My thoughts on how to fix SMN

[Burningskull]

I'm not a game dev but let's see how people like this.

Lvl 1: Ruin

Lvl 2: Bio

Lvl 5: Ruin 2 (Replaces Outburst as your AoE. Outburst no longer learned.)

Lvl 10: Summon 1. Summons a Carbuncle to fight by your side. While summoned Ruin becomes Shining Emerald, Bio becomes Blazing Ruby (DoT), Ruin 2 becomes Shining Topaz. Each spell causes Carbuncle to auto attack. CD 30s Duration: Infinite Changes to Summon 2 upon use. Grants 1 Aetherflow charge.

Lvl 30: Summon 2. Summons a Demi-Ifrit to fight by your side. While Summoned Ruin becomes Fire Blast, Bio becomes Inflame, Ruin 2 becomes Eruption. Each spell causes Ifrit to auto attack. CD 30s Duration: Infinite Changes to Summon 3 upon use. Grants 1 Aetherflow charge.

Lvl 40:Summon 3. Summons a Demi-Titan to fight by your side. While Summoned Ruin becomes Earth Blast, Bio Becomes Corrupton, Ruin 2 becomes Weight of the Land. Each spell causes Titan to auto attack. CD 30s, Duration: Infinite. Changes to Summon 4 upon use. Grants 1 Aetherflow charge.

Lvl 45: Summon 4. Summons a Demi-Garuda to fight by your side. While Summoned Ruin becomes Wind Blast, Bio Becomes Wind Sear, Ruin 2 becomes Wind Plume. Each spell causes Garuda to auto attack. CD 30s, Duration: Infinite. Changes to Summon 1 upon use. Grants 1 stack of Aetherflow charge.

Lvl 50: Enkindle. Causes your summon to do a big attack. Carbuncle: Ruby Light, Ifrit: Hellfire, Titan: Earthen Fury, Garuda: Howling Gale, Bahamut: Mega Flare, Pheonix Revalation. CD 10s.

Lvl 52: Dreadwyrm Trance. Ruin becomes Wyrmweave, Bio becomes ???, Ruin 2 becomes Ahk Mourn. Uses 2 Aetherflow charges. Becomes Firebird Trance upon use. Duration 10 or 15s

Lvl 60: Bahamut now replaces current demi summon.

Lvl 62-70: ???

Lvl 72: Firebird Trance. Ruin becomes Fountain of Fire, Bio Becomes ???, Ruin 2 becomes Brand of Purgatory. Uses 2 Aetherflow charges. Duration 10 or 15s.

Lvl 80: Pheonix now replaces current demi summon.

I think this would make a better summoner. Imo.

[Nyoraii]

I'm not a game dev but let's see how people like this.

Lvl 1: Ruin

Lvl 2: Bio

Lvl 5: Ruin 2 (Replaces Outburst as your AoE. Outburst no longer learned.)

Lvl 10: Summon 1. Summons a Carbuncle to fight by your side. While summoned Ruin becomes Shining Emerald, Bio becomes Blazing Ruby (DoT), Ruin 2 becomes Shining Topaz. Each spell causes Carbuncle to auto attack. CD 30s Duration: Infinite Changes to Summon 2 upon use. Grants 1 Aetherflow charge.

Lvl 30: Summon 2. Summons a Demi-Ifrit to fight by your side. While Summoned Ruin becomes Fire Blast, Bio becomes Inflame, Ruin 2 becomes Eruption. Each spell causes Ifrit to auto attack. CD 30s Duration: Infinite Changes to Summon 3 upon use. Grants 1 Aetherflow charge.

Lvl 40:Summon 3. Summons a Demi-Titan to fight by your side. While Summoned Ruin becomes Earth Blast, Bio Becomes Corrupton, Ruin 2 becomes Weight of the Land. Each spell causes Titan to auto attack. CD 30s, Duration: Infinite. Changes to Summon 4 upon use. Grants 1 Aetherflow charge.

Lvl 45: Summon 4. Summons a Demi-Garuda to fight by your side. While Summoned Ruin becomes Wind Blast, Bio Becomes Wind Sear, Ruin 2 becomes Wind Plume. Each spell causes Garuda to auto attack. CD 30s, Duration: Infinite. Changes to Summon 1 upon use. Grants 1 stack of Aetherflow charge.

Lvl 50: Enkindle. Causes your summon to do a big attack. Carbuncle: Ruby Light, Ifrit: Hellfire, Titan: Earthen Fury, Garuda: Howling Gale, Bahamut: Mega Flare, Pheonix Revalation. CD 10s.

Lvl 52: Dreadwyrm Trance. Ruin becomes Wyrmweave, Bio becomes ???, Ruin 2 becomes Ahk Mourn. Uses 2 Aetherflow charges. Becomes Firebird Trance upon use. Duration 10 or 15s

Lvl 60: Bahamut now replaces current demi summon.

Lvl 62-70: ???

Lvl 72: Firebird Trance. Ruin becomes Fountain of Fire, Bio Becomes ???, Ruin 2 becomes Brand of Purgatory. Uses 2 Aetherflow charges. Duration 10 or 15s.

Lvl 80: Pheonix now replaces current demi summon.

I think this would make a better summoner. Imo.

Man, I'd love playing this SMN, 10000000x better than current one.

Only thing I'd change is having a meter for the primal's limit break instead of a 10s CD. So you would use lots of ifrit-themed skills, fill the meter and BOOM, Hellfire!

Need DPS? Trance to Ifrit.
Need AoE? Trance to Garuda.
Need debuffs/buffs/shields? Trance to Titan.

So every dps rotation would be trancing to Titan->Ifrit->Bahamut or Titan->Garuda->Phoenix for AoE.

[Exodus-E]

Snip.

Snip.

Sigh...

And here we go again with people that:
A) want Egis removed, despite their presence being pretty much solidified by this game's lore/setting (not to mention in official media, like artwork and encyclopaedias).
B) claim that it "would make a better summoner", aka. one "closer" to past FF games.

Look we get it, we really do.
SMN is in serious need of adjustments across the board.

But removing/replacing its Egis because of "aesthetics" (or because "it's not like previous FF games") is not a valid reason.

Otherwise, why stop there?
Remove the faeries from SCH (and change their role) as well, while we're at it.

[Vitreus]

I'm not a game dev but let's see how people like this.

I think this would make a better summoner. Imo.

I love the idea that our summons are directly involved with building aetherflow and build into our rotation instead of just auto attacking or being oGCDs nukes.

What do you think about summoning multiple Egi's at the same time like we've seen other master summoners do in our quests? So for example summoning Ifrit, then later summoning Titan without losing Ifrit, and then even later summoning Geruda without losing the other two. And then we could sacrifice all three to summon Bahamut and have Bamahut lead directly into Firebird?

EDIT: also I like the idea of consolidating Egi-Assault I & II into a choice of single/multi target with them sharing CD's and charges. And having their use either build aetherflow or unlock the next summon. I like the idea that it's our interactions with or summons that allow further summons and power.