Summoner Early Post-Launch Feedback at level 80

[Osmond]

Well since I got my SMN to 80 and did some EX trials, I can say this. Energy drain/siphon requires a target doesn't feels frustrating. In a way once you get used to it, it's much better now that it has a 30sec CD. Trance timings...it does felt weird in these new changes. Yet, stormblood's SMN, from using your DWT to summon bahamut, there was a wait time in process in order to keep your DPS high. Made it into a strict rotation because if you mess that up, you lose DPS overall. In time it becomes annoying so I can see why they abolished that design. Forced drop DoTs....what? I don't understand that. Playing since ARR, why now that's a requirement for SMNs? APM issue....well I already thought that it was a job that make you busy overall so it wasn't much of a problem for me. The ghost action, yeah I see that as a problem, but i'm sure it would take time for the team to adjust that. Bahamut doesn't feel awkward once you understand that it doesn't attack if you use an ability hotbar...that's all it is. Have to remove that in your brain that it can't wyrmwave using abilities. Energy siphon...free dmg, don't mind it. Everlasting flight is amazing as a utility, helps healers in the longterm..although you have to group up around your party to get the effect.. Slipstream...if the tank moves via AoEs, nothing you can do about it as long you get a ruin 4 stack, that's what matters. Difficulty curve...I don't think so. If you play SMN in stormblood, just take off a few things, add in a few things and nothing really changed..adjust your brain.

Overall, I like the change for 5.X SMN. Doesn't feel restricted to know when to use your bahamut. No lockdown on your aetherflow stacks during DWT. Can DoT/Bane much easier now. CC does more dmg than 4.X version SMN. Hmm, 1 thing I can say to buff SMN is the garuda egi potencies on their assaults.

[Gallus]

Literally anything would've been better than the mess we have now.

DWT -> Summon Bahamut -> FBT -> Summon Phoenix?

Would've worked.

Integrating Bahamut inside DWT just like Phoenix is integrated inside FBT?

Would've worked too.

INSTEAD.

We have a useless DWT that all it gives is instant casts to weave garbage EA spells that hit like a wet noodle, then we have summon bahamut, and then we have DWT turning into FBT and becoming the summon phoenix. So DWT and FBT share button, there's no summon phoenix button but we do have a summon bahamut button, but then both enkindle phoenix and enkindle bahamut do share button.


I swear they have something personal with the SMN playerbase and want to troll it.

[Vulcwen]

Well since I got my SMN to 80 and did some EX trials, I can say this. Energy drain/siphon requires a target doesn't feels frustrating. In a way once you get used to it, it's much better now that it has a 30sec CD. Trance timings...it does felt weird in these new changes. Yet, stormblood's SMN, from using your DWT to summon bahamut, there was a wait time in process in order to keep your DPS high. Made it into a strict rotation because if you mess that up, you lose DPS overall. In time it becomes annoying so I can see why they abolished that design. Forced drop DoTs....what? I don't understand that. Playing since ARR, why now that's a requirement for SMNs? APM issue....well I already thought that it was a job that make you busy overall so it wasn't much of a problem for me. The ghost action, yeah I see that as a problem, but i'm sure it would take time for the team to adjust that. Bahamut doesn't feel awkward once you understand that it doesn't attack if you use an ability hotbar...that's all it is. Have to remove that in your brain that it can't wyrmwave using abilities. Energy siphon...free dmg, don't mind it. Everlasting flight is amazing as a utility, helps healers in the longterm..although you have to group up around your party to get the effect.. Slipstream...if the tank moves via AoEs, nothing you can do about it as long you get a ruin 4 stack, that's what matters. Difficulty curve...I don't think so. If you play SMN in stormblood, just take off a few things, add in a few things and nothing really changed..adjust your brain.

Overall, I like the change for 5.X SMN. Doesn't feel restricted to know when to use your bahamut. No lockdown on your aetherflow stacks during DWT. Can DoT/Bane much easier now. CC does more dmg than 4.X version SMN. Hmm, 1 thing I can say to buff SMN is the garuda egi potencies on their assaults.

The bliss of ignorance is really high with this job now (not as an insult here, I even notice that if I don't care to optimize, it's actually quite enjoyable).
DoTs are forced to drop at some point because the cycle doesn't fit, you have to alternate whether you use tri-disaster before or after the trance, thus it creates a dot application timing of something like this:
0 tri-d > 1 trance > 30 tri-d (reset) > 61 trance > 62 tri-d (reset) (dots drop for 2s) > 92 hardcast > 120 tri-d (regular) (clip dots by 2s).
You can try and rearrange it, but you will always find your dots will drop somewhere. This ends up getting worse when you consider how your gcds line up and how dots tend to delay slightly when applying.

Also, you still build up damage to phoenix, and you need to time your bahamut early (cut your DWT short) to get dots and akh morn in raid buffs. There is less choice, but still plenty of naunces to deal with. The main issues people had with 4.1 SMN are just moved to other places. That said, I do support a higher CPM rotation, and the 30s aetherflow cycle. It's fun and also works really well at lower levels, although I think the CPM from egi assaults could be cut down slightly.

[Gallus]

You will always find your dots will drop somewhere. This ends up getting worse when you consider how your gcds line up and how dots tend to delay slightly when applying.

I've noticed this too. And yes, it's annoying as hell. It would be as easy as making Miasma and Bio III last 36 seconds instead of 30, then again, that would make sense. You are asking for common sense to a bunch of people that decided to turn Ruins into festeruins, making SMN a completely clown class in large scale bosses such as S hunts (and some As in peak hours), big fates or possibly future content with 50+ players involved, because guess what? Even the WHM next to you will make fun of your DPS when your Ruins III have an inevitable potency of 100 because you cannot apply your dots.
And they decided that festeruins were a good idea because...?
You go ask SE. I'll be playing BLM or even RDM on the meantime, I've leveled SMN to 80 and I was really, really excited about it, but I refuse to play this joke class in its current state.