Concerns with Astrologian in Endwalker

[ty_taurus]

I'm ok with Astrodyne, but i'm a bit disappointed we can't use it to buff other party members.
Its buffs can benefit anyone in the party, plus MP regen as it stands is quite useless for current AST. I'd rather use it on someone who just died and got rezzed with 0 MP (thinking about co-healers specifically).

Eh, the biggest issue with this concept is that game has ultimately evolved to revolve around specific burst windows which Haste can actually screw with more than help. Most DPS would rather you not give that to them, and the MP boost would largely go to waste on the DPS as well. RDM and SMN might appreciate it after a raise or if the RDM is raising a lot in a scrambling party, but otherwise you might end up doing more harm than good.

I think it's a clever ability in some ways, but I feel like it would've made more sense to have the buffs associated with specific seals rather than just collecting one of each. That way you could, at times, benefit from 3 solar seals or something like that. You'd need to replace the Haste effect with something else because then it would just be seen as a major DPS boost to stack 3 Haste seals, but I think conceptually this would feel more interesting for AST.

[Sani2341]

I think it's a clever ability in some ways, but I feel like it would've made more sense to have the buffs associated with specific seals rather than just collecting one of each. That way you could, at times, benefit from 3 solar seals or something like that. You'd need to replace the Haste effect with something else because then it would just be seen as a major DPS boost to stack 3 Haste seals, but I think conceptually this would feel more interesting for AST.

that's quite an interesting suggestion. as for not making people stack haste, what if they made multiple give diminishing returns. (i.e. first seal gets 100% of the normal buff, second identical gets 50& and a third would give only 25% the normal buff [numbers aren't meant to be acurate, just napkin math to illustrate the idea)
That could lead to a balance where in general you'd want three different one, but with the option to get two or three of a specific buff in situations where you'd need/want it.

[ty_taurus]

that's quite an interesting suggestion. as for not making people stack haste, what if they made multiple give diminishing returns. (i.e. first seal gets 100% of the normal buff, second identical gets 50& and a third would give only 25% the normal buff [numbers aren't meant to be acurate, just napkin math to illustrate the idea)
That could lead to a balance where in general you'd want three different one, but with the option to get two or three of a specific buff in situations where you'd need/want it.

Actually, I forgot that one of the buffs also increases your damage dealt by 5% in addition to the Haste. Both of those would need to go even with diminishing returns. MP is too safe these days to warrant building toward it if DPS is the alternative. Sure, it could ultimately benefit you more after you've been revived, but you're not really meant to be planning to be revived, after all, and it would take too long to build seals after your raise. By the time you got the seals, your MP would be back anyway. If it were contrasted against other forms of utility, then casual players might still appreciate it after they've burned themselves more than usual while experienced players might see value in going for more MP refresh making no piety equipment sets more forgiving.

If we leave in the Haste and the damage dealt up, then MP will never be taken and someone will math out whether the Haste or direct damage is a greater increase and that will become optimal. It's true that sometimes utility is more important, but that's incredibly rare, and as mentioned, very difficult to plan for. Regardless of anyone's stance, DPS is the king of this game because it's the only clear way to set yourself at a higher skill echelon than other healers.