Implementing DNC/NIN system for AST Card

[Bobsmiaw]

I disagree with tying the different kinds of cards to damage abilities. Just not something I think should be a thing. One would have to consider if the rDPS gains these cards contribute effectively make up the pDPS loss the AST receives by sacrificing a damage GCD. I’d rather just two separate Draws that randomize effects, because the entire idea of card reading and reading the fates/stars is that it’s not always guaranteed.

As for the card effects, I’m all for more varied effects—but some of these are lackluster. Determination is not the greatest of stats—though I get where you were coming from in wanting to avoid a card that gave just a flat damage increase, Arrow would, once again, be a card not often used because the increase wouldn’t be worth it over either of your offensive cards. At least with old Arrow affecting Skill Speed/Spell Speed, you could find jobs that liked it (e.g., SAM, BLM). If DPS jobs all had sub stats that benefited them more than others—instead of crit being king 9 times out of 10—then these effects would work better. SB had certain jobs that favored Crit over others (BRD, MNK), and early SAM benefited a lot from D.Hit. I’d like to see more variance in the sub stats that benefit each job. Otherwise, why have Crit, D.Hit, and Determination as separate when there’s always one stat that is best for everyone.

The physical and magical mitigation would only work if you had a way to simply store them for an opportune moment. Otherwise, there’s not much need in using your Umbral Draw idea when Astral Draw would be better because damage. A healing potency increase would also be unnecessary because healers are already overpowered in their healing. And then you have to consider that very good healers often spend more time DPSing than actually healing because most content simply doesn’t call for high healing uptime. Increasing the potency of healing is simply unnecessary.

With different effect in each card, there will always be "the best card"
Well the card effect can be adjuated to sps/sks or other effect
Just dont homogenize all the cards

Umbral Draw exist because not everyone focus only in buffing dps
There are some people who enjoy using card like Bole, Spire, Ewer back in HW and SB
They like to help their party member in a different way

If people prefer focusing in damage buff then feel free to only using Astral Card
Other may have a different preference and play Umbral Card instead or even use both card

[HyoMinPark]

With different effect in each card, there will always be "the best card"
Well the card effect can be adjuated to sps/sks or other effect
Just dont homogenize all the cards

Wasn’t suggesting to homogenize the cards—I hate the new system as much as most ASTs do and all cards being Baby Balances.

Determination is weak. Skill Speed/Spell Speed would be much better even if it only benefited a couple of jobs (e.g., SAM and BLM). This is not about “there will always be a best card” but about the fact that your chosen effect for The Arrow ensures it will be just like old Spire: Minor Arcana fodder.

Umbral Draw exist because not everyone focus only in buffing dps
There are some people who enjoy using card like Bole, Spire, Ewer back in HW and SB
They like to help their party member in a different way

Unless you can store utility cards, damage cards are always preferred. Especially since healing is so overpowered in most content, and damage—be it busters or raid-wides—are not all that threatening outside of Savage/Ultimate.

You don’t need to tell me that people enjoyed using at least Bole and Ewer back in the day. I’ve played AST since HW and know that. I was one of them: not afraid to use a Ewer on myself—or slot it in my Spread if I had a bad party that was draining my mana—or Enhance a Bole for a tank to use during a mass dungeon pull so I could DPS. The issue is less that people don’t want to use them but that damage is always the better option when you have offensive and defensive options competing with one another. It would be preferable to eliminate that and add more credence to the offensive/defensive split in the major arcana.

Spire has always been borderline useless, though. Especially in SB when all DPS that used TP had access to Invigorate, Goad was a role skill for melee, and ranged all had Tactician. Outside of extreme AOE situations, TP management wasn’t really a thing. It hasn’t been a thing since HW—which was why they did away with it in ShB.

If people prefer focusing in damage buff then feel free to only using Astral Card
Other may have a different preference and play Umbral Card instead or even use both card

One of the major cited failings of the previous system was that damage cards always trumped utility cards. They were always in competition with each other. Give two different Spreads—one for offensive cards, and one for defensive/utility cards—and there is no longer a competition. That was my suggestion to improve your proposed system, but you seem to have not given it any thought.

I feel like you skimmed over what I wrote without really reading it, based on this reply. Please go back and reread it.