Theory on SE's Upcoming SMN Improvements

[Grandsummoner_Kairos]

Re: Theory on SE's Upcoming SMN Improvements

I think they need to adjust the spirit timer calculations though. That formula is a very old one and not up to date, it only holds true at lower levels. I have 330 summoning skill now and my spirits don't cast non-stop, but they cast every 18 seconds. The skill also lowers their interruption rate so they can get hit or stunned and still cast their spell. I think that is the only thing well done about the summoner job. The abilities that avatars use are, 70% of them, not powerful or useful.

As for a melee based avatar, I don't think there is any need for that because every avatar has some melee attacks that are not elemental, and no creature in this game can be without a set of elemental strengths and weaknesses.

The developers seem less concerned about the power that summoner has, and more concerned about the way they want people to play the job. White mage and Summoner are specifically what they worry about. They made it clear that they want white mage to be THE healer and summoners to be a summoner. They feel that the job in general right now doesn't play the way they designed it to play, and of course people are having ideas of preferring summoner or red mage over white mage as a healer even when one is seeking.
That is the main thing they need to fix with the job. Its not that summoner is weak or impractical, but its one of those jobs that no one could figure out when it was new and it became something molded to fit the game's current system at that time. They want people to be able to interact with the jobs in their party more than what is happening now (i.e. like corsair rolls or the way blu or smn can make a skillchain with almost anyone in the party)


Edit: After they fix up the job dynamics i would like a new light avatar please. (Madeen is fine thankyou)

[framerate]

Re: Theory on SE's Upcoming SMN Improvements

@coldrain perhaps you misunderstood me on my Astral Flow comment. I was only saying that if each avatar had an individual casting "cool down" then astral flow could only last a fraction of the 4 minutes (I think) it lasts now to prevent us from casting 8-12 astral flow's in a row (with ethers etc of course). It was simply a fix IF and ONLY IF SE decided to let our avatars act independent of one another.

As to the melee idea, @poster above me, Yes they all have melee attacks. But at my level, carbuncle may do 15 damage (to an exp mob), fenrir might do 30, a Samurai will hit for 70. Therefor DD is just another spot we don't fit into. I was proposing adding an avatar like Odin that could hit for maybe 40-60 consistantly (maybe higher on a critical) so that SMN's could get invites to replace the spot a DRK, SAM or DRG would normally take.

Also, @coldrain I think the reason people are going on and on about Odin is because we *think* he's been shown in the Aht Urghan trailer (as well as assumed to be connected to the horseman sightings in the woodlands in Aht Ughan).

Personally, I'd like to see phoenix, who has also been mentioned in the game, as the next summon. The idea of what he could do is amazing to think about.

[Grandsummoner_Kairos]

Re: Theory on SE's Upcoming SMN Improvements

I just think the reason they limited avatar damage is the same reason wyvern damage and puppet damage are limited. Except for some bad stigma reguarding this, there is nothing really stopping a summoner from going up there and attacking the mob along with the avatar. Weather this is popular or not, they have to make provisions so that if a summoner does happen to do this in a battle, the results won't be too overwhelming. I'm all for odin being added, but i think if his melee damage is going to be very good, then his bloodpacts might end up being mediocre or status effect based.