Theory on SMN Skillup

[Kametame]

Hey everyone, Kame here again. I've been bored after hitting SMN75 (ding!) for a bit, and so I've been skilling up to continue my study with spirits. I've found something really interesting that I would like you guys to help with. I may have found a way to make SMN skill up much less painful than they need be.

Hypothesis: Casting avatars/spirits on their relative day gives more of a chance of skilling up than just cycling through your avatar list.
--------------------------------
Materials:

Here's the list of days and their relative avatars/spirits.

Firesday - Ifrit, Fire Spirit, Leviathan, Water Spirit, Shiva, Ice Spirit

Earthday - Titan, Earth Spirit, Garuda, Air Spirit, Ramuh, Thunder Spirit

Watersday - Leviathan, Water Spirit, Ramuh, Thunder Spirit, Ifrit, Water Spirit

Windsday - Garuda, Air Spirit, Shiva, Ice Spirit, Titan, Earth Spirit

Icesday - Shiva, Ice Spirit, Garuda, Air Spirit, Ifrit, Fire Spirit

Lightningsday - Ramuh, Thunder Spirit, Titan, Earth Spirit, Leviathan, Water Spirit

Lightsday - Carbuncle, Light Spirit, Fenrir, Dark Spirit, Diabolos

Darksday - Fenrir, Dark Spirit, Diabolos, Carbuncle, Light Spirit
-----------------------------------
*Note: You don't have to cast them in the order I mentioned.
-----------------------------------

Terms:

Round = a full bar of MP used only for summoning magic (from full to 0)

Full Avatar Circuit = Rotating through all your avatars to skill up. This is basically the "control" setting, where I go through the avatars in my list as if though it shouldn't be affected by day.

Selective Avatar Circuit = Going through the avatars based on day (listed above)

Beginning of a day = 0:00 of an elemental day

End of a Day = 23:59 of the same day you started

-----------------------------------

Directions:

1. Place yourself outside of Al Zahbi's mog house. This will help minimize time lost from resting.

2. At the beginning of a day, start using as many rounds as you can doing a "Full Avatar Circuit" in the day until the end of the day. Take note of the skill up amount and rate of skill ups as well.

3. At the start of another day, start using as many rounds as you can doing a "Selective Avatar Circuit" in accordance to the day until the end of the day. Take note of the skill up amount and rate of skill ups.

4. Report your findings here. =P

-----------------------------------

I'll go first!

My Round: (1244 MP)
Starting SMN Skill: 220/269

Full Circuit Day: Darksday

1x Skill Up Achieved

1. Diabolos (0.1)

Total Skill Up- 0.1

----------------------------------------

Selective Circuit Day: Firesday

6x Skill Up Achieved

1. Ifrit (0.3)
2. Fire Spirit (0.2)
3. Fire Spirit (0.1)
4. Leviathan (0.1)
5. Shiva (0.2)
6. Ifrit (0.2)

Total Skill Up- 1.1

--------------------------------------

Results: Amazing difference. However, this was just comparing both circuits only once. I'm going to try it again to see what I can find out.

If you guys are bored enough to spend a couple hours experimenting with me, I'm more than glad for the extra help. Post what you find out here.
-------------------------------------

Test Date: 6/1/06
Circuit Type: Selective
My Round: (1243 MP)
Rounds Completed: 3.73
Skill: 224/269
Day/Moon: Watersday @ Waxing Gibbous (62%)

Ramuh (0.3)
Leviathan (0.3)
Ifrit (0.1)
Leviathan (0.2)
Fire Spirit (0.1)--- SMN Skill 225

Test Date: 6/1/06
Circuit Type: Full
My Round: (1243 MP)
Rounds Completed: 2.41
Skill: 227.2/271 --I had gotten a 0.2 Skill up during a merit party when I used Titan on Earthsday; I had also obtained 1 merit point into Summoning Magic)
Day/Moon: Watersday @ Waning Crescent (24%)

