Quote Originally Posted by MintnHoney View Post
They didn't even say it was a problem, so, no, they're not acknowledging it was an issue. What they did say, was that they're going to "retool" AST into "more" of a "Pure Healer" in light of their push for the division of Pure vs Shield healing, so they're saying they're doing this as part of an exciting feature.
They don’t have to say that Sects are a problem. Anyone that goes back to look at all the adjustments and tunings AST has had to undergo in the last six years knows how much of a problem balancing the job has been. It has either been too strong (most of its lifespan has been it blatantly overshadowing WHM in healing, damage, or utility aspects) or horrible to the point of being unplayable (3.0 release, early ShB when its healing was super bad). A lot of AST’s balancing issues comes from the hybrid nature while some used to come from the card system—and the fact that WHM had no answer to how strong it was. They can’t make either sect “too good” without threatening the other healer that shares the same healing type. Usually, it’s WHM that is threatened. We’ve seen this time and time again in every expansion since AST was introduced. Early SB AST actually threatened SCH until they buffed the latter prior to Deltascape’s release. They also cannot make Diurnal and Nocturnal equally as good. One has always been better than the other, and it has always been Diurnal. Nocturnal has been adjusted so many times I’ve honestly lost count. All to try and make it more appealing. And it’s failed with the general healer population at large. I enjoy Noct, but I know Diurnal is just straight up better.

Personally, I think both Sects will be removed, with AST just inherently taking on the Diurnal qualities of most of its actions. They will likely leave Neutral Sect as it is, CU, and likely CI as a baby Divine Benison. But I don’t expect them to make the Sects into cooldowns or something. More than likely, they will be axed like most stances have been axed.