My thoughts on how to fix SMN

[Dracan_Fontom]

Sigh...

And here we go again with people that:
A) want Egis removed, despite their presence being pretty much solidified by this game's lore/setting (not to mention in official media, like artwork and encyclopaedias).
B) claim that it "would make a better summoner", aka. one "closer" to past FF games.

Look we get it, we really do.
SMN is in serious need of adjustments across the board.

But removing/replacing its Egis because of "aesthetics" (or because "it's not like previous FF games") is not a valid reason.

Otherwise, why stop there?
Remove the faeries from SCH (and change their role) as well, while we're at it.

Back in SB, I really wanted Egis to work like BRD songs where you would summon each egi for a limited period of time and it would give a unique buff to the smn/party. Then, once the egi disappears, you unlock the trance for a demi primal. For example, you summon Garuda for 30 seconds and once it leaves are able to summon Demi Bahamut through DWT. After you gain access to Ifrit Egi them to Phoenix by way of FBT, etc, etc.

[Taranok]

Back in SB, I really wanted Egis to work like BRD songs where you would summon each egi for a limited period of time and it would give a unique buff to the smn/party. Then, once the egi disappears, you unlock the trance for a demi primal. For example, you summon Garuda for 30 seconds and once it leaves are able to summon Demi Bahamut through DWT. After you gain access to Ifrit Egi them to Phoenix by way of FBT, etc, etc.

The versions of egis I want to see would kinda/sorta be this, but designed around rotating trances instead of the egi itself, and you remove permanent pets because the devs still haven't figured out how to make permanent pets interesting, and I'm not certain the devs can at this point, seeing how ShB made them vastly better but they still feel completely awful to interact with.

But using a trance system, you can naturally upgrade the ACN carbuncles into SMN egis, which are in turn upgraded into SMN Demis, and you can add abilities to the class to temp-summon pets for a limited amount of time, both during demi summons or standalone (or both, really), and it's just a 10-30s pet that comes in and does stuff, then unsummons.

Egis as a permanent pet, mechanically, in the game has been a complete and utter failure at all levels summoned. Demis, as temporary conditional summons, have been a partial (erring towards mostly) success. Automaton Queen is a complete success as a temporary pet. Maybe the Demi system should be refined, maybe Demis should turn into AQ, I'm not going to pretend which way it should go, but focusing the class on temp summons and trances seems to be the correct path for the class, with an emphasis on making the trances more significantly alter the rotation to match the theme of the pet itself that's being tranced.

And Exodus, I'm sounding very much like a broken record now, but lore is not, and never should be used, as an excuse to keep a terrible system in the game. Egis in SB and earlier were a terrible system. Egis in ShB still are a terrible system, just not as bad as they were in SB and prior. I would seriously throw out the lore entirely concerning egis if it meant Summoner actually played well. A retcon is a much smaller headache than dealing with a class forced to be terrible because of "lore."

[Ex_Nihil]

I was going to say- Machinist does a good job with "pets"- arguably better than SMN does. As cool as turning SMN into "trance mage" would be, realistically I don't think Square would go that route.

Any overhaul discussion should probably be reserved for 6.0+ discussion, because, as far as I've seen, Square has never changed how a class plays that drastically during an expansion.

Instead, let's talk about ways square can improve the system that is already in place. Look at my earlier posts, and post your thoughts on that. If you're going to suggest a change, please keep the changes that you do suggest within the realm of possibility that Square could/would actually implement THIS expansion.

[ShadowYomi]

I would like titan to be more of a defense catered pet that had either a aoe heal or shield the normal shield is ok but its not like it would hurt to take its aoe attack away or give it a stacking aoe shield added to mountain buster. I have given up on physick ever being useful on smn.

[Ex_Nihil]

I would like titan to be more of a defense catered pet that had either a aoe heal or shield the normal shield is ok but its not like it would hurt to take its aoe attack away or give it a stacking aoe shield added to mountain buster. I have given up on physick ever being useful on smn.

Titan and Physick both need to be deleted. Neither one will ever be used out side of VERY niche scenarios.

[Vitreus]

I'm not a game dev but let's see how people like this.

I think this would make a better summoner. Imo.

I love the idea that our summons are directly involved with building aetherflow and build into our rotation instead of just auto attacking or being oGCDs nukes.

What do you think about summoning multiple Egi's at the same time like we've seen other master summoners do in our quests? So for example summoning Ifrit, then later summoning Titan without losing Ifrit, and then even later summoning Geruda without losing the other two. And then we could sacrifice all three to summon Bahamut and have Bamahut lead directly into Firebird?

EDIT: also I like the idea of consolidating Egi-Assault I & II into a choice of single/multi target with them sharing CD's and charges. And having their use either build aetherflow or unlock the next summon. I like the idea that it's our interactions with or summons that allow further summons and power.