How to Be a ACN/SMN.(Accepting any and all feedback)

[T0rin]

I am currently levelling my SMN to 50 so far I just hit lvl42 and my rotations are like this

For single enemy

Bio, Bio 2, Miasma, Virus, Atherflow, Fester, Ruin 2 and repeat

for group of enemies

target marked mob

Bio, Bio 2, Miasma, Virus, Atherflow, Bane, Tri Disaster and Fester with a Ruin thrown in if time.

As for my pets, I'll be honest I let them attack the mobs and leave them to their own devices, ill heal as and when their hp gets low and I just recently aquired Rouse so that will be incorpareted shortly

Whatever you do OP, _DON'T_ do this. ^

Basically, there is no 'rotation', because doing good DPS relies on keeping DoTs up all the time, and with varied timers, the order of spell casting is always going to be something you determine on the fly..

An example single target (ST) spell casting order: Bio II, Miasma, Bio -> Fester (wait for Bio to land first), Miasma II, Contagion, Shadow Flare, Ruin, Ruin II -> Fester, Ruin, Bio, Miasma, Ruin, Bio II, etc.

Your goal is to clip (replace before the timer expires) the DoT as late as possible, without creating time where the DoT is not up at all. Do this with all 3 DoTs.

The AoE spell order will generally be similar to the ST spell order, except instead of Fester, you will be using Bane to spread DoTs. You will be casting Bio II, Miasma and Bio on an un-DoT'd mob, Bane the DoTs, until everything has DoTs. Assuming you have Swiftcast, it is a good idea to get Shadow Flare out first so it can be ticking on everything as you're DoTing it all up. (which usually takes upwards of ~18 seconds for 5-8 mobs) It is good to use Contagion on the first set of DoTs, so that the DoT expiration of the first set lines up better with the expiration of the second set. (assuming you have 5 or more targets) After everything has Bane'd DoTs, you'll toss out a Miasma II and start spamming Blizzard II until either a) everything is dead or b) stuff needs new DoTs.

As far as Garuda goes (you're going to want to always use Garuda, and anyone who says differently doesn't know what they are talking about), keep her on Obey, so that she only uses Wind Blade. You'll need to do the Aerial Blast (AoE spell) and Contagion on your own. If you need an immediate Contagion, issuing a Steady to Garuda right before you need it (to avoid another casting or two of Wind Blade) will allow you to get it as soon as you press the button, rather than waiting on her to finish what she is doing.

Don't use Miasma II on single targets unless you plan to Contagion it. Don't use Ruin II unless you need to move (to dodge a mechanic) or need to cast an off-GCD spell like Bane/Fester/Energy Drain/Enkindle/Rouse/Spur/etc. Don't use Bane or Fester until the final of the three DoTs is actually showing on the mob. (it takes a second to register between you sending the spell and the server acknowledging it and applying it) Don't use Sic for pets. Don't use Ifrit. Try to use all 3 Aetherflow charges every minute. Use Energy Drain as little as possible. When using Raging Strikes, cast it before your DoTs. Try to Contagion any RS'd DoTs to get more damage out of the buffed versions.

I'm sure there is more, but take half of what you read with a grain of salt, because a lot of people who think they know what they are talking about (like this guy I quoted) are dreadfully wrong. Until you get to know the class, you probably won't be able to distinguish the obvious bad advice from the good advice, so look for people to back each other up on what is good advice before you accept it as gospel.