Quote Originally Posted by Malamasala View Post
You can't lump them together because Summoners don't cast magic every single second. That is like saying PLD and DRK is the same job group because both wear the same armors, have MP and melee monsters.

A melee SMN and a melee DRK are played on the surface identical. Engage, melee, do not stop and cast long slow spells. Naturally the jobs differ on closer inspection, like pacts, pets, dark magic, staffs, scythes, etc. But you can't exactly compare two jobs in FFXI and ever end up saying "yea, they are the same job".

Melee SMN can also be compared to melee BLUs, except BLUs actually casts more spells than DRKs do or SMNs do. BLU is actually a better job to lump up with WHM and the crowd. Even if it has one or two traits it gained from spell sets.
SMN is far more easily lumped in with WHM, BLM, SCH and BRD than DRK. The only comparision we have with DRK is that there's groups of people that find us useless. We share nothing with DRK other than the Game we inhabit. They have the good native WS, good melee traits, good melee abilities and they even have a trait that gives them TP from casting. Now point to that list and show me how they're the same.

Please tell me your not trying to imply SMN has more reason to be up front than BLU. Again BLU gets good native WS, good melee traits(depending on what they set), good melee abilities. Which leaves them more comparable to DRK than SMN ever could be. Even WHM trounces SMN as a DD they also get good native WS and now with Afflatus Misery + Auspice they get Enlight and Subtle Blow plus an acc bonus when they miss with it active. Not to mention they can Dual wield thier main weapon type further increasing both thier DoT and WS frequency if they have and OAT weapon off hand or a K.Club. Now before you say if they're meleeing they're not performing their main job role, neither is SMN seeing as it's a DD/Support class if your meleeing your not rotating avatar's/buffs your just performing 1/2 a SMNs role.