The Grand Summoner FAQ and Advice Compendium

[xxalucard]

If I have 2 sets of accessories (normal set + accuracy set) can I summon pet with the accuracy then swap to normal and have her still benefit from the additional accuracy on the original set?

AWESOME IDEA-- I just learned from this. This is a great way to guarantee your pet has 100% accuracy for a run (assuming it doesn't die). You could use some DL caster accessories and the Vanya Chest Piece, for example (which have accuracy), as a set to summon your pet with, and then switch back to a hero's accessory set / Summoner's Doublet to get all the bonus damage for yourself without sacrificing your pet's accuracy.


EDIT:

Unanswered questions: Would appreciate help answering these
What should I do when my dots are refreshed?
When do I use Ruin 2 instead of Ruin 1? How about Bio 2/Bio and Miasma 2/Miasma.

For #1: If it's a single target boss I would say all you can really do is Ruin 1 + Ruin 2, + Fester whenever it's off CD (unless you're saving it for some reason), and make sure to constantly use Rouse whenever it's off CD. There isn't really much else you can do beyond that DPS-Wise, and it shouldn't be long before you need to refresh something (whether shadowflare or other dots), anyway.

For #2:

- You should always use Ruin 1 --> Ruin 2 unless you're about to move and trying to help burst something. (An example situation of this is if you get targeted with Fireball in Turn 5 and want to throw in some extra damage as you jump into the conflag guy. In that situation you'd throw the extra ruin 2 as you jump towards your teammate.)

- Same idea for Bio II and Bio, except that usually you will be going Bio II -> Miasma --> Bio as the bread and butter combo when you can stand and cast. (An example situation would be titan HM and getting targeted by the Granite Gaul before you get a chance to setup or re-setup your DoTs. It would be better in that situation to throw a quick Bio on him instead of Ruin II before you get encased in the rock.)

- Miasma II should only be used when all your other DoTs are already on the boss (and can get close to that boss safely). In an AOE situation, you want to spam Miasma II in the center of everything at the same time you spam Contagion, since usually you will want to Bane right after and the GCD's can be timed to work out fairly well (plus miasma II is hitting everything rather than a single target DoT).

- Tri-Disaster should be used when bane cannot hit all the enemies in an AoE situation, and should be used after the intial bane.

- IMO the basic AoE rotation that you got from Pandabearcat should be adjusted to using Shadowflare First, because it gives the tank an extra second to get hate on everything, will be hitting everything while you set your bread and butter up, and can save a swiftcast-shadowflare for a later point in DPSING the AoE group. It also allows you to hold that swiftcast should something come up (a party member or your pet dies from some reason) and you rather use it for resurrection / re-summoning.

- It's not a bad idea sometimes to use bane *before* contagion depending on what you're AoEing, and use contagion on a 2nd or 3rd monster before bane-ing again.

I do this at the beginning of Turn 5, for example, where I have that extra Aetherflow off CD at the start of the fight and the first add goes down fairly quickly-- it allows me to center more DPS on the #1 without worrying about it being focused down before contagion goes off or waiting longer before spreading my dots to the other two adds.. I usually target the #2 with contagion as I continue to DPS #1, and then re-apply my aetherflow stack + bane from the #2 to #3 so they both have the extended dots.

[pandabearcat]

I would like to add to be extremely proactive in your mana management, especially in progression.

I would also go on to say that unless you will be moving for a VERY long time (like > 3 seconds) and/or something MUST die asap, and will wipe you if it doesn't (like heart), do not use Ruin II at all.

The only time I would justify using Ruin II is the 2nd fester during RS. It is ludicrously expensive spell for a tiny, tiny dps boost (remember its only 80p!)

Just a note that also miasma II should not be used single target unless you have contagion...it is already extremely inefficient, and contagion barely makes it do more damage than Ruin (it goes up to 120p).

Also when you Miasma II, feel free to right click a target to smack it once with your book.

