7.0 SMN First Impressions

[shonee]

The media embargo is lifted! While I am VERY excited for many of the job updates, when I saw what was in store for SMN, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. I’ve talked about my thoughts on Endwalker SMN before ( https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/forum.php#threads/459094 ) and was hopeful that some of the feedback would be addressed, especially with SO many jobs getting a fresh coat of paint and exciting new actions… but seeing that all we’ve gotten is a new trance that seems to behave nearly identical to the first two, a follow-up action to Searing Light, and some potency upgrades… it feels like we’ve been almost forgotten

In thinking about these minimal changes, I returned to my impressions after having handled the 6.0 changes for the first time, especially the thought that the job felt incomplete, and I think I’ve pinpointed the 2 main reasons.

1) Rotation Stagnation. Between levels 1 and 86, you mostly hit the same buttons the exact same way. The only real difference you feel is when you get the extra primal GCDs/OGCDs. The difference in cast times/potencies between Ruby/emerald/topaz IS interesting, but when its the only variance and strategy the job has to offer, it feels lacking. Which brings me to…

2) Lack of Something to Manage. Every other job has a gauge or a timer - for the other casters in particular, pictomancer will have two major mechanics to keep track of, red mage has white/black mana balance, and black mages have their stance and xenoglossy timer. Summoner, when it comes down to it, is hitting two buttons every minute as soon as they come off cooldown: trance and aetherflow. There’s no building up of resources or true risk of overcapping, just waiting for two buttons to come off cooldown. Originally, we had the DOTs to manage, but without a suitable replacement, there is a definite emptiness to the rotation.

I will probably still play SMN upon release because the job is very dear to me, and I will try as much as possible to keep an open mind until I can play it for myself. Thank you very much to all the devs and best of luck finishing things up for early access; I hope my words can be of some use in terms of feedback!

[Ggwppino]

You hit the 2 points.

On the first point, I have something to say:
Before Bahamut, the smn casts practically always except during Titan, after Bahamut 15 seconds of instant cast are added.
Emerald ruin 3 has less PPS than ruin 3, so the player is put in the position of choosing whether to do more damage with more risk, or less damage without risk, but when emerald ruin 3 becomes emerald rite, this magic is lost and more seconds of instant cast are added. After 86, more instant casts are added.

Ironically, the smn, although remaining really monotonous and very boring, becomes less engaging as it increases in level.
Personally I find it absurd and unacceptable that professionals have proposed such this class.

For the second point, however, I would like to add that the smn, in addition to the dots, had to manage the pet (which gradually lost things to do with each expansion) and the management of the movement with the ruin4 and its overcap (of shb).
Currently the smn doesn't have to manage anything and with the fact that everything is preset by the designers, it doesn't reward the player's skill and dedication.

I would like to give my feedback exclusively on what came out today, also because by now I have expressed my deep disgust for the new smn in every possible way imaginable:
They gave the heal they should have given immediately to Phoenix to Solar Bahamut, that's what they did in three years. Clowns.

[ShadowNyx3]

Clowns.

An utter clown show of a job indeed.

Completely expected based on the live letter so not at all surprising, but seeing the slightly more maneuverable heal as an extra feature of Solar Bahamut is pretty funny considering Phoenix is still sitting there with its now even more useless healing effects.

This job was categorically ignored in the interest of labor reduction for this expansion, given the high numbers of players playing it and the stated goal of pushing combat changes to 8.0. This is a fact and indisputable.

I look forward to the next 2.5 years of Summoner discourse carbon copied from Endwalker just like Solar Bahamut

[Raikai]

Despite not liking tha it was yet another Bahamut, I was expecting the Solar Bahamut to add new mechanics during its phase.

But it's kinda shocking that it's literally just a reskin.

Basically the only 'new' thing damage wise is the action following up Searing Light that will be easily used in the too many weaving windows SMN has.

[Ianmaru]

Despite not liking tha it was yet another Bahamut, I was expecting the Solar Bahamut to add new mechanics during its phase.

But it's kinda shocking that it's literally just a reskin.

LOL all they give SMN in DT is a reskin and its not even the reskin that a lot of ppl are asking for (Ramuh Shiva Leviathan reskin for the 3 primals after Phoenix)

[Raikai]

LOL all they give SMN in DT is a reskin and its not even the reskin that a lot of ppl are asking for (Ramuh Shiva Leviathan reskin for the 3 primals after Phoenix)

I know Bahamut lovers are happy (I guess?) but for the sake of diversity they could've gone anywhere else. Heck, or even invented a brand-new summon creature for this.

[Post]

I'm impressed that anyone thought that a new Demi Summon would work any differently after EW. In ShB they worked slightly differently, having cast times in Bahamut and at least a 1-2 combo in Phoenix.

Then they reworked the whole job, kept the two of them in EW, and somehow made them more similar. Hell, hitting 80 and getting Phoenix was a straight downgrade in 6.0, and it had to be pointed out to them by players for them to fix that. In fact, calling it now: you probably can still Aethercharge or Dreadwyrm Trance, but not Summon Solar/Bahamut/Phoenix without a target in DT (meaning you can't even precast and anticipate a boss' return when there's nothing to hit post level 70).

You have to understand, to the FFXIV battle design team, numbers going up ARE mechanics, character growth and role playing. It's like how Michael Bay thinks special effects are plot and storyline.

[Khryseis_Astra]

LOL all they give SMN in DT is a reskin and its not even the reskin that a lot of ppl are asking for (Ramuh Shiva Leviathan reskin for the 3 primals after Phoenix)

I really hope that if 8.0 is really going to be the “job identity expansion,” that they finally do Levi-Shiva-Ramuh. With the way they’ve rearranged things, it’s the best possible way to add things to the job without a ton of extra buttons, by adding a new triad of gems. And it gives them the possibility of expanding other triads of gems in the future. But without those 3, SMN feels incomplete, especially at level 100. PCT is going to have a full range of elements, and it would only make sense for SMN to have the same.

That said, the new additions don’t really change the job play much for me. I love the job and I’ll still love the job. I just want it to have more!

[Tsurayu]

What exactly did people expect?

The class was entirely redone for Endwalker. Did you really think it was going to get a bunch of changes for Dawntrail after all the work they put into it? Same with Paladin to a lesser degree and the people complaining about how similar it is. Yeah. And? It was almost as big of a redo in Endwalker. We don't fundamentally change the classes every expansion unless our name is Astrologian. <.<

[Kazamaiya]

Did you really think it was going to get a bunch of changes for Dawntrail

Yes, actually.

A new Expansion is supposed to be the time when we get evolutions for the jobs and when feedback gets addressed.
What constitutes as 'A bunch' is always up to interpretation and personal definitions, but i think most people expected more than this.