SMN - Why it is not a very interesting job and not a good upgrade from ACN

[Miiu]

I played summoner in ffxi too (but not past the level 75 cap) and I agree with you that summoners in FFXI got the worst end of the stick. We were main healers and usually restrained from using our summons because they would drain our mp pools too fast. At least before you got all your staves and smn equip (yay free carbi). Only thing you were mostly allowed to use was garuda's group blink. While in practice the job didn't really work and never saw any real change except of new summons during my play time in theory it was more sound and summoner like than the version we got right now. I always was under the impression that a summoner would need need to adapt his pet to the current situation of the fight. The summons in FFXI had that at a "basic" level.

Now we only have garuda out because of contagion.

[KaosPrimeZero]

Now we only have garuda out because of contagion.

Not only because of contagion. We also keep garuda out because she doesnt have to run after the mob every time it decides to relocate. She can just continue dps'ing unlike ifrit and titan who have to follow the mob everywhere it runs losing dps, add to that she also lives longer so you dont have to resummon every 5-10 minutes cause they die to a big attack or something, thus resummoning and losing both player and smn dps.