- Joined
- Jan 2, 2006
- Messages
- 22
OK, I admit it, I am a Summoner, and I rather like it. It's not my main job, but like many others, I was fascinated by the avatars, and noticed how many of the various special battles seem to have Summoner in the various plans for success. So have you, or you wouldn't be here. My other admission is that when it came time for the avatar battles, I read, I researched, I studied, and the result was I consistently had various body parts handed to me by those entirely too gleeful avatars. How many times, and over how long a time period is embarrasing, but I eventually scrapped most of what I thought I knew, and developed my own way of beating avatars into submission, which is much more exciting. It's not unusual to be asked by up and coming Summoners, how to beat the avatars. Actually, I was surprised to find that this method was teachable, and that Summoners were meeting with success using it. So, upon request, I am posting what I did, and what I teach. Many quality sites cover the details of fame, the mini-fork quests, and everything else I've left out of this post. I am assuming you have acquired the mini-forks for the battles you wish to fight. This is a strategic and tactical approach only.
Strategy:
I clearly remember thinking, "I'm here to win. It's not over till I win." This is the major strategy here. Come prepared to stay till you win. It's not easy, cheap or elegant, but an avatar acquired is for the life of your character, do what it takes.
Character preparation:
You want your Summoning magic skill to be capped for the level 20 fight, which means 63. The only known method to raise Summoning magic skill is to summon, over and over, many, many times. You can summon anything, but I have ways, confirmed by others, that seem to work a bit more quickly than others. Practicing your summoning in areas where you are seriously at risk, just outside Jeuno, or Khazaam, seems to bring faster skill-ups for level 20's than just outside your home city. I summon spirits, as they summon faster than avatars, and I summon them according to the elemental wheel I learned as a Ninja, as Fire, Water, Thunder, Earth, Air, Ice. Also, a real life friend has noted that if you summon in proximity to a battle you definitely don't belong in, good skill-ups tend to happen.
Skill-up your club, 58 for your level 20 Summoner. Why? Later!
Finding ways to increase your Evasion can be difficult, but highly useful. Hopefully you have another melee job where where this can happen, or be done with relatively low risk.
Become a Greedielox, the most Greedielox you can be. See Bluffnix, Lower Jeuno (H-9) in Muckvix's Junk Shop for details. In other words, get the biggest Gobbie Bag you can carry. You will need it and use it.
Gear:
Each item in the gear slot is chosen to give attributes in the following priority. This is very important. Gear examples may be given, but you must do your research, as gear options change over time. The best gear now is not what I wore then.
1) Spell interruption resistance: I used Hermit's Wand and Heki Obi +1, but you do your research.
2) Evasion: There is a noticable bonus to spell interruption resistance from evasion, even while being hit. My Ninja has many times successfully cast shadows, toe to toe with the mob, while having the stuffings kicked out of me, with Evasion a priority at preparation time. Same for summoners, when its time to summon, you must summon successfully.
3) Defence: Note that you are "here to stay". Stay alive.
4) Hit Points: You'll need hit points, get them.
5) Accuracy: Part of the further preparations includes seeing that Carby hits, you will want to do your part as well.
Astute observers will notice that MP is not on the list. If your MP exceeds 60 (it always does) your ready.
Food and Drinks:
Here I will get a bit more specific about what you are looking for, but do your research as foods available changes.
Food: This is the part that varies the most by personal preference. I used Defense food successfully, and still recommend it, but am lately recommending a Jack-o-lantern. The high evasion certainly is useful, and the lowered charisma will reduce the effect of your hate aquiring actions.
Refresh drink: Bring one Yagudo drink until something better comes along. You want an effective time at least as long as Astral Flow, and the most mp per tic you can get.
Regen drink: Bring one Pear au Lait. 5 minutes is long enough, and 3 hp per tic is nice.
Meds:
The choices here are very important. Some meds perform well at the Auction House and poorly in battle. Some summoners have learned this to their regret.
Ether: You will use two ethers, you may want one spare. Do not use Hi-Ethers, they take too long to consume, and you're twiddling your thumbs for too long after, see "Unable to ... " messages.
Hi-Potions: The best choice of hp recovery meds. Consumption is fast and repeatable soon after. How many? Soon!
Time for Battle?
