Summoner questions!

[T0rin]

Here's an nice guide I found about which pet to use when: When to Garuda Egi when to Ifrit Egi

This guide is garbage and simply put: wrong.

Every single time this guide recommends using Ifrit, it is backed up by one of three things: 1) nothing, 2) bad information, 3) neglected realities

Ifrit, even in Sic mode, does less DPS than Garuda. This isn't even considering Contagion. There is no content in the game that Ifrit can do more DPS. Then you consider Contagion, and Garuda blows Ifrit out of the water.

Garuda never gets melee range knock backs. Garuda never gets cleaves. Garuda never has to travel the full arena to get next to her target. Garuda never suffers from badly timed ability usage.

The basic premise the guide suggests is that Ifrit is better at killing trash, which again, is wrong. Between contagion'd DoTs and Aerial Slash, Garuda will always be better. All this nonsense about spending time summoning one pet, then doing some content, then summoning another, and switching back, etc. is the biggest load of rubbish. While someone is busy doing that, either wasting Swiftcast or literally standing there summoning, a SMN that isn't is busy doing DPS.

They actually suggested on some content that 'Ifrit chasing X around the arena' was a GOOD reason to bring him over Garuda. Guess what, when Ifrit is chasing something around, it isn't dealing damage. Which is what Garuda would be doing.

The general idea that if you have a fight where Ifrit isn't totally owned into the ground, that it is an OK substitute for Garuda simply on the merit of being 'comparable' DPS, is simply bad. If my pet choice makes me lose 5 DPS, while 'comparable', is still losing me 5 DPS. Why would I _ever_ want to do that?

Basically, Contagion aside, there is no situation where you want to use Ifrit. NONE. Then you consider Contagion, and there is really no choice in the matter. Until Ifrit is changed to simply be something better than it is right now, it will never see any significant use, and anyone who thinks there is an actual comparison to be made, is simply deluding themselves.

[givemeraptors]

They actually suggested on some content that 'Ifrit chasing X around the arena' was a GOOD reason to bring him over Garuda. Guess what, when Ifrit is chasing something around, it isn't dealing damage. Which is what Garuda would be doing.

Garuda would also be sitting in a vortex losing HP and forcing you waste time and MP to cast Sustain. Of course you could manually reposition her but it's just one more thing to keep track of and having your pet die is far worse than losing minimal DPS.

The general idea that if you have a fight where Ifrit isn't totally owned into the ground, that it is an OK substitute for Garuda simply on the merit of being 'comparable' DPS, is simply bad. If my pet choice makes me lose 5 DPS, while 'comparable', is still losing me 5 DPS. Why would I _ever_ want to do that?

We're playing a game where the damage we do is based off of math calculations but we're not actually playing a math problem. I'm here to have fun, not nitpick every single detail until I play like a computer. If you want to tunnel vision yourself into ERMMAGAAAD THE HIGHEST DPS EVARRRRR, feel free. But some people have no problem losing 100% damage efficiency for some convenience in management.

[T0rin]

Garuda would also be sitting in a vortex losing HP and forcing you waste time and MP to cast Sustain. Of course you could manually reposition her but it's just one more thing to keep track of and having your pet die is far worse than losing minimal DPS.

I forgot, it is 'hard' to hit Heel once.

We're playing a game where the damage we do is based off of math calculations but we're not actually playing a math problem. I'm here to have fun, not nitpick every single detail until I play like a computer. If you want to tunnel vision yourself into ERMMAGAAAD THE HIGHEST DPS EVARRRRR, feel free. But some people have no problem losing 100% damage efficiency for some convenience in management.

And playing with Ifrit is somehow more fun? You know what is fun? Doing craptons of DPS. Ifrit is a drag, he pulls you down. Why would you ever want to do worse damage, simply for having something a little different to look at? What really are you after here, with wanting to use Ifrit? There is no convenience in managing Ifrit vs Garuda. There is nothing to nitpick. Use Garuda all the time. End of story.