Help with Summoner

My husband gifted me a summoner boost today and I'm wondering if anyone could help me with playing it, or if someone could link a guide =).

It seems like a really fun job.

Hi there, here's a link to to my discord pin resource document for the SMN questions channel over at The Balance discord. It has the current up to date information that we share.

I recommend starting with Koda's image guide then transitioning to Imouto's guide, or if you want a more personable experience come on over and join the discord with ~rank summoner to join our job channel.

However in the meantime until you get to level 70, the general principles to work on will be: keep your mob dotted up, try not to get too annoyed with the DoT timing disconnect between Bio2 and Miasma, Tri-Disaster reset in DWT is your friend, and make sure to use your pet actions and Rouse. Deathflare is also one of the most satisfying abilities to use in the game :D

A SMN website is also in the works called AkhMorning.com which will have all of the most up to date information and then some. Available soon(tm)

Thanks, I'll check those out =D. So far I've been enjoying it!

Thats all good stuff. I look forward to the new website.

Here is some more info - some of it more basic. Don't get discouraged. SMN is best.

Start with this one :)
https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/comme...t_got_updated/

Tsundere Imouto guide
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...y0TrCa0qg/edit

Eirene Snow's Comprehensive Thoughts
https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/comme...hts_on_40_smn/

Rotation discussion
https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/comme...ps_discussion/

Well to the best class lol I love SMN and good luck, take your time and don’t get discouraged :D

Welcome to the ranks of Summoner! I started playing it around a couple months ago and I'm really enjoying it. Looks like the others have already given you plenty of material to get started, so I'll just say that while it may seem like a lot to take in at first, with a bit of practice you'll start getting things down to muscle memory. It's just a matter of getting timings down and progressing through various burst phases with a couple brief downtime spots to prep for the next burst. Good luck, and have fun!

Yea, it does seem like quite a lot to take in, but the job is really cool and I want to get it down, so I'm gonna see if I can't make it my first 70 and push through

I'm reading up on Summoner as well, and I may be jumping the gun a little bit, but how accurate would you say this "rotation" and opener is?

https://imgur.com/gallery/x0REf

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by NewAgeDoom

I'm reading up on Summoner as well, and I may be jumping the gun a little bit, but how accurate would you say this "rotation" and opener is?

https://imgur.com/gallery/x0REf

---

That image guide is outdated now. Here's an updated one:

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...ter_Kit_v5.png

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FeliAiko

That image guide is outdated now. Here's an updated one:

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...ter_Kit_v5.png

---

I've really been doing it wrong. I've been popping Tri-Disaster before I go into DWT. Then again, I am only Level 60.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by NewAgeDoom

I've really been doing it wrong. I've been popping Tri-Disaster before I go into DWT. Then again, I am only Level 60.

---

Assuming you mean that you use Tri-D, then spend AF stacks before going into DWT that's fine, because DWT causes the CD to reset.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FeliAiko

Assuming you mean that you use Tri-D, then spend AF stacks before going into DWT that's fine, because DWT causes the CD to reset.

---

I've been going - Bio > Miasma > Aetherflow > Painflare > Energy Drain > Fester > Tri-D > DWT > Ruin III Spam > Deathflare at this level.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by NewAgeDoom

I've been going - Bio > Miasma > Aetherflow > Painflare > Energy Drain > Fester > Tri-D > DWT > Ruin III Spam > Deathflare at this level.

---

For a single-target rotation, generally you want to start out with Ruin II, Tri-Disaster, then Fester, then alternate between R2, your OGCDs (like Rouse, Enkindle, etc.), R2 again, and then Fester when it comes off cooldown until you can go into your DWT. Fester is your bread and butter when it comes to single-target Aetherflow damage. Painflare is best used only for multiple mobs (and sometimes rarely to speed along to DWT), and Bane and Energy Drain are mostly situational. To help get the most out of timings, you'll see a lot of SMNs only using R3 three times before using Deathflare, and you can usually weave your renewed Tri-D after the first R3 here. As long as you had enough time pre-pull to have Aetherflow off cooldown, you'll be able to do R2 > Aetherflow > Fester > R3 > R2 > Fester > R3 >R2 > Fester >DWT > R3 x6 > Deathflare. Try to save the Tri-D from the second DWT until your DOTs have about 3-4 seconds left before falling off, which usually happens somewhere around the third or fourth R3 in the Trance. When you get Bahamut, this is generally where you'll have some downtime to manually refresh DOTs as needed and weave in OGCDs between your Ruin spells until Aetherflow comes off cooldown to get a few more Wyrmwaves in.