Choose your victim avatar and when you fight it, by the elements. If you're not adept at the elements (I wasn't) you will be (usually I am.) Carby is strongest on Lightsday, and I prefer daylight hours, and some (including me) have fought successfully on Lightsday, but I don't recommend it. The avatars are strongest on their elemental day and should be completely avoided then, when they are at their meanest, vicious, cruelest, no doubt laughing at me while eating gravel at their feet ... (did I mention the love/hate relationship summoners have with avatars?) The best success is to fight them on the day they are weakest, during daylight when Carby is strongest (I prefer noon). as follows:
Ifrit: Watersday
Leviathan: Lightningsday
Ramuh: Earthsday
Titan: Windsday
Garuda: Iceday
Shiva: Firesday
Opinions vary widely about the relative difficulty of the avatars, but someone always asks, so here's an opinion of the weakest to the toughest fights: Titan, Shiva, Garuda, Leviathan, Ifrit, Ramuh. Discussions about this order are best conducted in taverns where everyone knows everyone else's opinion is ill informed.
You can repeat a fight once per Earth day, each day beginning at midnight in Japan. Look it up if it matters to you.
Leaving the Moghouse:
Set your job as SMN/WHM (i've a friend who plans to try /NIN, we'll see). Take the following items with you, and leave the rest at home. One mini-fork, complete weapon/armor set (gear changes mid-battle are beyond this discussion and I prefer to use the space to more advantage), one food, one refresh drink (two if it comforts you), one regen drink, two ether's (three if you want a spare) ... and now it's time to use your Greedielox status. Fill up to the max on Hi-Potions. Remember, you're going to battle to stay there till you win. I'm serious. So many times I've heard, "I almost made it, but I was hurting and he hit me hard." In the worst fight I ever won, I consumed 22 Hi-potions, if I'd needed 23 I would have lost. Instead Ramuh is mine, for life, and completely at my beck and call. Easily worth it. Note the complete lack of an exit strategy. When you win, you get a Warp Scroll, if not, you home point.
Macro's:
The rule here is macro everything. I've been in battles so intense, my hands were shaking so hard, I never could have typed anything or selected from a menu. And, as advized by a friend, know your macro's, where they are, what they do, when to use them. Some samples, arrange and number as you see fit. Interpret a semi-colon to mean a new line.
1) /ma Carbuncle <me>
2) /pet Assault <t>
3) /pet Release <me>
5) /item "Hi-Potion" <me>
7) /item "Ether" <me>
9) /pet "Searing Light" <bt>
10) /ja "Astral Flow" <me>;/wait 1;/item "Yagudo Drink" <me>
At the quest NPC:
You will gain an advantage if you can meet a WHM friend at the quest NPC. Acquire the best Protect and Shell available and a Bar(element) to match the avatar you're fighting, as Barstonra when fighting Titan, and a Bar(effect) to match an effect that's giving you difficulty, as Barparalyzra when fighting Ramuh. Did I mention, do your research. Trade your mini-fork to the non-taru npc, and warp to the crystal.
At the Crystal:
Gather you're wits and review your macros. Very important, trade the mini-fork to the crystal. Do not simply target the crystal and press enter. Doing so will put you in the uncapped fight, where you will quickly become snack food.
You're in:
The graphics and music are pretty intense, so settled down, consume your food, your Regen drink, cast Aquaveil on yourself, and get ready to rumble. The arena is simple, a starting point, a fairly straight run to a bend, and then on up to the nest.
Fighting right now!
Run up to the bend, pause, and face the nest. Summon Carby, when he's out and ready, begin you're run to the nest. Continue targeting till you get the avatar in your sights. Lock on and charge! Use your assault macro, and engage the avatar yourself. As soon as you've seen carby hit, use your astral flow macro. Don't be running, the macro as defined consumes your Refresh drink, and you must have it.
Searing Light: Carby has hit, so do your Searing Light macro. It takes a minute, and 40 mp to recast Searing light, but you'll be busy in the meantime, and you'll have the mp when you need it.
Ether: Sometime in the 30 seconds following a Searing Light, you need to consume an Ether. You have it macroed, so when you can get it done.
Hi-Potion: There will come times when you have better things to do than consume Hi-Potions, so keep your hp topped off with Hi-Potions whenever you can.
