Connecting the DoTs: A Summoner Guide

[Kona_Nightwind]

I need a little help. Been stuck on AS3 for awhile and Id like to do a few things better if I can.
1. First off I've been using Sleighs opener, and I've seem to run into a problem. My fester during DWT just misses my pot half the time. Is this me just being bad at activating my skills. My spell speed has dropped quite a bit, so maybe I got lazy on activation.
2. I use Garuda the entire fight, contagion just lines up perfectly with everything. Then of course add phase. Is there anytime to use ifrit that's beneficial?
3. During adds I don't use any cds. I miasma everything I can, miasma 2 if a few are close, bio when I can, and just leave garuda on what ever mob gets the least attention. In the next phase we save cds until after polarities than pop everything. Is there a better way to do this? MNK,DRG,MCH,SMN is dps comp. PHD,WAR,WHM,SCH is the other.
4. Was told I'm consistently top dps until add phase, was thinking about switching to BLM for this fight. But would need to gear it up a little. Is it worth it? And is it worth it for AS4?
Sorry if these things have come up. I just don't have the time I used to to research and play.

[T0rin]

I need a little help. Been stuck on AS3 for awhile and Id like to do a few things better if I can.
1. First off I've been using Sleighs opener, and I've seem to run into a problem. My fester during DWT just misses my pot half the time. Is this me just being bad at activating my skills. My spell speed has dropped quite a bit, so maybe I got lazy on activation.
2. I use Garuda the entire fight, contagion just lines up perfectly with everything. Then of course add phase. Is there anytime to use ifrit that's beneficial?
3. During adds I don't use any cds. I miasma everything I can, miasma 2 if a few are close, bio when I can, and just leave garuda on what ever mob gets the least attention. In the next phase we save cds until after polarities than pop everything. Is there a better way to do this? MNK,DRG,MCH,SMN is dps comp. PHD,WAR,WHM,SCH is the other.
4. Was told I'm consistently top dps until add phase, was thinking about switching to BLM for this fight. But would need to gear it up a little. Is it worth it? And is it worth it for AS4?
Sorry if these things have come up. I just don't have the time I used to to research and play.

1. I find that you need to delay the use of the pot a little... since the oGCD time you have available to pot is like ~2 seconds, you should wait like ~1 second before using it, I find that generally to be the difference between the Pot still being up for the last oGCD skill (in this case Fester) or not
2. IMO there is no reason to use Ifrit on any end game content, A3S included
3. I think saving the CDs until after the add phase is good (including Aetherflow), but I usually don't wait until after Ferrofluid to start my opener.. the Ferrofluid generally goes off before you would get to DWT, so you mostly just have to delay the last bit of the opener before DWT, which includes RS, so it shouldn't make a substantial hit to your DPS. IMO this is better than waiting until after that to start using Aetherflow.
4. BLM is better on A3S and A4S. I was one of those SMN who switches to BLM for A4S, and honestly, I wish I did it a month sooner. Not only do you need to gear up, but you need to learn the BLM playstyle. I think it is worth it... allowed my group to clear A4S when we didn't when I was SMN.

[NutBurner]

something

1. You may waste a little bit of time if you do nothing while dodging the first protean wave (should be around ruin ii->DWT+Fester->ruin ii->AF+Enkindle).
2. From what I have experienced, no. I used ifrit for a while.
3. Personally I just eat the polarity downtime because AF lines up more nicely with hands afterwards.
4. For A3S, SMN is definitely better during progression for its consistent heavy abilities, higher multi-target uptime, flexibility when dealing with mechanics and rez/int virus/E4E(shorter cd). Your DPS maybe low after add phase, but your contribution to boss damage has been high and will continue to be what it was, which is ultimately what matters for this fight since add phase is always ~90s. As for A4S, it's definitely worth it to switch to BLM.

[Sleigh]

What I do for the opener in A3S final phase is, Shadowflare before Pepsiman arrives > 3 DoTs > Painflare + Fester > R2 > Rouse + Spur > R2 spam + eventually Fester + Aetherflow at this point as you do your magnet > get hit by in or out > R2 > RS > R2 > Pot > R2 > DWT > 2 Fester DWT set. Lines up for hand #2 (bonus points if you time DWT #2 to end close to the hand spawning so you get your Deathflare on two targets without sacrificing R3s - the timing is entering DWT about 2s after Cascade hits). When hand spawns, Miasma II > Deathflare + Enkindle > R2 > LB3, if it's stunned right away you can get a pet AoE after the Enkindle too. Rest of the fight is mostly dummy, use your RS + second pot smart. Only shitty thing is eventually if you use DWT on CD at this point, it doesn't line up with hand #2, though a lot of i210 groups just skip that hand anyway so YOLO.

[Avia_Frost]

What a to the extra dwt right before adds phase? I tried popping it and could get a few r3s off but deathflare wasn't up before the transition. Another way was that i delayed getting 3 stacks and saved it for the beginning of adds phase. Wondered how ppl do this part.

[alphamax112]

U can cast deathflare on the water sprout for 2 & 4 pistons.

[Havenchild]

What a to the extra dwt right before adds phase? I tried popping it and could get a few r3s off but deathflare wasn't up before the transition. Another way was that i delayed getting 3 stacks and saved it for the beginning of adds phase. Wondered how ppl do this part.

You pop DWT at the transition, place a Shadowflare down before the adds spawn and Deathflare the tornado when the two pistons spawn (make sure to refocus Garuda immediately).

[Sleigh]

I think what Avia Frost is asking about is the potential to do 4 DWT sets in the first 3 minutes, which is possible and likely a large (applicable to the fight's enrage) DPS gain but it would be a bit clunky, haven't given it too much thought. You would severely weaken at least one set of Aetherflow + Contagioned DoTs but you would gain a bunch of extra R3s and a potentially double hitting Deathflare, AKA 880 potency which is more extra potency than you gain from the 5 Festers + 3Ds getting buffed by 10% in all of the other 3 DWTs.

Haven't done this as I mentioned but it'd be something like ...

Opener 15s > Aether
DWT at 1m15s > Aether
DWT at 2m25s, must Deathflare within 1-5s due to 30s CD of Deathflare
DWT at 2m55s, get as much milk as you can, Deathflare a baited hand in

Your Hand of Pain DPS becomes doo-doo but before then is the same, and if you do get that free 880 potency Deathflare it's a huge gain. You won't notice it on a parse though, in fact it weakens your parse because DWT Shadow Flare + Deathflare on adds is basically the same thing (on paper) but your Hand of Pain is better. Probably recommended just for people trying to beat 1% enrage or trying to really speed run.

[Avia_Frost]

Its not perfect either way.

I probably prefer to keep it for adds (pop during transition), but time it so that it lasts till Pistons. Sometimes i could only get shadow flare off and that because I popped it and R3 one of the hands with a few secs left over into the transition.

[Anze-chan]

Hi

I wasn't sure where to post this but I have been suffering from tridisaster>fester registration where it says fester has no effect after tridisaster. This started ever since chaos moved to Europe and it is very frequent. Has anyone suffered from this because I keep losing my AA stacks or it gets all messed up.. Do I have to delay fester for 2-3 secs every time?

thanks