SMN Opener and CD usage

[pandabearcat]

In an effort to gather more SMN information into one place (cause really the only things available seem to be a generic SMN thread and complaints about Egis), this thread is dedicated to find the best SMN opener and CD usage!

So this is my first week back after a 1.5 year hiatus, and I'm curious to see if anything's changed.

This is what I remember.

• Fester, Energy Drain, Bane, Aetherflow can be used during another oGCD animation, but cause animation delays of their own. So you can go Swiftcast > Fester but not vice versa.
• Garuda is still more useful generally than ifrit, despite ifrit bringing more autoattack dps.
• Pets still made of paper and die miserably to most anything.
• Tri-disaster still useless.
• No reason not to stand in melee, unless constant movement will lower your dps.
• Mana still a problem if fight lasts more than 4/5 minutes. However, Ruin/Ruin II mana cost reduction helps a lot in allowing more Ruin II + oGCD dps.
• DoTs still snapshot raging blows.
• DoTs seem to be able to overwrite buffed DoTs now.

So this is the opener that I used to use.

[Rouse|Spur|Raging Blows] > [Bio II] > [Miasma] > [Bio|Swiftcast|Fester] > [Shadowflare|Enkindle] > [Miasma II|Contagion] > ...etc

We used to put thunder in there too...RIP =(

Aside from opener, only Ruin II to move and use CDs, do not waste mana on Ruin II to fester (unless you need to fit a second fester into Raging Blows, like in the opener). Instead, Fester on Bio casts.

For cooldowns, since they are 60/120/180, I just use them together with Ruin II.

[radioactive_lego]

Second option; mash buttons and hope for the best.

The elitists eat this up, the rest of us put the pet on autopilot and try to keep DoTs/Festers up as needed, spam Ruin.

[Cynfael]

Second option; mash buttons and hope for the best.

The elitists eat this up, the rest of us put the pet on autopilot and try to keep DoTs/Festers up as needed, spam Ruin.

I wasn't aware that "elitists" were the only people who cared about playing well.

On a side note, anyone who literally puts their pet on auto-pilot (i.e. Sic) deserves any flak they receive. I'm at the point where I would like the Sic command to be removed from the game. We really don't need any more terrible SMNs allowing Garuda to fling crap across the screen.

[radioactive_lego]

I wasn't aware that "elitists" were the only people who cared about playing well.

I'm interested in playing well. I'm interested in min/maxing my stats to obtain any advantage I can.

I'm not so interested in following a recipe of casts. I'm not interested in obtaining a PHD in fantasy pet behavioral sciences and obedience. I'm especially not interested in being judged by some unaccredited arm-chair professor that I'm a crappy SMN.

Maybe my "opener" isn't maxed, but I enjoy not being a control freak, and looking up from my hotbar on occasion. That doesn't make me a "terrible" SMN.

[Skeith-Adeline]

~~

I'm going to request you cease all insults. Only will request it once.

"control freak"

[Cynfael]

I'm interested in playing well. I'm interested in min/maxing my stats to obtain any advantage I can.

I'm not so interested in following a recipe of casts. I'm not interested in obtaining a PHD in fantasy pet behavioral sciences and obedience. I'm especially not interested in being judged by some unaccredited arm-chair professor that I'm a crappy SMN.

Maybe my "opener" isn't maxed, but I enjoy not being a control freak, and looking up from my hotbar on occasion. That doesn't make me a "terrible" SMN.

This "recipe of casts" is called your rotation, and using skills in an optimal order is not rocket science.

Your whole argument smacks of "Well, this is a dumb game anyway, so I'm taking my ball and going home." If you don't care about using your skills correctly, then you probably shouldn't be participating in a thread that is about exactly that. You can start your own "Isn't this game more fun when we pretend not to care whether or not we're good at it?" thread or something.

On a side note, I gave benefit of the doubt and did not assume that you personally left your pets on Sic. If you really do, then you should consider a playstyle change for the benefit if anyone who ends up in a party with you.

[Sanguisio]

I'm sure judge will come along in a bit to add to this.

Ifrit does more damage now, if you can afford it contagion full buffed stuff and get Ifrit out for the remainder

Can anyone clear this up, do DOTs snapshot foe req as well ?

[Skeith-Adeline]

My opening rotation that I use with Garuda is as follows (though I'm not sure if it is the best possible opener–harder to research SMN than BLM):

raging > Bio 2 > Miasma > Bio > Fester > Miasma 2 > Contagion + Swiftcast > Shadow Flare > Ruin 2 > Spur > Ruin 2 > Rouse > Fester (Raging falls off) > Ruin 2 + Enkindle > Ruin 2 > Ruin 2 > Ruin > Fester.


Edit: Also, if Elitism means knowing what the hell you are doing, then there is a problem that needs to be settled.

[pandabearcat]

I don't remember if raging affects enkindle, but if it does then your enkindle is really far down. You also dn't fester again until like 8 GCDs later, which means you don't get double fester for raging and miss out on that damage. It also delays your 2nd Aetherflow, which lowers your mana regen. Also all of those Ruin 2's will destroy your mana.

I also am a big fan of "doubling up" on oGCDs to get your CDs out faster, because it saves your Ruin II and also allows you to condense your rotation.

I also tend to put sflare before miasma II, because it fits well right after the swiftcast|fester, and also gives it a tick before miasma comes up.

Miasma II is a spell that you can essentially just consider an "addon" to contagion - you don't cast it ever unless multitargetting or contagion is up. Therefore it doesn't follow the same "get it up asap" as our other DoTs do, because it doesn't have anywhere near 100% uptime.

I try to cast very, very few ruin II, its still pretty awful to the point where autoattacking and not casting will be relatively similar dps, and better dp/mana.

[pandabearcat]

Aw man, noone is judging your playstyle, why would you judge others?

I didn't even make any claims that it was the most optimal or that any other opener is bad. This is a post for information, for people to discuss what they use to open. I just posted what I remember from a year ago what we used to think was best.