I thought people might be exaggerating about SMN

[mathias-merodach]

local man lines up, takes shot, misses wildly, blows out window of own car

Misses wildly? You gain your power from conjoining with an outside being with the ability to screw with your spiritual being while basing your damage around variations 1 ability and occasionally sending your pet out to do an attack. DnD Warlock with a Fiend Patron (Primals) taking Pact of the Chain to get your imp (Egi's) and spamming variations of Ruin (Eldritch Blast).

[Vegituh]

It was the single least-played job in the game by the end of Shadowbringers. The numbers are the numbers, and the numbers are what Square pays attention to.

First I've heard of that. Got some source with that claim? I remember, personally, seeing less Monks than Summoners at max in the final days of SHB.

[kejakalope]

Misses wildly? You gain your power from conjoining with an outside being with the ability to screw with your spiritual being while basing your damage around variations 1 ability and occasionally sending your pet out to do an attack. DnD Warlock with a Fiend Patron (Primals) taking Pact of the Chain to get your imp (Egi's) and spamming variations of Ruin (Eldritch Blast).

Final Fantasy's summoner predates the class first showing up in D&D 3.X by well over a decade, never mind 5e. The "XIV" at the end of the title isn't just because they think straight lines look cool, it means "Fourteen" and it indicates there were thirteen more of these games before this one came out.

edit: also, that's... not how XIV's Summoner works. Your Egis are created by shaping your own aether into a likeness of the power of a defeated primal. You are not making a pact with Ifrit or whatever.

[kejakalope]

First I've heard of that. Got some source with that claim? I remember, personally, seeing less Monks than Summoners at max in the final days of SHB.

I got it from Lucky Bancho. MNK was the least-played melee, and I think third or fourth least-played job overall. SMN was least-played caster and least-played job period, discounting BLU of course.

[Vegituh]

I got it from Lucky Bancho. MNK was the least-played melee, and I think third or fourth least-played job overall. SMN was least-played caster and least-played job period, discounting BLU of course.

Mind pointing me to the one you used? Due to LB being in japanese and me not knowing a lick of it I can't find a more recent LB census for SHB. The one I could find, via reddit translators, was in April of 2021 and paints a much different landscape to what you are saying.

Here ya go https://imgur.com/GofAisM

From what that says, at least in April 2021, SMN was the 3rd most played DPS via Lucky Bancho's census. The census also seems to follow what I remember, with BRD and MNK being the least played DPS classes over all.

[mathias-merodach]

Final Fantasy's summoner predates the class first showing up in D&D 3.X by well over a decade, never mind 5e. The "XIV" at the end of the title isn't just because they think straight lines look cool, it means "Fourteen" and it indicates there were thirteen more of these games before this one came out.

edit: also, that's... not how XIV's Summoner works. Your Egis are created by shaping your own aether into a likeness of the power of a defeated primal. You are not making a pact with Ifrit or whatever.

You are right it's not exactly like it, it was to make a comparison not an exact replica -- not unlike the constant comparison to WoW Warlock just because it had two DoT abilities.

But only 13 then? Must not be counting the spinoffs then like Tactics and Tactics Advanced 1/2.... And in regards to speaking of the mainline alone from start to 14, that's 7 appearances of the class, only 3 where it was actually gainable job and not character assigned, 2 where every playable character could summon everything, 1 where each playable character received a personal one (12 fits somewhere in the latter two categories; I honestly don't remember). In two of the side games, it's race locked to Viera. Because the class, as all can and occasionally do, change based on the world of the game they are taking place in.

[Maxilor]

Completely unapproachable? What are you even talking about. None of the classes in this game are no where near that hard, SHB SMN included, outside of like the top 1% of parses. The only version of the class that was actually a little bit "unapproachable" was SB SMN during Bahamuts burst phase because some peoples hands couldn't do it.

And if you thought it was "unapproachable" then you should of found something else to play instead of wanting them to dumb down this class. Thanks for ruining the class because you couldn't understand a 120s rotation.

Yes it was me. I was the one who pressed the 'Make Class Simple' button. Who will stop my sinful hand?

Seriously, I understand your upset but SMN was one of the least played classes not because of it's potential to do damage which was VERY HIGH but because it was so clunky and complex it wasn't worth the headache to a lot of people.

And I played Red Mage fyi. I now also play Summoner.

[Vegituh]

[B]

Seriously, I understand your upset but SMN was one of the least played classes not because of it's potential to do damage which was VERY HIGH but because it was so clunky and complex it wasn't worth the headache to a lot of people.

May I point you to this Lucky Bancho census report from April 2021 that says otherwise?

https://imgur.com/GofAisM


And in case you are wondering, Lucky Bancho is pretty much our most reliable source of player data due to the fact that Square Enix does not like releasing much of anything when it comes to playerbase data.


But no, from what I can tell through our available resources, SMN has rarely, if ever, been the least played class in the game. That is just hyperbole from online forum goers to explain why this new Summoner is okay.

[Vahlnir]

May I point you to this Lucky Bancho census report from April 2021 that says otherwise?

https://imgur.com/GofAisM


And in case you are wondering, Lucky Bancho is pretty much our most reliable source of player data due to the fact that Square Enix does not like releasing much of anything when it comes to playerbase data.


But no, from what I can tell through our available resources, SMN has rarely, if ever, been the least played class in the game. That is just hyperbole from online forum goers to explain why this new Summoner is okay.

Regardless, clearly not enough people played it to justify its previous design.

[Listrella]

just cos you don't like it doesn't mean other people don't, summoner is certainly not dead. I don't like the way ninja plays but that doesn't mean I go declaring the class is dead.