The STAR protocol was recently proposed to standardise sampling methods for assessing the ecological quality of coralligenous cliffs through the three indices ESCA, ISLA and COARSE. In this paper, a revised version of the STAR protocol was proposed to enhance its robustness and effectiveness. Compared to the previous one, this new proposal includes the use of video transects for a more accurate assessment of erect anthozoans, the development of a new ESCA (n-ESCA) index independent of the encrusting coralline algae and integrated with the ISLA index, and the creation of the IICA index calculated averaging n-ESCA and COARSE. The new STAR protocol was applied to 28 sites in the western Mediterranean Sea and the ecological status obtained from all the indices (ESCA, ISLA, COARSE, n-ESCA, IICA) were compared to the human pressure levels calculated by an anthropization index. The n-ESCA showed a stronger correlation compared to the ESCA, COARSE and ISLA indices, indicating a better response of this new index to anthropogenic pressures affecting the investigated coralligenous. Moreover, the correlation obtained for the IICA was stronger than that showed individually by the n-ESCA and COARSE indices, further supporting the advantage of integrating multiple ecological descriptors for a more comprehensive evaluation. The advanced STAR protocol overcome the constraints emerged over several years of large-scale application of the previous version, offering a more robust and sensitive tool that can effectively capture both fine-scale and broader ecological changes in coralligenous habitats.