[Pole] Do you want to see the summoner class reworked?

[FriendlyUncle]

No. Too many people complaining about what they expected and what they got, it's fine. The only complaint i really have is that you can't easily see which dots are yours in boss fights. Slight color difference just doesn't cut it. Make them bigger, different color, whatever. I also hope if they don't, it's one of the first things someone makes an addon for.

Theres actually an option, unsure where atm since I'm at work, that will only show affects you place on the boss which makes it much easier to track your own debuffs on a target. Maybe not the best solution but I feel it work rather well.

[Judge_Xero]

No, SMN is just too much fun to play the way it is.

[Madoka]

No. SMN is completely fine as it is.

[Lycia]

I vote no, and here's why

Eorzea is a different land than other FF's, and just because we are accustomed to the concept of having Summoners be more like Yuna and Rydia, doesn't mean Summoners here are going to be like Yuna and Rydia. What attracted me originally to the class was the chance to party up with Carbunkle, I felt he was super cute, and seemed like a fun companion. When I read the basic descriptions, it crafted my entire concept of the character.

"Accompanied by a familiar in battle, adepts of the art of arcanum derive their might from symbols of power born of geometric techniques hailing from across the southern seas. Held within special grimoires, these symbols lend shape to the arcanist's aether, thereby allowing them to produce a myriad of powerful spells.

Using magicked gemstones upon which the selfsame symbols are graven, arcanists are also able to summon forth the ephemeral being Carbuncle to carry out their bidding."

The key words I have taken the time to highlight. We are Arcanist, who can summon the ESSENCE of a primal, but not the actual primal. It say's it as clear as day, from jump street.

In this land, this is how we are meant to be. I love the class the way that it is. If the beast tribe have to gather a butt ton of Crystals to summon a primal, why should I have the ability to fully draw on their power. For that one fleeting moment every 5 minutes, we can Enkindle and grasp the true power of a primal. After that, we need to focus on using are Arcane knowledge to do damage.

As far as DPS is concerned, practice your class, and your rotations. It does suck that Garuda is the main summon we always use, but she leads to some AMAZING damage. Having her Contagion/Bane hit many mobs on a trash pull and your DPS is through the roof. Practice, study and learn your character!

[Akiza]

There is no dps concern for the Summoner since there is only two main rotations then dot management which is the main complaint. Players want the pet to take center stage and be the primal source of damage while the Summoner provides support damage, pet buffs and pet skill rotations making it a pet management job.

[Shougun]

I would like to see the primal elements take a more center stage, whether that is more pet class, theme'd abilities, or visual updates- the method is not my concern as much as making summoner reek primal.

In terms of mechanical usefulness SMN is pretty useful, good dps, high mobility, debuff, buff, and a battle raise (then include Titan for decent tanking for most scenarios).

[Lycia]

I think you guys are failing to read what SE has clearly stated were the intentions of SMN. Its not meant to be a Primal only class, never was. We are Arcanist who can call on the essence of the primal. We do this without use of crystals might I add. By making SMN based more on summoning a more realistic and bigger primal, or more focused on our EGI, you're kinda spitting on the lore of Eorzea. Our Summon is support, not primary focus. Perhaps if we had the ability to summon a weaker version of the primal at a high crystal cost, and for a brief period of time, then that would make more sense...but from where it stands, I feel that the character works perfectly with the intentions of the game design.

Less not forget that Scholars still have the ability to use Arcanist skills too :P

[Shougun]

I think you guys are failing to read what SE has clearly stated were the intentions of SMN. Its not meant to be a Primal only class, never was. We are Arcanist who can call on the essence of the primal. We do this without use of crystals might I add. By making SMN based more on summoning a more realistic and bigger primal, or more focused on our EGI, you're kinda spitting on the lore of Eorzea. Our Summon is support, not primary focus. Perhaps if we had the ability to summon a weaker version of the primal at a high crystal cost, and for a brief period of time, then that would make more sense...but from where it stands, I feel that the character works perfectly with the intentions of the game design.

Less not forget that Scholars still have the ability to use Arcanist skills too :P

I'd agree twisting arcanist is a bit of a lore buster but the lore of summoning -more- of a primal already exists unless it was retcon I didn't know about. Also there is nothing in the lore that says you cant become stronger and obtain greater amounts of primal essence, in fact in the story we see someone who has (though they are evil (maybe by mind influence), probably because most of the primals are evil or not interested in being pets).

And then of course there is the whole FC summoning the actual primal idea Yoshida has, and where SE said they are waiting for the story to allow that to make sense (at that point there would be even less of a reason to argue that summoners can't access more).

[Spellbinder]

I've already said my piece on the matter (in favor of quality of life fixes and small adjustments to the Egi), but I really do hate seeing lore as an excuse for game design decisions.

What would we do if they made a quest along the lines of "well, if you sprinkle Allagan pixie dust on your book and wish really hard, you can summon a primal, if only for a few minutes." Would it be okay then? Of course they shouldn't scrap summoner and rework it into some grandiose megajob you'd expect to see in FF8 or FF10, but a fanciful backstory shouldn't completely dictate what the developers can and cannot do to improve the summoner job. Stories are too easily left open to interpretation, so people can twist them to try and back their opinions as some undeniable truth.

Example:
"In times immemorial, there lived mages who had not only the power to summon the primals, but also the means to transmute the primals' essences, thus binding them to their will. Known simply as summoners, the existence of these men and women and their arcane art have been all but lost to the ages."

Taken directly from the official web page.
http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/pr/game/#!/jobs/content

If I, as a summoner, can transmute the primals' essence and bind it to my will, I should be able to do whatever I want with it right? Why can't I make my Egi bigger or smaller if I want? Why I can't I make Ifrit toss fireballs and have Garuda go into melee combat pecking out the eyes of my foes? Maybe we should ask for more customization so we can swap the roles of Ifrit and Garuda. (Please note, I'm not seriously suggesting this, but I could easily see someone making a topic like this using the "lore" to back them up.)

[Dwill]

I'd agree twisting arcanist is a bit of a lore buster but the lore of summoning -more- of a primal already exists unless it was retcon I didn't know about. Also there is nothing in the lore that says you cant become stronger and obtain greater amounts of primal essence, in fact in the story we see someone who has (though they are evil (maybe by mind influence), probably because most of the primals are evil or not interested in being pets).

And then of course there is the whole FC summoning the actual primal idea Yoshida has, and where SE said they are waiting for the story to allow that to make sense (at that point there would be even less of a reason to argue that summoners can't access more).

Yes there is something that explains it in the lore. A Primal's power level is in direct correlation with the amount of Aether amassed, more often than not via a huge amount of crystals. For our egi, it works the same. We summon them by using the essence we gained by fighting the primal as a catalyst then give they become an Aetherical Manifestation of what the primal looks in our mind, which means that they are a concentrated amount of Aether. For them to be stronger/bigger, a bigger amount of Aether would be needed which means exposure to a high amount of Aether which is a big no no due to serious side effects which includes aether sickness (poisoning).

Snip

That's already what we do. Fighting the primals imbues us with their essence, to which we transmute into the Egis.