Can SE please give SMN ability!

I would like to see summoner users have an ability where they get TP from, bit like BLM, DRK and SCH Occult Acumen

makes the ws Myrkr in good use.

Or you could just, you know, hit things with it, or use tp wings or other items/effects.
Unless you're in hardcore endgame content (which there isn't much of these days other than that new thing and D/VD battlefields) in many cases a summoner can do it- even if its just an occasional run in and thwack, its worthwihle for the WS.

the downside which has always been a problem for a career SMN is the need to constantly change staves depending on the situation for either -perp, -bp timer, avatar MAB, etc.
If we were to have a Occult Acumen type trait we would have to have a very well rounded staff which would need to be fulltimed

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the downside which has always been a problem for a career SMN is the need to constantly change staves depending on the situation for either -perp, -bp timer, avatar MAB, etc.

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This downside is pretty much nonexistent in ilvl territory. You're probably only going to have 1) a melee type staff which you will do physical BPs with, and 2) an MAB staff if you need to use magic pacts. in ilvl territory, you dont even have to choose between these two things because all the ilvl staves have proportionate base DMG to the ilvl.

If you're able to melee and use Myrkr, you don't need a perp staff at all. I have not used a perp staff for years. You get close enough to max with all your other gear for myrkr to still be a plenty big net gain in MP, combined with elemental siphon, I haven't had MP problems on SMN in years without ever using a perp staff. You also don't need a delay - staff to get a sufficient amount of delay -. If you get the lowest possible BP delay, you will probably run into MP issues from using your BPs as often as possible- And switching into these resets your TP which reduces your MP recovery from not using Myrkr- making them not really worth it.

Faster BPs doesn't increase your DPS if you have to stop using them to recover MP. If you're using a good staff for Myrkr, you'll be able to BP as often as possible without running out of MP, ever- No staff switching needed.

Personally, I couldn't be happier that the elemental staves are basically dead. I know some people are going to call me crazy with this post, but it's really true. Math out your MP usage and your DPS. Balance out your BP delay and MP recovery to optimize your DPS. You'll find that you really dont' have to switch between a bunch of staves and minmax your perpcost and BP delay. I've been ridiculed for my style many times over the years, but the simple fact is it works, and ilvl has made it even simpler.

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If we were to have a Occult Acumen type trait we would have to have a very well rounded staff which would need to be fulltimed

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Though I think such a trait is unnecessary, having it wouldn't change what staff I would use and it wouldn't need to be more or less "well rounded" than it already is. I hate gear swapping in combat so anything I can full time is wonderful in my book.

Nirvana says hi.

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Originally Posted by Protey

Nirvana says hi.

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Something that is actually attainable these days. When they came out and we saw the requirements it was unpossible for all but the most insane people :p

While I agree that you can floor perpetuation without a weapon, I disagree completely that your Summoner is anywhere close to optimal without staff swapping and that it won't hurt DPS.

First off, a Perpetuation reducing staff opens up other gearslots which can be used for upkeep (refresh gear) and pet stats (Haste, Accuracy, Double attack, etc.) Of which the latter helps considerably with your DPS.
As for the first, even without any form of external refresh I get 6 MP per tick in my avatar set, which helps upkeep pretty well by itself.
Considering I prefer subbing Red Mage on Summoner; Having access to Refresh and Convert on top of all that you can see that I can go on forever without ever having to touch a mob myself.

Apart from that, by not swapping your weapons, depending on which you use will always hurt one form of Blood pacts.
Less with Nirvana, but the current Pet: MAB options are still considerably stronger for magical pacts.

There's a few more points where I completely disagree with, or are completely wrong, I will go into that below.

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Faster BPs doesn't increase your DPS if you have to stop using them to recover MP.

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I don't know about you, but 34 seconds (Current cap on BP recast time gearwise) is still plenty of time to Release, summon a spirit, use Siphon, resummon your avatar and have a few seconds left before the next BP is ready.
And with my upkeep I don't have to use Siphon every time it's up either.

Also you may not realize, but this marginal sacrifice in DPS ends up giving me several thousand HP in damage by simply having optimized Blood Pact sets.

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If you're using a good staff for Myrkr

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Um.. this does not matter at all, you can use a level 1 Ash staff for all that matters as MP return on Myrkr is based on the amount of TP you have, not the base damage of your weapon.
All that a good staff helps with is your personal DPS, but only slightly.

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Um.. this does not matter at all, you can use a level 1 Ash staff for all that matters as MP return on Myrkr is based on the amount of TP you have, not the base damage of your weapon.

