Fellow SMNs, why can't we use our shield when we want to?

I'm surprised no one is complaining about this and yet we have a thread begging for our heal to be functional, even though that even if Square did make the heal functional it's only use will be to take less pressure off of a healer when they have to top someone off immediately after we rez them.

What I want them to fix is Radiant Aegis shield so we can weave it whenever we want like a real oGCD skill, just like Black Mage's Manaward. A +20% hp bubble is great mitigation and I really want to use it, especially since SE gave us a second charge to use. Here's the problems we have with this skill:

1. it takes a moment after you fire it off for it take effect.(Albeit it's a minor issue, maybe intentional. just something of note.)
2. You can only cast this spell when Carbuncle is on the field. If Carbuncle transformed into Bahamut/Phoenix/Ifrit/Titan/Garuda you CAN NOT cast this skill until whatever transformation phase Carbuncle is in ends.

For Bahamut, it's a whole 15 seconds
For Phoenix, I think it's about 10 seconds
For the 3 main summons, their attacks take like a whole 5 seconds to fire off(might be a little longer)

Those are HUGE time windows in which we can't use this skill. Unless you know the whole fight and the bosses attacks in their sequence prematurely beforehand for the whole fight you would have no reliable way of planning ahead of time when and where you would be able to use this ability. Currently I find myself only being able to use this when I see something coming I can't avoid and I just so happen to be firing my charges while carbuncle is out.

Do I just suck or do you believe this should be looked at?

Personally it doesn't bother me since it has a long duration and knowing when to use it (=encounter knowledge) is a skill as well. It's the same thing as BLM before they became crazy mobile, you had to know where to stand and when to avoid taking damage or having to break casts.

I have very few instances where I summon Bahamut and think "Man, I should have used shield" but that's a me issue.

Then again, I still liked searing light being from Carbuncle too but at least for that the change actually makes sense and improves gameplay.

If they took this one skill away from Carbuncle, they might as well delete carbuncle entirely. It's literally the only thing it does now.

But think of it like this. You can't cast Ahk Morn if you don't have Bahamut out. You can't cast rekindle if you don't have Phoenix out. So you can't put up carbuncle's shield if you don't have carbuncle out.

Take the shield away from Carbuncle so it can embrace it's new life as an emotional support pet.

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Originally Posted by BaconBits

Take the shield away from Carbuncle so it can embrace it's new life as an emotional support pet.

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Excuse me, that's always been it's true job lol (not pre-egi glamour days, but it still supported us then in our hearts)

Need to make carbuncle seem useful.

Honestly I would be fine if carbuncle was just a glorified minion. Or have him auto attack for like 5 potency, just for flair.

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Originally Posted by wereotter

If they took this one skill away from Carbuncle, they might as well delete carbuncle entirely. It's literally the only thing it does now.

But think of it like this. You can't cast Ahk Morn if you don't have Bahamut out. You can't cast rekindle if you don't have Phoenix out. So you can't put up carbuncle's shield if you don't have carbuncle out.

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If you don't have Carbuncle you can't use Carbuncle's buff.

Oh, wait, no they changed that because it was annoying to use. It's not even "carbuncles" shield since it used to be Titan's ability. It has nothing to do with the rat other than SE decided it has to. They can just as easily make it not use the rat and nothing of value would be lost.

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Originally Posted by Flana

They can just as easily make it not use the rat and nothing of value would be lost.

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Except, you know, the whole “summoning” part of summoner. If we’re just going to shove every move on to the caster and make the pet stand there and watch they should really just rename the job at this point. Channeler, trance Mage, glorified blue Mage. All more fitting options.

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Originally Posted by Cabalabob

Except, you know, the whole “summoning” part of summoner. If we’re just going to shove every move on to the caster and make the pet stand there and watch they should really just rename the job at this point. Channeler, trance Mage, glorified blue Mage. All more fitting options.

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Calling Carbuncle a 'summon' is already laughable given the actual in-game lore (not that SE has cared about that for this job in years), but it already has nothing to do besides stand around and be a blood sacrifice to demi summon. It has no attacks, no real utility except to steal the ability of a different egi we've had for years, and no way to actually add anything without it feeling like crap because of the demi summoning mechanic.

Carbuncle is a glorified emergency ration, it already has nothing to do with "summoning."