Prepping for next Searing Light: Aside from consuming the Ether you need, and whatever Hi-Potions you need, while giving the avatar a good spanking with your wand, you and Carby will be taking some hits, and enduring some specials, some of which can be devastating. Keep after the Searing Light macro, as the chat window will reply how long till you can cast it again. I like to have an old fashioned analog clock with second hand nearby, so with a glance I can see how much time I have. With about 15-20 seconds to go, check on Carby, if he's dead, his health is low, or he seems to be suffering from a special, like Paralysis, release him, and summon him again. This is when you depend most upon Aquaveil, Spell Interruption and Evasion gear, and you're food. The avatar is likely beating you about the head and shoulders and you must get Carby summoned.
Repeat: With a few seconds remaining on Searing Light, begin spamming that macro till it succeeds, and repeat from there, until you've cast all three Searing Lights.
Specials: Garuda has Aerial Armor, a blink effect. If you notice this, adjust your timing to allow a few hits to go through those blinks before using Searing Light, you have a little leeway in timing. Leviathan has Slowga, which makes the running around plan I no longer use very ineffective. Ramuh has Paralyzega which complicates things a lot. If you are Paralyzed, keep trying to get off a Paralyna on yourself. You may recover in time to win. Don't try Searing Light if you or Carby are paralyzed, it's likely to fail, but you'll still have to wait out the one minute recast to try again. Highly annoying.
Never give up: Very few avatars, on there weakest days, can withstand all three searing lights, but it has happened. If the avatar remains, keep spanking him and consuming Hi-Potions If you have 7 mp left, cast Dia and if you die don't leave until the Dia wears off or the avatar dies. When the avatar dies you win, even when dead.
Success!!
Congratulations!! Warp home and run to the nearest exit to meet your new and much friendlier avatar! And remember, success breeds success. Pick another and keep moving.
Failure
It has been my experience that those who succeed the most have failed the most. Failures can be disheartening, but before they get lost, go back and check the battle history. See if you were the victim of a devastating special. It happens. Luck is a factor. If you need to learn your macros better, do so, I know I had to become very familiar with them. Review the overall strategy. It comes from more experience than just my own, and differs widely from others. Most important, make a strategy your own. Know what you can and can't do, and how to move the battle in your favor.
Good Luck!!
To all you up and coming summoners out there, keep saying to yourself, "It's not over till I win."
Legal mumbo-jumbo:
The contents of this post represents my experience, and the experience of others who have attended my boot camp. What you do with it and the results are entirely in your hands. I am not responsible for massive outlays of gil, any damage that you may inflict upon your computer and its environs in the heat of battle, or any laundry that may need done upon your success or failure.
Strategy:
I clearly remember thinking, "I'm here to win. It's not over till I win." This is the major strategy here. Come prepared to stay till you win. It's not easy, cheap or elegant, but an avatar acquired is for the life of your character, do what it takes.
Character preparation:
You want your Summoning magic skill to be capped for the level 20 fight, which means 63. The only known method to raise Summoning magic skill is to summon, over and over, many, many times. You can summon anything, but I have ways, confirmed by others, that seem to work a bit more quickly than others. Practicing your summoning in areas where you are seriously at risk, just outside Jeuno, or Khazaam, seems to bring faster skill-ups for level 20's than just outside your home city. I summon spirits, as they summon faster than avatars, and I summon them according to the elemental wheel I learned as a Ninja, as Fire, Water, Thunder, Earth, Air, Ice. Also, a real life friend has noted that if you summon in proximity to a battle you definitely don't belong in, good skill-ups tend to happen.
Skill-up your club, 58 for your level 20 Summoner. Why? Later!
Finding ways to increase your Evasion can be difficult, but highly useful. Hopefully you have another melee job where where this can happen, or be done with relatively low risk.
Become a Greedielox, the most Greedielox you can be. See Bluffnix, Lower Jeuno (H-9) in Muckvix's Junk Shop for details. In other words, get the biggest Gobbie Bag you can carry. You will need it and use it.
Gear:
Each item in the gear slot is chosen to give attributes in the following priority. This is very important. Gear examples may be given, but you must do your research, as gear options change over time. The best gear now is not what I wore then.
1) Spell interruption resistance: I used Hermit's Wand and Heki Obi +1, but you do your research.
