The Grand Summoner FAQ and Advice Compendium

[Jenoc]

Greetings,

If you're like me, when you started your summoner you had no idea what to do besides spam Bio as quickly as you can in FATES to earn gold. Well it gets a little more complicated than that at level 50, and so without any one source of Summoner information on these forums I've tried to collect as much of it as I could here. I'll update this first post with the information and try to keep it up to date.

I've composed a list of question I had as well as ones I think new summoners might have. I'd appreciate the more knowledgeable of you lot to help me fill in the blanks. I've tried to give credit where I could find it. Some of this I figured out on my own, much of it I learned from reading these forums. If you want me to link a particular bit of info to a post you made, please let me know. This is not an attempt at showboating.

Please note that I've tried to address non-raiding (levels 1 to fresh 50) as well as end game content (relic+1, AF2, 50 SMN). If you have information to share, make sure it's for the appropriate point in the game.

With all that out of the way, here begins the FAQ section:

Which pet should I use?
Before level 50, I used mostly Carbuncle. For some class quests its a good idea to use Topaz Carbuncle or Titan to tank, however.
Once you're level 50, Garuda is hands down the best pet to use. Ifrit does slightly more damage if set on "Sic" but is still an overall DPS loss as you will not have Contagion and you really should be microing your pet. (http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...s-to-use-Ifrit!!!)

Which stats should I prioritize over others?
Int > Crit > Determination > Spell Speed
Please see below for accuracy.

What is the accuracy cap for Coil? How about level 50 dungeons?
430 Accuracy for Coil
No magic number for level 50 dungeons, you should always hit.

What's the deal with pet accuracy?
Your pet needs 443 Accuracy to have a 100% hit rate in Coil. However, your pet DOES NOT get benefits from food or other buffs. When you summon your pet the game takes a snapshot of your stats (subtract any food/potion/party buffs) and uses that number for your pet. This means that in order to ensure your pet never misses, you will need enough + ACC from your gear to reach 443 unbuffed. Unfortunately, if you use Spur, the game will take another snapshot of your stats and apply them to your currently summoned pet. This means depending on the encounter you will have to weigh your options of using gear with more DPS or +ACC depending on if you need to use Spur or not. For pure DPS, get enough +ACC to summon your pet, switch back to DPS gear and do not use spur. (Thanks to Seobit and Keeve)

Which cross class skills should I have?
Swiftcast, Thunder, and Raging Strikes are must haves.

How important is my pet? Should I resummon it right away if it dies?
Your pet is integral to doing well as a summoner. Your pet will do a large amount of damage, up to 1000+ crits in some situations, and will make your spells more powerful as well. If your target will be alive for another 12-15 seconds, it will be an increase in DPS to resummon your pet if it is dead, even if you don't use swiftcast. Do your best to keep your pet alive and healthy at all times. (Thanks to pandabearcat)

Are there any useful macros I can use?
/ac "Eye for an Eye" <tt> ---- this macro will cast Eye for an Eye on whoever your target is hitting. This is great for quickly buffing your tank without having to take your attention off the boss.

/ac "Rouse" <me>
/ac "Spur" <me>
/ac "Enkindle" ---- this macro will use Rouse when first pressed, Spur when pressed a second time, and Enkindle when pressed a third time.


What is my limit break and when do I typically use it?
Your limit break will always do AoE damage and should be used if there is more than one monster that needs to die ASAP. A Dragoon or Monk will use their LB if there is only one target.
Some noteworthy times you will need to use your limit break are:
Hard Mode Ifrit when he summons nails
Hard Mode Garuda when she summons her adds


What should I do against (large) trash pulls in non-raid situations such as Wanderer's Palace?
Precast shadowflare before the pull and then follow up with: Bio 2 -> Miasma -> Bio -> Thunder -> Contagion -> Bane -> Miasma 2 -> Tab Thunder (if 4 or less targets) -- use Tri-Disaster if over 4 targets. (http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...er#post1464717) (Thanks to xxalucard and pandabearcat)

● You can also precast Rouse, Spur, and Raging Strikes in lieu of shadowflare. (Thanks to pandabearcat)

● Another tip to keep in mind for this type of pull is to dot up a target on the left side of the group and use bane. Then dot up another target on the right side and bane again. This will increase of your chance of spreading dots to every target without the same target getting hit twice with Bane. This works due to Bane's very limited range in that you can kind of guide where the dots will be spread base on the proximity of the monsters around the bane target. (Thanks pandabearcat)

My pet keeps dieing, what do I do?
Remember to use sustain if YOU are in good health. Also, try keybinding "Heel" and get in the habit of using it when you move out of red circles. That being said, your pet can be resummoned but you cant. Make sure you're out of the red circle before your pet. Your pet will also take reduced damage from AoE so often times they can tough it out.
Another suggestion is to park your pet next to the healers/tanks if possible. On a fight like Titan, keeping your pet in range will ensure it gets the AoE heals to keep it alive.

Where should I put my stat points?
Intelligence and nothing else.

Can dots crit?
Yes, they can.

