Summoner Rotation: Bahamut/Phoenix vs Searing Light

[Anvaire]

This part of your response is contradictory. If you delay bahamut by 2 gcds and Pheonix by 2 GCDs you’ve done it by total 10 seconds. 2 GCDs x 2.5 standard GCD length that SMN should stick close to is 5 seconds. What I’m saying is, you’re saying you don’t want to delay 5 seconds but say that it’s alright to delay 5 seconds. And no the idea is that you keep your major cooldowns to align with everybody else’s to maximize damage. If you align Searing Light with other CDs then it’s even more a gain. After reviewing my own statement there are a few more sections where you would delay SL, but most of them all have to do with ensuring that they stay as closely lined up with other 120 cooldowns. And keep in mind that Bahamut and Pheonix are possibly your biggest damage moments. While the rest are good too, Bahamut and Pheonix are just ever so slightly better.

It’s also good to point out that if you keep your rotation to the 2.5 GCD standard and at 90 use all of your skills that you get during normal rotation it should be near impossible to not delay Bahamut/Pheonix in a way that’s comfortable with the rotation and keeping it in line with SL. The only way I see it as being a gain is if it allows you to slip in another stance overall. And even then I’d like to see some calculations on how beneficial that is in the long run. I’m no theory crafter but I imagine the fight would need to be long enough for 11-12 stances to have already passed, which means minimum 10 minutes of the boss being on the field and targetable and having every opportunity to use stance and still have 55-110 seconds left in the fight and at that point it also then begs the question on if it’s more beneficial to not force SL to drift more than it already will and just shave off those 55-110 seconds or close enough.

Sorry for the long analysis, it’s a very complex situation I feel.

Honestly I’m surprised that with all of the changes to SMN they kept the 55 stance. It was what created stance rushing and very unusual gameplay in SHB. Given how streamlined and simple they made it.

Welll SL is only up for Bahamut usually, so its 1-2 GCD for Bahamut only. There is no scenario where it would be available for both Bahamut and Phoenix concurrently. If it was coming up with phoenix, that would indicate considerable drift but the logic for bahamut would also apply to phoenix. Im only going off my own rotational experiece but i generally use 1 r3 between the final arcanum summon move and bahamut and only if required. This is likely because i use r4 in ifrit for swiftcastone of his long casts. Or i use it right after the second before going into the final arcanum (I usually place ifrit in the middle unless something specific requires the order to be adjusted). Either way i rarely have the isuse the OP is having, so i do think that its worth noting that the OP is levelling and is missing parts of the kit which is what is likely causing the awkward alignment.

Ultimately though, in the OP's circumstance, I would only delay Bahamut by 1-2 GCD's if it was to align SL to the rest of the raid buffs, otherwise id use bahamut because the bahamut delay would cause more loss than the SL would buff would provide. Im not a theory crafter, and i dont sit and calculate it mathmatically, im only giving advice based on what i would do given what ive gleaned from using the class.

Tbh I think they ran out of time when reworking SMN and its evidenced in some of the problems that are very easy to identify but seemingly werent picked up.

[LauraAdalena]

Welll SL is only up for Bahamut usually, so its 1-2 GCD for Bahamut only. There is no scenario where it would be available for both Bahamut and Phoenix concurrently.

Okay so maybe I’m not saying it clearly enough. After the opener when it gets to Pheonix 55 seconds later you do 2 GCDs to push back Pheonix to 60 seconds so that way in 55 seconds later you only need to push back Bahamut a GCD or two. Total that’s 10 seconds. Never did I imply it would be up for both and I was trying to say that you delay it every time the Bahamut/Pheonix cooldown comes up regardless of if SL is up to make it line up better. Which generally isn’t an issue with 90 summoner but is one with below 90.