Originally Posted by
Byrth
Summoner is a shitty damage source. Nirvana increases magic BP damage (which you use against less-than-every target) by about 20% compared to a much-easier-to-obtain set.
* Does a 20% increase in damage make Summoner a good damage source?
No. You're still doing approximately one black magic nuke every 45 seconds.
* What does a 20% increase in magic BP damage give Summoner?
It makes Arch-Ultima and WoE fights <20% faster assuming everyone in your party has a Nirvana. If only you have a Nirvana, it doesn't save you even that much time. You're talking about 400-500mil to reduce fight times by 3% in an optimal case. I really doubt anyone is going to notice if the 1.5% you parse with your two BPs per Voidwatch fight increases to 1.8%.
* Does it matter that there are few other good ways to boost BP damage?
No, why would it? There aren't very many sources of Avatar Regen either, but that doesn't make the few 1HP/tick pieces in game useful.
* What could they have done to make it a more substantial boost?
Increases BP damage I~V, which would apply to Magic and Physical BPs. Have it scale from +10% to +35%. Due to the lack of competition for the stat (max of +26% from other sources, compared to ~+100 for MAB) you end up with a larger percentage increase. This boost still would not be "broken" because summoner would still be a crappy damage source, but at least it would be a more successful Category 1 staff.
* What is frustrating about this mindset?
You've essentially stated "Summoner has never gotten any gear that really matters, so Nirvana is awesome because it actually does something." I don't really think that we should lower the bar for SE. It's better to encourage them to make gear that actually has some impact on the Summoner job.
Also, can someone please explain to SE why MAB staves suck? I swear if I see another of them I'm going to stand at the pacific coast and throw things out to sea until I hit SE's main offices.