Let's talk about 'dem Heavensward jobs

[Jaran]

Real talk; coming from maining DRG, MCH's damage output feels like I'm caressing the enemy with a sack of warm kittens. I'm pretty sure AST does more DPS right now.

[mongi291]

So, Clemency is affected by attack power. I'm definitely playing PLD again now.

[Aife]

Now that I'm about four levels off maxing Astrologian, here's some thoughts so far on the class.

 

Good points

* The buffs are really good with the cards. I’m really enjoying the positive feedback I’m getting when I use them on players.

 

* Aesthetically the spell casting is beautiful.

 

* I’m really enjoying the class quests thus far and learning more about Sharlayan and Sharlayan Astrologacy. 

 

* The versatility to switch between  Diurnal Sect (healing) and Nocturnal Sect(Barrier) depending on the other healer in the party is great.

 

*All of the designs of the Astroglobes are amazing.

 

 

 

Bad Points

 

* The healing is Diurnal Sect isn’t as strong as WHM which means I often have to work a lot harder to keep people up and can’t dps. I don’t really mind but to some people in the community this is seen as a bad thing.

 

* Still learning how to play the class most effectively. I’ve been reading threads on reddit about playing the class and so far I seem to be doing everything correctly but I still feel like there’s more to learn to be the best Astrologian I can be.

 

* My dps is pretty average even in cleric stance.  It makes doing MSQ hard sometimes when my boyfriend can’t accompany me on quests where I need to kill things.

 

 

 

Overall I think Astrologian is a good healing and buffing class but I certainly wouldn’t suggest having two in major raids since they can’t be relied upon to have high heals or barriers with dps. Definitely more of a secondary healer then a primary one but they are still an asset to have in heavy, end game content.

 

(Will edit with more thoughts as I head towards 60).

[Caspar]

I've heard rumors in my ls that the secret to playing AST is knowing every class's basic in-and-outs. They didn't go into much detail other than that, but I think there is an optimal buff to be cast on each character class.

 

I'm lvl58 on my Monk, so I should soon be done, and ready to make the climb once more on Balmung Virara, in double time.

[Aife]

I've heard rumors in my ls that the secret to playing AST is knowing every class's basic in-and-outs. They didn't go into much detail other than that, but I think there is an optimal buff to be cast on each character class.

 

I'm lvl58 on my Monk, so I should soon be done, and ready to make the climb once more on Balmung Virara, in double time.

 Definitely. As a veteran player whose played since 2.0 and leveled all classes  to 50 between two toons it's helped me figure out what card to use on players. Getting feedback from my boyfriend who now mains Dark Knight has also helped me figure out how to effectively buff them to the best of my ability. I've also gotten feedback from other players about the buffs which has also helped me figure out how and when to place my buffs.

[Enla]

I've only gotten to 56 with WHM and didn't have time to do the next quest in the chain before the servers went down but already I have a few thoughts...

 

Stone 3: For roughly fifty extra MP with an offset of fifty extra potency there is absolutely no reason to ever use Stone 2 ever again. Not that there always -was- a reason to use it in higher end content unless you were a stance dancing wizard, but it's nice to be able to perform better in solo content with a DPS skill that doesn't just tickle the enemy to death.

 

Asylum: Barely worth having if not for the fact that it can be cast fairly regularly for absolutely no cost and lasts longer than a regen. However it's that free cost that makes it something I'm constantly casting while in dungeons, placing it just around the tank and melee DPS so that I don't have a aneurysm trying to keep everyone up with how hard the new mobs hit. Which leads me too...

 

WHM desperately needs a buff for Shroud of Saints. I don't care if they up the potency or just reduce the timer by ten to twenty seconds, something needs to be done. It just doesn't cut it anymore. Not that it ever -was- useful as an MP buff in post-50 content, it's purpose usually going towards an enmity drop over anything else. Yet I've been -struggling- to keep my MP up in most of the new content no matter how I plan out each encounter to use the skill effectively. It also doesn't help that I've had several tanks honestly treat me as if I'm a SCH and thus can easily regain my MP, causing some rather frustrating moments... Of course I'm only 56, so chances are this won't be an issue by the time I reach 60 due to gear and everyone slowly learning the mechanics of each instance enough that no one is overly taxed. Yet it has been bothering me of late. Especially since enemies are hitting harder and faster in the new content, as they should of course.

