Why are summoners so neglected?

[Shurrikhan]

SMN makes a pretty bad pet job conceptually anyway. I agree with what you are saying, however I think that that would result in two different jobs. My absolute ideal scenario is designing SMN around the trance element, at the same time as introducing BST as the pet focused job that everyone wants SMN to be.

Personally I'd like for the SMN pets to be this sort of fluid pool of external elemented mana that's easily swappable and hyper-mobile (in the sense that its hitbox spreads or ghosts as necessary to move into range to attack any target up to 10 yalms beyond its normal maximum without actually becoming impossible to focus down or CC), while BST uses actual pets who synergize highly with the SMN in their actual, visible toolkit (swapping places with them, tossing enemies into the master's attacks, etc.). I've always imagined BST as a dual axe or spear-wielder just because whips have always seemed a bit too distant and disengaged from the heat of the fight to pull off that sort of synergy. Similarly, I've always imagined most of the core Aetherflow abilities as being pet-dependent or pet-differentiated, AF being spendable on burst casts or pet buffs, and Aetherflow generating particular, synergizing elements via Aethertrail based on the pet used to contribute to its Trace (e.g. Fire, Wind, Unaspected -> Phoenix Trance; any two non-synergizing pairs of opposite elements create Dreadwyrm Trance; more AF stacks overall).

SMN right now is caught between a rock and a hard place because people want it to feel like a SMN and be pet focused, and that is not feasible (no matter what FFXI has people believe).

I'll repeat again, though: the only issue with a pet-based SMN is the pet movement controls, a part of the particulars or execution of the idea, that it's currently susceptible to. Fix those and there's no necessary compromise or failure. We may yet see SAM thrown out as a "critical conceptual error" just for having ani-locked movement, and that wouldn't quite be the whole truth either; there would have yet been ways to balance that ani-lock, showing that the true issue was the lack of eventive movement manipulation, not the ani-lock itself. I wish people would assume that just because a design failed to allow for a particular concept to feel "right" that the concept itself must be broken or impossible.

[Ririta]

because people want it to feel like a SMN and be pet focused, and that is not feasible (no matter what FFXI has people believe).

People don't have a consensus on this topic. Each person wants it to be a thing. The only thing you'll see me complaining about is the lack of new egis and spells to buff such egis - as in, what they set out to do in 2.0 and what made me like the job in the first place.

I don't appreciate the 180º that they did in Heavensward. I imagine that bards had a similar disappointment.

[hynaku]

Right now my smn does more dmg than my pets do in attacking. It should be the other way around and pets should do more dmg than smn attacks. Don't remember on other final fantasy games only having 3 pets to summon.

[Blonde_Huntress]

I'd just be happy if they gave SMN whip options for weapons. Books just seem so odd....

[Iromi]

I'd just be happy if they gave SMN whip options for weapons. Books just seem so odd....

Same. I hate the book weapon so much and how we can never change it...ugh

[Yasuhiro]

I'd just be happy if they gave SMN whip options for weapons. Books just seem so odd....

Yuna does little ritualistic dances and conjures up some neat looking gylphs on the floor for each summon giving them their own little flair
WoL (XIV) scribbles in a book and throws their hand in the air and out comes a jelly bean

[Shurrikhan]

I'd just be happy if they gave SMN whip options for weapons. Books just seem so odd....

So that that could just be a hand-ornament too? At this point why not a bracelet, or a watch, or a ring?

[Alleo]

So that that could just be a hand-ornament too? At this point why not a bracelet, or a watch, or a ring?

Its already not that nice with the current weapons since you cant do that much with books, but at least you can still see them nicely. You wont even notice a bracelet or a ring. At least with a whip you get the feeling like you are the master trying to hold your beast under control. It would kinda look cool too and would make us a little different than scholars. But the decoration on such a whip is sadly also restricted (imo).

[xbahax92]

People don't have a consensus on this topic. Each person wants it to be a thing. The only thing you'll see me complaining about is the lack of new egis and spells to buff such egis - as in, what they set out to do in 2.0 and what made me like the job in the first place.

I don't appreciate the 180º that they did in Heavensward. I imagine that bards had a similar disappointment.

Dont get me wrong, not here to defend anyone or attacking someone's opinion. In fact the SMN was in ARR worse (IMO), beside being only viable with his dots and pet. I think, they did pretty well in HW with SMN, he got his own way and gamestyle. So let's say atleast they saved the SMN from his miserable state in ARR.

And to the BRD topic.. I main it since 2.0 times. I didnt change it and I still wont. In fact the Wanderers Minuett effect was new, I had to get used to it. But everyone who stopped Bard cause of it, is in my eyes just crying over things without trying or giving a bit time to it. Im not saying BRD is perfect right now, some things need to be adjusted still... Like Bloodletter resetting twice while casting something, etc. But I appreciate BRD as it is. It definetly is fun.

[Aquaslash]

I don't know but I wish it would stop so they can shut the hell up. They're almost as obnoxious as Warriors.

Almost