2) Evasion: There is a noticable bonus to spell interruption resistance from evasion, even while being hit. My Ninja has many times successfully cast shadows, toe to toe with the mob, while having the stuffings kicked out of me, with Evasion a priority at preparation time. Same for summoners, when its time to summon, you must summon successfully.
3) Defence: Note that you are "here to stay". Stay alive.
4) Hit Points: You'll need hit points, get them.
5) Accuracy: Part of the further preparations includes seeing that Carby hits, you will want to do your part as well.
Astute observers will notice that MP is not on the list. If your MP exceeds 60 (it always does) your ready.
Food and Drinks:
Here I will get a bit more specific about what you are looking for, but do your research as foods available changes.
Food: This is the part that varies the most by personal preference. I used Defense food successfully, and still recommend it, but am lately recommending a Jack-o-lantern. The high evasion certainly is useful, and the lowered charisma will reduce the effect of your hate aquiring actions.
Refresh drink: Bring one Yagudo drink until something better comes along. You want an effective time at least as long as Astral Flow, and the most mp per tic you can get.
Regen drink: Bring one Pear au Lait. 5 minutes is long enough, and 3 hp per tic is nice.
Meds:
The choices here are very important. Some meds perform well at the Auction House and poorly in battle. Some summoners have learned this to their regret.
Ether: You will use two ethers, you may want one spare. Do not use Hi-Ethers, they take too long to consume, and you're twiddling your thumbs for too long after, see "Unable to ... " messages.
Hi-Potions: The best choice of hp recovery meds. Consumption is fast and repeatable soon after. How many? Soon!
Time for Battle?
Choose your victim avatar and when you fight it, by the elements. If you're not adept at the elements (I wasn't) you will be (usually I am.) Carby is strongest on Lightsday, and I prefer daylight hours, and some (including me) have fought successfully on Lightsday, but I don't recommend it. The avatars are strongest on their elemental day and should be completely avoided then, when they are at their meanest, vicious, cruelest, no doubt laughing at me while eating gravel at their feet ... (did I mention the love/hate relationship summoners have with avatars?) The best success is to fight them on the day they are weakest, during daylight when Carby is strongest (I prefer noon). as follows:
Ifrit: Watersday
Leviathan: Lightningsday
Ramuh: Earthsday
Titan: Windsday
Garuda: Iceday
Shiva: Firesday
Opinions vary widely about the relative difficulty of the avatars, but someone always asks, so here's an opinion of the weakest to the toughest fights: Titan, Shiva, Garuda, Leviathan, Ifrit, Ramuh. Discussions about this order are best conducted in taverns where everyone knows everyone else's opinion is ill informed.
You can repeat a fight once per Earth day, each day beginning at midnight in Japan. Look it up if it matters to you.
Leaving the Moghouse:
Set your job as SMN/WHM (i've a friend who plans to try /NIN, we'll see). Take the following items with you, and leave the rest at home. One mini-fork, complete weapon/armor set (gear changes mid-battle are beyond this discussion and I prefer to use the space to more advantage), one food, one refresh drink (two if it comforts you), one regen drink, two ether's (three if you want a spare) ... and now it's time to use your Greedielox status. Fill up to the max on Hi-Potions. Remember, you're going to battle to stay there till you win. I'm serious. So many times I've heard, "I almost made it, but I was hurting and he hit me hard." In the worst fight I ever won, I consumed 22 Hi-potions, if I'd needed 23 I would have lost. Instead Ramuh is mine, for life, and completely at my beck and call. Easily worth it. Note the complete lack of an exit strategy. When you win, you get a Warp Scroll, if not, you home point.
Macro's:
The rule here is macro everything. I've been in battles so intense, my hands were shaking so hard, I never could have typed anything or selected from a menu. And, as advized by a friend, know your macro's, where they are, what they do, when to use them. Some samples, arrange and number as you see fit. Interpret a semi-colon to mean a new line.
1) /ma Carbuncle <me>
2) /pet Assault <t>
3) /pet Release <me>
5) /item "Hi-Potion" <me>
7) /item "Ether" <me>
9) /pet "Searing Light" <bt>
10) /ja "Astral Flow" <me>;/wait 1;/item "Yagudo Drink" <me>
At the quest NPC:
You will gain an advantage if you can meet a WHM friend at the quest NPC. Acquire the best Protect and Shell available and a Bar(element) to match the avatar you're fighting, as Barstonra when fighting Titan, and a Bar(effect) to match an effect that's giving you difficulty, as Barparalyzra when fighting Ramuh. Did I mention, do your research. Trade your mini-fork to the non-taru npc, and warp to the crystal.
