After years of playing Summoner, I'm shelving the job and here's why.

[Tahldon]

If you like playing it, then you should play it. It's bad to me (and others) because it's so radically different from just 5 weeks ago. The playstyle pulled a complete 180 and for those of us that enjoyed it... it's not fun.

Their damage is quiet low, but SE would at least give some potency buffs eventually. That said I'd echo the sentiment and suggest Red Mage as well. Well designed and a verstraight forward job. Easy to pick up and play.

I concur. SMN (3.x) was far more fun than this version.

Not that I am opposed to change, but these changes are much too jarring and has resulted in a job that pretty much is pushing a lot of casters to drop it and go to RDM.

[ShaolinMike]

Okay, I can't be the only who thinks we need a "Rescue" skill (with normal GCD) for pets, can I?

I think you are, especially when Heel basically does this (although it's not a teleport). I'm not at all in favor of using a GCD just to insta-move a pet. SMN has far bigger problems.

[Grimfaust_BLM]

If BRD can undergo such a large rework of their abilities and a re-imagining of the job amidst a swath of job changes and two new jobs being added to the game, I'm finding it difficult to believe that SMN can't be severed from ACN and undergo a similar transformation.

[ShaolinMike]

If BRD can undergo such a large rework of their abilities and a re-imagining of the job amidst a swath of job changes and two new jobs being added to the game, I'm finding it difficult to believe that SMN can't be severed from ACN and undergo a similar transformation.

5.0. Please look forward to it...

[Writer]

I think you are, especially when Heel basically does this (although it's not a teleport). I'm not at all in favor of using a GCD just to insta-move a pet. SMN has far bigger problems.

Heel is slow and makes it hard to get pets out of AOEs. A Rescue-like ability to pull them out would be helpful in my opinion.

Also, I'd really like for pets to lose their auto-attacks and instead make them normal abilities you can control under obey since the auto-attacks require GCD and/or casting making them harder to control. In honesty, I think Summons should work like controlling two characters rather than one and a semi-automated one.

[ShaolinMike]

Heel is slow and makes it hard to get pets out of AOEs. A Rescue-like ability to pull them out would be helpful in my opinion.

Also, I'd really like for pets to lose their auto-attacks and instead make them normal abilities you can control under obey since the auto-attacks require GCD and/or casting making them harder to control. In honesty, I think Summons should work like controlling two characters rather than one and a semi-automated one.

So you'd like another button for us to have to press every 3 seconds, in addition to everything else we have to manage?

[Writer]

So you'd like another button for us to have to press every 3 seconds, in addition to everything else we have to manage?

Honestly? No, I wouldn't mind having another button to press if it's own GCD like the rest of a Summon's moves so you can use it during Ruin cast time.

[Senliten]

So you'd like another button for us to have to press every 3 seconds, in addition to everything else we have to manage?

Could be one decent sized attack every 20 seconds or so. Pets right now are just in a odd state that anything would help them. Like taking the idea of certain buffs for summons someone mentioned a bit ago, and tossing them onto pets, making them a proximity like buff. Cause Devotion is a joke, they took the more 'appealing' function from it being group wide and turned it into single, but can't even target anyone with it, and their responsiveness is down right absurd because it feels like everything they do is tied into the servers 'tic' rate which is the only real thought I can think of as to why they are so clunky at times.

[Kabooa]

All direct damage spells are DoTs that require manual upkeep.

Just sayin'

[Endeleon]

I second this. I've been summoner since i started and now... nope. I'm about to hit 70 and then I won't touch it again unless some severe changes are made. I'm no masochist.