:dodgy:

 

Mind, I probably am just horribad.

[Zyrusticae]

Real talk; coming from maining DRG, MCH's damage output feels like I'm caressing the enemy with a sack of warm kittens. I'm pretty sure AST does more DPS right now.

 

Your suspicion is likely correct. At least at the moment, even Warriors are capable of doing about as much damage as MCH is at level 60: http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/threads/241432-Machinist-needs-serious-attention?p=3065907&viewfull=1#post3065907

 

I wouldn't be surprised if a Cleric Stance'd WHM is capable of superior damage output. The potencies on our skills are completely pathetic. Even accounting for the turret (which is effectively a DoT that hits for 80 potency), Paladin still hits harder more consistently than us with their primary attack chain. Here's some really simplified math (with the turret damage converted to the GCD for consistency)

 

Fast Blade (150) > Savage Blade (200) > Royal Auth (340)

 

Split Shot (140+66) > 50% chance > Slug Shot (180+66) > 50% chance > Clean Shot (200+66)

 

In other words, since we're stuck at the mercy of RNG our effective potencies are cut to a pathetic amount. If you're stuck spamming Split Shot, the PLD WILL out-DPS you. That's how bad our damage is.

 

Now, granted, when our cds are up and we can hit our opening salvo, we can keep up during those short few moments. But as soon as everything's on cd and we're stuck spamming split shot and the demon of RNG rears its ugly head, we may as well be firing pea shooters at 'em. It really feels like we were designed on the assumption that we would get to fire off our entire skill chain 100% of the time instead of 25% of the time, but of course, the math doesn't work out that way, hence why we feel so terrible in actual play.

 

It's an easy fix, too - either increase the potency of Split Shot or let failed Split Shot procs give us a stack of ammo (or maybe even both), and that would go a loooong way to making the class less boring and frustrating to play and help us keep up with the other DPS.

[111]

Real talk; coming from maining DRG, MCH's damage output feels like I'm caressing the enemy with a sack of warm kittens. I'm pretty sure AST does more DPS right now.

 

Your suspicion is likely correct. At least at the moment, even Warriors are capable of doing about as much damage as MCH is at level 60: http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/threads/241432-Machinist-needs-serious-attention?p=3065907&viewfull=1#post3065907

 

I wouldn't be surprised if a Cleric Stance'd WHM is capable of superior damage output. The potencies on our skills are completely pathetic. Even accounting for the turret (which is effectively a DoT that hits for 80 potency), Paladin still hits harder more consistently than us with their primary attack chain. Here's some really simplified math (with the turret damage converted to the GCD for consistency)

 

Fast Blade (150) > Savage Blade (200) > Royal Auth (340)

 

Split Shot (140+66) > 50% chance > Slug Shot (180+66) > 50% chance > Clean Shot (200+66)

 

In other words, since we're stuck at the mercy of RNG our effective potencies are cut to a pathetic amount. If you're stuck spamming Split Shot, the PLD WILL out-DPS you. That's how bad our damage is.

 

Now, granted, when our cds are up and we can hit our opening salvo, we can keep up during those short few moments. But as soon as everything's on cd and we're stuck spamming split shot and the demon of RNG rears its ugly head, we may as well be firing pea shooters at 'em. It really feels like we were designed on the assumption that we would get to fire off our entire skill chain 100% of the time instead of 25% of the time, but of course, the math doesn't work out that way, hence why we feel so terrible in actual play.

 

It's an easy fix, too - either increase the potency of Split Shot or let failed Split Shot procs give us a stack of ammo (or maybe even both), and that would go a loooong way to making the class less boring and frustrating to play and help us keep up with the other DPS.

