Can't decide between Bard or Summoner

[Cythil]

I'm not sure whether I want to play Bard or Summoner.

I really like bards overall look both armor and weapon wise, though their animations aren't terrible interesting. The proc based gameplay seems fun but I feel like it could also feel bad if you get bad luck. I've heard they lost utility but they still seem to have some that I like the look of. My biggest concern with them is that it seems like DoTs are important but they have no easy way to spread them in AoE situations aside from just singularly casting their DoTs on each enemy.

Summoner I like the look of specifically for the later game abilities and their weapon of choice. I personally just like the way book wielding mages look and being able to summon things like Bahamut and Pheonix seem cool. I'm always a bit iffy on pet classes though cause I don't really trust pet AI. They also seem to have good utility though I think Bards looks a bit more fun to use.

I'd say I'm leaning a bit more towards bard. While Summoner has a weapon I really like and I'd say their animations are cooler, bards not having casts times is something I like because I like being able to move around while fighting. I just like their overall look a bit more. I'm just a bit iffy on the DoTs in AoE because Summoners do seem to have a way to spread it.

It's also a bit hard to gauge how fun people are finding these classes at max level because when I look into the classes I just see a lot about Bard losing utility and Summoner being very busy or hectic I guess.

[Niwashi]

One of this game's big selling points is that you don't need to decide. Play all the jobs you're interested in. (And the pacing works out better if you're alternating between jobs while going through the story anyway.)

And it sounds like you know enough about them already that the rest comes down to what you enjoy. Nobody else can tell you that, and you won't find out for yourself until you try them.

[Bryan_Weary1]

I'm not sure whether I want to play Bard or Summoner.

I really like bards overall look both armor and weapon wise, though their animations aren't terrible interesting. The proc based gameplay seems fun but I feel like it could also feel bad if you get bad luck. I've heard they lost utility but they still seem to have some that I like the look of. My biggest concern with them is that it seems like DoTs are important but they have no easy way to spread them in AoE situations aside from just singularly casting their DoTs on each enemy.

Summoner I like the look of specifically for the later game abilities and their weapon of choice. I personally just like the way book wielding mages look and being able to summon things like Bahamut and Pheonix seem cool. I'm always a bit iffy on pet classes though cause I don't really trust pet AI. They also seem to have good utility though I think Bards looks a bit more fun to use.

I'd say I'm leaning a bit more towards bard. While Summoner has a weapon I really like and I'd say their animations are cooler, bards not having casts times is something I like because I like being able to move around while fighting. I just like their overall look a bit more. I'm just a bit iffy on the DoTs in AoE because Summoners do seem to have a way to spread it.

It's also a bit hard to gauge how fun people are finding these classes at max level because when I look into the classes I just see a lot about Bard losing utility and Summoner being very busy or hectic I guess.

While I am personally partial to Summoner, nobody can tell you what you like, but you. I'm gonna second what Niwashi said. Why not both? If you find yourself having more fun with one than the other, then stick with that one.

[Aiqlas]

Do't worry about it , you can play both role and swap to another one you like anytime.