Merit reworks for other jobs

[Cabalabob]

For a while they were updating old merit categories to make spells and abilities more consistent and available as standard while replacing their categories with more well rounded upgrades, but then they just stopped working on them.

Are we ever going to see updates to merits for other jobs such as SMN merit blood pacts or jobs that have to put merits into unlocking abilities?

[Sp1cyryan]

SMN could really use this. There could then be a category for 1 second off of BP recast. Allowing them to step in to their role better.

SMN/WHM with MLs can AoE heal on its own now, and erasega with Carbuncle if the timer was something that could be improved. SMNs buffs aren't broken already so lowering the timer a few seconds more be a great way to get the job into more strategies.

[Alhanelem]

SMN BP recast can already get very low, i don't see them doing that, it would also be more consistent with group 1 if it was a thing, rather than group 2.

What does seem more realistic, and consistent with other jobs, is replacing the individual blood pact unlocks with a single trait that enhances all of them. I don't know what new thing(s) they could add in their place, but BP delay reduction isn't really something that was on my mind.

[Sp1cyryan]

SMN BP recast can already get very low, i don't see them doing that...I don't know what new thing(s) they could add in their place, but BP delay reduction isn't really something that was on my mind.

It should get lower later on. SMNs are already far out of line with the reality of the game. It is the least they could do. Favor could also scale better with a potency group 2.

[Alhanelem]

There are already special nerfs just for SMN in high end content, so I don't see how they're "out of line with the reality." SE clearly thinks it's too good.

[Zenion]

There are already special nerfs just for SMN in high end content, so I don't see how they're "out of line with the reality." SE clearly thinks it's too good.

SE thinks Astral Conduit is too good, and they make changes that hurt the job as a whole rather than addressing the one overpowered job ability. Summoner is simply not able to keep up with melee jobs in other circumstances; one blood pact every 21 seconds is not going to perform next to a weaponskill every 15 seconds.

That said, lowering blood pact delay is counterproductive specifically because of those same adjustments; the window for 90% blood pact damage reduction is usually, what, 20 seconds? 30? If your delay is lower than that cutoff then you're either losing damage or wasting your delay reduction.

It would be nice to see category 2 change to something besides "pick your favorite avatar" though, there's really no reason in this day and age to have to play that minmax game. Why not just make it merit blood pact/TP bonus and put something else in there to spend points on, or just raise the category limit.

[Cabalabob]

I’d be happy with them just making all the Blood pacts base kit and replacing the merit categories with something new. They could have an avatar magic attack TP bonus category to compensate for 5/5 merit BPs and SMN has gained a lot of new abilities they could work upgrades into since the 75 era. Avatar’s favour perp penalty reduction, elemental siphon effect increase, apogee TP bonus as some off the top of my head possibilities, all those moves are pre-75 abilities.