Summoner DPS Rotation

[zlucient]

So I have noticed a lot of post about Summoner DPS rotations yet I have not seen this.
Basically I noticed that you can clip a RUIN II after any spell with a cast time. So this is what I do.

BIO II>RUIN II>MIASMA>RUIN II>BIO>THUNDER>RUIN II

By now I have all my dots up, my pet has used contagion and my dots are lasting forever. I normally weave between FESTER and ENERGY DRAIN then repeat as necessary.

I realize I am not lvl 50 and things may change then however I find adding in those free RUIN II's to add quite a bit of damage and a free blind is always good

[Xylter]

I can see where you think this might be useful and I'm certainly not level cap. However, I've been playing dot classes a very long time and enjoy it to say the least. This is something I do while fate grinding though everyone says I should just level glad to 4 and get flash and have fun. Anyway, the idea around the current optimal opener is that you're getting two festers out during Raging strikes. If you don't have that yet you just need to go archer it up till level 4.

You're effectively losing ticks dot ticks by clipping with ruin II. Dots are our primary and major source of damage. Your filler is just there to be your filler. When you compare its hits to your ticks you're not gaining any damage. Taking that a step further because of the way dots tick in this game not having them up as soon as possible hurts you. Someone could correct me if I'm wrong but the way I was explained how they tick in this game is not based completely by the time they are up.

[Xylter]

For example: * I cast BIO II* 3 seconds later the first tick happens and 3 seconds after that the next tick happens because that is how the dot works. Instead it exists like this *I cast Bio II* The server says "Oh hey it's time for a dot tick" and bam the dots tick. The first scenario could likely be the case sometimes but all in all if dots work the way as they were explained to me you want them on as much as possible and clipping dots is not an incredible dps loss because the ticks are decided by the servers not by their duration.

That is the technical theory crafting answer there is an obvious other answer that Ruin II costs quite a bit more MP than Ruin for no gain other than instant. The increase MP is there because of the blind component and you can use it on the move.

stupid 1000 Character limit

[Lycia]

Ruin 2, should NEVER be spammed, first in your rotation, you're adding a second 2.5 global cool down to you're next cast. Next it puts a 10 second blind up that is on diminishing returns. Believe it or not, that blind can and willl rescue people in different situations. Our class is amazingly unique and fun to play, with many different things to do during a fight.

For example, I LOVE Eye for an Eye and Virus. I typically open every boss encounter with that, plus my pet boost and pet enkindle due to the sick cool down on it. That being said, I run things with pugs and unless I cast it, its never up. SCH / SMN combo can give 20 seconds per minute of all stats reduced, plus 2 applications of a power debuff on a boss.

As per rotation, the Dots are the most important thing to be up like Xylter said. Each tick is huge, and does damage while everyone else is running around. Save Ruin 2 for when a blind is needed, otherwise use ruin when you absolutely have nothing left to do.

[Calibix]

Summoner isn't really a rotation class. Its a priority system. Dots tick on server time, which is every 3s. Its the reason you see all of the dots ticking for 1 combined damage every 3 seconds independent of when the DoT was applied. So you prioritize keeping all your dots up.

Opening is Raging Strikes>Bio 2, Miasma, Bio 1 (Fester as soon as you see Bio 1 land), Thunder (If your lucky contagion hits right as your thunder goes on), Swiftcast Shadowflare. Then you start Ruin spam while using pet CD's, get a 2nd fester in while raging strikes is still up. Reapply dots, use all aetherflow on fester. Priority is Shadowflare>Bio 1>Bio 2>Miasma>Thunder. I'm not in game atm but like 95% sure that is correct.

[PessimiStick]

So I have noticed a lot of post about Summoner DPS rotations yet I have not seen this.
Basically I noticed that you can clip a RUIN II after any spell with a cast time. So this is what I do.

BIO II>RUIN II>MIASMA>RUIN II>BIO>THUNDER>RUIN II

By now I have all my dots up, my pet has used contagion and my dots are lasting forever. I normally weave between FESTER and ENERGY DRAIN then repeat as necessary.

I realize I am not lvl 50 and things may change then however I find adding in those free RUIN II's to add quite a bit of damage and a free blind is always good

And by "free", you mean "not at all free", since they incur a 2.5 second GCD that you wouldn't have otherwise.

Normal rotation has the 3 main DoTs up @ 7.5 seconds. You have them up at 12.5 seconds, and all you gained was 2 casts of the worst potency nuke in the game (and you paid double mana for it). I'd rethink your strategy if I were you.

[pandabearcat]

Yea that is completely just, bleh. The opening rotation is something like

Obey | RS -> Bio II -> Miasma -> Bio | Fester -> Thunder -> Miasma II | Contagion | Swiftcast -> Shadowflare |(whatever you want here, meh, possibly energy drain if you want to aetherflow earlier) -> Ruin II | Fester-> Ruin II | Rouse -> Ruin II | Spur -> Ruin II | Enkindle.

I'm pretty sure Kevee has something slightly different, but I'm too lazy to look it up. Furthermore you do not have to enkindle, generally save enkindle for an AoE situation, but in a single target boss fight w/ no adds sure why not.

The idea that "dots tick every 3 seconds" is sound, but not your application of it, for example if you miasma after Bio, there is a small chance that the internal tick will pick up both for the first tick.

Anyway no GCD ability is ever free...the cost is always a GCD, its just whether the damage is frontloaded or backloaded.

[Seraphi]

OP, the "clipping" your noticing is bad latency. This isn't your fault, it's bad net code on SE's part. That said, even with 0 latency, the GCD is still going to be more significant in regards to a DPS loss. In other words, no matter how you slice it, do not weave Ruin II into your DoT application.

pandabearcat offered the best, and most coherant answer in this thread, so listen to her. Once you finish your initial rotation (pretty much everything she listed, in order), then we go to a priority system where you virtually just refresh what needs to be refreshed.

[Lycia]

Cept you shouldn't spam Ruin 2... Once again, we have many more spells to cast depending on the situation, going into a ruin 2 spam is a waste of mana, a Diminishing return, and many other things you could do in a fight. I find it good to use in a whole I need to tag a monster way. Miasma 2 is another wasted cast as well...Do people actually use this on bosses?

I do Virus, E4AE, Rouse, Spur, Enkindle (300s cool down, blow it early to have it later.)
follow that with Bio 2, Bio, Miasma, Fester, Thunder, Bio again (will be nearly done by that time), Ruin, Fester and then back to the original rotation, adding Aetherflow in the mix.
If using Garuda, she'll refresh your Dots, giving you more Ruin casts....but seriously...DO NOT waste MP on Miasma 2 and Shadow Flare...especially using a Swiftcast. Save that for pet revival / battle rez.

[Maku]

The thing you are not realizing is that the GCD is ticking down while you are casting your spells so by the time you are done casting Bio2 the GCD is already over and ready for the next spell. So even though you are doing an instant cast Ruin2 after your Bio2 you are resetting the GCD and thus slowing your DPS WAY down.