Summoner still shunned? <.<

[Salazar]

When I first started this game, I wanted to be a summoner.

So I started as a Blm > Whm and ended up just finishing Whm all the way to 75!

Now I am looking at a new job to level, and for some reason I was drawn to Smn, and just wanted to know if it is *really* that bad?

I know that they aren't the best job to xp, but what about endgame? Are they still decent?

I guess basically, I just want to here what you all have to say about the job in general.

[_chuchu]

Smn is like silly putty at anything in endgame. I hardly ever get asked to come as smn and I'm also 75WHM/BLM/BRD. It's not lulz by any stretch of the imagination, just kinda depends on the event

[Korremar]

If you've got a "more useful" job, like your WHM, you'll probably be on that most of the time. SMN most certainly does have its uses though. They're great for mostly-hateless ranged DD, and we usually stick either a SMN or a BLU in tank parties for Dyna/Sky/etc. for Stoneskin and backup healing.

[Valyana]

SMN still has an excellent damage to mob TP ratio and aoe stoneskin, which makes them useful for many HNM fights (at least if you're playing defensively)

[Isiolia]

SMN is a niche job. There are situations in endgame where it can be quite useful. Outside of them...well...you'll get plenty of time to solo.

Pet jobs in general are poorly implemented. SMN has had some boosts that help it some, but the core problems with SMN aren't ones that can be easily fixed without significantly changing the job.

Personally, it's pretty rare that I'd pick a SMN over something else for an activity.

[Faithe]

My Summoner is pretty strong and is used very often. With the new MP Restore job ability and /SCH sub, mp is easy to come by. I am still waiting on Caith Sith. Where is my Caith Sith avatar SE!!! HUH????

[Salazar]

SMN still has an excellent damage to mob TP ratio and aoe stoneskin, which makes them useful for many HNM fights (at least if you're playing defensively)

See the thing is, I'm not big into the HNM scene...

I mean, I like "endgame" such as Dynamis, Limbus, Assault, Salvage and I suppose maybe Sky, but HNM's seen blah to me.

[Valyana]

SMN is useful for certain Assaults (Golden Salvage), pet pulls are handy in several places in Limbus (but a WHM/SMN can handle that), SMN can be useful for fighting Long-Armed Chariot in Silver Sea Remnants if you can get LAC to focus on trying to charm the avatar rather than chasing players around.

Also, Astral Flow is nice for T1 Einherjar.

But in general, SMN isn't very useful for those sorts of events.

[Faithe]

If you are going to level summoner then you have to be pretty hardcore at it to make it good. I mean merit summoning magic skills and all. It can boots your buffs and damage pretty high and gives you a nice chuck of mp when you spirit syphon.

[Salazar]

SMN is useful for certain Assaults (Golden Salvage), pet pulls are handy in several places in Limbus (but a WHM/SMN can handle that), SMN can be useful for fighting Long-Armed Chariot in Silver Sea Remnants if you can get LAC to focus on trying to charm the avatar rather than chasing players around.

Also, Astral Flow is nice for T1 Einherjar.

But in general, SMN isn't very useful for those sorts of events.

Bah, I hate trying to find a new job to Lvl :/

I've had Smn, Cor, Blu, Dnc & Drk all up in the air...I just can't decide :O

[Lujei]

If you want to level it, do so. You shouldn't be completely worried about if every job has its uses. You're playing the game for fun (hopefully), so level a job you think that you'd enjoy playing.

[Salazar]

If you want to level it, do so. You shouldn't be completely worried about if every job has its uses. You're playing the game for fun (hopefully), so level a job you think that you'd enjoy playing.

Well yeah ofcourse I do play the game for fun, I'm not one of *those people*

I'd just hate to level a job, really like it, then never be able to use it? I'm sure you understand what I mean right?

[Faithe]

The only thing I hate about my summoner is all the caps it has. Haste cap, phalanx cap, fenrir's moon phase cap.

[orson]

Despite what people are saying about Smn on what a wide view of things, no it isn't shunned but it's also not in demand either. There's nothing in endgame that Smns are really "best" at except stuff that's done very rarely like Vrtra. Basically what I'm trying to say is you really should have a job like Whm, Rdm, Brd, etc. (possibly in addition a melee DD and/or tank) that you perform well at, have decent gear, and decent merits.

I'm 100% positive SE expected players to have multiple jobs. The only downside is for players that have limited play time and/or are new players. You should probably have a couple jobs because at some point you'll come across that having your other job is far more effective for the given situation.

[Myrrh_Quetz]

Smn is a fantastic job even if you can't use it for most endgame. If you enjoy soloing or you know a few other Smns then you can take down most things with ease. I solo a lot so I get a lot of use out of the job. With the other jobs you have lvled I doubt your Smn will see very much endgame. Unless of course you threaten to hold your breath and stomp your feet real hard.

[Midnightjade]

We used to SMN-burn some of the Apollyon zones, party was RDM BRD SMN SMN SMN NIN, with THF and BLU in a second party I think. Something like that. Very fun and we won each time we tried it.

[Callisto]

Summoner is fantastic when someone has that leveled and is not very good at any other jobs. It's relatively safe and hard to mess up, it's like the Duplo toys of jobs.

[Spekkio]

smn is great damage on some things and terrible on others. smn is only superceded by rng for damage on odin, and when khimeria was new and we had a rough time handling TP moves from him, we'd regularly bring several smn to dd it w/o feeding it exorbitant amounts of TP. most targets however, if you have whm and blm already lvled, your smn will see about as much action as a nun in a convent.

[Faithe]

Summoner is also getting some nice buffs in the next few patches. Here is the 1UP interview for summoners that we got a few weeks ago.

1UP: The Summoners want to know when you guys are going to start revealing more stuff about updates to Summoners. And will Astral Flow ever be better than the Level 70 blood pacts at higher levels? Basically Astral Flow isn't as good as some of the level 70 blood pacts that some summons have, like with Leviathan's Spinning Dive.

MG: First of all, as for new avatars, new summons, we can't say much yet. But we can say that there will be new summons, and yes, I said that in the plural. As for these new type of avatars that will be released. They will be a little bit different from the ones that already exist. They won't be as ability-based, or ability heavy. For example, the ones that we have now, they have like six or seven abilities per avatar. The new ones won't have as many.

As for why Astral Flow isn't as powerful as some of the Level 70 blood pacts, it's that Astral Flow is area-of-effect. It doesn't matter how many monsters are in the area, it'll be the same damage to the monsters in the effect range. Whereas the level 70 blood pacts are just for one target, so that's where the difference comes in.

So it is more than one avatars we are getting and it sounds strange. I swear if we get some shit like the Magus Sisters with weird blood pact, I will be a fucking summoner for life.

[Tsukasaz]

Magus Sisters would be fun, but I don't think they'd bother with the programming to allow us to control 3 AIs at once.