SMN and AoE

I don't play a SMN, but a friend in my static does. When I ask him to Aoe down some mobs, he whips out ice (2?). Is this the best AoE a SMN has, one from a THM? Or should I direct him somewhere else?

Blizzard II is our best AoE filler after Shadow Flare+Miasma2+all of our DoTs are up and spread. It'll drain your mana very fast so it's usually best for dungeon pulls, or if you know you can replace one of your festers with an energy drain

Blizzard II sucks, IMO, and is no longer needed for SMN AOE. Raging/Tri-Disaster, Bane, Swiftcast ShadowFlare, Painflare, Roused/Spurred Enkindle and then finally Deathflare.

Blizzard II is a great AOE filler assuming you have the MP for it. You have your normal rotation that includes all of your DOTs coupled with contagion, painflare, and then ultimately deathflare that you should never avoid using BUT instead of going into a ruin spam when you're not refreshing said DOTs or managing upkeep of those other important things, it only takes 2 or more mobs to make blizzard II more viable than ruin. Not to mention that when you're in range of the mobs for blizzard II you're also in range for your auto attacks. It's a DPS increase all around no question.

It's aoe filler.
DoTs and Shadowflare up and 2+ enemies? Spam blizzard 2
DoTs, Shadowflare and in DWT and 3+ enemies? Spam blizzard 2

It is a faster cast for an aoe and helps bind the enemies which not a big deal but helps. easy on mp and has potential to do more damage then a single ruin 1 combined with dots, painflare Deathflare Dreadwyrm trance and shadowflare it's rather useful, if not just something to do. Aetherflow must be maintained entire dungeon so gotta go easy on some things with aoe priorities if you're the one dps doing most damage.

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Originally Posted by NorthernLadMSP

Blizzard II sucks, IMO, and is no longer needed for SMN AOE. Raging/Tri-Disaster, Bane, Swiftcast ShadowFlare, Painflare, Roused/Spurred Enkindle and then finally Deathfalre.

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And when those are all on cooldown, what do you do? Blizz is better than Ruin for AoE.

Blizzard II is worthwhile, so long as conditions for it are met which typically would be :

- 3+ targets that have Shadow Flare/Misama II/Spread Dots already set up
- MP allowing (If your going to OOM yourself before the encounter ends then switch back to Ruin)
- If no high priority target is present that should be instead focused with Ruin