 

Maybe MCH need a buff, but all I see here is PLD MASTER RACE.

 

MUHAHAHAHA. WE CAN HEAL NOW. WE NO LONGER NEED THE PRESENCE OF YOU PUNY FLESHLINGS.

 

8 PLD GROUPS WHEN.

[Artigan]

My critique on the Monk thus Far:

 

The armor and weapons are lack luster and aesthetically are foreign and alien to such a martial esque themed class. :frustrated:

 

Form Shift is nice in that the ability allows the MNK to open a fight up with Dragon Kick and apply the debuff or stay in a certain position due to movement restriction and forgo using a certain stance's abilities.

 

Meditation is not intuitive for the MNK and is a niche ability used before a fight or in periods of downtime when the monk is unable to DPS. I don’t understand why Meditation is 5 gcds instead of just 1 ability on a 12.5 second cooldown that can be affected by Grease Lighting to reduce the cooldown's time, or simply have Chakra’s apply passively through the change of stances. Seeing as Meditation takes up a GCD using the ability in between dpsing will simply kill the MNKs overall DPS.

 

Forbidden Chakra is a rather lackluster animation but the potency is decent for having no Grease Lighting at the beginning of a fight or in-between periods of downtime. The animation is simple to say the least. :cry:

 

Elixir Field, a new AOE, groovy. Looks flashy too. 8-)

 

 

Purification falls under the limitations of Meditation and will only be used if and when Invigorate is down or the MNK needs TP now and has no options but to use Meditation 5 times. :dodgy:

 

Tornado Kick will obviously be used when the player knows a phase is coming up were their Grease Lighting stacks will drop anyway, granted I haven’t been able to test yet if Tornado Kick will boost the DPS of the MNK if weaved into the dps rotation. By far the coolest MNK ability to date. :thumbsup:

 

MNK overall is still a great class and will do well in endgame, but really falls short in the aesthetics and oomph of something that fights with its entire body. :love:

[Sophia_Grave]

Now that ive had a chance to number crunch MCH, I would say they aren't as terrible as people seem to think. The random nature of the skills only fluctuate total DPS by about 5-8% in each of the dozen simulations I ran. At worst, a string of no procs lowers your dps by about that much. 

 

However. 

 

The skill : DPS ratio is WAY out of whack. This job is without a doubt one of the hardest jobs with the immobility of BLM, the support of bard, the tight rotation/priority of DRG, and the latency unfriendliness of Ninja. As of now, playing flawlessly is no stronger than bard if not marginally worse. Machinist isnt bad, but holy hell, they are not worth the effort. 

 

By the way, leave gauss off until 60; it js a dps loss until then.

[Kage]

As far as I know, Bard's are having a horrible time because of bugs. At the very least.

 

Some attacks just make them unable to attack for a long period of time.

 

So much so that a DRG might get like 1300 DPS but a BRD will get something like 700 ish or so?

 

It hasn't been fixed either.

[Mercer]

Real talk; coming from maining DRG, MCH's damage output feels like I'm caressing the enemy with a sack of warm kittens. I'm pretty sure AST does more DPS right now.

 

Your suspicion is likely correct. At least at the moment, even Warriors are capable of doing about as much damage as MCH is at level 60

 

Your naivety toward WAR damage in Heavensward is adorable.

 

[Mercer]

As far as I know, Bard's are having a horrible time because of bugs. At the very least.

 

Some attacks just make them unable to attack for a long period of time.

 

So much so that a DRG might get like 1300 DPS but a BRD will get something like 700 ish or so?

 

It hasn't been fixed either.

 

I apologize for the double post, but I would like to directly reply to Kage on what is happening with bards.

 

So bards, normally a highly mobile class has a lot of skills off the global cooldown and procs. The change to a cast based system has not modified these off these key abilities.