Leviathan (0.2)

-------------------------------------------
I had to cut the full circuit down because the trolls attacked Al Zahbi. I'll need to actually see if i can get any rate of skill up as fast, however, data is data.
-------------------------------------------

Test Date: 6/6/06 (OH NOES)
Circuit Type: Selective
My Round: (1243 MP)
Rounds Completed: 2.88
Skill: 232.2 (236.2 with merits)/269
Day/Moon: Lightningsday @ Waning Gibbous (92%)

Titan (0.2)
Thunder Spirit (0.2)
Earth Spirit (0.1)

Total: 0.5

Test Date: 6/6/06
Circuit Type: Full
My Round: (1243 MP)
Rounds Completed: 2.88
Skill: 232.7 (236.7 with merits)/269
Day/Moon: Lightsday @ Waning Gibbous (90%)

Titan (0.3)

Total: 0.3

-----------------------------------
Interesting... For once, the full circuit has an avatar not related to the day on skill up. However, it was the only skill up on that day. On the other hand, the selective circuit had less impacting skill ups (0.1-0.2) but they occured more frequently.
------------------------------------

[Kitalrez]

Re: Theory on SMN Skillup

I've noticed similar results when I skillup using this method. But I also noticed that my skillups seem to shoot way up when I try skilling on a Full Moon. You may want to test this effect out too.

[Kametame]

Re: Theory on SMN Skillup

A Full Moon you say? Do you remember which avatars you skilled up by using or was it just skilling up very consistently overall?

[Feenicks]

Re: Theory on SMN Skillup

I've noticed a Full Moon can affect weapon skillups as well, perhaps all skillups are affected by moon phase? People say that you can get better crafting skillups depending on moon phase as well.

[Thott]

Re: Theory on SMN Skillup

Full moon and when I am actually fighting mobs has given me the most skill ups
I normally get a full level in a short exp pt when if I was just casting alone I get maybe .1 or.2

[Tirrock]

Re: Theory on SMN Skillup

I never paid much attention to when I got skill-ups, but I know that my 268.7 was off of a carbuncle on lightday, full moon. I was testing something then, so I recorded the .1 in my notes too.

I can see wanting to work on your skill if you're huge on elemental spirit testing... but otherwise it's sort of pointless still. But hey, if sitting there spamming avatars over and over doesn't bore you to death, may as well. Right?

[Kametame]

Re: Theory on SMN Skillup

Tirrock: I may as well, since it doesn't seem SMN75 get parties often on my server. >_<

Okay, here's something that I've deduced from crafts and the moon phase, and how the same system can affect avatar skill-ups.

97-100% Moon Phase = Light (Fire, Wind, Thunder, Light)
0-3% Moon Phase = Dark (Water, Ice, Earth, Dark)

Now, why did I denote New and Full Moon as completely different elements? Each Craft has it's own "main" element. You can tell what element this is by the element that is weak to your guild's elemental holiday. Here's a list of these.

Cooking: Light Elemental (Holiday on Darksday)
Alchemy: Dark Elemental (Holiday on Lightsday)
Bonecraft: Earth Elemental (Holiday on Windsday)
Woodworking: Ice Elemental (Holiday on Firesday)
Fishing: Water Elemental (Holiday on Lightningsday)
Clothcraft: Ice Elemental (Holiday on Firesday)
Smithing: Fire Elemental (Holiday on Watersday)
Goldsmithing: Wind Elemental (Holiday on Icesday)
Leathercraft: Wind Elemental (Holiday on Icesday)

--Light Based Crafts (Best at Full Moon Lightsday or their elemental day)--
Cooking
Goldsmithing
Leathercraft
Smithing

--Dark Based Crafts (Best at New Moon Darksday or their elemental day)--
Alchemy
Bonecraft
Woodworking
Clothcraft

Fishing is not craft that is based on this system, because the best times to fish are both at New and Full Moon, so we'll toss that out for now.
=======================================
However, I digress... Avatar skill ups could be focused on the Moon the same way I mentioned that crafts could be stated above.

