The problem with Summoners

[Brianmj]

So I should be happy with having no changes to my rotation when I get a job while other jobs get spells and skills that actually make a difference?

Yup. Summoner is just an Arcanist with Fester. For those of us that like the dot/pet play style, the current situation is fine. In your original post you mention Summoner lacks a "feel good" quality. This speaks more about your tastes than any problems the job may or may not have. An artist cannot please everyone. If what you have in front of you does nothing to wet your whistle, then it's up to you to move on to the next piece. I'm in the same situation with MNK and THM, they do nothing for me. But I don't create threads detailing how those jobs need to be reworked, I just don't level them. MNK and BLM mains would not appreciate it if I campaigned to have their jobs remade.

It's not my place to tell other people not to play a job dotdotdot

[Akiza]

Yup. Summoner is just an Arcanist with Fester. For those of us that like the dot/pet play style, the current situation is fine. In your original post you mention Summoner lacks a "feel good" quality. This speaks more about your tastes than any problems the job may or may not have. An artist cannot please everyone. If what you have in front of you does nothing to wet your whistle, then it's up to you to move on to the next piece. I'm in the same situation with MNK and THM, they do nothing for me. But I don't create threads detailing how those jobs need to be reworked, I just don't level them. MNK and BLM mains would not appreciate it if I campaigned to have their jobs remade.

It's not my place to tell other people not to play a job dotdotdot

Then play Scholar since they are the better of the DoT/Pet play style since they can DPS, buff and heal.
Which is the problem because why bring a Summoner to anything when Scholar completely dominates it and has unique skills optimal for DoT/Pet style of play while the Summoner is built for bursts.

[Dyvid]

Yup. Summoner is just an Arcanist with Fester. For those of us that like the dot/pet play style, the current situation is fine. In your original post you mention Summoner lacks a "feel good" quality. This speaks more about your tastes than any problems the job may or may not have. An artist cannot please everyone. If what you have in front of you does nothing to wet your whistle, then it's up to you to move on to the next piece. I'm in the same situation with MNK and THM, they do nothing for me. But I don't create threads detailing how those jobs need to be reworked, I just don't level them. MNK and BLM mains would not appreciate it if I campaigned to have their jobs remade.

It's not my place to tell other people not to play a job dotdotdot

Well said.

[Akiza]

The problem with Summoners is that many of them are unappreciative of the current iteration's play style. Instead of realizing this isn't for me, I should try another job, the therapeutic method is to create threads and posts ad nauseam trashing someone's work of art, someone's creation.

A lot of players have already realized the current iteration play style of the Summoner isn't for them and have mass migrated to other jobs such as Black Mage, Ninja or Scholar resulting in the mass extinction of the Summoner or at the least put them on the endangered list.

[Havenchild]

So initially I was a big fan of Contagion being SMN ability, but I feel that would tip the scales in a quite decisive direction towards Ifrit and essentially make him unbeatable to an extent.
If SMN Contagion affects Ifrits Enkindle? That would be silly.

Also Garuda loses essentially the reason to use her. Aside from a fight like T9 where the boss moves around a lot and jumps all over, Ifrit would trump her in every single fight. She would need a massive buff to compete at that point.

The only use for Garuda would be one of two, in an enviorment where magic is utilized (T11) or fights that are dangerous to receive damage at melee range/ fights that have a lot of arena wide movement of the boss.

Titan, I feel definitely needs a Provoke. However this is something you have to be careful with because it can potentially be quite op, by allowing tanks to dodge mechanics. Imagine how much pressure is removed if a titan egi which can resummoned endlessly, can provoke a mechanic like ravensbeak in T9 savage or Revelation on T12 or Ahk morn on T13.
So perhaps a Provoke with a 3-4min CD or some restriction on it.

As for Ifrit, he does not need a buff.

An old suggestion was to give SMNs a passive party wide buff depending on what PET they have out, and while I love the idea, I feel that could also tip scales further in Ifrits favor.

[Akiza]

Summoner needs to specialize in Aoe Bursts since DoT is useless in a game like this unless it's a secondary role like in the case of a Scholar. Enkindle's cool down should be reduced to 2min and the cool down should be tied to the pet instead of being a global cool down. Energy Drain shouldn't consume Aetherflow stacks. Summoner should be based on the Elementalist/Shaman in order to resemble the classic image of the Final Fantasy Summoner rather than a Necromancer.

[zeroaru]

<snip>

Summoner shouldn't be "X Job with a pet" at all, that restricts future implementation of said jobs and skews viability between classes. Summoner should be unique, even if that means it's a DoT class

<snip>
Titan, I feel definitely needs a Provoke. <snip>

I don't think Titan needs a provoke as much as he needs a cover, while he could serve as a temporary tank with a provoke this could lead to possible cleaves of melee DPS if the boss turns and titan is in a bad position or the provoke could not go off in time and be wasted. I would rather him act as a barrier to death for the MT maybe he could absorb 50% of incoming damage for X seconds every 3 minutes or something? I don't think he should ever be able to pull off a tank, people would troll with it.

[zeroaru]

Summoner needs to specialize in Aoe Bursts since DoT is useless in a game like this unless it's a secondary role like in the case of a Scholar. <snip>

DoTs aren't useless at all. DoTs are completely sustainable and extremely potent. I do much more damage than most in most I play with as a summoner in boss fights, regular upkeep of DoTs and consistent outgoing damage from pet/ruin is a viable source of DPS. Every class has DoTs in varying forms, and every class uses them in their rotation or suffers a loss of DPS.

True, an extra burst would be great for helping to eliminate a DPS check (titans heart/Forbidden portals/Plumes/nails etc) but a complete re-work and abandonment of the class isn't needed to achieve this, we might even get it in the expansion.

[Craiger]

Summoner needs to specialize in Aoe Bursts since DoT is useless in a game like this unless it's a secondary role like in the case of a Scholar. Enkindle's cool down should be reduced to 2min and the cool down should be tied to the pet instead of being a global cool down. Energy Drain shouldn't consume Aetherflow stacks. Summoner should be based on the Elementalist/Shaman in order to resemble the classic image of the Final Fantasy Summoner rather than a Necromancer.

Why is DoTs useless in this game?

Makes no sense that they should specialize in AoE burst... why would anyone bring you to a raid with that? If you need AoE(both burst and sustained), then BLM is light years ahead, and SE putting SMN ahead of BLM on AoE, would be the most stupid thing they could do.

SMN should be a job with high single target sustained DPS, while BLM is the AoE kings with high burst.

I see a lot of people who wants more AoE for SMN, but are all talking about dungeon runs or something? because it's not the lack of AoE that's causing the low amount of SMNs in raids...

[Akiza]

Why is DoTs useless in this game?

Makes no sense that they should specialize in AoE burst... why would anyone bring you to a raid with that? If you need AoE(both burst and sustained), then BLM is light years ahead, and SE putting SMN ahead of BLM on AoE, would be the most stupid thing they could do.

SMN should be a job with high single target sustained DPS, while BLM is the AoE kings with high burst.

I see a lot of people who wants more AoE for SMN, but are all talking about dungeon runs or something? because it's not the lack of AoE that's causing the low amount of SMNs in raids...

People want Summoner to have more AoE because SE stance on Melee having high single target sustained DPS while casters have low sustained single target damage. Also most modern MMORPGS since DCUO which have DoT classes give them 3-4 reliable AoE Bursts while DoTs are secondary. Most modern MMORPG s the Pet class is attached to the Sorceror.