 

Wanderer's Minuet removes auto attack damage for a 20% buff. It looks good on paper, until you realize that 25% of Bard damage is auto attack. Ok, that is a DPS loss so far. Next, they rely on the combination of Heavy Shot proccing a auto crit Steady Shot. The problem is that with the additional cast time on Heavy Shot it takes two full global cooldowns for the Steady Shot proc to go into effect. This is an issue that Blackmage has with Fire Starter.

 

The other issue they have is with their two DoTs resetting the Bloodletter recast timer. Being able to weave Bloodletter + Buffs into a Bard rotation was essential. Now with the cast timer they are only able to do one or the other, limiting their ability.

 

All together not only do Bards loose access to 25% auto attack damage for a 20% damage buff, they also lose the ability to use key attacks. Right now it's advisable to just ignore Wanderer's Minuet completely and continue the normal bard style.

[Shizuno]

As far as I know, Bard's are having a horrible time because of bugs. At the very least.

 

Some attacks just make them unable to attack for a long period of time.

 

So much so that a DRG might get like 1300 DPS but a BRD will get something like 700 ish or so?

 

It hasn't been fixed either.

 

I apologize for the double post, but I would like to directly reply to Kage on what is happening with bards.

 

So bards, normally a highly mobile class has a lot of skills off the global cooldown and procs. The change to a cast based system has not modified these off these key abilities.

 

Wanderer's Minuet removes auto attack damage for a 20% buff. It looks good on paper, until you realize that 25% of Bard damage is auto attack. Ok, that is a DPS loss so far. Next, they rely on the combination of Heavy Shot proccing a auto crit Steady Shot. The problem is that with the additional cast time on Heavy Shot it takes two full global cooldowns for the Steady Shot proc to go into effect. This is an issue that Blackmage has with Fire Starter.

 

The other issue they have is with their two DoTs resetting the Bloodletter recast timer. Being able to weave Bloodletter + Buffs into a Bard rotation was essential. Now with the cast timer they are only able to do one or the other, limiting their ability.

 

All together not only do Bards loose access to 25% auto attack damage for a 20% damage buff, they also lose the ability to use key attacks. Right now it's advisable to just ignore Wanderer's Minuet completely and continue the normal bard style.

 

As a BRD main, that's not quite what I found. Now, mind you, I may not really be totally correct here, but what I found is that Wanderer's has its uses.

 

First, Bloodletter actually remains without a cast time even when Wanderer's is up. In addition, a proc'ed Steady Shot also has no cast time. Plus, with the addition of Iron Jaws, you should only ever need to use both your DOTs once for the majority of a (boss) fight.

 

Plus, with the addition of Empyreal Arrow and the change to Barrage (it now makes the next skill hit three times for normal damage) you can get a really impressive blast off every 60 seconds when barrage is up (I'm hitting for about 3300 at 56 with that, since it can't crit).

 

So, really, Wanderer's isn't bad during boss fights if you manage yourself right. I can't say whether it's better or worse than not using it since I don't have a parser, but it feels at least as strong given a longer fight and good rotation.

 

(also, apologies for any typos or such, I'm on my phone)

[Spethah]

 

Bad Points

 

* The healing is Diurnal Sect isn’t as strong as WHM which means I often have to work a lot harder to keep people up and can’t dps. I don’t really mind but to some people in the community this is seen as a bad thing.

 

Nocturnal Stance gives the same healing power as a WHM, but you're getting shields instead of a regen. Being now level 58, I don't like to compare AST to any of the other healers now as they pretty much have their own way of functioning. If you want to dps as an AST, learn how to effectively heal as one. Same goes with the other healers. 

 

I tried running MCH for 5 levels to get the feel of it, but I'm literally feeling like I'm doing absolutely nothing at all even after properly using the ammo system. It just feels...so slow and flimsy. Is this a real gun or a potato gun?

[Mercer]

As far as I know, Bard's are having a horrible time because of bugs. At the very least.

 

Some attacks just make them unable to attack for a long period of time.

 

So much so that a DRG might get like 1300 DPS but a BRD will get something like 700 ish or so?

