Adding fuel to the fire, Summoner's future

[FriendlyUncle]

They could give the Summoner a more powerful Pet by making the Pet provide the main source of damage and the Summoner provide support. They can also Branch the Red Mage off the Arcanists and give it en spells for the people that like the current play style of the Summoner.

How are they going to do this for a single pet without nerfing the crap out of the existing SMN arsenal of spells just to make way for one much more powerful pet? Yeah, SMN is currently set up like a warlock. That is how it fell and completely overhauling the base class this far into the game is expecting a little much at this point in time. As the level cap increases and more pets are added into the game you will have a more diverse pool of abilities to use, much unlike a WoW warlock which you pretty much just told the little shit to auto-cast. A pet-based class with the pet as primary DPS is going to be boring. Look at Summoner from XI. Summon Garuda. Use Hastega. Heal some people. Sit down. Chat. Summon Garuda. Etc.

And this about providing support for you pet while it does damage, how is that going to be any less boring than maintaining dots and micro-managing pets. The priority will change to micro-managing pets and maintaining pet specific buffs? Just like you suggested making Red Mage for people who like the current Summoner play style. It would be a helluva lot easier for them to just make a new class that had the 'Summoner' play style some of you seem to be craving.

And as for making the summons larger. Is this really a ground breaking issue for some people? Threads like this have been clogging the game since launch. Lore wise, Summoners can only summon the essence not the primal. They aren't calling in Garuda to battle, they are calling in her essence of wind and chaos. Invoking the actual summon (Any size) I imagine would still have the same requirements of summoning any other primal. Prayer, Sacrifices, Crystals, Aether for it to consuming. (That shit's bad for the environment, yo)

On a final note, they are totally not making RDM the debuff bots they were from XI again.

[Akiza]

That is what I'm suggesting Friendly Uncle nerf the Summoner make it focus on pet micromanagement and give us a more powerful pet.

Give the Summoner Hyur sized Primals with Hard Mod Primal abilities which won't break lore since they aren't actual primals they would merely resemble the Primals in form, ability minus the power.

Have the Summoner support the pet by providing Pet Buffs and Support Damage.

One Final note they are not making the Red Mage a Dot Debuff and enspell job like in FFXI because the Summoner already fills that role when it shouldn't be.

[Estevo]

I've pretty much spent myself talking about ideas and approaches to the game on these forums, and I'm content with what I've said, but what the heck, I enjoy a good arguing every now and then.

How are they going to do this for a single pet without nerfing the crap out of the existing SMN arsenal of spells just to make way for one much more powerful pet?

Well we have multiple pets, whether they're out at the same time or not, and the all of the dot skills are from the arcanist.. and Yoshida said they were considering reworks on the class/job system... so we'll revisit this at a later date!

A pet-based class with the pet as primary DPS is going to be boring. Look at Summoner from XI.

Well for starters, nobody said we had to take ideas from previous games, so looking at it like that, a few thousand doors just opened up, at least in my eyes. Not only that, but why have a pet class if the pet isn't crucial to your power, sure they do 30% of our dps, give or take, but they aren't crucial, they're just frosting on the cake, so to speak haha.

And this about providing support for you pet while it does damage, how is that going to be any less boring than maintaining dots and micro-managing pets.

Well first, you have to change your perspective on your primal allies. I think of the way of a swordsman, how the sword is meant to be an extension of your body, well, these Aether Incarnations are meant to be an extension of your magic power, except, these extensions are kind of alive, but I digress. You are still connected to your primal or carbuncle in a way that a normal pet wouldn't be, at least lore-wise, you tamed a magical creature, and you use your own power and connection to summon him. So in that sense you wouldn't be supporting your pet as much as powering up a certain aspect of your arsenal, and working together with your extension, your ally.

And as for making the summons larger. Is this really a ground breaking issue for some people?

To be honest I don't think it is, but I believe the true problem is that the actual design is just far too simple for any incarnation of a primal, except for maybe Ifrit-Egi, but even he could use a few touch-ups design-wise. (I was going to compare the Egi designs to WoW, but then I double checked their pet design and even they look leagues better than our current Garuda-Egi.) I would have only made this comparison because primals are meant to be different from the elementals, you know with their specific design and individuality, but their egi's are more akin to elementals than primals, and even if they're only a part of the beings, they're still not elementals, and could still retain a few of their design characteristics.



Sorry I said so much, but I enjoy talking/arguing about things like this, it's just fun to think about different interesting designs they could implement and such, and anything is possible, so why not! It doesn't have to be exactly as I or anyone else sees it either, concepts aren't meant to be concrete, their the beginning spark that leads to whatever is created out of it. Even if nothing is done currently, ideas like these could be important for development of the Summoner down the road, and it may be where they want to take it already. All I know is I find the Primals very interesting, and regardless of how they're designed right now, I think the summoner is awsome!

[Madoka]

You guys are still going on about this? Give it a rest

[skaterger]

Learn to read and stop embarrassing yourself.

[Akiza]

Mastermind was a pet micromanagement job in City of Heroes and that class was a blasts to play. The Master provided support damage and Pet Buffs while the Pet was the main source of damage and it was balanced pretty well.

[Exstal]

Mastermind was a pet micromanagement job in City of Heroes and that class was a blasts to play. The Master provided support damage and Pet Buffs while the Pet was the main source of damage and it was balanced pretty well.

So...Beastmaster, okay.

[Akiza]

So...Beastmaster, okay.

The only difference between the Beastmaster and Summoner in Final Fantasy is that Beastmaster's is a melee dps that charms creatures to do their bidding and The Summoner summons magical beasts. So as pet based jobs in an mmo they should both have the Pet provide the main source of damage and the Master provide support damage, Pet Buffs and Pet skill rotations as well as Pet micromanagement.

Beastmaster and Summoner played the exact same way in Final Fantasy XI except the Summoner's was a healer and the Beastmaster was a warrior.

[Dyne_Fellpool]

They should just change the visual/theme of SMN's DoTs to be summoned beasts munching on the mob for damage over time, instead of poison themed.