing that astros still pull the least amount of raiddps while being the most busy, being a significant chunk behind both scholar and white mage while scholar is tailgating white mage. It just feels like it's not enough, especially when the reward for playing optimally is so poor compared to playing badly. I would absolutely be okay with it being at least 4%/6%/8% increase, but I would personally like to see 3%/6%/9% if we are going to fix it via lazy number changes. I feel that astro deserves to be on par with other healers damage-wise.

Technical Step is a lot faster to setup, and also drops the biggest nuke in the entire game. Divination makes little difference between a good use and a bad use, and only reminds you of what AST lost. It's not just a bit weaker than TS.

[LariaKirin]

Fun fact, the difference between 1 and 3 different seals is currently so small, you can completely ignore them and nobody will notice.

I did the maths for "fun", and found out that between zombie play (give every single card to your top dps) and optimal play (3 seals, minor arcana everything else, cards go to corresponding role), the dps difference is extremely small. Barely 0.5% of the group's dps.

No. You can completely ignore seals in the opener because statistically you're most likely get the 5%. Even if you get the 4%, it's still worth it over delaying for 6%, because you're stacking and aligning Divination with other raid buffs (and your own cards). Being forced into 4% divination after the opener is extremely unlikely.

By group DPS I'm assuming you're talking about something like 80k. If you're going to call 0.5% "extremely small", then calculate this:

RDPS statistics on Titan: WHM 6.4k, AST 6k
6.4k - 6k = 400. The difference between AST and WHM rdps is extremely small. "Barely 0.5% of the group's dps."

It's easy to downplay the contribution of AST buffs if you compare to the group's dps - a.k.a. comparing to the combined contribution of 8 players.
"Barely 0.5% of the group's dps". Let's just ignore the fact that it translates to 5%+ of the AST's rdps. Let's ignore the fact that it's a loss about the same as (or even bigger than) your DRG using or not using Battle Littany. Or your NIN using or not using Trick Attack. Or your SCH using or not using Chain Stratagem.

Now let's stop comparing it to the combined contribution of 8 players and instead compare it to the AST's dps. The difference between bad Divination/card usage and good Divination/card usage will be over 10% of the AST's contribution.

Divination is the strongest raid-wide buff in the game and can account for over 1% of the group's dps. You're spreading misinformation.