SMN Quality of Life issues and proposals

[Il_Gatto_Nero]

So much for reducing the skill gap, the 4.0 SMN is notoriously "clunky", with harsh DPS consequences for mistakes.

Firstly, there is practically a 120s minimal delay in summoning Bahamut, but there is no maximum; it can easily grow to be way more than 120 seconds.

Here are some ways how: being late enough with Dreadwyrm Trance such that the Aetherflow cooldown refreshes BEFORE Dreadwyrm Trance finishes; accidentally pressing Aetherflow when the Aetherflow gauge is full (especially now that each stack of Aethertrail Attunement reduces the maximum number of Aetherflow stacks); etc.

Summoners using Dreadwyrm Trance in quick succession (leading to, among other things, sustained Ruin III barrage and two Deathflares fired within less than a minute of each other) and Dreadwyrm Trance-augmented Aetherflow abilities may have been "OP", but the consequences of the current setup means that EVERYTHING gets backed up. This contributes to "clunkiness". I am not saying that there ought to be no consequences, but you have to allow players to recover and "catch up" on the rotation after downtime, mistakes, etc.


We have conflicting dilemmas in play here. On one hand, Bahamut ought to not appear too often, and it is obvious that the developers intend a nerf in overall firepower. On the other hand, not being able to "catch up" on the damage output as needed has not only made the job unenjoyable but has also widened, not narrowed, the skill gap- which goes completely against the developers' intentions.

I recommend the following simultaneous changes to address the dilemmas (smoothening the micromanagement and allowing for some flexibility while respecting the nerf):

1. Make Aetherflow usable during Dreadwyrm Trance again
2. Make Aetherflow unusable if the Aetherflow Gauge is full (even if at least one Aethertrail Attunement stack is contributing to the full gauge)
3. Increase the cooldown for Summon Bahamut
4. Modify the "increase magic damage dealt by 10%" in Dreadwyrm Trance to "increase magic damage dealt by spells by 10% (i.e. Bane, Fester, and Painflare get no damage boost, but if you mess up, there is a recovery option, unlike now, where there is pretty much none)"

Whatever changes and fixes the developers may be thinking of while keeping the nerf in effect, if there are two things you should NOT do, it would be to increase the cooldown of Dreadwyrm Trance and/or Deathflare. If you allow Aetherflow to be used during Dreadwyrm Trance, but then increase the cooldown for Dreadwyrm Trance, you will not have solved anything. As for increasing the cooldown for Deathflare, summoner has already had enough nerfs, so please refrain from that.