Connecting the DoTs: A Summoner Guide

[Starkbeaumont]

do our pets actually suffer the same scaling issue at 60 that sch's fairy has to deal with?

[Koyuki38]

Which scalling issue ?

[Starkbeaumont]

Which scalling issue ?

this one.

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...crease-past-50

[Spellbinder]

Evening (or morning), fellow summoners.

Having hit level 60 a week ago, I've been playing with—and thoroughly enjoying—the full repertoire of summoner skills, gathering my thoughts for the lengthly general 3.0 feedback thread I've been considering setting up for the EN and JP boards. With that said, there's one thing I'd like to get some opinions on: Aethertrail Attunement.

This pertains more so to casual romps through dungeons than primal battles, but in building and maintaining stacks of Aethertrail Attunement, jumping from one group of enemies to the next, I can't help but sometimes feel a certain sense of urgency (if that's the appropriate term) in trying to prevent accumulated stacks of Aethertrail Attuenemnt from going to waste. There's nothing worse than having to warp from one area to the next in the Fractal Continuum and seeing your buff fall off just before you reach the next set of enemies.

I'd like to hear how other summoners handle maintaining it in regular dungeon runs. Do you hold off on using stacks of Aetherflow all together in certain situations? Or perhaps finish off that last enemy with an Energy Drain or Fester, hoping that refreshed 30 seconds will last until the next group?

[pandabearcat]

I don't think for long fights you can keep up ruin II forever.

[Jeckyl_Tesla]

Do apologise if this has been answered, but I need some help on Bismarck EX.

I'm currently ilvl 163 with ilvl 160 weapon, Full law right hand side cept Necklace, law helm and law chest piece. The rest of my gear is ilvl 150 white NQ gear.

I've been pulling 620 DPS on Bismarck EX last night and wondering how much more I can improve my DPS with my current gear. We didn't get passed the two sanuwa adds (always like 5% HP left on the last one).

Here's the laydown of what I do.

First two adds: (Ifrit Egi)

• SF Pre Pull
• DoT left add up - Fester/Ruin II
• DoT right add up - Ruin II
• Ruin spam first add while festering a second time, kill first add
• Switch to last add and ruin spam while Festering to get my third Aethertrail.
• Use Aetherflow and get ready for Bismarck's back.
  

Bismarcks Carapace

• RS - DWT - Jump on
• Tridisaster - Fester - Ruin II
• Rouse - Spur - Ruin II
• Enkindle - Ruin III
• Ruin III spam - Fester - Deathflare - Ruin II spam
  
  Back is dead, jump off and SC summon Garuda

Sanuwa Adds

• Instantly start casting DoTs on the Water one
• Pray to god you get the aspect that lets you attack the Wind one
• Grumble when that doesn't happen, and SF my add
• Ruin II spam while weaving in Festers to line up Tri Disaster, DWT and Aetherflow
• Once all three are very close, pop DWT turn to other add that reflects, Tridisaster + Contagion
• Fester my target (still 3 DoTs left on it before DWT) Re-DoT my target and apply SF and use fester until I have one Aetherflow left and finish off with Deathflare.
• Resume DPS and switch target if needed.
• Line up DWT + Contagion + Tri again and repeat the above. Always Tridisastering the reflected add, taking the 3k dmg and using contagion.
  

And continue with that, naturally using Ruin II since the fight isn't long enough to warrant trying to save mana with Ruin I and helps increase my DPS. Never letting SF really fall off for too long, nor any of my DoTs.

Always making sure to hold one Fester to the end of my Aethertrail so as to make sure I can use Aetherflows during my DWT phase for some good burst. Always making sure I have no downtime of Aetherflows nor DWT.

So with htis I pull 620ish DPS on Bismarck EX, with my gear. Is this good, I feel like it's somewhat low? But for the hell of me I have no idea how I would improve it. I already feel like I've stretched myself to the limit on that fight.

We would always wipe on like 5% left on the last add, that's the LB included. Also, to add a quick question. Does the LB dmg get added onto the class from ACT now?

[Valsh]

Do apologise if this has been answered, but I need some help on Bismarck EX.

I'm currently ilvl 163 with ilvl 160 weapon, Full law right hand side cept Necklace, law helm and law chest piece. The rest of my gear is ilvl 150 white NQ gear.

I've been pulling 620 DPS on Bismarck EX last night and wondering how much more I can improve my DPS with my current gear. We didn't get passed the two sanuwa adds (always like 5% HP left on the last one).

Upgrade your weapon asap, make sure your tank is stacking the adds together. Use painflare when they're together.

Depending on your group you might have to use raging strikes/enkindle on the carapace, I prefer to save raging strikes for the snakes. Tri-disaster the snake you're not attacking whenever it's up, I like to also do a Miasma -> Bio combo and just eat some reflect damage.

Bismark is a really good fight for summoners imo. The weather phase is just pure gravy.

[Jeckyl_Tesla]

Upgrade your weapon asap, make sure your tank is stacking the adds together. Use painflare when they're together.

Depending on your group you might have to use raging strikes/enkindle on the carapace, I prefer to save raging strikes for the snakes. Tri-disaster the snake you're not attacking whenever it's up, I like to also do a Miasma -> Bio combo and just eat some reflect damage.

Bismark is a really good fight for summoners imo. The weather phase is just pure gravy.

Sadly, if I don't use RS and Enkindle, the Carapace won't be broken to begin with.

Would upgrading my weapon to the law tomes realy be a better investment than upgrading my white belt, legs and gloves?

We started to bring the two adds together at the beginning, but it didn't make too much of a difference. From what I saw, it's the Sanuwas where my DPS can really plummet if I fuck up.

[Koyuki38]

Sadly, if I don't use RS and Enkindle, the Carapace won't be broken to begin with.

Would upgrading my weapon to the law tomes realy be a better investment than upgrading my white belt, legs and gloves?

We started to bring the two adds together at the beginning, but it didn't make too much of a difference. From what I saw, it's the Sanuwas where my DPS can really plummet if I fuck up.

Maybe you should save all you buffs in order to use them on Dragon adds phase.

I try yesterday for the 1st time, and on the beginning i saved all buff basically used on opener to increase damages on caparace.
Since we never killed the carapace in 1 single phase but 2, i think i could save those buffs for the next phase (dragons).

Also, it's possible to Tri-disaster 1 dragon, then switch on the other and apply dots as usual, right before dragons apply the blue/green buff.
You probably would like to user DWT + raging strike + intel pot + buff pets on this moments.

As this is a phase with no interruption, feel free to delay Fester as this : 2 fester during DWT -> 30 sec -> last fester -> 20 sec -> Aether flow + DWT again -> 2 fester during DWT, etc.
Use tri-disaster during DWT too, so DWT is completely filled with fester and Ruine 3.

[Jeckyl_Tesla]

Maybe you should save all you buffs in order to use them on Dragon adds phase.

Currently, with the DPS of our group, and unless I get myself some better gear, we cannot kill the carapace without me using CDs on the Carapace. It just goes downwhen I use CD's, hence why I cannot save them. But, if we do not NEED to down it in one go, I don't see why we need to pop CDs.

As for the rest of your post, I do exactly as you say, though my first TD is on CD since I used it for my burst on the Carapace.

And I always use 2 festers during DWT and delay my last one so I can DWT with AF into another 2 festers. This also co-incides with my TD, so I always get my DWT with TD on the second add, and then contagion it.