Usefulness of overcapped Summoning Magic

Lengthening Blood Pact: Ward's duration
Increasing amount of MP gained through Elemental Siphon
Increasing potency of Avatar Favors

Those are the most important things Summoning Magic is use for, right? Before 76+ level capped, I obsessed over having high overcapped Summoning Magic, 317+ was very obtainable without keeping me from sacrificing important gear to have avatar favors more potent but now I'm like... meh, what's the point?

Right now my Summoning Magic sits at around 413ish and I often feel embarrassed when I see other summoners busting out 440+ but for what? Blood Pact: Ward's duration are still pretty mediocre at best. With the AF3 set, proper MP management, and refresh gear, there's no need to be overly cautious about how much MP you have left (unless in Campaign). And usefulness of avatar favors? Carby's for solo'ing, Diabolos if in a mage party of an alliance. I'd say Shiva or Leviathan but really, what do the other mages really ask for from a Summoner for support?

What's the practical use of having such high, over capped Summoning Magic? Or was did I answer my question already with a negative view of it and happen to be missing another important element?

Lengthening Blood Pact: Ward's duration
The durations can be extended by a substantial amount. Every extra second that you can keep a buff on is helpful. When you get enough skill then you can keep more and more buffs on at a time. This also means you'll have to recast the ward less often, saving you mp over time. Every MP counts.



Increasing amount of MP gained through Elemental Siphon
Every MP counts. Not sure what else to say for this.



Increasing potency of Avatar Favors
Right now the last tier of favors is just barely obtainable. You never know when having a slightly stronger favor might save the day.



In the end, I think it's important to get as much skill as you can get your hands on. You never know when it's gonna make the difference between success and failure. However, as you get more and more skill, it's going to cost more and more, and take more and more time, to get those last few skill items. As with everything else in the game you'll have to weigh the cost vs benefit. Perhaps you'd be better off spending your time/gil strengthening yourself in other ways.

Don't forget about smn casting interruption rate!

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Originally Posted by Soundwave

Don't forget about smn casting interruption rate!

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To me this alone is one of the most important aspects of smn magic skill over caped, because any soloer knows on difficult mobs a intterupted summoning can be a swift game over..i can't tell you how many times this has saved me, getting smacked in the head and still getting my pet out in time due to caped smn skill.

these havent been mentioned yet...

Increases acc/m.acc of Blood Pact: Rage moves. Important for multihit BPs like P Claws and also useful for merit BPs

Reduces Elemental Spirits recast timer - timer is set at a base of ~15-16tic or 45-48s and skill above cap lowers this.. but no one really cares.

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Originally Posted by Vortex

To me this alone is one of the most important aspects of smn magic skill over caped, because any soloer knows on difficult mobs a intterupted summoning can be a swift game over..i can't tell you how many times this has saved me, getting smacked in the head and still getting my pet out in time due to caped smn skill.

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lol I hear ya on this one!

I guess I never noticed that it lowered spell interruption. I've never tried to resummon without having stoneskin up if I was taking damage. When that happens, I pop out an elemental spirit run, buff up then summon the proper avatar.

I'm one of those that the random number generator never favors. I can say I've never avoided interruption regardless of my skill level (which has usually been at least 20 over cap). In the same way I've seen my spirits get interrupted by 40 damage, while I was wearing so much +skill that if it ever effected spirits, it would have at that moment.

It is cool that it helps some of you.

Easy solution, whenever it's feasible (i.e. in an area that isn't agro central): After summoning/BPing, run until you cannot see your avatar's HP bar, then buff up and wait for your avatar to die. Rinse, repeat.

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Originally Posted by Sargent

Easy solution, whenever it's feasible (i.e. in an area that isn't agro central): After summoning/BPing, run until you cannot see your avatar's HP bar, then buff up and wait for your avatar to die. Rinse, repeat.

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Ahh, lessons learned when carby kiting. Brings back memories! :D

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Originally Posted by Tannlore

Ahh, lessons learned when carby kiting. Brings back memories! :D

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Good times man, good times:)

Having high SMN magic = good.
Wearing full time SMN magic = stupid noob move.

SE are also starting to increase the potency of Ward pacts in line with Summoning Magic skill. Inferno Howl's Enfire damage is supposedly related to skill, and Carbuncle's new pact in the next version update will also have this bonus. It would be nice if they could apply the effect to old wards like Noctoshield though.

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Originally Posted by Razushu

Good times man, good times:)

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LOL don't we still do that though, just with other avatars now? ...well outside of abyssea anyway.

This is a weird one for me. Why the "over" the summoning skill cap? Should bonuses be locked in at specific summoning skill? For examples, summons skill 1~75..duration 30 secs, 75~150 45 sec, 150~225 1min..etc.

Plus, when Summoners level up... Suddenly your under capped again and have to level up just to reach the same potency? It's all very confusing to me.

Yea, it is only like 1-2 people over at SE that thought it was a good idea. Everyone else knows it is borderline the dumbest idea in history.

If they actually read forums, they would have spotted me explaining the stupidity of this system and how it had to be relative to the BP's aquired level so that at 25 you got 3 skill over the cap of Aerial Armor aquired at level 24.

I've always claimed that if SE had read my posts, the job would have been fine 2005 and never required attention again.

Meh, I won't waste my time repeating ideals on how to make summoning magic actually useful. (Conversation started yesterday about SMN with barely 150 summoning magic doing same damage consistently as those with cap and overcapped skill)

Pretty much agree with what's been said about it though.

If you want to outshine the part-timers, keep up with gear. It's all about mp recovery, and always has been.