Thread: 2.4 SMN Class Issues

I too would like SMN dots to have their respective mana costs reduced/ Spell Speed have some alterior usage, however, if you were to relax the mana constraints on SMN's, then they would essentially be BLM's with better mobility, a pet, and very useful ultility spells. Unless you specifically need burst AoE for a particular fight, what then would a BLM really have to offer a raid group? SMN's were designed to have mana balancing issues in long, drawn-out fights.

Spell Speed effecting DoT tick rate is tricky. If it can be be balanced, then I'm all for it. However, I doubt the develpoment team have the resources to be able to modiify the effect of one stat for one Job.

Also, I don't really see the point of comparing melee dps to caster dps, as it's like comparing apples to oranges. I think the underlying problem is that the SMN is known as a caster dps, and yet in actuality, it's a borderline support Job, not unlike a Bard (e.g. Bard songs VS hard cast ressing -- both lead to dps downtime, as well as mana depletion). Perhaps the Job of SMN needs to be more clearly defined.


Anyway, viable solutions to the mana issue for SMN's would be to:-

(A) Remove the Aetherflow stack requirement for the usage of Energy Drain.

(B) Increase the amount of Aetherflow stacks, to a point where an Energy Drain becomes a normative part of a 'rotation'.

(C) Increase the mana returns and damage of Energy Drain.

(D) Have your Bard use Ballad when both the SMN and Healers are simultaneously low on mana. {Not really realistic}

(E) Wait until encounter durations lower by people becoming more accustomed to/ being better geared for fights.