Connecting the DoTs: A Summoner Guide

[gorezilla1]

It's a cool guide, but I favour a Garuda -> swiftcast ifrit opener for this reason:

In extreme content, using raging and an X-pot then applying dots, and even a potent poisoning potion (Then contagioning because that also extends the poison pot), is a massive boost. Way too massive to be ignored. I however, save my rouse and spur for After I swiftcast ifrit. I buff him and then enkindle. (takes 2 gcds to complete). I've found that to be a massive boost to my numbers. Just a thought.

[pandabearcat]

Its not a bad idea. I believe the majority of the mana cost is refunded by the aetherflow, though it does mean you should attempt to use fewer Ruin II during opener.

[Havenchild]

Its not a bad idea. I believe the majority of the mana cost is refunded by the aetherflow, though it does mean you should attempt to use fewer Ruin II during opener.

You see alot of people don't realize you start bleeding the potency / damage you got from using Garuda to contagion in the opener and then changing to Ifrit.
Hitting OOM sooner will become a DPS loss. Idk why people feel Aetherflow is refunding MP that you have spent on a switch. It does absolutely no such thing. This MP you used for a switch, is gone. It is MP you no longer have access to.

Now in a fight where, MP is absolutely not an issue, and you need to make absolutely NO changes to your rotation like sacrificing auto attacks or skill usage later on due to hitting OOM, then it is an unbiased gain for your DPS with Garuda to Contagion in the beginning.

Otherwise, it will manifest itself as a DPS loss after 5-6 minutes depending on the fight. If you have to use Energy Drain? For each one you use, to keep afloat vs using a Fester, hits the potency you gained from Garuda.

[pandabearcat]

No I mean, since the first aetherflow is done in ~20-30 seconds in the opener, depending on your ruin II usage the majority of it is going to regen the mana cost of summoning.

Otherwise, you may end up not using all the mana from that aetherflow.

[Judge_Xero]

Garuda Opener -
Pros
- +5 Ticks @ ~35% Increased Damage with RS + XPOT (+192 Potency over Having to Recast Dots at the normal Potency)
- Extended PPP (1000 Damage?)
- 2 Extra Ruins
- Extended Miasma II (40 Potency over Ruin)
Cons
- Missed Pet Damage using Contagion
- Lower Pet Damage using Garuda
- Missed Pet Damage when Re-Summon Ifrit
- Less AA Damage due to higher MP usage and less Ruin II casts.
- Expensive Opener

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With everything working properly your bonus Damage using the Garuda opener is like 2000 Damage.

But then you start weighing in what you lose.

Less Ruin II for guaranteed AA damage @ ~80 Per hit (532 MP is like 20 Ruin II's over the use of Ruin, so on average 2/3 extra AA hits VS normal casts/AA clipping.)

So there is 1000 Damage
Considering Ifrits Damage VS Garuda Damage even with Foe Requiem up.

Garuda 125VS Ifrit 140 (No Rouse/Spur) 15 DPS Difference

Then you add in the duration of Rouse/Spur Ifrit has 27DPS higher potential without Enkindle.

Over the duration of that buff you have an additional 540 or 900 if you have slash/blunt debuffs.

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So you can see how Ifrit catches up pretty fast.

[Havenchild]

snip

You didn't even factor in what the 532 MP is worth in an encounter yet if you will inevitably go OOM and how that 532 MP relates to forcing you to use an Energy Drain to stay afloat over a Fester for pure damage.

No I mean, since the first aetherflow is done in ~20-30 seconds in the opener, depending on your ruin II usage the majority of it is going to regen the mana cost of summoning.

Otherwise, you may end up not using all the mana from that aetherflow.

Assuming you are not using AF stacks for anything else / or reason and purely going for Festers, it takes you 30 seconds.

How many Ruin II's you use is mostly irrelevant in this case. Just because you got MP in the beginning to counter balance the SMN switch, that does not take away from the fact you lost MP to use later on.

What is the difference If I didn't make the switch? I just have an extra 532 MP to use now towards general casting and DoT upkeep. That's why I say, in a fight you will inevitably hit OOM when maximizing your rotation for DPS (all of FCOB), that 532 MP becomes way more valuable to keeping your DPS up.

[Judge_Xero]

You didn't even factor in what the 532 MP is worth in an encounter yet if you will inevitably go OOM and how that 532 MP relates to forcing you to use an Energy Drain to stay afloat over a Fester for pure damage.

Oh, I was using it as "you can use more Ruin II for AA damage" instead of summoning Ifrit after the Garuda Opener. Except I used the Raise MP value instead of the Pet Summoner MP value lol.

Ruin 79 MP VS Ruin II 106? Haven't even looked in a while. 20 Casts of Ruin II for more AA damage VS Summoning pet.

What is interesting now with the MP changes of Ruin and Ruin II is that you can get a Fester's worth of damage from Pure AA when spamming Ruin II, which requires 2 Energy Drains worth of MP recovery compared to using Ruin.

Fester + Energy Drain X 2 + Ruin II (AA) = Fester X 3

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Maybe that'll be a way we can dump our Aetherflow to get into Trance faster if required.

[Havenchild]

snip

Ruin Is 53 MP now at level 50. Incidentally by level 60, I think it's going to wind up to what it was before the MP change anyway.

The new tri disaster sounds wonderful for pvp/frontlines though! Pesky opponents always try to run out of range before dot them all up... No more energy drain/ ruin 2 spamming to try to get that killing blow in FL!

Please you think to small. It's all about Co - Meteor + Ahk Morns!@!@! Tri-Disaster in PvP is going to clean up so much of the setup involved with SMN PvP.

Have multiple SMNs just Ahk Morn an alliance. lol....

[Alberel]

Please you think to small. It's all about Co - Meteor + Ahk Morns!@!@! Tri-Disaster in PvP is going to clean up so much of the setup involved with SMN PvP.

Have multiple SMNs just Ahk Morn an alliance. lol....

I'm looking forward to trying this out. Three or four SMNs: tri-disaster, bane, deathflare... so much pain.

[Takara528]

The new tri disaster sounds wonderful for pvp/frontlines though! Pesky opponents always try to run out of range before dot them all up... No more energy drain/ ruin 2 spamming to try to get that killing blow in FL!