Elemental Spirits

[Zindel]

When I first unlocked Summoner years ago I thought, oh cool spirits. I bet they will be useful until I get all my avatars. A short time later I found out they were more expensive and fairly useless. Still I wish I could do something with them. So how would you alter spirits to make them useful in the game?

My suggestions:

1) Lower the cost for them being out.

2) Have control over their casting (Even if it is a general control of attack, buff, or debuff)

3) Tier V spells. If the puppet can get it I think we can as well. They are pure elements after all.

[Korpg]

Isn't there already a thread about this already?

[Garota]

There's many variations of this thread out already.

[Malamasala]

There should be one each week until SE understands they can't ignore content for a decade though.

And I'm pretty sure cost of spirits doesn't matter. From the level you get siphon and up, you can keep spirits out pretty much permanently since you don't waste MP on pacts and the siphon return is large enough. (Though if you aren't using pacts from siphon and up, your skill will probably fall behind). Perpetuation changes for spirits is only needed to allow low level users. High level has no problems with this.

The largest problem is the reset of timer on assault, combined with the timer actually starting at 50 before you drop it with gear and skill. It is just plain insanity to expect a battle to go on for 50 seconds before you get a random spell out.

So my set of fixes would be:

1) Drop spell timer to 20 seconds. Scrap summoning magic reduction, because there is no point in making something bad until you get enough armors. I'd love to see how MNK would play if they only had DMG 0 H2H until level 60.

2) Remove reset of timer on assault. At 20 seconds casting it isn't a huge deal, but it shouldn't be there regardless.

3) Add a cycle system. Debuff > Nuke > Debuff > Nuke, to guarantee a nuke every 40 seconds. That is an improvement over the old system by 10 seconds and 100% nuke guarantee. While it still isn't so incredible people would avoid BLMs or Rage pacts.

I think that is the most average solution to make spirits useful, but not better than avatars.

[Zindel]

There may be a lot of threads which tends to mention spirit in it, but this is a thread dedicated to elemental spirits improvements.

I like the cycle system mentioned above. With the light spirit I am guessing it would enhance, heal, enhance, heal instead.
Building on that thought how about tweaking the A.I so spirits would be automatically begin to cast the proc spells if they are of that level. This would not be an automatic correct yellow triggering, however it would cast the protecting spells it has available on NMs. (So a wind elemental would always cast aeroga III, Tornado, Aero III, & Aero IV on NM in Abyssea even if the weakness was ice.)

[ShadowHeart]

with most of the new version afv3 gear +1 and using ele of the day and a = per staff they are free... if u merit the element perpetuation cost they will be free with a refresh

it would be nice to have control over the casts and now with the newer higher levels for them to use higher teir spells but summoners are normally always bottom of the totem pole for upgrades took years before we got new summons which u can only use with 2 hour :( hope they add new summons and adjust the ability to control elementals as well :)

[Soundwave]

Isn't there already a thread about this already?

Haha you might wanna post this in all the other "I want new smn's tread to!" It will help your post count as well!:)

Just messing!

Back to the Thread!

I've already given my OP on this however a new thread is always an interesting read. I hope SE realizes what people want...and if they do fix spirits I hoe its not a fix like they fix cure lock and arcane circle etc.

[Forevergogo]

What about a summon command: Elemental's Favor (same level as Avatar's Favor)
And the elemental not only supplied a different buff for the party, but was invigorated to become more offensive and cast more efficient- and sorta act like the more intelligent puppets do in regards to magic.

It could unlock the higher tier spells, and maybe give them accession-like bonus to their enhancing spells. Instead of casting regenII, it would cast regenII but it would hit everyone within range. Etc.

possible aoe buffs:
Light: Regain
Dark: Conserve MP
Air: Haste
Earth: Occasionally Nullifies Damage
Fire: Attack
Thunder: Accuracy
Ice: Fast Cast
Water: Magic Defense

Or make it simple and have it all correlate to the stat each element is linked to, ex: Fire elemental gives +Str etc.


This way you have a new slew of 'buffing' options for parties, And your little element gets the clue to go from classic 'dumb' mode to a new level of excellence.

[LeChuck]

Or, SE could give us SMN a jobability to directly control spirits, with like a 30 sec recast or whatever, recast will be tweaked to balance the ability, and you could then select exactly what you want the spirit to cast. Oh, and Tier V spells too, pls, after all, we're gonna level all the way to LV. 99 and it's already 15 levels spirits don't get any new spell

[Malamasala]

The 15 levels of no spells is just the proof that SE forgot they existed at all. Sadly it seems like even the moderators get paid to ignore spirit threads. It is looking more and more like just a conspiracy against Summoners, where some lead developer simply have a grudge against the job.