Tag: astrologian

FFXIV Astrologian Leveling Guide

Level up your Astrologian (AST) ASAP! Setting up – Early Rotations – Gear Checks and more!

Praise the stars! If you’re here, then you wanna level up an Astrologian! The heavens guided you true then – cause your Astrologian Leveling Guide will help you out! Especially with setting up from L30 so you won’t get overwhelmed!

Astrologian Leveling Guide Navigation:
Page 1: Unlocking, L30 Skills & Rotation, L30 Gear, Class Quest List
Page 2: Leveling AST 30 to 50 (Basic info for now)
Page 3: Leveling AST 50 to 60 (Basic info for now)
Page 4: Leveling AST 60 to 70 (Basic info for now)

For those who jumped right into this page, we will add a little blurb about unlocking Astrologian, if you haven’t already.

Unlocking Astrologian (AST) Job

Quest Name: Stairway to the Heavens
Quest Location: The Pillars (X:15, Y:10)
NPC Name: Jannequinard

You will be rewarded with the Soul of the Astrologian, your main hand weapon (Star Globe), and a free coffer of 30 left side gear (Velveteen Cowl and Velveteen Tights)! Equip them as soon you have them!

Since Astrologian starts at level 30 (unlocked when you get another character to level 50), there are a few things you have to “catch up to”… Namely, your Skills, Rotation, and to a lesser extent, Gear.

GET A DPS CHOCOBO IF YOU PLAN TO SOLO.

Fresh Level 30 Astrologian Rotation & Skills

Thankfully, there aren’t too many skills unlocked by L30 so you won’t be overwhelmed.

AST Playstyle Summary

The heart of the cards… You gotta have faith when playing AST as it’s one of the classes more heavily affected by RNG!

Card management is a whole ‘nother layer placed on top of the already many list of things healers have to worry about – a daunting yet rewarding prospect! Inversely, mismanage your cards and you will suffer.

Astrologians just “feel” different… their unique cooldowns… how you can (and force) “stars to align” to maximize their effects… It’s unexplainable at this early stage but if this sounds amazing to you – continue forth!

L30 AST Dungeon and Group Basics
L30 AST Healing Basics

ALWAYS CHECK YOUR STANCE IF IT’S ON: At level 30 you only have Diurnal Stance – which adds a Heal over Time to some spells, as well as increasing all your healing potency, while reducing enmity.

Benefic (L2) is your basic, low mana low potency heal. Benefic II (L26) costs a lot more but heals for more as well. Use accordingly.

Essential Dignity (L15) is used to “fix” desperate situations. It quickly heals up any low life party member!

Use Draw (L30) as often as possible, so it goes on cooldown faster. The more buffs you can provide your team the better your runs will be!

L30 Ultra BASIC card usage notes:
Bole (green) on tanks (increased defense)
Balance (red) on highest DPS.
Arrow (light blue) on “class that benefits from reduced GCD”, or best DPS.
Spear (dark blue) on “class that benefits from crit”, or best DPS .
Spire (yellow) regenerates TP – very narrow use.
Ewer (bright blue) regenerates mana, usually use on self.

Helios (L10) is your basic AoE heal.

Ascend (L2) to ressurect fallen allies.

DPSING IN DUNGEONS:
open with Combust (L4) on each enemy.
Malefic (L1) when you’re not healing.

L30 AST Soloing Basics
L30 AST Soloing Basics

Combust (L4) on enemies who will last more than 12~ seconds.
Malefic (L1) Spam.

ASTROLOGIANS DPS IS SO LAUGHABLY BAD EARLY ON THAT YOU MUST MUST MUST GET A DPS CHOCOBO IF YOU PLAN TO SOLO

Use Draw OUTSIDE combat (it’s usually not worth the GCD). Balance > Spear > Arrow is what you’re looking for.

THERE IS NO AOE TO SPEAK OF. Simply “Combust all guys” is your best bet.

L30 AST Misc (Cooldowns, Utility)
L30 AST Misc skills (Cooldowns, Utility)

We may have touched on these lightly in the boxes above – but i’ll be listing all of these skills here again.

Lightspeed (L6) is a POWERFUL cooldown which increases healing potency, reduces MP used, and decreases cast time. Godly.

Ascend (L12) to resurrect allies during combat. Usually paired with the Role Action Swiftcast, or in utter desperation – Lightspeed.

Essential Dignity (L15) is an ULTRA off GCD heal that gets better the lower the targets HP is. This is one of the best heals in the game! More noticeable during raids – but this pulls its weight in ANY content.

Draw (L30) is your best friend, and I cannot fit all there is to know about it here. You will learn more and more about draw and its related skills as you journey as an Astrologian!

Undraw (L30) removes currently active card. Only used to throw away unwanted cards to speed up the cooldown of Draw.

L30 AST Role Actions
L30 AST Role Actions

Long story short, for general purposes:
Protect > Swiftcast > Lucid Dreaming > Any

For a detailed write up: check out Healer Role Actions Guide.

