Dusting off the Tome: Summoner Feedback for 4.1

[Grimoire-M]

Here's how I'd rework SMN:

Goals:

• Restore SMN's HW identity and flow by focusing its gameplay around a single burst window, DWT, while having a long filler period.
• Remove the proc gameplay while giving SMN something else to manage in its filler to make up for removing its phases.
• Reduce SMN's damage output and raid DPS contribution to be more in line with other classes.
• Give Bahamut the QoL he deserves while shifting some of his power to the regular pets.
• Remove or reduce reliance on Pet delays while incorporating pet-based utility into more reliable actions.
• Reduce button bloat where possible.
• Shift SMN's AoE power into Bane rather than Tri-Bind/Painflare, in order to make its sustained AoE damage better while reducing its burst.
• Minimize the effect that any of these changes would have on SCH, where possible.

Filler spells:

• - Ruin I/II: Potency reduced to 80.
• - Enhanced Ruin II removed.
• - Ruin III: Potency reduced to 60. Mana Cost unchanged. Can only be executed while under the effect of Further Ruin. New Effect: Further Ruin Bonus Potency: 20 per stack.
• - Ruin Mastery reworked (Now learned at 54): Ruin/Ruin II grant a stack of Further Ruin. Stacks up to 2 times. Duration 10s.
• - Ruin IV: Potency reduced to 60. Mana cost doubled. No longer consumes Further Ruin. New Effect: Further Ruin Bonus Potency: 20 per stack.
• - Ruin Mastery II (learned at 68): Further Ruin now stacks up to 4 times.

Aetherflow & Aetherflow Abilities:

• Fester: Now has a 50 base Potency. Damage increase from Bio/Miasma effects you've cast on target reduced to 100 each, for a total of 250.
• Painflare: Potency reduced to 150.
• Bane's minimum damage is increased to 40%. Damage drop off unchanged.

Dreadwyrm Trance:

• - DWT now learned at 56. Grants 10% attack speed, 20% increased Magic Damage, and full Further Ruin stacks.
• - Deathflare now consumes all Further Ruin stacks.
• - Duration increased to 20s.
• - No longer reduces the cast time of Ruin III.
• - You may use Aetherflow & Aetherflow abilities during DWT.
• - Aethertrail and Aetherflow are no longer mutually exclusive effects.
• - Tri-Disaster now learned at 58. May only be used during DWT. Its third debuff is now based on what pet you have out. Duration 20s.
• - Ruin III/IV/Tri-Bind grant Further Ruin during DWT.
• - Tri-Bind's bonus potency during DWT changed: Now gains 10 potency per Further Ruin stack.

Pets & Pet Cooldowns:

• - Rouse Reworked: Your pet's next basic action now gains a bonus effect when used. Duration 10s. 60s cooldown.
• - Enhanced Enkindle removed.
• - Devotion removed.
• - Enkindle cooldown reduced to 60s.
• - Aetherpact reworked: Commands the pet to use their Enkindle ability and guarantees a critical hit against the first enemy it strikes. 120s Cooldown.

Garuda:

• Roused Windblade Silences the target for 3s.
• Shockwave's potency increased to 100. Knockback removed.
• Contagion reworked: Now is a 5 yalm AoE DoT that deals 30 wind potency damage per tick for 15s.
• Tri-Disaster applies a 10% Magic Vul Up while Garuda is out.

Ifrit:

• Radiant Shield: Phys Vul Up removed.
• Crimson Cyclone: No longer stuns.
• Roused Burning Strike Stuns the target for 3s.
• Tri-Disaster applies a 5% Phys Vul Up while Ifrit is out.

Titan:

• Roused Rock Buster Slows the target by 20% for 15s.
• Tri-Disaster applies a 2% Vul Up while Titan is out.

Faeries:

• Roused Embrace increases the Faerie's healing magic potency by 40% for 20s.

Bahamut:

• No longer moves from his summoned location.
• Enkindle Bahamut removed.
• Summon: Bahamut reworked: Can no longer be cast manually. DWT now automatically uses Summon: Bahamut in addition to its other effects if used while you have 2 Dreadwyrm Aether stacks.
• Akh Morn reworked: Potency reduced to 340. Damage drop off removed. Now used whenever you use Enkindle or Aetherpact.
• Wyrm Wave only triggers upon casting spells. Potency reduced to 140. Cast time reduced to 1s.

Notes:

• SMN has lost a ton of burst potency from Akh Morn, but gains most of it back from a shorter Enkindle and the new Aetherpact. The main loss comes from Wyrm Wave and only being able to Summon Bahamut every 3 minutes instead of 2, which should bring their damage down where it needs to be.
• Early on in HW pets were given a buff that made them take SMN's damage buffs (INT potions, DWT, RS, etc) into account. However, they do not take attack speed boosts into account, as it's not a true spell speed buff like their old proc was in ARR. We've traded Rouse's boost for a much better boost to DWT, which affects all of our damage
• SMN loses some minor potency from the current Ruin III spam if managed optimally. Needing to refresh DoTs outside of DWT every time and having to charge Further Ruin loses 330 potency per minute from the current iteration. Even when capped on Further Ruin outside of DWT the average potency is slightly lower [(140x3 + 80)/4 = 125]. Inside DWT it is a massive boost, even capable of beating the old Ruin III in HW if you use Garuda's Tri-Disaster (about 380ish potency gained before factoring in spell speed). It doesn't make up for the loss of the Ruin IV proc, but it helps break even with the loss of Tri-Disaster outside DWT.
• Fester's overall damage hasn't changed, provided you use it after Tri-D with Garuda.
• Painflare & DWT Tribind got nerfed but the Bane buff matters way more. Encouraging you to use it twice on longer pulls more than makes up for the lost Painflare potency.
• There is more of a trade off between Ifrit and Garuda. You lose a fair amount of personal dps for that extra 3% phys vul up vs current SMN. And it's no longer AoE either. Can your party make up for it? Probably, but you'll think about it a little more.
• Goodbye Devotion. We didn't need ye.