The problem with Summoners

[Spellbinder]

I think in the future if summoner summons played a more integral role in more aspects than just dps dps dps it would be beneficial to the class and add a preference over others. For instance if pets had more utility or some were able to play a more supportive role such as buffs, debuffs ect, and an increase in the summoners interaction on that front.

This. All of this.

From 2.0 until maybe a patch ago (or was it 2?), summoner was "Garuda or get out." After the slight changes to Ifrit, it became (assuming a melee DPS with the proper debuffs was in the group) "Ifrit or get out."

When they add more Egis, assumedly Ramuh and Leviathan, are we just going to say "(Egi with best DPS) or get out" and let all the others collect dust on the shelf?

My argument is perhaps lost making reference to FFXI, but I enjoyed having Leviathan for Spring Water (healing/status cures), Titan for Earthen Ward (stoneskin), Garuda for Hastega (skill/spellspeed buff), and Ifrit for Crimson Howl (attack buff), just to name a few. No, I'm not saying they need to rework summoner and make us all about the pets. I have no qualms with us focusing on DoTs, although I wish they were elemental and not poisons to fit a bit more thematically.

If we're going to eventually have five Egi, with possibly more in the years to come, they should all be worth using to some benefit to the party. What if we were able to lay down our DoTs on an enemy and have the leeway to use more than one Egi in a single encounter for the utility they bring to the table?

What if Ifrit's Radiant Shield could be cast on the tank? What if Titan's Earthen Ward could be used on the whole party?

The only Job that is required to defeat the primals to progress through its job quests (which wasn't exactly fun to do when the game first released), and all we got was reskinned Carbuncles and an extra 10 potency. Sure DoTs are nice, but nobody wants to see utility brought to the Egis?

Don't even get me started on the other mechanic and pet AI problems with the job.

[Havenae]

The rest of us are HAPPY with it.

Please don't speak for everyone when you do not, in fact, speak for everyone.


I personally am marginally 'ok' with the summoner job, I like casting classes but I also find BLM boring. In that capacity that doesn't leave a lot of options. I preferred summoner in FFXI and other FF games. Summoner in FFXIV does not have anything remotely close to that feeling so I see a lot of room for improvement here.

This. All of this.

Which is really why they could just do away with the individual spells for summoning, use something similar to the minion or mount management windows, give us one summoning spell and it summons whatever egi we have selected in that management window and they no longer have to worry about increasing the number of spells we have to be able to give us new egi. THEN we could have more variety of summons that could fulfill multiple roles based on party needs. And yes of course, have them give buffs, have them do debuffs. Have the party benefit from them as well, then its no longer a question of "Who does more dps?"

I think having dots or some kind of personal damaging abilities to fall back on is a good idea but our focus should be the summons and thats what the job severely lacks. Even when you micro manage your egi, you still feel like you're just casting another spell. In fact the only two times where I feel like I'm not just another dps caster that also has a pet wandering around somewhere is when I'm soloing using titan to tank or if I'm playing scholar and managing Selene or Eos, and that isn't even the summoner job anymore.

There's the opportunity to make summoners a very versatile job that extends beyond the parameters of 'just another dps'... but all anyone seems to be focused on is the numbers involved with smacking things.

But then that does require that SE balance the egi to a level where there isn't necessarily a set preference that it always used, or expected to be used. SE needs to give each egi viability in numerous situations. But I am glad to see someone has a similar desire to see this happen with the job.

[Akiza]

Please don't speak for everyone when you do not, in fact, speak for everyone.


I personally am marginally 'ok' with the summoner job, I like casting classes but I also find BLM boring. In that capacity that doesn't leave a lot of options. I preferred summoner in FFXI and other FF games. Summoner in FFXIV does not have anything remotely close to that feeling so I see a lot of room for improvement here.



Which is really why they could just do away with the individual spells for summoning, use something similar to the minion or mount management windows, give us one summoning spell and it summons whatever egi we have selected in that management window and they no longer have to worry about increasing the number of spells we have to be able to give us new egi. THEN we could have more variety of summons that could fulfill multiple roles based on party needs. And yes of course, have them give buffs, have them do debuffs. Have the party benefit from them as well, then its no longer a question of "Who does more dps?"

I think having dots or some kind of personal damaging abilities to fall back on is a good idea but our focus should be the summons and thats what the job severely lacks. Even when you micro manage your egi, you still feel like you're just casting another spell. In fact the only two times where I feel like I'm not just another dps caster that also has a pet wandering around somewhere is when I'm soloing using titan to tank or if I'm playing scholar and managing Selene or Eos, and that isn't even the summoner job anymore.

There's the opportunity to make summoners a very versatile job that extends beyond the parameters of 'just another dps'... but all anyone seems to be focused on is the numbers involved with smacking things.

But then that does require that SE balance the egi to a level where there isn't necessarily a set preference that it always used, or expected to be used. SE needs to give each egi viability in numerous situations. But I am glad to see someone has a similar desire to see this happen with the job.

It would upset a lot of people if pets were made like minions and they have one single Summon spell that has to be swapped out every time we want to summon a different pet.

[Minorinz]

This..

I like this, if they can enhance the EXISTING pet CDs in a way that doesn't boost our DPS by a mile but actually works for the benefit of the party then summoner will be needed for being a summoner in a party not for the sake of being a caster dps. Pets need to play a roll within the party itself and the summoner should be able to put a strategy on swapping the pets when needed for both the party and their own dps. That would be too good.