Is there a reason Ast cant have the sects?

[SiriusBreeze]

the Ast pure-healer rework didn't really do anything. The sects were removed and we're in perma-diruna stance. Why? Why can't Ast have the sects? Is being able to switch to a shield healer for utility that good? Is it for the sake of this 2 pure healer 2 shield healer ideal? I just fail to see why they took away a fun tool.

[RinaShinomiya]

Yeah, SE wants to have 2 pure Healers and 2 Barrier healers. I feel like the only reason AST had the sects in the first place was because there were only 3 healers and it would've been too awkward to have either 2 Pure healers 1 Barrier healer or 1 Pure Healer and 2 Barrier healers. Having the 3rd healer be able to be either was probably just for that reason. Also since AST and SCH were paired together most of the time anyway, AST already kinda was Perma Diurnal. This isn't really a rework just reducing 2 buttons and making the tooltips easier to read.

[MintnHoney]

Because the people on these forums don't seem to think it can be balanced or done in a meaningful way and have decided that AST with sects was the devil and the reason why healing is the worst role in this game, meanwhile Squeen can't be bothered to think on what to do to improve healing for more than 10 minutes and resorts to potency bloat in order to establish a sort of balance between the healers while they promise to spend more time "fixing" the "state of healers" (which most players interpret and hope to mean that they'll adjust the game to fit their preferred style of healing, only to be further disappointed when it doesn't or when they go in the opposite direction).

Hyperbole aside, Squeen had issues trying to balance the different stances while also balancing ASTs utility and personal agency. Diurnal was the one sect that was used most often and decried the least, so that's likely where the decision to scrap Nocturnal over Diurnal came from, when they decided they wanted to have 2 styles of healer.

[Awarewolf]

Because the people on these forums don't seem to think it can be balanced or done in a meaningful way and have decided that AST with sects was the devil and the reason why healing is the worst role in this game, meanwhile Squeen can't be bothered to think on what to do to improve healing for more than 10 minutes and resorts to potency bloat in order to establish a sort of balance between the healers while they promise to spend more time "fixing" the "state of healers" (which most players interpret and hope to mean that they'll adjust the game to fit their preferred style of healing, only to be further disappointed when it doesn't or when they go in the opposite direction).

Hyperbole aside, Squeen had issues trying to balance the different stances while also balancing ASTs utility and personal agency. Diurnal was the one sect that was used most often and decried the least, so that's likely where the decision to scrap Nocturnal over Diurnal came from, when they decided they wanted to have 2 styles of healer.

Why are you using the abbreviation “Squeen?”

[Kacho_Nacho]

Is there a reason Ast can't have the sects?

Because they took an oath of celibacy?

[Grimoire-M]

Because the people on these forums don't seem to think it can be balanced or done in a meaningful way and have decided that AST with sects was the devil and the reason why healing is the worst role in this game, meanwhile Squeen can't be bothered to think on what to do to improve healing for more than 10 minutes and resorts to potency bloat in order to establish a sort of balance between the healers while they promise to spend more time "fixing" the "state of healers" (which most players interpret and hope to mean that they'll adjust the game to fit their preferred style of healing, only to be further disappointed when it doesn't or when they go in the opposite direction).

Hyperbole aside, Squeen had issues trying to balance the different stances while also balancing ASTs utility and personal agency. Diurnal was the one sect that was used most often and decried the least, so that's likely where the decision to scrap Nocturnal over Diurnal came from, when they decided they wanted to have 2 styles of healer.

Noct just plain sucked even if you understood how to use it properly. Take every one of AST’s problems and then remove the one on-demand tool that proactively helped with said problems (Diurnal Benefic) for a tool that does the same thing as Benefic II. All it really proved is why SCH was good to begin with. That’s why Sage borrows more from Aetherflow and the Fairy than it does Tactics and Shields.

[ty_taurus]

Noct just plain sucked even if you understood how to use it properly. Take every one of AST’s problems and then remove the one on-demand tool that proactively helped with said problems (Diurnal Benefic) for a tool that does the same thing as Benefic II. All it really proved is why SCH was good to begin with. That’s why Sage borrows more from Aetherflow and the Fairy than it does Tactics and Shields.

Agreed. Since day 1, Diurnal has forever been superior both in potency and in kit functionality. Back when AST could extend their buff durations, what good was extending the duration of a transient barrier that was only useful if it broke anyway? Meanwhile extending regens just make them flat out stronger. Beyond that, the main influence of the sects wasn't even the main focal point of AST's playstyle. I realize there's a small collection of Nocturnal enthusiasts, but really, what defined AST was never the sects, but the cards, and now more than ever, their delayed healing.

[Maxilor]

Because they took an oath of celibacy?

They do not know about the Dwarven Decking.

[JanVanding]

the Ast pure-healer rework didn't really do anything. The sects were removed and we're in perma-diruna stance. Why? Why can't Ast have the sects? Is being able to switch to a shield healer for utility that good? Is it for the sake of this 2 pure healer 2 shield healer ideal? I just fail to see why they took away a fun tool.

Straight answer.

If you really want Nocturnal sect 2.0

Roll Sage.

[elioaiko]

As much I missed certain things about nocturnal. I'm 100% glad it's gone.

For one, the devs had to design AST as both a mimic to WHM or SCH, meaning it can never be truly unique because it needed to fill the base requirement of a regen and shield healer. Their skills are designed that can accommodate these changes leaving AST as a knock-off of either, thus limiting the potential of their kit.

Now that we have SGE, AST can be what it's always been good at, being a regen healer. Instead of designing AST to fit two roles, it can thrive in one without its kit being held back.