 

It hasn't been fixed either.

 

I apologize for the double post, but I would like to directly reply to Kage on what is happening with bards.

 

So bards, normally a highly mobile class has a lot of skills off the global cooldown and procs. The change to a cast based system has not modified these off these key abilities.

 

Wanderer's Minuet removes auto attack damage for a 20% buff. It looks good on paper, until you realize that 25% of Bard damage is auto attack. Ok, that is a DPS loss so far. Next, they rely on the combination of Heavy Shot proccing a auto crit Steady Shot. The problem is that with the additional cast time on Heavy Shot it takes two full global cooldowns for the Steady Shot proc to go into effect. This is an issue that Blackmage has with Fire Starter.

 

The other issue they have is with their two DoTs resetting the Bloodletter recast timer. Being able to weave Bloodletter + Buffs into a Bard rotation was essential. Now with the cast timer they are only able to do one or the other, limiting their ability.

 

All together not only do Bards loose access to 25% auto attack damage for a 20% damage buff, they also lose the ability to use key attacks. Right now it's advisable to just ignore Wanderer's Minuet completely and continue the normal bard style.

 

As a BRD main, that's not quite what I found. Now, mind you, I may not really be totally correct here, but what I found is that Wanderer's has its uses.

 

First, Bloodletter actually remains without a cast time even when Wanderer's is up. In addition, a proc'ed Steady Shot also has no cast time. Plus, with the addition of Iron Jaws, you should only ever need to use both your DOTs once for the majority of a (boss) fight.

 

Plus, with the addition of Empyreal Arrow and the change to Barrage (it now makes the next skill hit three times for normal damage) you can get a really impressive blast off every 60 seconds when barrage is up (I'm hitting for about 3300 at 56 with that).

 

So, really, Wanderer's isn't bad during boss fights if you manage yourself right. I can't say whether it's better or worse than not using it since I don't have a parser, but it feels at least as strong given a longer fight and good rotation.

 

It is not the fact that Steady Shot has no cast time, it's the fact that you effectively lose Steady Shot procs because of the cast time on Heavy Shot. This is a well documented issue that Blackmages have had with Firestarter before the stack was increased to two. The servers in XIV account for every 3 seconds of information at once, while your cast time is 2.5 or lower depending on speed buffs. This means that if you use Heavy Shot and it procs Steady Shot, it takes 3 seconds for the server to go "Hey, you procced!". In that time most Bards have already started casting their next Heavy Shot, effectively using two casts for a single proc. This also means that if your second Heavy Shot would have procced Steady Shot, that is now effectively lost.

 

With Bloodletter, it's the same deal. You can't use Bloodletter as soon as it procs, creating issues that your DoTs can continue proccing the effect for a net DPS loss. Yes, you can get big burst numbers with Wanderer's but the problem is that it comes at the cost of consistent DPS over time. Using Ephyreal Arrow ends up a net DPS loss as well, as you no longer get your crit procs for Steady Shot as well as losing out on the 25% DPS from auto attacks.

 

It's an issue that both BRD and MCN have with their respective cast buffs, they interfere with the mobile nature of their off cooldown abilities and procs. It's flawed and at the moment the only time it's recommended to use Wanderer's Minuet is when you are going into a heavy AoE situation. Outside of that, it's a DPS loss on a class that is already far behind the other DPS classes.

[Zyrusticae]

Now that ive had a chance to number crunch MCH, I would say they aren't as terrible as people seem to think. The random nature of the skills only fluctuate total DPS by about 5-8% in each of the dozen simulations I ran. At worst, a string of no procs lowers your dps by about that much. 

 

However. 

 

The skill : DPS ratio is WAY out of whack. This job is without a doubt one of the hardest jobs with the immobility of BLM, the support of bard, the tight rotation/priority of DRG, and the latency unfriendliness of Ninja. As of now, playing flawlessly is no stronger than bard if not marginally worse. Machinist isnt bad, but holy hell, they are not worth the effort. 

