Quote Originally Posted by Kabooa View Post
Sounds like a simple Weaponskills and OGCDs (Avatar swings during attack animations during the preview) build your gauge, then your activation drains it to transform.

The emphasis on it "Not being a pet job" from SMN and MCH is kind of funny. That means Dark Knight is viewed as a pet job too. This cements the Avatar animations are just OGCD attacks.

"You decide when to bring in the Avatar" means it's likely a duration based on how much gauge you have. So you'll have some windows of flexibility. You'll do 10 second transformation windows here and there to ensure you have 20 second transformations during maximum buff and uptime segments.
Yeah, seems to be more like using an ability, but instead of you performing the attack, the avatar does it, which I like. Not really a fan of a "proper" pet job as melee, or at all really.

I mean, they have all but confirmed that SMN are getting an overhaul in the future, which I'm assuming will be for Endwalker. They said they have reached a breaking point, and that they have halted Egi glamour work, all for a reason that they will reveal in time. My point is that I think we have to take discussions of pets with a grain of salt before we see what actually happens, because SMN and MCH might even be closer in play style in Endwalker (when it comes to "pets") than most expect. It still looks like it's just OGCD attacks like you said though.

As for the "duration based on how much gauge" part, you've left out an important part of that sentence. "Keep attacking to build gauge, when that hits max you decide yourself where to bring in the Avatar", which would suggest you can't even bring it in unless the gauge is full. Obviously could be something missed in translation or misunderstood, but that just sounds like an ability that becomes available when the gauge is full, and you can ofc use that ability whenever you want. Unless there some other mechanics behind it, you wouldn't really have massive amounts of flexibility, because you'd want to use that gauge as soon as possible (or at least before you do an attack that generates more gauge).

Don't think there's really a whole lot to go on from this information in general, and seeing as the expansion is 6 months away, they probably don't have it all figured out themselves yet.