There's more to it of course, and your opening gets slightly more specific in raid situations, but for now just keep checking your guides to get a feel for the general rhythm of things. They'll probably explain it far better than I can on a forum post, but hopefully that helps a little bit with the basics.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ChaoticCrimson

snip

---

I was just using those because I could go from one to the other, then immediately into Dreadwyrm. I was under the impression was to get into it as quickly as possible after each Aetherflow use.

But I'll definitely research into it further, Summoner seems like it has a lot of intricate little moving parts to its rotation.

You shouldn't use Energy Drain at all if you can help it. It's your least potent use of Aetherflow. Should really only be used to get a marginal amount of MP back quickly should you die or something and Lucid Dreaming is on cooldown.

Yes, you could technically get away with speeding through your aether stacks in the very first set of your opener to more quickly get to DWT. In my experience, it isn't worth it. Fester does much more damage to an enemy with both DOTs applied than any of the other three aether skills could net you, and using Fester only gives you more time to evenly spread out weaving your OGCDs in between that and R2 casts. For the opener, you could even double-weave your OGCDs between the two R2s. In raids, I usually like to use Rouse four seconds before the pull, start up R3 at three seconds, and do the above opener I mentioned, with Enkindle > Shadow Flare between the first set of R2 casts and then Aetherpact > potion between the second set. You could have more things to weave through if your pet's on Obey or if you decide to try out the pet-swap opener, but you'll probably end up sticking with Sic-frit in most cases so it's not usually an issue.

After ruin2 and tri-disaster (opener), isn't safer to do painflare, than fester? incase you fester too fast, and it doesn't register the dots fast enough

that is, if need to get in DwT fast in the opener, and you intend to use painflare eitherway in the opener

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Shiroe

After ruin2 and tri-disaster (opener), isn't safer to do painflare, than fester? incase you fester too fast, and it doesn't register the dots fast enough

that is, if need to get in DwT fast in the opener, and you intend to use painflare eitherway in the opener

---

The issue with Fester is addressed by incorporating Swiftcast into the Opener, i.e. Ruin II + Swiftcast > Tri-D + Ruin III > Fester + PF. If doing a pet swap opener, then you replace the Ruin III with Summon I/II.

The instant cast Ruin III/Summon will allow enough time for the DoTs to register so that your Fester gets the full potency.

There are times when some players do Tri into Fester and get away with it - this is because their latency is already so high enough that their clip factor delays the Fester long enough to happen after dots have been successfully applied. When I'm lazy in pug content I can get away with this 99% of the time (on a total lack of ping spike the fester will whiff). No one should do this, but it only works for me as I'm taking advantage of an annoying situation :D

The openers have been crafted such to keep all these considerations in mind so that they will do what you want with consistency.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DrWho2010

You shouldn't use Energy Drain at all if you can help it. It's your least potent use of Aetherflow. Should really only be used to get a marginal amount of MP back quickly should you die or something and Lucid Dreaming is on cooldown.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ChaoticCrimson

Yes, you could technically get away with speeding through your aether stacks in the very first set of your opener to more quickly get to DWT. In my experience, it isn't worth it.

---

the ED opener was one option in HW to speed things up yeah – since op is still 60 - she probably is just used to it... tho for the way to 70 and Bahamut there is nothing wrong to use it here and there imo ^^

Oh yeah, I should have mentioned if you're worried about using Fester right after your opening Tri-D and that it might hit before the DOTs are applied you could toss in another R2 after Tri-D. After the R2, if you give it until the GCD is about halfway recovered before tossing Fester you should have plenty of time to ensure you've got your DOTs on. That is, if you're planning on doing the full three Festers at open rather than the quick DWT method.

same goes for contagion (running with ruda or pet swap opener) if you are unsure of the timing spread a R2 in-between not just like Crimson mentioned for Tri and Fester but even for con & tri beforehand... combined its something like ((Con> (R2>)) Tri> (R2>) Fester

...its heartbreaking if Fester misses or Tri sets without con buff (at least in an opener)... : /