SUMMONER, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE OR ADD? (EVOLUTION & STAT ALLOCATION)

[Sandpark]

I believe that balancing pet classes is a nightmare.
But I also believe that just because one job functioned a certain way in previous games doesn't mean it will function the same now.

However if you are going to implement summoner in the coolest and most iconic way. Summoner should be a spike damage pet class just as it was in most FF. This should take precedence over lore or current systems. Change the lore, separate summoner from arcanist if that has to happen. My friend thought it was stupid and sad she couldn't level summoner from level 1 anyways.

[Gallus]

However if you are going to implement summoner in the coolest and most iconic way. Summoner should be a spike damage pet class just as it was in most FF.

No please, I'm fine with sustained damage and a permanent pet, what I don't like much is this pet looking like a flying potato.

Also, when are you going make food affect pet SE? How SMNs cannot reach the accuracy cap with food at the moment while the rest of the classes can is freaking beyond me.

[Triaste]

For a complete overhaul here.

It doesnt really feel like a DOT(having one DOT more than others, and just doing more damage with DOT's is not really the best design) class , and neither does it feel like a real pet class.

Instead I'd like them to completly redo SMN. Make it a reverse BLM , and half Melee/half Ranged.

Kinda like this (even if its from a figthing game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO3s4nscy2g&t=8m27s

First , why melee: I believe its more interactive - and it doesn't really change much, since currently SMN pretty much have to be melee to get those AA in.

Fighting with a Book is fun too. And looks more stylish then Ruin-Spam

How it would work ? Kinda like a reverse BLM. The class has an empty Mana box by default.
Summonless Melee attacks (weak part of the damage) FILL the Mana bar.
There would be several "stances" like on Monk, just corrosponding to the different Egis.
On Button for Summon/Unsummon (Instant) - summons pet According to the stance.

Pets dont autoattack and cant be repositioned , instead they wait for input from the summoner - they also cant die and have no HP (not that they really die now anyway).
The current Pet bar would have actual Skills, that do cost quite a lot of Mana, and also having a Summon out would drain mana by default once empty Summons would disappear until resummoned.

Fixes some problems:
Makes piety useful for having a the pet out longer.
Spellspeed for filling the Mana bar faster. -> less downtime on pet.
Pets not dying to mechanics - really its just annoying, not really hard , since they are immun to pretty much everything anyway.
Solves the Mana problem. And there will be no DPS caster in the expension , so it kinda equalizes the caster classes.
People complaining that the pets feel weak - you order them to, and they do the HARD hitting stuff.
No real interaction between pets and player - right now you set them somewhere out of harms way , and forget they exist , except for the occasional Rouse/Spur/Contingation command.
Makes stats useful for pets, since like this they are basically an extension of the summoner.

Oh and I guess PS3 Limitations in town, since SMN, wouldnt stand with thousands of pets in town, only in combat, and even then , not all active at the same time.

You could even get creative ... let the Garuda-Stance, change the attacks of the SMN to ranged/wind. Titan Stance, a bit more Tankiness, and some CD's to protect yourself - could function as an an Mini-Offtank for a short time.
Add elemtal attributes to the melee attacks corrosponding to the egi.

I just think this way, alot more would be possible.

But lore ... why should summoners suddenly smack things with fists and stuff?
Just get creative: Summoning was banned by the GC'S since it was found out, that havin countless MINI-Primals out, was comparable to one big one sucking the land out of ether or whatever.
So what to do if you are a Summoner ? Provide all the Mana yourself .... nonsens.
But wait, we have Aetherflow - thats where we get it from! - But it does the same, gathers Aether around us - aka from the land. So well ... how about extracting Aether from the enemies by contact? - Solution found.
Now we can use resources from things we want to see dead anyway to sustain those mini primals!

Or something like this.

Well I was kinda bored. And something on this scale will NEVER happen anyway.
I just hope SMN gets more ... interesting in the future.

[Akiza]

I believe that balancing pet classes is a nightmare.
But I also believe that just because one job functioned a certain way in previous games doesn't mean it will function the same now.

However if you are going to implement summoner in the coolest and most iconic way. Summoner should be a spike damage pet class just as it was in most FF. This should take precedence over lore or current systems. Change the lore, separate summoner from arcanist if that has to happen. My friend thought it was stupid and sad she couldn't level summoner from level 1 anyways.

Balancing a DoT class is impossible no MMORPG developer has balanced them at high levels of play not even Blizzard. Look what happen to Warlock after Catacysm their population plummeted at high levels and end game.