 

By the way, leave gauss off until 60; it js a dps loss until then.

5-8% variance is still a pretty significant amount, especially when you consider that the melee DPS jobs enjoy 100% consistency, though BLM and BRD have some (but not much) randomness of their own to contend with. (Never played SMN so I know nothing about them, heh.)

 

I think you have an odd standard for what qualifies as "bad". "Marginally worse than bard" when "bard" already qualifies as "weak DPS" is not exactly an encouraging statement. I also have yet to see a single MCH parse that even matches top BRD, so there's that.

 

I'm still fully convinced MCH is just plain weak, even disregarding how hard it is to play. Even though I am playing pretty much as close to perfect as I can manage (and out-DPSing everyone I meet in PUGs), the DPS I am putting out remains pathetic in light of what the other DPS jobs are capable of in the right hands.

 

Even at level 55 I am still putting out 400-ish DPS where I can hit the 500-range on a regular basis as a level 50 DRG with similar gear. That's pretty damning, really.

 

Your naivety toward WAR damage in Heavensward is adorable.

 

WAR damage output is front-loaded. Those big numbers do not translate to outrageously high sustained damage output due to the rest of their kit being kind of weak in that regard. That being said, yeah, they can do insane throughput in Deliverance now.

[Melkire]

5-8% variance is still a pretty significant amount, especially when you consider that the melee DPS jobs enjoy 100% consistency, though BLM and BRD have some (but not much) randomness of their own to contend with. (Never played SMN so I know nothing about them, heh.)

 

Just for clarity's sake, might I ask if this is or isn't considering forced GL3 loss during some fights in ARR when a boss jumps? 'cause I sure as hell don't always enjoy what I'd consider consistency.

 

*shakes fist at T9*

[Sophia_Grave]

What are you parsing with? Last I heard, there's no parser available yet that properly tracks and adds Wildfire's damage and the second hit of Ricochet, unless ACT released something in the last day. Without it, they parse close to Bard, so seeing as Wildfire is a huge part of their rotation, they should be a fair bit stronger. Of course, they still need a buff it seems; no one's denying that. As I said, for all the work that one must put in to play this job efficiently, its really not worth it.

 

They still have an uncontested debuff (Dismantle/Rend Mind) and TP/MP regen, and seeing as Gauss is more often a DPS loss than it is a gain, they have the mobility to stay safe, at least until Gauss gets a buff.

[Enla]

After getting my 56 skill I have to take back what I said about Shroud of Saints. Assize more than fits the bill to help regain MP now. 10% doesn't seem like much, but boy does it help.

[Zyrusticae]

Just for clarity's sake, might I ask if this is or isn't considering forced GL3 loss during some fights in ARR when a boss jumps? 'cause I sure as hell don't always enjoy what I'd consider consistency.

 

*shakes fist at T9*

 

That's intentional, and it is NOT random, which is what I was talking about with regards to MCH damage. You can mitigate that by knowing when the boss is going to jump and using the new skills to make the most of it.

 

What are you parsing with? Last I heard, there's no parser available yet that properly tracks and adds Wildfire's damage and the second hit of Ricochet, unless ACT released something in the last day. Without it, they parse close to Bard, so seeing as Wildfire is a huge part of their rotation, they should be a fair bit stronger. Of course, they still need a buff it seems; no one's denying that. As I said, for all the work that one must put in to play this job efficiently, its really not worth it.

 

They still have an uncontested debuff (Dismantle/Rend Mind) and TP/MP regen, and seeing as Gauss is more often a DPS loss than it is a gain, they have the mobility to stay safe, at least until Gauss gets a buff.

 

ACT, yes. As far as I can tell it's been tracking Wildfire properly (and I haven't unlocked Ricochet yet), but I'll double-check to make sure. Either way, Wildfire is still not a huge proportion of our damage on its own.

