Can someone give me an in-depth explanation why Summoner is arguably the worst DPS?

[Lilyarel]

SMN has not been top DPS for awhile. I would say they were only top DPS in the First Coil, SCoB Melee pulled ahead but SMN still kicked ass. Then more melee buffs, and BLM buffs and now in FCoB they are they weakest class because of class mechanics combined with fight mechanics.

I've dropped my Summoner as a whole. Im working on the BLM relic. Square was kind enough to make relic grinding less painful. I've noticed something, as a BLM, I'm having fun. As a Summoner, I feel like I'm always in "sweaty try hard mode". BLM just feels more satisfying to play. Square is going to have to really impress me with the new changes in 3.0 to make me go back to Summoner. Even if Summoner does go back to being top DPS, it still wont change the fact that the job is a chore to play.

[Sen_Terrechant]

I've dropped my Summoner as a whole. Im working on the BLM relic. Square was kind enough to make relic grinding less painful. I've noticed something, as a BLM, I'm having fun. As a Summoner, I feel like I'm always in "sweaty try hard mode". BLM just feels more satisfying to play. Square is going to have to really impress me with the new changes in 3.0 to make me go back to Summoner. Even if Summoner does go back to being top DPS, it still wont change the fact that the job is a chore to play.

See i love playing my SMN, and im good at it- i just hate feeling like all my 'tryhard' goes to waste.

I just want to feel like all that 'work', does something. Right now you are right, its so much work to have respectable DPS and we really cant hit the levels of WOW! DPS that other classes can with as much work.

[Skeith-Adeline]

I've dropped my Summoner as a whole. Im working on the BLM relic. Square was kind enough to make relic grinding less painful. I've noticed something, as a BLM, I'm having fun. As a Summoner, I feel like I'm always in "sweaty try hard mode". BLM just feels more satisfying to play. Square is going to have to really impress me with the new changes in 3.0 to make me go back to Summoner. Even if Summoner does go back to being top DPS, it still wont change the fact that the job is a chore to play.

I agree 100% about the classes being tedious. It just, personally, doesn't feel fun to play. Even if the DPS was top DPS by a margin, I don't think I could bring myself to play it.

[Dyvid]

I've dropped my Summoner as a whole. Im working on the BLM relic. Square was kind enough to make relic grinding less painful. I've noticed something, as a BLM, I'm having fun. As a Summoner, I feel like I'm always in "sweaty try hard mode". BLM just feels more satisfying to play. Square is going to have to really impress me with the new changes in 3.0 to make me go back to Summoner. Even if Summoner does go back to being top DPS, it still wont change the fact that the job is a chore to play.

Honestly I'm glad you did because i figured SMN just wasn't the fit for you. Same reason why in FFXI I quit playing SMN and went BLM, I just didn't enjoy that iteration of the job. I actually enjoy FFXIV SMN because it's "sweaty try hard mode" gameplay. I guess I'm just not happy unless i'm trying to multitasking.

[Akiza]

Only a small percentage of players like this current iteration of Summoner. Most players quit playing Summoner and moved to other jobs because their more satisfying to play while the Summoner has a boring play style and is hard to play there is just no fun factor in playing Summoner vs Black Mage or White Mage. Looking at WoW if the Summoner was slot in Crowd Control and enfeebling to increase the DPS of the party maybe it would be good but Summoner just has no place in this game now. If SE based the Summoner off the Elementslist/Shaman and made a better pet system the Summoner would've been great.

[Ronove]

I've dropped my Summoner as a whole. Im working on the BLM relic. Square was kind enough to make relic grinding less painful. I've noticed something, as a BLM, I'm having fun. As a Summoner, I feel like I'm always in "sweaty try hard mode". BLM just feels more satisfying to play. Square is going to have to really impress me with the new changes in 3.0 to make me go back to Summoner. Even if Summoner does go back to being top DPS, it still wont change the fact that the job is a chore to play.

I dunno, I really like playing Summoner--I honestly like the work it takes to be a good SMN. BLM puts me to sleep if I'm not Flaring a bunch of mobs. It is depressing though if you do everything right, you're still gonna be miles behind someone playing another class equally well. That's the only thing that has me sad to play a SMN but there's not another job I like playing quite as much.

Edit: I also find the book smacks pretty satisfying.

[Sequora]

I don't find SMN boring at all either. I'm not really a fan of "proc based" classes. I'm hoping for a new type of caster at some point that is maybe stance based or something, but black mage doesn't really appeal to me. I could see them doing something really cool with geomancer. Have it be a wind, earth and water based caster. Red mage could be a cool caster/melee hybrid. Same with blue mage. I could see at least one or all of of these being added to an eastern themed expansion. Back on topic though. I don't mind SMN being a DoT based class. For me it's mostly aesthetics. The egi's look and feel really weak. Poisons feel really out of place as well. I wish instead we had elemental DoTs. Replace fester with tri-disaster (tri-disaster animation, but the same effect as fester). The biggest change I want is more interaction with the pet. Enkindle is the only ability we have that makes me sort of feel like a summoner. I wish that the pets had better abilities on their bars.

[ViviAnimus]

Today is the moment of truth for me. If they did nothing with Summoner while it has been neglected for so long now, then I will probably drop the class all together and just focus on BLM and WHM. I am tired of waiting for even the least amount of true information regarding this issue. It is completely the devs' fault because I really tried :P

[Dyvid]

Today is the moment of truth for me. If they did nothing with Summoner while it has been neglected for so long now, then I will probably drop the class all together and just focus on BLM and WHM. I am tired of waiting for even the least amount of true information regarding this issue. It is completely the devs' fault because I really tried :P

Might as well drop it now then cause I very much doubt any info.

[Aikaal]

I've dropped my Summoner as a whole. Im working on the BLM relic. Square was kind enough to make relic grinding less painful. I've noticed something, as a BLM, I'm having fun. As a Summoner, I feel like I'm always in "sweaty try hard mode". BLM just feels more satisfying to play. Square is going to have to really impress me with the new changes in 3.0 to make me go back to Summoner. Even if Summoner does go back to being top DPS, it still wont change the fact that the job is a chore to play.

You can also crit for 5k in T13. It requires RS + Pot + Voiced Foe + Trick Attack + BiS :3333. Well, I havent got 5k, I got 4967 with a 130 Staff.