My heart genuinely goes out to anyone who misses the way SMN used to be, because I know it sucks to lose something you love.

That said, I know a bunch of people (myself included) who now love to play SMN because of the changes. I didn't like the way SMN was before, because managing DoT's and the other stuff it was doing just didn't feel like an FF Summoner to me. Now SMN is regularly summoning a variety of Summons, and I love the way it feels to play.

It is most definitely a very easy class with a very straightforward rotation now, but I don't think that's a bad thing. In the same way that I think it's great that BLM exists for the players who want a more challenging experience, I think it's great for there to be classes that are baby-easy for players that would prefer less of a challenge. I think it's great that players with different preferences and different skill levels can enjoy playing the same content together.

Again, my most sincere condolences to those who loved SMN before the rework. It would have been cool if we could have still had new SMN without taking old SMN away from them. I hope folks have managed to find the engagement they lost in other classes.