Endgame Summoner -- Garuda

[HiirNoivl]

Gearing up as Summoner:

Summoner's Base Stat is Intelligence. But you also want to gear up a lot of Crit Rate. Each DoT has it's own Crit Rate. So when you increase your Crit Rate you increase the rate of every DoT you put on. Also when your Egi Crits, you'll have a chance of boosting your spell speed by 20%, so for SMN it should be INT>CritRate>Spell Speed. These three Stats work synergystically (word?) to increase your damage.


Skilling up as Summoner:

The toughest thing you will ever learn as SMN is to chill. Once you DoT up, you need to check your timers on your DoTs so you don't over write them. This is especially important if your DoTs are enhanced by Contagion and Raging Strike. Unless you used Raging Strike which makes it impossible to overwrite. It will even ruin your Limit Break meter contribution. Better to let them fall off than do that.

Don't kill yourself and your MP refreshing DoTs that don't need it. If the Enemy is running or jumping out of range, use Contagion. 15 secs is plenty of time to extend your DoT timers so you don't have to over write them. Sometimes, when you use Bane, the timers on the newly DoT'ed add or adds will be full. If that's the case, you're done. No enemy has ever survived this. Do something else, play with your Egi, or something. Anything but overwrite your DoTs.

Don't use Aetherflow unless you're no longer under the effect. I see this a lot. Someone uses Aetherflow still has a stack or two of the ability and then uses it again to "refill". Don't do this.

Chill out. This is the hardest thing to do as a SMN. I'm still learning to do this. WAR has given me a horrible trigger finger.

2) Learn your Egi:

Your Egi is part of you. Know its habits and its abilities. I found out that my Garuda Egi likes to use Contagion on one DoT. That's a terrible waste. She likes to Blow enemies far away. That's annoying. That's why I never let Garuda "Sic" unless I'm soloing and don't care. Did you know that Ifrit and Titan have a stun ability? If you're fighting say Chimera or Ifrit where stuns are of the utmost importance, Turn that ability OFF. I don't know how many poor Chimera Parties are wiping because people are giving their Egi's Free Range to do whatever they want and they're making the mob immune to Stun. Know what your beast is doing. Finally, I don't know what beef people have with Enkindle, but It's really nice to use on Adds. Try it! It's great for Demon Wall.

3) Learn to be Psychic. Once you've run a battle enough you pretty much know what's going to happen. Who cares that Shadowflare has a 3 second Cast time? If I'm not sure what's going to happen in a fight beyond my next breath, I have bigger problems. Knowlege is power. Use it.

[nimuniverse]

Agreed on all points. Nice posts.

[Nemhy]

snip

Do you usually let them hit 0 instead of timing them to hit at the dot is about to wear off? between casting animations and GCD I find that I have to start casting thunder at about 5 seconds left to get it on the mob in time