SMN really feels like it needs a real update. The job has an identity crisis right now and does not feel especially strong at damage or support.

I don’t expect SMN to be top-tier DPS, especially since avatar damage is generally safer than melee damage. That’s fair. But SMN should still feel viable outside of very specific setups or Astral Conduit.

Calling SMN a niche job does not really solve the problem. A niche still needs to be valuable, and right now SMN’s unique strengths feel too limited to justify how far behind it is in damage, support, and general utility.

Blood Pact timers are still the biggest issue. Even with heavy investment, SMN is usually waiting around 20 seconds between major damage actions, while other jobs can weapon skill, self-skillchain, or burst much more frequently. A 10 to 15 second Blood Pact timer would not make SMN overpowered. It would just help the job feel modern.

And yes, SMN has Wards and Avatar’s Favor, but that support does not come close to BRD, COR, or GEO. Favor is also awkward because it depends on keeping the right avatar out, while SMN often needs to swap avatars for different pacts. Meanwhile, BRD, COR, and GEO all bring stronger support while still contributing real damage.

BRD can Savage Blade for 40k to 70k, COR can put out strong weaponskill damage, and GEO can nuke respectable numbers on skillchains while still providing powerful support. If those jobs can support and still contribute meaningful damage, SMN should not be held back this hard just because it has some utility.

SMN does not need to be the best DPS or the best support job. It just needs both sides of its kit to matter. Right now, the damage is too delayed, pet scaling feels outdated, the support is not strong enough to justify the delay, and the job feels too niche.

I love SMN. I just want it to feel like it belongs in modern FFXI without relying almost entirely on its 2-hour.