Quote Originally Posted by Renathras View Post
That's fine, but the point still stands, pre-EW SMN was not like any Summoner in any other FF game. Point out a single other FF game where the Summoner character has a permanent minor-elemental pet.
Why? I don't care about pet or not pet. I care about versatile versus not. With pet it was more versatile, but not because of the pet. They can design the job where the versatility and support options come from the summons, and I have been saying they should.

SMN has Resurrection, Searing Light, Everlasting Flight, Rekindle, and (lol) Physic. Is your argument that SMN's non-damage party utility isn't oGCD? Searing Light is oGCD just like Embolden and the others.
Yes. Direct DPS increase buffs are not the kind of 'versatility' I'm looking for in my versatile caster. Almost every DPS job has those and I don't care about them. There's a reason I haven't been mentioning Searing Light, or Brotherhood, or Mage's/Army's/Wanderer's, or Mug, or Battle Litany, or-.

But now that you mention it, why is it a twinklebeam cast from the summoner himself instead of a summoned Doomtrain inflicting a 'VIT 0' status on the enemies or something like that? Or I guess in the context of FF14 primals, it could be Sri Lakshmi enthralling them to lower their defenses. More missed flavor opportunities.

I feel like you really liked old SMN and really dislike new SMN, so you aren't looking at things objectively, but I'm not sure, but SMN has plenty of non-damage utility that's not part of its rotation - as you note "The entire kit is used to give jobs flavor, so comparing core rotations only is not a tangent I'm interested in taking"; if true, you have to consider Searing Light, Everlasting Flight, Resurrection, Rekindle, Radiant Aegis, and even Physic as part of its "entire kit".
'Objectivity' is a spook haunting your mind. I don't need to be objective when I'm arguing for my preferences.

I didn't really like old SMN, the rotation didn't mesh with my brain, but I did like its versatility. I liked that it played differently in dungeons, and FATEs, and raids. And I freely admit to being partial to the Summons in the other Final Fantasy games where they offer more support options. I've... kind of been saying that over and over?

Anyway I already talked about how disappointing and false-to-theme Radiant Aegis and Phoenix's skills are and don't feel the need to recite the argument again when you can just re-read the other comment. Physick is cute and silly, I've certainly spammed it during downtime for lolz, but it's not a summon, is it? If they upgraded Physick to 'Kirin' at level 30 and it summoned a mystical beast to cast a weak regen on someone, well, now we're talking.

You specifically limit it to "on-demand support oGCDs" to justify your position that is otherwise wrong. Moreover, those other things are hardly "on-demand". Use Mantra. Now 20 seconds later, use it again. What's that? You can't because it has a 2 min CD? That's not very "on-demand", is it? It's very limited. SMN's Resurrection can be cast at any time, making it already more on-demand at rasing support.
lol. lmao.

I do think Carbuncle is a complete waste of space/lost opportunity now, though. That I agree with. I'd like to see Radiant Aegis castable on other people and Carby to be given a (SCH) Ruin 2 spell, something it can just pelt the enemy with that are instant casts so they don't block clutch Aegis casts. I'd also like to see Carby stick around when you summon other things rather than be a vessel for them.
Right? Like, pick a lane. Either we have an emotional support squirrel for hanging out in Ligma Lominsa with, or we have a combat pet. Him fricking off half the time so we can't even use his one ability when we need it is just annoying.

Asking around the internet, it seems a lot of people don't think "job flavor is so lacking" on EW SMN. The fact you're having to argue the point that people feel like it finally captures the feeling of a Summoner indicates that your position is not universal. Clearly people are seeing something you aren't.
Argumentum ad populum.