Should I let my dots expire before recasting them?
No, you should try to recast your dots when they have 0 to 3 seconds remaining. For a detailed look at how dots work have a look here (http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...ck#post1378438)

I keep running out of MP.
First of all, make sure you're using Atherflow and it's charges. If you're low on mana, with atherflow charges and atherflow off cooldown, you're doing something wrong. If you're still having problems try cutting out some spells in the following order:

1.) Ruin 2
2.) Thunder on multiple targets
3.) Miasma 2 on single target
4.) Thunder on single target
5.) Ruin (http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...14#post1524114)

Start with #1, stop casting it and if your mana issues continue, move on to #2, repeat until your mana issues are gone.

This is hard to give a general answer to, so if you're having trouble on a specific encounter post here or search the forums.

Do my pets scale with gear?
Yes.

What should I do when my dots are refreshed?
Once you have all of your dots applied, you can begin casting Ruin and using Fester when it's off cooldown. In addition, make sure to use your pet cooldowns such as Rouse and Spur* for extra damage. Keep a close eye on your dot timers and make sure you're recasting them at the correct times. You shouldn't have much downtime as a summoner between dots and cooldown management. (Thanks to xxalucard)

When do I use Ruin 2 instead of Ruin 1? How about Bio 2/Bio and Miasma 2/Miasma.
Ruin: Ruin should be used over Ruin 2 unless you need immediate damage on a target and you are moving. Ruin 2 is very inefficient in terms of mana so only use it as a last resort for burst damage.
Bio: Both spells will be used together in your standard rotation starting with Bio 2 > Miasma > Bio. If you anticipate not being able to use this standard rotation, such as the Titan HM when put inside the Granite Goal, throwing a Bio on is a good idea. Dont neglect either spell as they are both useful and mana efficent.
Miasma: Miasma 2 is useful for AoE situations and for single target it can also be used after all other dots have been applied. However, make sure you use contagion with Miasma 2 on a single target or it is actually a loss in DPS. (Thanks to xxalucard)

Unanswered questions: Would appreciate help answering these
None at the moment. Have some information I left out? Let me know and I'll add it in.

[Jenoc]

Tips and Tricks Not Covered Above

● Bane only spreads to 3 targets, despite with that tooltip says. (http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...29#post1484429)

● Tri-disaster can save your group from a bad pull if you swift cast and bind the extra monsters with it.

● Fester will do 0 damage if you don't have your dots on the target.

● Your pet can miss and does not benefit from food. (http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...ve-party-buffs)

● You can instantly resurrect someone with Swiftcast.

● If you use Contagion and then Bane all the dots spread will have the increased duration.

● Thunder can be extended by Contagion.

● Ruin 2 has a blind which might help out from time to time.

● Cast Atherflow preemptively and try to time it so that it is ready again by the time you've used all 3 Atherflow charges.

● If a boss heals itself, make sure you have Miasma's debuff up on the boss.

● If a healer sleeps a target with dots on it, the dots will not break sleep.

● Avoid using Topaz Carbuncle or Titan in low level dungeons. These pets draw extra Enmity and could interfere with your Paladin or Warriors Enmity. Furthermore, your other summons do more damage which is your main role in a group.

● Eye for an Eye, as well as all other buffs, will give you Enmity when cast on a player. Be careful about using this spell at the very beginning of a fight.

● If you set your pet to "Steady" and then issue an offensive command they will switch back to "Guard" again. Keep an eye on your pet!

● If you apply dots to a target and the target is then put to sleep, your dots will not break sleep. Shadowflare and Dots spread by Bane will also never break sleep. (Thanks to Daenerys and Lionking)

[HoroBoro]

I always thought pet stats were your stats when you summon it...

That's a lie?

[Jenoc]

What do you mean exactly? Did I put something like that in the original post?

*EDIT*

Nevermind, I see what you mean. I think, THINK, pets have your stats, but still do not benefit from food. Therefore, you need a set of gear with high accuracy to make sure your pet wont miss.

[HoroBoro]

● Your pet can miss and does not benefit from food.

Implying if I buff up and cast my pet, it won't benefit from it.

[Kevee]

● Your pet can miss and does not benefit from food.

Implying if I buff up and cast my pet, it won't benefit from it.

This is right.

Pets will inherit your gear stats, but get no benefit from food, stat pots, or the passive party boost to stats.

Pets also have a much higher accuracy cap than the player.

[Jenoc]

Kevee,

Just wanted to say I learned most if not all about being a summoner from your posts. Thanks for all the useful info you've left sprinkled throughout these forums.

[Daenerys]

Another nice tip to add, if you use Bane to spread dots to a slept mob, it will not break sleep.

Also have a question about pets and gear stats. If I have 2 sets of accessories (normal set + accuracy set) can I summon pet with the accuracy then swap to normal and have her still benefit from the additional accuracy on the original set?

[Jenoc]

As far as I understand, yes. It takes a snapshot of your stats when you summon your pet and your pet will keep those stats unless it dies. For some reason, however, food buffs will not be applied before or after summoning. Seems it only takes your base stats + the stats from your gear.

[LionKing]

Another nice tip to add, if you use Bane to spread dots to a slept mob, it will not break sleep.

Also have a question about pets and gear stats. If I have 2 sets of accessories (normal set + accuracy set) can I summon pet with the accuracy then swap to normal and have her still benefit from the additional accuracy on the original set?

As far as I concern regarding to the matter, it does break sleep if you bane Dots AFTER it sleep. However, if the Dots being applied BEFORE it sleep, it won't break sleep.