Summoner gets no new pets in expansion

[Darkstride]

This has basically reached the point where nothing constructive or logical comes from these threads. It starts with not having a summon, to why am I a BLM, to SMN isn't a SMN anymore because of [insert random reason here]. It's the same trend and it really gets annoying after the 15th thread where there are no legitimate fixes that are not copy pasted from XI.

So you prefer to argue about semantics by quoting wiki with definitions of Summoner and showing us what the word "exact" means. I don't think anyone is disputing that Summoner summons. That isn't really up for debate....that's exactly what a Summoner does.

However, the concern is not lore it is gameplay. XIV's Summoner gameplay does not align with how the job has historically been implimented. Yes, it Summons a pet. The pet, however is a secondary concern to applying and utilizing DoTs. The Summoner calls forth its pet and and has little to no interaction with it. Even if you do manually command them, thete isnt much to command. The pets themselves don't even really have any interesting or powerful abilities.

So, you can run your crusade about definitions and lore, but you're not any more constructive than those you are trying to discredit. Personally I don't dislike Summoner as it is so I'm not even trying to advocate an overhaul. However, I can certainly understand how players can be underwhelmed by the gameplay of the job since Summoner only does the very basic requirement to live up to its name. Summoner's core job ability is Fester, which has no interaction with summoning at all.

[Alahra]

Obviously, having gigantic pets like FFXI would have caused a lot of problems gameplay-wise, so it's understandable that Egis as they are are so small. I do think they could have struck a middle ground, though, and made them a bit larger, the size of a male roegadyn, for instance. Ifrit and Titan really shouldn't be floating, either. That's just awkward.

I've always felt the DoT/debuffing focus was strange for SMN, as well. They've got a handful of spells that have traditionally been Black Mage or Green Mage/Oracle/Mystic stuff, and nothing that's really traditional for Summoner *except* for the actual summons themselves. Even the Enkindles don't really match up that well to the traditional "ultimates" the summons have usually had. Ifrit-Egi's is the closest, I think, to his Hellfire animation from the fight itself. Titan's-Egi's...I don't even know.

[Avalt]

As much as I would love to see larger pets for Summoner, I would hate to see larger pets in the cities. I think the current Egis are perfect for however many of them you often see on the screen when you're in Limsa Lominsa (especially all those Carbuncle at 2.0 launch...)

Now, in 4/8 person dungeons I think larger pets would be rather cool. Before you enter Wanderer's Palace you have a Garuda Egi on the field - however when you're actually inside the instance, the Egi appears as something slightly larger that looks more like the Garuda primal. No more powerful than the Egi, but at least it would look somewhat more summoner-y. Or in solo instances too (such as the summoner job quests)

In things like Labyrinth/Sycrus/World of Darkness, I'd vote for keeping the Egi due to the amount of activity going on whilst on the battlefield.

Having said that, I like the Egi as they are - as much as I would love to have the Ramuh Egi, I'm perfectly content to wait until pet AI is improved or they are more responsive. Also the glamour idea sounds pretty sweet too.

[Saggo]

ex·act
iɡˈzakt/
adjective: exact

1. not approximated in any way; precise.
"the exact details were still being worked out"

Ah yes. At least we're all on the same page on exact now.

Let us see. As per the FF wiki.

"Summoners are known for their ability to summon magical beasts to fight for the party." Core ability.

"Summoners use special magic that allows them to call forth Summoned Monsters. " ...Core ability, part deux.

"In some games, summoners also have the ability to cast either Black Magic or White Magic as well as to summon, thus making them more versatile." DoTs, the ability to rez/virus crossed from ACN.

I propose a novel, possibly outlandish, idea that non-approximate, precise job implementations take more than a sentence or two. Many people have happily testified how 14-SMN falls apart on that premise.

And this,

"and in some games also bear large horns on their foreheads" Wait, what is that thing on her head?

I don't think was ever a concern, but thank you for clearing it up.

[Deliciou5]

snip

I always see a congo lines of behe mounts in cities....what difference does a pet or two make?

While i personally do not want to see Full on Primals outside of Limit Break attacks.(which would be cool if summoner used limit break...entire raid dissapeared making them not taking any damage at all allowing them to bypass certain mechanics by not being there to deal with them, then primal does large aoe attack) I still think pets should steadily become bigger/stronger as a player levels 1-60. Glamour system for pets is interesting idea, but falls short on what players wanted from the start....a job that fits its description. I would or rather the same abilities and be called necromancer and have zombie/shade/skeleton pets.

[Asierid]

The pet, however is a secondary concern to applying and utilizing DoTs.

Then don't use the pet. See where your DPS goes then. Both are important and need to be juggled, which is the very core of SMN.

The Summoner calls forth its pet and and has little to no interaction with it. Even if you do manually command them, thete isnt much to command.

You have enough buttons as it is and you want more? Ok. Next thread will be why people don't play SMN because they have too many buttons, which is already a common complaint. Besides, you manually command the pet or you're doing it wrong.

XIV's Summoner gameplay does not align with how the job has historically been implimented.

It is the sentence like this that destroys the whole thing.

So you want to be a one-hit wonder with flashy abilities every few minutes for most of your MP as well as being a watered down BLM like SMN has been "Historically"? Got it.

I'm all for changing abilities around, consolidation to free up some space for new skills, etc. Game play changes that were actually discussed were already implemented within the expansion. SMN lacked a decent AoE, now they have one (Get rid of the cap on Bane and we're good). SMN lacked "oomph" in their spells, now SpS affects DoT/pet damage. You get some much needed fixes finally, and end up talking about why you don't have Ramuh, who would end up being a wannabe ranged pet like Garuda anyway. So again, we're boiling down to this one sentence:

XIV's Summoner gameplay does not align with how the job has historically been implimented.

That's not a gameplay issue. That's personal opinion.

[Deliciou5]

snip

Opinions drive why people want to play class/jobs...or even ffxiv. Why get gear for glamour...lets have everyone look exactly the same....take those Glasses off your face Asierid....they don't solve any gameplay issues! Lets add samurai into the game and make them only use spears!Techincally samurai uses spears WHY WE NEED GREAT KATANAS? YOU WANT TO BE SPECIAL SNOWFLAKE FFXI PLAYER?! DERP.

Flavor and aesthetics are important to people.Even you mr. Sunglasses.

[Tilgung]

Flavor and aesthetics are important to people.Even you mr. Sunglasses.

Unfortunately, aesthetics are a very distant second to practicality, game play, and overall balance. Sorry to break it to you.

[Deliciou5]

Unfortunately, aesthetics are a very distant second to practicality, game play, and overall balance. Sorry to break it to you.

So SE can only focus on one thing at a time while introducing something new? Wow...i guess that expansion i heard about must be a lie, too many big changes for SE to balance properly and include great aesthetics ...guess SE will release the expansion with next to no graphics...everything willl be wireframe.

Just because its a distant second doesn't mean they cannot also address it while making changes that keep the job balanced.

[Asierid]

Just because its a distant second doesn't mean they cannot also address it while making changes that keep the job balanced.

There's a difference between doing a job, and doing the job right.

Opinions don't make good games (If such was the case, judging by these forums, nothing would even be put to paper), gameplay systems that work do. Look at Wildstar for an example to those that say "Hardcore is the way". Look at Aion if you want flashy skills and great graphics. If you're going to scramble for examples while attempting to sound sarcastic, least make them halfway decent.

Gameplay > Aesthetics. People play it because it works and the way it works it is fun. People (least the ones with a shred of dignity) don't pay to play broken games because they look pretty, there's no value in playing something that gets you nowhere because it's aesthetically pleasing.