Effective? Nope! Tiny dps increase? You betcha!

Also I would like to note that yes, if you have the chance to precast, Shadowflare is your best bet.

However, I typically use precast time to do cooldowns instead (rouse > spur > rs), then I have time to enkindle before rouse/spur disappears, and don't have to delay the two by ~20 seconds.

Its just preference really, no real reason why one is spectacularly better than the other.

EDIT: for the "resummon your pet point", as long as the target will live for longer than 12-15 seconds, even hardcasting summoning your pet will be a dps gain. So resummoning it is always top priority.

Another reason to proactively manage your mana, so if you do need to resummon your pet, you're not completely dry afterwards. Furthermore, in case you need to res someone, you will not be severely hindered.

EDIT2: for the "bane not breaking sleep" thing, this is also true for Shadowflare. And for the "dots do not break sleep" tip, only dots that have not been applied do not break sleep. Applying a DoT (even one without an attack potency) will still break sleep. Again, bane is the exception here.

EDIT3: for large trash pulls, use bane's tiny range to your advantage. Contagion bane the leftmost mob, for example, then dot up the right most mob, and bane that to the right side. In this way you can "get around" bane's 4 target restriction with minimal chance of overwriting DoTs.

EDIT4: I noticed you didn't put up a single target rotation. Past the 4 DoTs that must be up at all times, also make sure you have shadowflare up (yes, even single target). Shadowflare is actually our more efficient DoT, if the target stays still. On a extremely mobile fight, don't bother with Shadowflare.

[Seobit]

On the topic of using accuracy gear just to cap out on garuda and then switching out, pet's stats are readjusted to your current gear once you use spur.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11UYQEMN3dg

[Kevee]

On the topic of using accuracy gear just to cap out on garuda and then switching out, pet's stats are readjusted to your current gear once you use spur.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11UYQEMN3dg

Can confirm it's Spur.

This means SMN will have to re-think BiS, most likely using full Myth set, minus right side(which is mostly myth anyways..).

Or, we have to find out how much DPS Spur gives. It could be possible that the gear difference is worth not using Spur.

Just did some napkin math.

It looks like, pure DPS wise, it would be better to use an ACC set to summon your pet, switch to the allagan pieces, and NOT use Spur, at all.

Spur gives a ~1.25% DPS increase, total, or roughly 6% for the pet.

The crit lost is 5.46%, or 2.73% DPS.

The only reason to use an ACC set/Spur is if you need the utility(Such as Conflags/Dreadknights), or you think you, or your pet will die. On a fight like Turn 2, it would be better to use ACC gear to summon your pet, switch to crit/DPS gear, and never touch spur. Turn 5, use ACC set so you can use Spur.

[Jenoc]

Okay I need someone to clarify for me on Sleep and Bane, I'm confused here.

Target is asleep > I cast Bio > Target wakes up
I cast Bio > Target is slept > Target stays asleep
Target A is asleep > I use Bane on Target B > Target A gets Bio > Target A stays asleep

Is that right?

[Kevee]

Okay I need someone to clarify for me on Sleep and Bane, I'm confused here.

Target is asleep > I cast Bio > Target wakes up
I cast Bio > Target is slept > Target stays asleep
Target A is asleep > I use Bane on Target B > Target A gets Bio > Target A stays asleep

Is that right?

Yes.

Shadowflare also never wakes up sleeping mobs.

[LionKing]

Bane does not wake up Mobs already slept? Keeve, you did not misread his post, did you?

[Zholi]

The only reason to use an ACC set/Spur is if you need the utility(Such as Conflags/Dreadknights), or you think you, or your pet will die. On a fight like Turn 2, it would be better to use ACC gear to summon your pet, switch to crit/DPS gear, and never touch spur. Turn 5, use ACC set so you can use Spur.

