Smn Rework Suggestions After LL

Just some quick thoughts:
1. It would be nice to have some visual effect on the summoner to represent what elemental abilities are activated. Maybe a shadow of the smn they are using.
2. Can Pheonix and Bahamat be large again? They look very lack luster at their current size.
3. Can we get back AOE damage? It doesn't look like we have any major aoe as of now.

Yes its very good.

1. Although you can track it in job gauge, that is a nice touch there
2. It's just the size option, not a default, you can modify it
3. I have seen painflare, outburst, they have (I surmised from icon in gameplay LL) merged solo and AOE drain into AOE drain, I think a lot of primal attacks and all their ults are potentially AOE, they aspected Bahamut like Phoenix so you'll probably have solo > AOE > solo > AOE in Bahamut transe, I'd say SMN is pretty good looking on AOE side.

1) I wouldn't mind a glow around Carby maybe for the element?
2) Yep, size option like we have now for /bahamutsize
3) Reading the tooltips they showed off we still have outburst, looks like tri disaster is now a straight up aoe hit, ruin 4 is a heavy aoe, still have energy siphon and it looks like the gem constructs all do some aoe/cleave

The main thing for me that I’ve always hated on SMN is that the focus is on the caster and not the pet. This rework doesn’t fix that, if anything it doubles down on it. The gameplay they showed is fine, but the issue for me is the caster is using the attacks, I HATE that.

It’s a simple change, make the summon stay out for the duration and use the attacks rather than giving attacks to the caster. Failing that, at least make it so the summon enhances carbuncle, so carbuncle is using the attacks rather than the caster.

I just hate this design where the pet is just a bystander on a job where they should be central to the playstyle. I’d much rather the summons work like current demi bahamut than what they have in store.

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The main thing for me that I’ve always hated on SMN is that the focus is on the caster and not the pet.

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For years there have been complaints about summoner feeling janky to play because pet-sourced attacks are subject to lag and the whims of pet AI in this game. It has continued to be a frustrating issue in Shadowbringers too.

Progressively moving spells to the summoner has been a conscious measure to sidestep that problem, so I think it's unlikely you'll get your wish of a stronger pet focus.

I can relate to that approach causing a disconnect between the gameplay and fantasy of the job though. They've gutted demi-summon interaction even further by making them work like the DRK and MCH pets which autoattack by themselves, and I'm not particularly pleased with that change.

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Originally Posted by Cabalabob

The main thing for me that I’ve always hated on SMN is that the focus is on the caster and not the pet. This rework doesn’t fix that, if anything it doubles down on it. The gameplay they showed is fine, but the issue for me is the caster is using the attacks, I HATE that.

It’s a simple change, make the summon stay out for the duration and use the attacks rather than giving attacks to the caster. Failing that, at least make it so the summon enhances carbuncle, so carbuncle is using the attacks rather than the caster.

I just hate this design where the pet is just a bystander on a job where they should be central to the playstyle. I’d much rather the summons work like current demi bahamut than what they have in store.

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I think shb had a good balance between player and their pet. So long as it's 50 caster casting and 50 pet interaction I'm down for the semidemis, or the carbuncles participating during the egi assu- I mean gem shine/brilliance. Preferably I'd like to see the more neutrally aspected stuff stay on the smn, and have the elemental stuff channeled through the pets. (and have more unaspected stuff dang it, why does EVERY caster need to be an elementalist??!)1
The true demi summons auto attacking instead of attacking when you attack is at least something? I hope ahk morn/revelation isn't just cast once during those trances. I want a mix of autonomous and commanded pet behaviors.

I'm just hoping the carbuncle doesn't just stand there the whole time. :x

omg someone else that's also not impressed with the direction SMN is heading :O

I felt the same. I never minded the pet delay, in fact it makes sense that your pet, a separate entity would have its own pacing. I can see why that would be a problem with ghosting, but that would be something a SMN should manage.. or better yet, improve the pet AI. Id rather that then to have it reduced to casting primal-themed spells... the rework now.. It makes no difference what so ever if Ifrit/Titan/Garuda shows up for their glorious 2 whole seconds or not, before you proceed to cast spells or primal-themed spells yourself.. Its got nothing to do with summoning... more like channeling a primal mode rather than summoning.. At its core.. it boils down to SMNs getting 3 smaller modes/phases (with some minor differences) for them to cast spells... just fancy flavorful spells, that wouldnt matter if its associated with a primal or not..

I just don't think losing all that makes SMN unique (pets and DoTs) is worth it, since I doubt it would hold up against, say, a BLM in DPS even after being shoved into a more traditional caster mold. To think that they also contemplated removing combat raise for SMNs too... Gives me shivers just thinking about it..

Still, as im new to FFXIV.. Have to try it to see..

Then there's SCH's combat peloton. . . sigh

Yeah.. that carbuncle just chillin there is the thing that bugs me the most. I was really hoping to see it changing colors each time the SMN switched primal stances. Indicating that it too had skills that we could use while we cycle through the rotations. I mean, at least have the carbuncle auto attack or something. I don’t mind the egi changes but I didn’t think this would mean only bahamut and Phoenix is our true pets that we only can control for a few seconds. As of right now we either look like a mobile BLM or a magic version of MCH with all the burst rotations… definitely torn.. and SCH didn’t help any of my emotions one bit…

Looking at the job video.. I think the only skill carbuncle reacts to, besides summoning, is when the SMN orders it to place what looks like, the Titan shield.. I guess that’s something but not enough.

I guess you can't call it a Ruin Mage now since they changed ruin to elemental attacks instead.... Doesn't address any of the issues the job had in 4.0 and 5.0.

Hell, they couldn't even be bothered to give players a Ramuh, Leviathan, or Shiva stance even though they told us 7 years ago we would see those pets err summons.