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When I say good staff, I mean one that you're actually going to hit things for more than 0 with to get the TP to use myrkr - I hope you weren't thinking that I thought Myrkr was modified by anything other than max MP. I'd like to see you hit ilvl enemies with an ash staff and get TP. You really didn't think I was that stupid, surely?

It's not like I don't have Hrvergelmir or anything (hint: I do; though I can't really use it anymore because of heavy metal plates) and haven't been utilizing Myrkr more than almost anybody in the game...

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While I agree that you can floor perpetuation without a weapon, I disagree completely that your Summoner is anywhere close to optimal without staff swapping and that it won't hurt DPS.

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You'd be wrong- it depends on the situation.

For one, there isn't a staff (that I know about, maybe something has changed) that significantly enhances physical bloodpacts (In fact, there really arent many things that have a major impact other than pet level sachets). So if you're using physical BPs (The best of which can now skillchain BTW), it matters little what staff you're using, so if you're fighting magic resistant/immune enemies, the best staff that you can use as a weapon will work just fine.

If you are using magic BPs all the time I can't see you not ever running out of MP using your BPs every 34 seconds. You're definietly not using your abilities like mana cede and apogee if you aren't.

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Apart from that, by not swapping your weapons, depending on which you use will always hurt one form of Blood pacts.

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Second, even the magic-damage-enhancing staves in ilvl territory still have a high DMG rating. Assuming you have one there's little reason to ever swap out of it. I can't accept any argument that states you can't get TP for myrkr due to gear swapping, because there is very little reason to swap your weapon anymore with the right staff.

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Originally Posted by Alhanelem

You'd be wrong- it depends on the situation.

For one, there isn't a staff (that I know about, maybe something has changed) that significantly enhances physical bloodpacts (In fact, there really arent many things that have a major impact other than pet level sachets).
So if you're using physical BPs (The best of which can now skillchain BTW), it matters little what staff you're using, so if you're fighting magic resistant/immune enemies, the best staff that you can use as a weapon will work just fine.

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Path A Tumafyrig Attack +30 and Accuracy +15 for your pet and it adds a nice +100 MAB for your pet. Downside is that it doesn't really offer any melee advantages for you.
If anything, that would be the Hybrid staff you're looking for albeit you are slightly hurting magic attack/accuracy potential.

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If you are using magic BPs all the time I can't see you not ever running out of MP using your BPs every 34 seconds. You're definietly not using your abilities like mana cede and apogee if you aren't.

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Numbers time!
Avatar set: http://www.ffxiah.com/item-sets/280750
Hagondes coat Augment is Perpetuation -5, and as I said before this set gives me 6MP/tick without the use of external refresh sources.
Also keep in mind that this set comes with the following pet stats:
Haste +14%, Accuracy +45 and Double attack +3%. All which add to both DPS as well as TP gain for the Magical Blood pacts.

Now comparing MP used vs. MP gained over a period of 5 minutes leaving out random factors like Blood Boon procs, conserve MP, ticks lost through gearswapping and Weather bonuses (Keeping the day bonus for Siphon) also flooring the perpetuation.
I'm going to go royal using both rage and a few ward pacts on Garuda:
Refresh x2 -> 80 MP
Hastega -> 129
Whispering Wind x4 -> 476
Mana Cede -> 100
Apogee Wind Blade -> 273
Wind Blade x7 -1274
MP used: 2332

Gained back:
Refresh from gear: 6 per tick over 300 seconds -> 600
Refresh from the spell: 3 per tick over 300 seconds -> 300
Elemental Siphon: My set nets me over 640 on average -> 640
MP Gained: 1540

MP effectively used: 792 in 5 minutes.
Considering my perpetuation set has over 1800 MP and I have close to 1600 HP convert will help me keep this up forever pretty much.
Certainly if I would use wards every 34 seconds I might be in a little trouble, but keep in mind that most fights in this game, with the exception of some WKR, don't even last that long anymore and even less situations dictate that I go all BP maniac.

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Second, even the magic-damage-enhancing staves in ilvl territory still have a high DMG rating. Assuming you have one there's little reason to ever swap out of it. I can't accept any argument that states you can't get TP for myrkr due to gear swapping, because there is very little reason to swap your weapon anymore with the right staff.

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To be fair, I am curious as to what your TP set looks like.
Because if I take my perpetuation set and look at the stats, even with accuracy food I'd doubt I'd hit the broad side of a barn in zones like Dho and Woh Gates and Outer Ra'kaz which are pretty much the few zones left in this game that contain mobs that aren't one shot by Flaming Crush.