 

 

Fresh level 30 Astrologian: Gear Check

The free gear you get from completing the Astrologian quest is, ultimately, lacking. You only get a chest and leg armor, while lacking Helm, Belt, Gloves, Boots – and the entire 5 right-side accessories. If you plan to maximize your options in leveling – you wanna shore this up ASAP.

Ignore this section if you’re one of those pure PotD types.

ODDLY SOME OF THE HEALER GEAR AT THIS LEVEL IS 31.
You may as well level up once before upgrading.

L30 AST Basic of the Basic gear
SlotItemNote
WeaponStar GlobeFree from coffer
HeadVelveteen CowlFree from coffer
BodyVelveteen CowlFree from coffer
HandsHQ Velveteen Dress GlovesMarket board / WVR
BeltHQ Velveteen SashMarket board / WVR
LegsVelveteen TightsFree from coffer
BootsHQ Velveteen Dress ShoesMarket board / WVR
EarringHQ Malachite EarringMarket board / GSM
NeckHQ Malachite ChokerMarket board / GSM
WristHQ Malachite BraceletMarket board / GSM
RingHQ Malachite RingMarket board / GSM
RingHQ Malachite RingMarket board / GSM

OPTIONAL MELDING: Savage Might > Savage Aim > Heaven’s Eye > Quicktongue. Personally, I only melded the accessories (and I used them all the way to L50!)

Astrologian Class Quests: Where!?

It happens to everyone, don’t worry. We will be listing the relevant chunks per tier on the respective page of this leveling guide as well, for easy reference.

Astrologian Job Quests 30 to 50
LVLQUESTLOCATIONCOORDSISSUERREWARDS
   XY
30Fortune Favors the BoleSouth Shroud2523Leveva
35Hanging in the BalanceThe Pillars1510Jannequinard
40A Lesson in PatienceThe Pillars1510Jannequinard
40Slings and ArrowsThe Pillars1510Leveva
45Ewer RightThe Pillars1510Jannequinard
50Loved by the SunThe Pillars1510Jannequinard
50Spearheading InitiativesThe Pillars1510LevevaAstrologian’s Attire Coffer
Astrologian Job Quests 50 to 60
LVLQUESTLOCATIONCOORDSISSUERREWARDS
   XY
50Sharlayan AscendingCoerthas Central Highlands2630Jannequinard
52Empty NestThe Pillars1510Jannequinard
54ConvictionThe Pillars1510Jannequinard
56Feather in the CapThe Pillars1510Jannequinard
58TrumpedThe Pillars1510Jannequinard
60The Hands of FateThe Pillars1510JannequinardWelkin Attire Coffer
Astrologian Job Quests 60 to 70
LVLQUESTLOCATIONCOORDSISSUERREWARDS
   XY
60East Meets WestThe Pillars1510Jannequinard
63Ride Like the WindThe Pillars1510Leveva
65Come Rain or ShineThe Pillars1510Jannequinard
68Behind Door Number TwoKugane1313Kyokuho
70FoxfireKugane1313KyokuhoConstellation Attire Coffer

Astrologian Leveling Guide Navigation:
Page 1: Unlocking, L30 Skills & Rotation, L30 Gear, Class Quest List
Page 2: Leveling AST 30 to 50 (Basic info for now)
Page 3: Leveling AST 50 to 60 (Basic info for now)
Page 4: Leveling AST 60 to 70 (Basic info for now)

I’m sure you’re itching to level up – and I hope you took the above preparations to heart! Just continue onwards with the links just above!

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FFXIV 3.3 Astrologian (AST) Best in Slot (BiS) Gear

3.3 UPDATED! AST Best in slot guide! “Always play the hand ‘yer DEALT!”. AST Lore buy order, Melding, Pages & Normals, more!

So the cosmos have guided you home – back home to the grind for gear! If you’re looking AST BiS for 3.3 you’ve found well! Here, you can find three options for the AST BiS…

Note: It goes without saying that -Diurnal will be almost identical to WHM BiS, Nocturnal will be almost identical to SCH BiS. So if you follow that “Classic mindset” you can check those out. However, in this page I will be talking about the DET focused set.

3.3 Notes: Aside from filler gear, the only thing that affects BiS is Relic – Sphere of the Last Heir. While melding may depend on your main stance, PIE is always a good idea, followed by DET if you adhere to this pages’ ideology.

Navigation: Astrologian BiS
AST BiS | Discussion | Lore Buy Order (&Pages)  | Crafted TBA

3.3 Astrologian Best-in-Slot

ASTItemMeld 1Meld 2PieDetCritSSN
WeaponPrototype Midal Metal AstrometerPIE VPIE V112118
Offhand-----
HelmMidan Horn of HealingPIE VPIE V7266-
BodyAugmented Hailstorm Coat of HealingDET VDET V11799--
HandAugmented Hailstorm Gloves of HealingDET VDET V512469-ANY
BeltMidan Belt of HealingDET V-5446--
LegsMidan Trousers of HealingPIE VPIE V104-112-
BootsMidan Boots of HealingDET VCRIT V725812-
NeckAugmented Primal Choker of HealingPIE V-4949--
EarringAugmented Primal Earrings of HealingDET V-5446--
WristAugmented Primal Bracelet of HealingDET V-5412-36ANY
RingMidan Ring of HealingDET V-5446--
RingAugmented Primal Ring of HealingDET V--123651
FoodFrozen Spirits--2611--
StatsTotals from items ->81958722987
Totals w base, melds, gear ->1080805583441

AST BiS Discussion

Again if you follow the classic Diurnal=WHM,  Nocturnal=SCH you can check their respective BiS pages with the only chain being the weapon.

