should i even level ast?

[ErzaScarlet77]

its my last healer to level, but everything i read about it makes me not want to even touch it. no varied card effects just sounds like brainless draw spamming and feeding them to dps at all times. ast also have always had weak dps so theres nothing exciting like playign whm tryign to outdps the dps and sch used to be THE healer dps

[Billythepancake]

Technically speaking, AST is top healer DPS right now if you go by rDPS, which is the metric people care about on fflogs and high end duties. However, if you're the type where that alone isn't going to appeal to you, ehhhhh, I'm not sure I could recommend AST . It has the worst MP economy of the 3, you now have to target swap constantly with the new card system, the seal system is a mess at worst and completely unnecessary at best, and they have the same boring rotation as every other healer outside of that.

Honestly, it's up to you, the best advice anyone can give you is to try it for yourself, you may fall in love with it, or throw it in the garbage. I did 2 dungeon runs on AST in this expac so far, and that's all I could really stomach to do. I couldn't even get it to max level and do an E1s run on it for a meme like I had planned to do.

[Palibun]

I asked this question before and got a mix of answers, i actually ended up loving it personally and got almost to lvl 70 in matter of just a few weeks.

New ast players wont really notice any card problems, and 5.1 buffed it ever so slightly to raise damage. Plus ast is a little more complex than things like whm if you're a fan of less braindead classes (no offense whms, your class is just REALLY easy)

Best advice is to just try it a little and see what you think, at least get to lvl 40 or 50 imo since thats when you start really getting into the meat of classes. Opinions vary so much on ast it's hard to really know how you'll feel. Obviously it's all valid, but some people aren't as bothered by its flaws than others.

[Saefinn]

Yeah, I say give it a go, you can only form your own opinion around it. As much as I am one of those people who moans about the current state of healers, it doesn't mean other people are going to have the same problems as me and might like them. My view very much is "judge for yourself" because how other people enjoy things isn't necessarily going to impact your own enjoyment, as sometimes, you might find you are in the percentage of people who like what they see.

That said, despite my complaints, AST is actually the one I'm liking the most at the moment, despite SCH being my baby since forever, but seeing the changes to each and why I was unhappy with SCH kinda drew me closer to AST. Out of the three healers it's the busiest and has more to do in its downtime versus the other two thanks to its cards. So there is an extra depth to playing it WHM & SCH lack. And you've got a little versatility between Diurnal and Nocturnal Sects.

It is not without its problems, hence a lot of AST are unhappy and whilst I am liking it more than the other 2 healers at the moment (and feeling like I am betraying my baby, SCH) there are things I think could be better (some of which affects all healer jobs).

But main things that attracted me:
- Busier, oGCD weaves can be nice
- Cards fill up your downtime somewhat
- Gravity feels more impactful than Art of War
- It retains some of its "planned" approach, coming as an old school SCH, skills for planning ahead appeal to me. I plan my Earthly Stars, my Horoscopes and my Neutral Sects
- It is versatile in-so-much as you can choose WHM mode or SCH mode whenever you're not in battle.
- MP feels a little more like a resource you have to manage, though 5.1 has reduced that effect.

Things that I don't like so much:
- The card system feels less impactful than it used to and there's more of an illusion of choice, rather than choice
- Some of the spells, for me at least, don't flow as well into each other, but this could be because I've played SCH for so long
- Healer downtime isn't so great ATM, but at least for AST that's mitigated versus other healers, so can be a positive or a negative.

On the notes of cards, whilst they feel less impactful and exist as an illusion of choice. It isn't quite as far in a abyss as just hitting play. Although everything is "the balance", which is where the illusion of choice comes in, where it has I guess 'variety' is that instead of fishing for cards for their bonuses, you're fishing them for their symbol to build you Divination, which is like a Balance with a Spread Royal Road where potency is affected by how many unique symbols you have built up. It's not terrible coming from a non-AST point of view, but compared to what there was before, I think many find the current system to be lackluster by comparison.

But I'm sure others, particularly career AST's, may probably have a more extensive explanation of likes/dislikes or can give a better explanation of the job itself, to give a feel/expectations.

[Maeka]

I've always had fun anytime I played AST.

WHM is the safest, AST is the most fun when it comes to keeping the group alive, and SCH...

I dunno maybe I just approach it with the wrong mindset, but SCH is the least fun of the 3. Not saying it is bad per se, just... not my favorite, lol.

But I've definitely had a ton of fun with AST. Pulling off that precisely timed Stellar Explosion always feels great, when it goes off a second after group-wide damage is just cool and it's very show-offy.

[Haxaan]

If you have never played AST you may like it. Not having a basis for comparisson may actually help you like it more than people who have been playing it since it came out. Part of it plays similarily to WHM which will make it feel at home for you in that context, but it offers it's own flare and has it's own gimmick both with cards and a couple "set and forget" abilities, although don't forget to pop Horoscope lol. It really should be a Set and Forget ability but that's a discussion for another day.

[ErzaScarlet77]

i have it at 70 since some people think i dont have it leveled at all. i just havent played it since shb because the card effects removal really soured me. thats why i was wondering if maybe i should just wait for next expac when they hopefully make ast fun again

[Billythepancake]

i have it at 70 since some people think i dont have it leveled at all. i just havent played it since shb because the card effects removal really soured me. thats why i was wondering if maybe i should just wait for next expac when they hopefully make ast fun again

I'd say, in that case, take it through a dungeon or two. From what I can tell, AST doesn't change much from 70 to 80, so you'll have the basic idea of how it works at max.

[VictorTheed]

I got mine at 80 and I'm having fun with astro, sure it's not as good as its Glory days of SB but I switched astro to my main healer from whm once I got it to 80 cause it's a fun job to play.

[Shurrikhan]

The cards do feel lackluster individually, but the Divination-Crown bursts are still decently fun to maximize. I just wouldn't recommend the job if on a controller; otherwise, it's pretty fun, and certainly has a bit more to do than the other healers.