Heavensward really fixed SMN as a role, making it King of AoE magic damage while BLM tops it in single target, just like old FF's. While in PvP it's a job to be feared, kinda reminds me of the dynamis summoner mobs in FFXI that you had to sleep and kill ASAP or they'd murder everyone.

But the big question that has always come to my mind ever since they announced the new moves for heavensward, could summoner not have been fixed through summoning?

Now I understand that dreadwyrm trance has a link to summoning through Terra's esper trance in ff6 and don't get me wrong, I have nothing against dreadwyrm trance in theory, what I take issue with is the implementation. I feel like Dreadwyrm trance and painflare are like fixing a leaky pipe by putting chewing gum over it.

Dreadwyrm trance would have made a great final move for summoner. As in something to give them at level 99 as their final ever skill. But giving it to them at 60? Seems kind of short-sighted to me, I mean Bahamut is like THE elder primal, the one that obliterated everything. Anything they add to summoner now is going to seem like a step backwards from channeling the power of Bahamut.

I feel like summoner could have been brought to the position it is in right now just as easily through summoning rather than adding the dreadwyrm trance. Could they not have added new moves to Ifrit Garuda and Titan? Maybe an AoE skill to each of them that requires an aetherflow stack instead of painflare? Instead of dreadwyrm trance could they not have made the exact same mechanic but instead of giving you a move, it would unlock extra abilities for your summons?

It just feels like yes, summoner has been patched up to work like it should, but it has been done in the wrong way, by pulling even further away from anything to do with summoning.

I've honestly seen summoner's lose their pet in dungeons and forget to resummon it the entire run, that's how little the pet actually matters to SMN anymore. In FFXI, if your pet died, you knew it, your pet was basically everything to you, without it you were just a gimpy version of whatever your subjob was. That's the kind of importance I want to feel for my pet. But the changes to SMN in heavensward takes away from that feeling when it should be trying to add to it.