Starting to play Summoner. Help?

[SnowPin]

Are there any Summoners out there that can point me to some info on Summoners?

I've had it at 50 for awhile now but haven't really played it. Not really sure what to do or how to play them. I just did an ST run and I felt like I went full retard.

Any tips would be appreciated as well. I just need something other than Warrior to play 24/7 and I always liked the concept of DoT's.

Thanks in advanced!

[Zentsa]

http://www.ffxivguild.com/ffxiv-a-re...ner-guide-faq/
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...MN-overall-dps
http://www.ffxivinfo.com/guides/summoner.php
http://ffxivrealm.com/threads/smn-rotation-guide.11244/

Some links

[Lilyarel]

How to become a Master Summoner in 1 easy step

Step 1: Don't play Summoner.

[Tex_Mex]

How to become a Master Summoner in 1 easy step

Step 1: Don't play Summoner.

haha i loled at this comment.

Right now, Summoner is widely considered to be the weakest DPS class; though this is mostly due to its shortcomings in the Final Coil of Bahamut content. Summoner is very capable of all other game content right now, so if you are just playing casually or to have fun, SMN is fine. If you intend to get into end game (highest difficulty) content, then you should probably consider another DPS class like BLM

The basics of SMN are very simple:

Single target: maintain 100% DoT up time (Bio, Bio2, miasma, and Shadow Flare) and keep aetherflow on CD 100% of the time. This means you have to use your 3 festers every time they are available. All additional free time you have should be spent spamming Ruin (You can use Ruin2 when you have to move, but the higher MP cost will drain you rapidly if you use it all the time. DO NOT EVER use Miasma 2 in single target situations, it is a DPS loss unless you hit multiple targets with it.

Multi Target: get your 3 DoT's up on one target and use bane to transfer them to all nearby targets. Bane will only transfer Bio, Bio2, and Miasma. Make sure Shadow Flare and miasma 2 are used as well. If the fight will be shorter, do not be afraid to use blizzard 2 (BLM spell) to increase your damage once all your DoT's are up, but be warned that it will drain your MP VERY fast so do not use it during extended fights.

Pets: Ifrit does more DPS than Garuda (yes even with contagion) and should be used whenever possible; however, he requires more micro to keep alive and can be difficult to use. Garuda is a great option for beginner summoners until you learn the basics of pet micro.

Cross Class Abilities: Raging Strikes (ARC), Blizzard 2 (THM), Swiftcast (THM), Quelling Strikes (ARC) are pretty much mandatory, the last spot can be used on whatever you like. I end to take surecast, but it is not all that useful.

That's really about it.

[Delta041]

Ifrit does more DPS than Garuda (yes even with contagion)

Isn't Ifrit an overall loss of DPS for the summoner though? Contagion lets you save MP by increasing dot duration, lets you increase the damage done by dots under Raging Strikes and Intelligence potions and you can even contagion Potent Poison potions and Miasma 2.

[Tex_Mex]

Isn't Ifrit an overall loss of DPS for the summoner though? Contagion lets you save MP by increasing dot duration, lets you increase the damage done by dots under Raging Strikes and Intelligence potions and you can even contagion Potent Poison potions and Miasma 2.

It is proven that Ifrit is a DPS increase at higher levels. With i110 weapons, ifrit provides around a 20 dps boost to overall SMN DPS, even with contagion, int pots and all of that other jazz. This gap increases as weapons reach higher ilvls as well. It is a popular misconception that the added DPS from contagion can make up for the massivley higher attack power (plus his autoattack) that ifrit has. The only time ifrit is outshined by garuda is in AoE situations, where ifrit's skillset is not as strong. Contagion+Bane is amazing.

[Skeith-Adeline]

Join the BLM masterrace before it is too late.

JK.

Zentsa posted quality links that'll help you along your way

[ilmynasa]

Yeah....pretty much as stated, if you want end game content, I won't recommend smn....especially if you don't have a static. SMN job market is tough these days with .......various reasons, which are discussed in other threads.

[Sentinillia]

Firstly, good players are always on demand, no matter their job.
SMN may not be in the best spot regarding FCoB right now. Mostly due to the inherent MP issues brought on by the multidotting and lack of breaks for MP regen, the DPS values and kit are still very competitive. You definitely can make SMN work even in the current endgame content, though bringing a BLM over a SMN is the meta in the current right now. SMN is still extremely strong outside of FCoB.

My group currently runs a DRG, SMN, BLM, BRD setup and our SMN parses roughly:
t10 - 485
t11 - 437
t12 - 472
t13 - 469

These are all still very healthy numbers and you should play the job if you find it enjoyable. If Square-Enix deems the class to be too broken to be viable now, I am sure they are going to bump it to be up to par by 3.0 at latest.

TL;DR: Play SMN if you like it. You can make it work if you really want to.

[Tex_Mex]

My group currently runs a DRG, SMN, BLM, BRD setup and our SMN parses roughly:
t10 - 485
t11 - 437
t12 - 472
t13 - 469

One small note on this. Your SMN is using a minimum of an i125 book to reach these numbers. This is not a typical piece of gear for newer DPS players and is not really realistic for people getting into coil for the first time. These numbers would be significantly lower with the i110 or i115 weapons that are more common for new players. Basically, you have to already be part of a coil to have the gear necessary to reach these numbers. This does not apply to new players and should not be expected.

SMN is still extremely strong outside of FCoB.

I do agree with this though. SMN is perfectly viable for all non FCoB content.