Full Moon (97%-100%) - Carbuncle, Light Spirit, Garuda, Air Spirit, Ifrit, Fire Spirit, Ramuh, Thunder Spirit

New Moon (0%-3%) - Diabolos, Fenrir, Dark Spirit, Titan, Earth Spirit, Shiva, Ice Spirit, Leviathan, Water Spirit

If you guys can/are bored enough to try this or my prior suggestion, try it out if you want, report your findings here.

[Xylaa]

Re: Theory on SMN Skillup

I'll try this soon, as I really would like to get my summoning magic up. It's only 162 as a level 66 summoner. Plus, I'm really interested not only in getting faster skill-ups, but spirits in general.

I can't get on the game for a couple more hours, so I might try it then while looking for a party.

[Kametame]

Re: Theory on SMN Skillup

Okay, I'm updating the first post with some newer tests on the selective avatar circuits and the full avatar circuits

[Tirrock]

Re: Theory on SMN Skillup

Cooking: Light Elemental (Holiday on Darksday)
Alchemy: Dark Elemental (Holiday on Lightsday)
Bonecraft: Earth Elemental (Holiday on Windsday)
Woodworking: Ice Elemental (Holiday on Firesday)
Fishing: Water Elemental (Holiday on Lightningsday)
Clothcraft: Water Elemental (Holiday on Firesday)
Smithing: Fire Elemental (Holiday on Watersday)
Goldsmithing: Wind Elemental (Holiday on Icesday)
Leathercraft: Wind Elemental (Holiday on Icesday)

Wouldn't wood be water too? I know it's an off-topic question, I'm just curious.

Back on topic-ish:

I may as well, since it doesn't seem SMN75 get parties often on my server.

Fair enough. SMN can get by with some pretty good trio parties against imps. It's great if you know a few other SMN that want exp/merits.

[Kametame]

Re: Theory on SMN Skillup

Wouldn't wood be water too? I know it's an off-topic question, I'm just curious.

Um... Ice is weak to fire, however, I did mess up on Clothcraft, it's supposed to be ice elemental. Changing that right now. XD

[Kitalrez]

Re: Theory on SMN Skillup

To reply back to Kametame's question, (sorry, it's been awhile since I checked out this thread), it wasn't necessarily any particular avatar or group. Mainly, I just noticed more skillups in general with summoning on a Full Moon. But, I was using your original method back when I was doing it, so I could've easily hit some particular group as you suggest later on down the thread. Incidentally, my skillups absolutely chug along when we're in mid-moonphases like Waning/Waxing Crescent. I suspect it works a little bit like Fishing Skillups, in that the two extremes might be a lot better for levelling it up.

We'll have to play around with it and check. I usually don't parse, so I rarely worry about the actual numbers. I just have noticed a lot more strings of skillups during these particular moonphases in the past. My WHM also seems to skillup spells better during the two ends of the moonphase.

[nod]

Re: Theory on SMN Skillup

I get better skill-ups if I face north-east while summoning. Try it -- works for me.

[SharMarali]

Re: Theory on SMN Skillup

I have a teensy problem with this test of skilling up using specific avatars related to the day of the week.

I don't see anything about a "control" test, where avatars NOT related to the day of the week were also used to compare the difference.

How can you tell that you were actually getting more skill ups for using Diabolos on a dark day if you didn't also use Shiva (or some other unrelated avatar)?

[Nakti]

Re: Theory on SMN Skillup

I don't see anything about a "control" test, where avatars NOT related to the day of the week were also used to compare the difference.

If I'm reading the OP correctly, I think the "control" test is the "Full Circuit Day".

It looks like Kametame went through all the avatars on a Darksday and only Diabolos gave a skill-up.

Interesting theory even if the sample is very small.