 

I'd like to see these parses where we're hitting close to Bard, though, to be honest, I don't think Bard itself is a good metric as it is a weak DPS class to begin with, as said. "Hits as hard as bard" may as well be a codeword for "hits like a wet noodle" as far as I'm concerned. (Yes, I do think bard is in need of buffs, too.)

 

(And how you could mention Dismantle/Rend Mind as a positive with their horribly weak effects, low duration, and long cds is entirely beyond me...)

[Sophia_Grave]

The point is that they stack with any and everything and are off GCD, so it can be applied at once the moment it is needed.

 

Regardless, someone has to be the worst. Machinists have literally everything from buffs, debuffs, all CCs, and great burst, and mobility, so it makes sense for that to be them. Even then, they only go marginally worse/even with Bards. Even a full team of Bards, when played well, can meet any DPS check.

 

As for ACT, look on Reddit, its documented by the guy who does the ffxiv plugin for ACT that it isn't tracked properly.

[Zyrusticae]

great burst

 

You lost me there.

 

Dragoon has great burst. Black mage has great burst. Warrior has great burst (lolwut?).

 

At most MCH gets pretty close at the very beginning of a fight when we can pop all of our cooldowns in quick succession and have Gauss Barrel running for mostly free damage. After that, it's all downhill from there. And even then, our burst hardly matches up to the greats.

 

But yes, we have (extremely weak) buffs, (worthless) debuffs, all CCs (which are useless in most boss fights), and of course we have mobility (when Gauss Barrel isn't on).

 

Yes, I'm bitter.

 

And you're really overstating the value of Bard DPS when Alexander hasn't even been released yet. Yes, a full team of Bards can meet all the currently existing DPS checks... but they also have to play that much better for it relative to a team that's running with a stronger composition. Obviously, this isn't a problem for parties that are on farm, but when you're trying to get a clear...

 

The problem, ultimately, is that many Alexander teams are going to NOT want to run with any jobs that will make life more difficult for them, and MCH is currently that job. Getting discluded from raids, getting badmouthed by other players for playing the job, getting blamed if the party fails DPS checks, and general negativity all abound from being the heel of jobs.

 

At least for awhile, we didn't really have a job that we could point at and say 'yep, that's the one'. Once WAR, DRG, and BLM got buffed, only SMN was really suffering, and even then they still had their own niche to fill.

 

MCH has no niche. They're utterly overshadowed by bard and even bard is not in a great place thanks to that woefully ill-thought-out Wanderer's Minuet.

[Zyrusticae]

Well, of course someone has to be the worst. The point is that 'the worst' could be a matter of tiny degrees and even be in flux depending on the player in question. When it's widely agreed upon what 'the worst' is, that's when we have a problem.

 

Also, it seems ACT is indeed counting Wildfire correctly, though I don't know if it was the most recent update that made it work or a previous one:

 

 

 

 

If you're curious, I hit 467 DPS that run, at level 56 and i133. The other MCH had Gauss Barrel on the entire time and... well, they didn't do so well (337 DPS).

 

467 DPS at 56 and i133... I do more than that on a regular basis on my level 50 i120 DRG. Grumble, grumble....

[Aife]

 

Bad Points

 

* The healing is Diurnal Sect isn’t as strong as WHM which means I often have to work a lot harder to keep people up and can’t dps. I don’t really mind but to some people in the community this is seen as a bad thing.

 

Nocturnal Stance gives the same healing power as a WHM, but you're getting shields instead of a regen. Being now level 58, I don't like to compare AST to any of the other healers now as they pretty much have their own way of functioning. If you want to dps as an AST, learn how to effectively heal as one. Same goes with the other healers. 

 

I tried running MCH for 5 levels to get the feel of it, but I'm literally feeling like I'm doing absolutely nothing at all even after properly using the ammo system. It just feels...so slow and flimsy. Is this a real gun or a potato gun?

I don't have any interest in dpsing. My priority goes healing -> buffing -> dps as should all good healers. Also I heal fine thanks, just not a lot of room to dps in the new dungeons compared to the old one's, especially in the vault.