  • Diurnal: Augmented Hailstorm Astrometer
  • Nocturnal: Prototype Midan Metal Astrometer

Click on the tabs below – “Determination?” and “Gear Discussion”

Why DeterminationGear Options & Discussion

This page isn’t just about being cute and different. The set offers power and consistency beyond the usual AST setups.

I don’t like crit stacked Nocturnal AST. Let’s get that out of the way. Hoping for a crit shield is never ever a habit you should form, or better yet, never a situation you find yourself in often (It’s likely a tank or healer error if that’s the case). I’m not too sold on SS stacked Diurnal, either. The base stance bonus is much larger than you’d think.

Piety is still the most important stat for either sect, though, and this set reflects that. Without Assize or Energy Drain, AST’s only have ONE MAIN REPLENISHER OF MANA – Lumineferous Aether (+Celestial Opposition Extension, which should always be used). More Piety means less reliance on Ewer, and in effect more cards meant for raid efficiency – given how Royal Road on Ewer is the amazing AoE effect.

Why Determination? DET DIRECTLY COUNTERS AST’s downside which is “slightly weaker heals”. Yes, I understand crit does this too – but not as consistently as DET does. The problem with AST is the RNG reliant gameplay, and I DO NOT want to compound that with crit! So this set takes care of both the “weak” and “random” weakpoints of AST.

But still, after all that following either WHM BiS or SCH BiS is A-OK and I’m sure its A8S clearable. The power level of both setups definitely have their ups and downs.

There’s some discussion here, but the core remains… after all, the set is full of linear power – boasting 800+ DET and 1000+ Piety. Damn.

Melding Strategy can be changed if you’re the “DPS-er” in your healing duo. A lot of healers may tell you that CRIT is the most important stat for DPSing – this is false. Accuracy and Piety are the most stable DPS stats Since our set is packed in Piety – you can Meld accuracy to your hearts content!

Flex slots? There’s only a small bit of wiggle room in gear choices:

Augmented Hailstorm Bottoms of Healing: Is a legit swap for more DET, but sadly comes with SS which has indeterminate usefulness… depends on which stance you main and your co-healer class/dynamic. You do lose a hefty chunk of Piety, though.

Bracelet -another mindless swap. SS or Crit. Retains Piety. No loss in DET.
Gloves – Same story, the list above use one of each variant.

 

AST Lore Tomestone Buy Order

The tome spending strat below is to obtain BiS fastest:

  • Weapon: good “filler” until you down A8S. Meld PIE I guess.
    • Be mindful you need to time it with Hypercharged Tomestone
  • Body: Obvious second buy as any comparable Ilvl is from A8S
  • Hand: is “Equal to Midan”, but I guess just pick this up to save pages.
  • Ring > Earrings > Neck > Bracelet (is Equal to Midan)

ANYTHING ELSE IS OPTIONAL: Legs > Helm > Boots completing left (if you’re investing in fillers, left comes first).

USING UP PAGES AND MIDAS NORMAL PARTS

Click on the expandables below to see how you should spend pages, and which Midas Normal parts to get first –

Midan Savage Pages

MIDAN SAVAGE PAGES

The below spending strategy is purely to obtain BiS fastest:

A5S: Ring > Bracelet (equal to BiS) > Any
A6S: Belt > Boots > Helm > Illuminati Dark Gobcoat x 4 > Any
A7S: Pants > Illuminati Taut Gobtwine x 2 > Any
A8S: Weapon > Any (Gobdip is okay and just wait for Weapon drop)

Midan Normal Parts

MIDAN NORMAL PARTS

“what should AST’s pick up in Midas normal”! Is something I get asked often so here it is. This is a general thing, and people might have varying levels of gear or goals but as a catch-all good enough recommendation:

M1NM2NM3NM4N
Week 1chainlensspringspring
Week 2boltlensspringspring
Week 3pedalpedalcrankcrank
Week 4boltboltanyany (shaft)

Why avoid chest? Yes it has massive DET, but alas, this early on in the tier (and it’s gonna be replaced by Lore Chest very very quickly) PIE would be the smarter choice. Bolts -> Midan Ring > Midan Bracelet > Any

W5 and up – ANY.

Click the above!!!

AST Crafted Gear Viability

So we can quickly update all BiS pages, I wont discuss every detail just yet. But of course, the above will fulfill 90% of your needs. I usually update this later on…

Navigation: Astrologian BiS
AST BiS | Discussion | Lore Buy Order (&Pages)  | Crafted TBA

Let the stars guide your looting and robot dismantling – and GL gearing up your AST for BiS in 3.3!

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