Connecting the DoTs: A Summoner Guide

With how DWT is sounding, maybe the rotation will remain as normal (except Tri disaster in the opener so we can use our first Fester sooner), but after expending Aetherflow for Festers, ideally Aetherflow will be at 30 seconds remaining. Would DWT be Ruin 3 spam and Deathflare at 15 seconds for Aetherflow? Maybe a Tri disaster in there so you have the buffed DoTs rolling?

Also very happy to see Tridisaster will cost no aetherflow but instead have a long cooldown

It sounds like Garuda is going to scale very well with Spell speed seeing as Auto-Attacks are not affected, ifrit will not be getting a boost there, I assume this is the part of why were seeing adjustments to ifrits abilities and nothing from Garuda. So In essence, SMNs may have two viable options, Crit/Det for Ifrit, what with him hitting more often and is able to better maximize the crit stat and det will affect his auto attacks, and Spell Speed/Crit for Garuda, as her standard attack is a spell and as such will scale well with Spell Speed, as with no auto attack, she wont benefit as much from Det. At the very least no stat will be absolute trash now.

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Originally Posted by FreeLancer4

It sounds like Garuda is going to scale very well with Spell speed seeing as Auto-Attacks are not affected, ifrit will not be getting a boost there, I assume this is the part of why were seeing adjustments to ifrits abilities and nothing from Garuda. So In essence, SMNs may have two viable options, Crit/Det for Ifrit, what with him hitting more often and is able to better maximize the crit stat and det will affect his auto attacks, and Spell Speed/Crit for Garuda, as her standard attack is a spell and as such will scale well with Spell Speed, as with no auto attack, she wont benefit as much from Det. At the very least no stat will be absolute trash now.

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Garuda is already effected by Spell Speed and Ifrit is not at all. With these changes Ifrit will be the one receiving the buff, although I'm curious if he will still retain his Blunt type skills if his are now going to be magical as well. (Foes + Blunt Resist Down = WIN?)

I suspect the changes in Ifrit's skills we may be seeing
Flaming Crush - Either expanding the AOE range or just making it a stronger single target skill. I suspect it should become a stronger single target skill for Ifrit since that is his true purpose.
Radiant Shield - No idea what they will do with this skill other than whatever they do to change it will absolutely be better than what it is currently.

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Painflare: 200 potency aoe, 1 aetherflow (dunno CD)
Ruin 3: 170(?) potency, 10x the mp as ruin under normal stance
Tri-Disaster: instant skill, 90s CD, applies 3 dots to target (I assume 1 aetherflow)
Dreadwyre Trans: Obtain a dreadwyre stack for every aetherflow spent (30s duration). Dreadwyre trans skill becomes usable when the stack reaches 3. During the trans, 10% overall damage increase, ruin 3's mp consumption becomes 1/2 of ruin
Deathflare: 400 potency aoe, usable only during dreadwyre trans. Using this skill automatically ends the trans

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I like the sounds of that. So you need to keep using your Aetherflow to keep your Dreadwyrm Stacks (30s) @ 3 Stacks you are Trance'd. Then basically ride the 10% Damage + Cheap Ruin 3's till your Stacks are about to wear or Aetherflow comes off CD and then Death Flare and repeat.

Things I will be interested in:

Will Ruin II Spam (Increased AA Damage) while building the Trance be offset by the Ruin III MP Cost during Trance.

Will it be better to keep the Dreadwyrm Trance Buff by cycling into other Aetherflow Stacks (10% Damage) or to blow the stacks on Death Flare and then build the Trance back up (~30s with Ruin/Ruin II and no Damage buff)

During Trance, will it be better to use 3D to keep Dots up for those additional Ruin III casts.

you'll be stacking spell speed anyway.

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Originally Posted by Shamirah

you'll be stacking spell speed anyway.

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Well yes and no? We don't exactly know how much SS will overcome Determinations affect on our overall damage. If Determination still proved to be a stronger stat for our damage then well, it just means SS has use now.

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Originally Posted by Havenchild

Well yes and no? We don't exactly know how much SS will overcome Determinations affect on our overall damage. If Determination still proved to be a stronger stat for our damage then well, it just means SS has use now.

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Yeah, somehow I can see us trying to stack SPD/DET. With so many low damage attacks we are more negatively effected by rounding on Crits than other high damage classes (cough, BLM cough). If SE changes it so everyone has a static Crit Chance (with Crit only effecting the damage of a crit) - Then with our pets we will already have the highest chance of Enhanced Pet Procs for higher Spell Speed. So there shouldn't be any reason to stack Crit over SPD/DET.

But yeah, Spell Speed for sure. Gotta get all those Ruin III's off during Dreadwyrm Stance.

question remains if aetherflow will actually work under trans. if it does then there would never be a reason to ever leave that stance after initial activation. sounds way too powerful... so i guess it won't work like this

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Originally Posted by Saggo

Anything on the potency of Enkindle abilities?

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Nope, doubt they'd change that.

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Originally Posted by Starkbeaumont

question remains if aetherflow will actually work under trans. if it does then there would never be a reason to ever leave that stance after initial activation. sounds way too powerful... so i guess it won't work like this

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My guess is it's a 30s duration mode regardless of your choice of ending it or not, to be balanced around the 30s of Festers you will normally do in a ST rotation. To keep up the excitement and burst of the class instead of the terribly boring, ineffective lull SMN currently has after stacks are used up.

Brace yourselves.
All the crappy BLMs will hop on the SMN train.