At the Crystal:
Gather you're wits and review your macros. Very important, trade the mini-fork to the crystal. Do not simply target the crystal and press enter. Doing so will put you in the uncapped fight, where you will quickly become snack food.
You're in:
The graphics and music are pretty intense, so settled down, consume your food, your Regen drink, cast Aquaveil on yourself, and get ready to rumble. The arena is simple, a starting point, a fairly straight run to a bend, and then on up to the nest.
Fighting right now!
Run up to the bend, pause, and face the nest. Summon Carby, when he's out and ready, begin you're run to the nest. Continue targeting till you get the avatar in your sights. Lock on and charge! Use your assault macro, and engage the avatar yourself. As soon as you've seen carby hit, use your astral flow macro. Don't be running, the macro as defined consumes your Refresh drink, and you must have it.
Searing Light: Carby has hit, so do your Searing Light macro. It takes a minute, and 40 mp to recast Searing light, but you'll be busy in the meantime, and you'll have the mp when you need it.
Ether: Sometime in the 30 seconds following a Searing Light, you need to consume an Ether. You have it macroed, so when you can get it done.
Hi-Potion: There will come times when you have better things to do than consume Hi-Potions, so keep your hp topped off with Hi-Potions whenever you can.
Prepping for next Searing Light: Aside from consuming the Ether you need, and whatever Hi-Potions you need, while giving the avatar a good spanking with your wand, you and Carby will be taking some hits, and enduring some specials, some of which can be devastating. Keep after the Searing Light macro, as the chat window will reply how long till you can cast it again. I like to have an old fashioned analog clock with second hand nearby, so with a glance I can see how much time I have. With about 15-20 seconds to go, check on Carby, if he's dead, his health is low, or he seems to be suffering from a special, like Paralysis, release him, and summon him again. This is when you depend most upon Aquaveil, Spell Interruption and Evasion gear, and you're food. The avatar is likely beating you about the head and shoulders and you must get Carby summoned.
Repeat: With a few seconds remaining on Searing Light, begin spamming that macro till it succeeds, and repeat from there, until you've cast all three Searing Lights.
Specials: Garuda has Aerial Armor, a blink effect. If you notice this, adjust your timing to allow a few hits to go through those blinks before using Searing Light, you have a little leeway in timing. Leviathan has Slowga, which makes the running around plan I no longer use very ineffective. Ramuh has Paralyzega which complicates things a lot. If you are Paralyzed, keep trying to get off a Paralyna on yourself. You may recover in time to win. Don't try Searing Light if you or Carby are paralyzed, it's likely to fail, but you'll still have to wait out the one minute recast to try again. Highly annoying.
Never give up: Very few avatars, on there weakest days, can withstand all three searing lights, but it has happened. If the avatar remains, keep spanking him and consuming Hi-Potions If you have 7 mp left, cast Dia and if you die don't leave until the Dia wears off or the avatar dies. When the avatar dies you win, even when dead.
Success!!
Congratulations!! Warp home and run to the nearest exit to meet your new and much friendlier avatar! And remember, success breeds success. Pick another and keep moving.
Failure
It has been my experience that those who succeed the most have failed the most. Failures can be disheartening, but before they get lost, go back and check the battle history. See if you were the victim of a devastating special. It happens. Luck is a factor. If you need to learn your macros better, do so, I know I had to become very familiar with them. Review the overall strategy. It comes from more experience than just my own, and differs widely from others. Most important, make a strategy your own. Know what you can and can't do, and how to move the battle in your favor.
Good Luck!!
To all you up and coming summoners out there, keep saying to yourself, "It's not over till I win."
Legal mumbo-jumbo:
The contents of this post represents my experience, and the experience of others who have attended my boot camp. What you do with it and the results are entirely in your hands. I am not responsible for massive outlays of gil, any damage that you may inflict upon your computer and its environs in the heat of battle, or any laundry that may need done upon your success or failure.