I'm still of the opinion that the difference in DPS is so marginal it's not worth all the extra trouble of trying to salvage the max crit "BiS" set. We would have to carry around a summoning set and a DPS set, AND now we've found out we'd have to (admittedly marginally) alter our playstyle in order to reap the benefits of having two sets. All for a 1.5% increase in DPS. And if something unexpected happens and things don't go perfectly ("the shit hits the fan"), and you or the pet dies, you lose extra DPS just when you need it most. If everything goes perfectly well, did that extra 1.5% actually make any difference at all? It seems to me that it's more prudent to make sure you have as much DPS as possible in a worst case scenario. Best case scenario doesn't matter because you'd win either way.

If this were FFXI I'd advocate set swapping, as you could do that at any time in that game. I'd swap to one set to cast an avatar, swap to another just before using a blood pact, swap to another while the blood pact was charging (increased avatar damage gear, etc), swap to different gear with the avatar put away, swap to resting gear for MP regen (every mage had this set). The sort of macros I made and how intricate my gear-swapping was bordered on the absurd. So it's not that I don't advocate this kind of silliness, it's that I don't think it serves us very much in this game. I'd rather prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

Bane does not wake up Mobs already slept? Keeve, you did not misread his post, did you?

The examples in his post are all correct. I used bane extensively while leveling in dungeons (the timer period where BLMs still obsessively sleep everything), and no mob was ever woken by Bane. I thought this was odd at first, so I did it over and over to make sure. Of course, sometimes parties freaked out because they thought Bane would wake the mobs, but I just ignored them.

[Seobit]

Also to add, after some quick testing it seems other buffs can reset Garuda's stats too. Testing done with Fey Covenant.

[T0rin]

I'm currently sitting at like 259 Acc (been pumping up via crafted jewlery in preparation for the 27 Acc loss going from DL Cowl to AF2 Body + Vanya Hat), and my Garuda hits 100% in Coil T5 atm. So, while I'm not super sure about the accuracy caps for SMN and pet, I believe they are 434 and 448 respectively. (could be wrong)

But, besides all that, I know that a full BiS set for SMN, which consists of the following:

Summoner's Horn
Summoner's Doublet
Summoner's Ringbands
Allagan Rope Belt of Casting
Allagan Breeches of Casting
Allagan Boots of Casting
Hero's Necklace of Casting
Allagan Earring of Casting
Hero's Bracelet of Casting
Hero's Ring of Casting
Allagan Ring of Casting

... has only +86 Acc, which puts you at 424 Acc total, meaning you need food to hit the T5 Acc cap. It also means that Garuda has pretty shitty accuracy if you encounter any of the buffs that reset her stats. (Spur, etc.)

So, to that end, I did a comparison of all the BiS items to other options you have in the end game (AF2 vs Allagan, Allagan vs Crafted, etc.) to see where the most cost effective slots to dump int for more accuracy are. Here's what I came up with:

Allagan Rope Belt of Casting vs Hero's Belt of Casting
+11 Acc
-2.95 Weighted Int
+3.729 Acc per lost Int

Hero's Ring of Casting vs Pentamelted Astral Ring
+12 Acc
-4.55 Weighted Int
+2.637 Acc per lost Int

Allagan Ring of Casting vs Pentamelted Astral Ring
+1 Acc
-1.6 Weighted Int
+0.625 Acc per lost Int

Hero's Bracelet of Casting vs Pentamelded Astral Bracelet
+12 Acc
-4.95 Weighted Int
+2.424 Acc per lost int

Allagan Earrings of Casting vs Pentamelded Rose Gold Earrings
+12 Acc
-4.75 Weighted Int
+2.526 Acc per lost int

Hero's Necklace of Casting vs Pentamelded Astral Choker
+12 Acc
-5.15 Weighted Int
+2.330 Acc per lost int

Allagan Boots of Casting vs Summoner's Thighboots
+6 Acc
-3.45 Weighted Int
+1.739 Acc per lost Int

Allagan Breeches of Casting vs Summoner's Trousers
+10 Acc
-5.1 Weighted Int
+1.960 Acc per lost Int