Thread: 5.0 Pet Changes

I remember using Titan to solo various FATEs and unsynced AAR Trials when I was going through the game for the first time. It felt so satisfying!

But as soon as Demi-Bahamut came online, and I actually learned something resembling a Summoner rotation, I quickly realised how... out of place Titan really was in the SMN kit. It's too squishy to tank anything that might require tanking, it can't seem to hold aggro even against its own summoner, leading to a lot of ping-ponging, and it basically locks you out of using Bahamut, because amongst the many things no Summoner wants during their burst phase, losing their tank is pretty high up on the list.

So honestly I think this change is for the better. Pets-treated-as-characters are probably some kind holdover from the FFXI days, or something, that the devs tried to fit into AAR at the same time as they were reworking it into a modern MMO, but could never reconcile the two objectives. My guess is that after three expansions (counting AAR where Arcanist was first added) worth of iteration and trying to make pets work in various disjointed ways (egis, demis, proc-batteries, support-bots), SE probably came to the conclusion that it was about time to pick one consistent direction and stick to it. At first glance, it seems that they've chosen to capitalise on the Demi mechanics.

And personally I'm really excited for what it means not only for Summoners but the game as a whole! I find it very interesting that DRK and MCH are suddenly also getting their own pets after such a long time of Yoshi expressing adamant dislike for pet classes. Perhaps if this works out, it might open doors for future pet classes after all?

Originally Posted by NessaWyvern

Does that mean that Topaz Carbuncle and Titan-egi are useless now? I used to summon these to help out lowbies when the tank leaves early.

"Now"? I'm confused.

Originally Posted by NessaWyvern

Does that mean that Topaz Carbuncle and Titan-egi are useless now? I used to summon these to help out lowbies when the tank leaves early.

They will have a new function as an attack-type egi. In the Live Letter, Titan-egi's special ability was referred to as "Earthen Armor," possibly being some kind of defensive cooldown.

Titan-Egi/ Topaz- Carby was my tank when I was leveling from 10-70. I remember using the pet as a tank alot when doing FATES. I wonder what this means for Summoner and Arcanist, while the ARR content is easy, monsters in Heavensward and Stormblood dont die as fast.

Originally Posted by Nalien

That's a point, a number of the Arcanist quest relied on Topaz Carbuncle tanking, did they not? Same with some quest instances involving Alphinaud and his Carbuncle... I guess NPC Carbuncles can still play by old rules while ours change?

Indeed. Atleast Summoners can use Chocobo as a tank after they reach level 30. I we should be getting more information tomorrow.