[Suggestion] My thoughts on Summoner

[Xaeth]

"I like it as it is now" is ok as an opinion but it's useless as an argument...
I personally want Summoner to change since it doesn't make quite sense but I'm quite open to ideas as long as the style is consistent and as long as it's 100% about summoning which it isn't right now in my opinion.

[Sidra]

Personally, I like the current form of Summoner and would not be a fan of sweeping changes. One thing to consider is that aside from the Summons and their skills, a SMN in this game has a full kit of non summoning skills which is different than in FFXI where it really had nothing that wasn't attached to a summon. If we start adding a bunch of new summons with a bunch of situationally useful skills, we will have a serious lack of buttons problem. It's already super tight. I really enjoy the current situation where the summon is there and helps us dps, but for the most part our concentration during battle is focused on our own damage rotations while our egi is mostly self sufficient and there to support and help us. It works really well.

[zcrash970]

Even if SMN had more summons with various effects, no one would bring them because of the loss of DPS and its not just because of the dps race in endgame atm. It's because the ultility is completely unneeded and other classes bring it to the table.
SCH/AST brings way more than enough party mitigation especially with a PLD/WAR and MNK/DRK/MCH just adds to it.
BRDs can raise magic attacks and MCH/NIN adds to everyone's damage
MNKs can also increase healing potency
DRGs can raise party crit rate and raise BRD/MCH dmg

It seems you also want to give SMN more aoe dmg than it has now which utterly ridiculous seeing how we have the best aoe in the game
Also if they added the elemental wheel back, they would have to completely rework BLM along with your SMN rework

Now if they did remake SMN into this great support class with good dps, why would you bring a BLM? There would be no trade off unless they super buff BLM and if they did melees would lose their advantage.

I get that you want SMN want to be center around our summons but XIV isn't design to be that way. Usually with the effects that are asking for is usually accompany by long cast times or high mp costs or both. We would just become a liability at that point. Making SMN into what you want would just more problems

[Rivxkobe]

it would require the elemental wheel to be added back. The elemental wheel would further cause each summon to become more or less useful from fight to fight, and it would add back in the option for them to have a boss which switches elemental resistances.

RIP in peace Blackmages.

[Dyvid]

Sorry but removing a pet from a pet class isn't the answer.

[MagiusNecros]

Sorry but removing a pet from a pet class isn't the answer.

Right. Especially since HW gave us more skills to use for our Pets right. And aren't only used for their auto attacks and maybe extend our DoTs every now and then.

[Exodus-E]

Right. Especially since HW gave us more skills to use for our Pets right. And aren't only used for their auto attacks and maybe extend our DoTs every now and then.

Pets still contribute with a significant amount of DPS for SMNs (especially when Rouse'd/Spur'd).
Thus, even if we didn't get any pet-related skills for HW, the pets themselves are still relevant.

Also, they have more functions than that (e.g. Ifrit-Egi's Radiant Shield or Garuda-Egi's Aerial Slash); it's just that you need to know when to use them.

[Dyvid]

Right. Especially since HW gave us more skills to use for our Pets right. And aren't only used for their auto attacks and maybe extend our DoTs every now and then.

Which is why I really really really dislike SMN in 3.0 and really really really dislike the direction it took.

[Shurrikhan]

Right. Especially since HW gave us more skills to use for our Pets right. And aren't only used for their auto attacks and maybe extend our DoTs every now and then.

Oh, no, all that is definitely disappointing beyond belief. Personally I'd just rather keep the pet AND get more out of them, even if that means losing a bit of general caster damage. At the very least, I'd very much like the opportunity to spend my resources through my pet at times instead of just Fester, Painflare, Bane. The pets just need to be revised to be a whole lot more reactive so that they at times can *feel* like a oGCD ability when using certain pet attacks.

My question to you people is to define "pet class" using standardized laws that say "all jobs that use pets have to perform a specific way in every MMO, and no company is allowed to re-write their design to better suit the image of said job in their head."

FFXIV summoner was designed how SE wanted it to be designed. Don't like it? Simply don't play it. You are not some appointed authority on class design who can go around saying "you did it wrong SE." There is NO right and wrong, there is just choice.

The issue I most often see people here and in-game take with SMN isn't so much that it "doesn't work like other pet classes in other games" so much as that it feels like it taps into very few of the opportunities afforded to a class that has a pet, let alone one named after that fact. (Trance at least has found a way to bring out the namesake without being dependent on the game's slow-ish pet controls, at least, which is a nice alternate route. I just wish it didn't feel like an alternative to performing an actual fix to pet controls, variety, and relevance, which it could have been done atop, rather than in place of...)

[FeliAiko]

If you're only using the Pet for auto attacks and extending DoTs, then the problem is you, not the class.