The problem with crats is complex, and it's hard to put your finger on the problem.
Solo, crats are fine, but 90% of activities in AO are not solo. So we need to look at crats in context of group activities.
Crats are most likely 'fine' in PVM, crats are not fine in PVP.
Here is why:
Crats are meant to be a support prof, there's no question about that, but there are sub-types of support, and crat has a refined role of "enabling", Crat's are enablers.
In order to explain this more fully, consider a few different team mates:
crat + enforcer => enforcer becomes an evader and requires much less healing to survive, enforcer has much lower requirement to use challenger, can perk nearly indiscriminately, provide serious kill power, while crat enables the enforcer.
The crat gains little from this teammate, perhaps a bit more HP if desired, but arguably, the crat gains nothing, but he empowers his teammate to provide substantial killpower/survival.
crat + MA/shade => MA/shade becomes a glorified gankmachine and with heightened killpower/survival. Again, same thing as with enforcer, MA however, can provide some healing to the crat, and buff his evades by 120, crit by 8%.
Crat + doctor => for most doctor setup's, this really isn't the greatest matchup. A doc in full CC/AR setup can make use of the crat AR to boost killpower, but realistically neither party really gains a lot here, however, both members could play very defensively and could be very difficult to take down.
The point I'm trying to make here, is that in any given matchup, a crat generally enables others via commanding presence and HM/IHM. At 220 crats can provide 75AAD + 410AAD+ 100AAD = 585AAD , as well as 260 AAO+ 133AAO = 393 AAO and 60 nano delta on top. These are quite significant buffs, in fact, they are enough to enable other reasonably high AR profs to become juggernauts of destruction.
So, let us consider what a crat gains out of any pairing vs what a crat might face in opposition.
Firstly - crats are an evade prof. Their SOLE means of defence is avoidance of damage via evades (blast shield now has gotten a boost, but is generally a last ditch emergency item due to it destroying your pet).
A fully buffed (no raidbuffs/towers) crat in a standard (full CSS) setup, ofab back and evade items in utils/huds and full alphas sits in the region of 3400 evades+AAD.
The average direct combat prof has varying levels of 'base' 'buffed' AR, but varies between about 3100 and 3400 with agents nearer the bottom, MA/advy/enf in the middle and sold/keeper at the top end, notably, however, agent and advy have perks that check 80% which means that Crat in a BASE state... is perkable already.
But here is where things get very bad, even worse than they already are. When any one of these profs TEAM with a crat, and oppose their mirror i.e a clan advy/crat vs a Omni advy/crat the crat on either side of the engagement is basically at a COMPLETE loss.
In not ONE matchup, can a crat expect to rely on his PRIMARY defence for longer than 50 seconds. (ES is 30s, DtB is 21s)
In any matchup with almost any other teammate, a crat irrevocably becomes dependent on his teammate for survival.
Consider the alternative, for a moment:
If you pair a keeper and crat, the crat gains 210 AAD, 110AAO, but the keeper gains ~400 AAO and 585AAD.
The keeper becomes unperkable to ANY other prof in base state, and becomes a perk launching juggernaut, able to land his perks on nearly any prof, including, say, a crat teamed with a keeper!
And that is the best team mate a crat could ask for in terms of reciprocal buffing.
Advy used to be able to give crats 261 evades, now, they give 110 AAD.
MA's can give 120 evades.
Traders can give 110 evades.
Fixer can give 78 evades.
The bottom line? crats are dead in the water in mass PVP.
So, here is the only PLAUSIBLE solution I can see:
Crats need heroic measures line to give an INCREASED buff to self, based on the number of teammates. Otherwise, crats will continue to be in a very bad place.
Here is what I suggest:
Crat solo: IHM gives self 410AAD/133AAO (410AAD/133AAO to team for all # of teammates)
Crat with 1 teammate, self: 440AAD/133AAO
crat with 2 teammates, self 490AAD/150AAO
Crat with 3 teammates, self 550AAD/180AAO
Cra with 4 teammates, self 610AAD/200AAO
Crat with 5 teammates, self 650AAD/220AAO
This fits with the crat "profession" with the crat gaining power with a larger team, the leader is enabled by enabling others - a mutually beneficial relationship, AND promotes teaming.