Complete FF14 Astrologian Guide for Shadowbringers Expansion

The Astrologian in Final Fantasy XIV’s Shadowbringers expansion is a visually striking healer that mixes steady healing with useful raid buffs. I’ve played AST a long time, and I’ll tell you plainly: the job rewards planning more than raw reaction. You draw cards, time heals, and decide who gets a 6% damage buff for 15 seconds. That rhythm—cards, heals, small DPS—is the job’s heartbeat.

Shadowbringers (released July 2, 2019) changed Astrologian’s card play into a simpler three-card cycle that powers Divination. That system is still the core in 2025. Practically, learn the basics first, then layer in card timing and advanced weaving as you get comfortable. Honestly, you won’t play AST well if you ignore fundamentals.

🌟 Getting started and unlocking

Astrologian unlocks at level 30 after the main story quest “Before the Dawn” in Ishgard. You’ll feel different from other healers because you give damage buffs as often as you heal. I’ve noticed players who treat AST like only a healer miss half the job’s value (controversial, I know!).

Core idea

Draw cards. Play cards. Make Divination windows. Cast Benefic spells and keep Combust III running on your main target. That’s the practical loop.

⭐ What to learn first

• Keep Benefic/Benefic II and Helios comfortable—those are your bread and butter.
• Make Combust III a habit; it’s a steady chunk of personal damage.
• Practice drawing and playing cards off-GCD between casts (weave, don’t clip).

Tip: Start with heals, then add cards. This doesn’t always work for everyone (depends on your group), but it helped me learn faster.

Key stats (short and exact)

Stat	Priority	Why
Mind	Highest	Directly boosts healing and your magic damage
Critical Hit	High	Big spikes in heals and DPS
Determination	Mid	Consistent damage/heal boost
Spell Speed	Low–Mid	Shortens GCD slightly
Piety	As needed	Use for MP sustain if necessary

⭐ Skills and a simple rotation

Short version: use Malefic IV as your nuke, keep Combust III on the boss, and weave cards and oGCD heals. Essential Dignity is your emergency button—use it when someone’s dropping fast. Aspected Benefic gives regen; Aspected Helios gives AoE heal with a weak shield.

Example opener (pre-pull): Draw → Malefic IV (3s)
1 Combust III
2 Malefic IV + Play
3 Malefic IV + Draw
4 Repeat, build to Divination

Why this works: Divination windows line up with raid burst windows and multiply normal DPS. If you miss timing, you cost your raid damage—so plan.

🎴 Cards, explained plainly

There are three card types that each give ~6% damage for 15s: The Balance (melee/tank), The Arrow (ranged physical), The Spear (ranged magical). Collect one of each to cast Divination, which gives the whole party that 6% buff for 15s. Build the three-card set quickly and use Divination during high-damage moments.

Card targeting: give cards to people who will actually use the 15 seconds—Black Mage, Ninja, Summoner, etc.—but don’t wait forever for the perfect handed-out moment. A card used now often beats a perfect plan that never happens (surprisingly true).

“Use Minor Arcana when cards duplicate or you need Area utility.” — practical advice from my runs

Minor Arcana converts duplicates into AoE damage (Lord) or healing (Lady). Use it when duplicate cards block Divination progress.

Card priority (short)

1. Build toward Divination: play cards on high DPS, convert duplicates.
2. At 3 seals: use Divination during raid burst, then reset the cycle.

💫 Advanced play for endgame

Advanced AST focuses on predictive healing and maximizing damage uptime. You’ll use Earthly Star where damage will happen in ~10s. That is planning—no telegraph, no miracle. Collective Unconscious is a heavy cooldown for large raid damage phases. Neutral Sect and Lightspeed give emergency windows and mobility.

Caveat: this doesn’t always work in chaotic pug groups; stick to survival first. We found in ultimate fights you sometimes must delay Divination for a mechanic; flexibility matters.

oGCD weaving priorities (quick)

When	Priority
Normal DPS	Card → Draw → Essential Dignity (spot heal)
Heavy damage	Essential Dignity → Healing oGCDs → Cards
Emergency	Essential Dignity → Neutral Sect → CU

Example weaves: Malefic IV + Essential Dignity + Play. Combust III + Earthly Star (placed early).

🔮 Gear and materia, the practical bits

Focus on highest item level gear first—weapon above all. After item level, stack Crit then Det. Piety only if you’re running out of MP (1200–1800 targets below are general examples, there are exceptions).

Exact dates matter: as of February 1, 2025, these priorities still match current raid tuning for most endgame encounters. Verify your raid’s demands; some fights need more Piety due to sustained GCD healing.

Recommended materia order (short): Weapon/Chest → Crit, Det; Accessories → Crit to cap, then Det, then Piety if needed.

BiS considerations (benchmarks)

Content	Piety	Focus
Savage	1400–1600	Crit/Det
Ultimate	1600–1800	Survival & MP
Farm	1200–1400	Damage

Final practical notes (from my runs)

Be predictable with your cards and unpredictable with your heals (watch this: timing saves people). One counterintuitive point: sometimes spamming Malefic IV while smartly playing cards wins more than trying to micro every single heal. Also, some players overvalue perfect card math—skillful, consistent card flow often outperforms perfectionism.

Two quick analogies: AST is like conducting an orchestra—you cue the big moments and keep the score steady. It’s also like juggling—drop the wrong ball and people notice, but steady rhythm keeps the show going.

There are exceptions. Don’t expect to master everything in a weekend. I’ve stumbled mid-raid (I’ll admit it) and learned faster after those wipes. Between us, that’s normal.

Want a tiny checklist? Keep Combust III, maintain card flow, prioritize survival, and time Divination with raid bursts. Simple, but it works.

— Written by a healer who’s run savage and ultimate content, and who still learns new tricks in 2025.

Code snippet for a quick macro idea (for reference):

/macroicon "Draw"
/action "Draw"
/wait 1
/action "Play"
/endmacro

Emoji summary: 🎴 = cards, ❤️ = heals, ⚡ = timing. Go practice—don’t overthink the first runs. You’ll get there.