Job updates part#2 Summoner:

[Shirai]

http://www.playonline.com/pcd/topics/ff11us/detail/4299/detail.html

Summoner
Changes are scheduled for the following Blood Pact abilities:

- The effective range for Blood Pact: Ward area of effect enhancing and healing abilities will be increased and become equivalent to that of white magic spells such as "Protectra."

- Blood Pact: Ward "Hastega"
The Blood Pact: Ward ability "Hastega" will be adjusted to nullify the effects of Slow in the same manner as the white magic "Haste."

- Blood Pact: Rage
Meteor Strike / Geocrush / Wind Blade / Grand Fall / Heavenly Strike / Thunderstorm
Both damage and TP-based damage dealt by the above abilities will be increased.

Not too much, but I cannot say I am disappointed either.

However I do have some questions about the hastega thingy myself.
As I see the spider in the pic, it strikes me as funny that Spider web overrides my whm's haste and can only be removed by Erase.
On Dynamis - Xarcabard Hastega already overrided the Slowga move from the Demons, even that from the NMs.

If Hastega is to override Spider web, Sticky thread and the Diremite Slow it would mean that hastega is actually stronger then the WHM's spell.
Unless of course they ninja that too.

I'd love to test this after the update.

The same goes for the meritable blood pacts, although I do not expect too much from them.
I have unlocked them all and fully merited Heavenly strike myself.
Heavenly Strike does give some very nice returns already, but it would be fun to see a merit BP be equal to a Tier II AM.

 

[ds083roadkill]

quick, post in the red mage forum too cuz i wont know where to find new POL Announcements

 

[Shirai]

Oh dear, I am so sorry to try and discuss job specific updates in the therefor designed forums.

I'll leave the posting of the rdm updates in the red mage subforum to a red mage as mine is only level 1.

 

[Tagrineth]

It's better than nothing, but that isn't saying much. :| So may fixes needed for Blood Pact: Rage...

 

[Davion]

like I said before: /facepalm.

SE is such a let down.

 

[Rari]

I wish it was more... but I still like it. Increasing the AoE from BP:W means less emoting for me at least. (Come on, melee... run towards our avatars! Stop running away!)

...I wonder if the increased AoE will boost exp from campaign battles a noticeable amount. Healing Ruby II ftw? ftl? ft-nada?

However I do have some questions about the hastega thingy myself.
As I see the spider in the pic, it strikes me as funny that Spider web overrides my whm's haste and can only be removed by Erase.
On Dynamis - Xarcabard Hastega already overrides the Slowga move from the Demons, even that from the NMs.

If Hastega is to override Spider web, Sticky thread and the Diremite Slow it would mean that hastega is actually stronger then the WHM's spell.
Unless of course they ninja that too.

I'd love to test this after the update.

The same goes for the meritable blood pacts, although I do not expect too much from them.
I have unlocked them all and fully merited Heavenly strike myself.
Heavenly Strike does give some very nice returns already, but it would be fun to see a merit BP be equal to a Tier II AM.

Yeah, the hastega bit doesn't completely make sense. If it is more powerful than the WHM spell, it wouldn't surprise me if they nerf it. I've unlocked all of the T2 BP's too. But haven't decided which I've wanted to cap. I doubt SE would make it as powerful as BLM's T2 AM. But maybe they've taken into account we have to jump through more hoops to do the damage than BLM's who just cast the spell. ...but I doubt it.

I'm with you, more testing to do.

 

[Crumpet]

New avatars, where? D:

 

[Shirai]

But maybe they've taken into account we have to jump through more hoops to do the damage than BLM's who just cast the spell. ...but I doubt it.

I'm with you, more testing to do.

A fully merited Blood pact is already pretty close to 1k 'base' damage by itself if you land it unresisted.
Moreso if you magic burst it.
SE may be boosting a pact 100 damage per merit you put in, and it might not be that far fetched as even that is not overpowering the summoner job itself.
I know it's wishful thinking but still, I do not place the option in the realm of imposibilities either.

@Crumpet;

You still believe that fairytale?

 

[Rari]

@Crumpet;

You still believe that fairytale?

XD We all have childhood dreams.

...some just let go of theirs sooner than others.

 

[Davion]

They should have given Diabolos, Fenrir and Carby some higher level physical attacks.

Diabolos is at best a trophy avatar. I summon Carbuncle more than Diabolos.

 

[Rari]

Agreed. Diabolos has to be the worse avatar for effort vs. reward in regards to obtaining. Those three's lvl55-65 BPs don't really cut it. (Fenrir occasionally.) I wish SE gave us more/better prep cost management along with what Crumpet and Davion mentioned.

 

[Tagrineth]

Diabolos is useful as heck. I guess you guys never fight physically-resistant or kited mobs? Nether Blast is win.

 

[Shirai]

Diabolos is useful as heck. I guess you guys never fight physically-resistant or kited mobs? Nether Blast is win.

As long as it isn't resisted it's a very useful, consistent and pretty cheap pact.
All 4 Sky gods however resist Nether Blast partially, it goes unresisted on Kirin but most shells don't kite him anymore.
The only HNM I know that takes full damage from it is King Behemoth, although I do admit I never tried it on Fafhogg, then again Predator claws & Spinning dive work better on them anyway.

Jailer of Fortitude is the only other mob that comes to mind, but if you have a merit pact with 3 or more merits in them it's more effective on him.
Perhaps even with one after this next update.

The only thing I use Diabolos for mainly these days is Noctoshield when I end up in the tank party, or Dream Shroud in the BLM party or when we're fighting NIN mobs in Dynamis.

 

[Rari]

The most useful places I've had Diabolos out for was for, as Shirai mentioned, behemoths in limbus, Kirin, and dream shroud for BLMs. For fun, I'll pull Diabolos out in Dynamis for a few AoE debuffs. (Breaks up late night boredom. Weeee!) But that's about it. Every other situation I've faced was better handled by another avatar.

When Diabolos was first released, I was pretty far behind for obtaining him. (Mind you, SE was still releasing CoP missions then.) Finding a static, progressing through the missions, then finding people who hadn't done the prime fight that wanted to do it... it was a big fkn headache. For Fenrir, anyone who could fight the other primes could obtain a moon bauble within a day if they had to. For as much work as it took to get Diabolos, the reward fell short.

I do a lot of campaign battles these days. So the increased radius of BP:W makes me a little happy. ...better than nothing. But this update is along the lines of looking at the pictures on a menu and looking back at food in front of you.

I've been trying to work through all the missions (just 4 ToAU fights left) and some quests should SE make good on their promise to offer a new avatar. Want to be ready this time!

 

[Crumpet]

As a newbie SMN. I'll be monitoring these updates closely.

SE did say at fanfest that new avatars will be added eventually. D:

 

[Georgebobbilly]

I'm betting eventually means "when we need it as a ploy to bring people back"

 

[hellstorm]

Just to add work good on flying wyrms to (consider the 70 bp can't hit in air). Even though only for a small % of player base.

 

[Kajimaru]

I was playing with the new range for Blood Pact: Ward yesterday. It's just as good as protectra like SE said.

Before, when in a normal exp pt I would have to run in the middle of the fight to give everyone a buff (making it difficult to fight Imps, seeing how they can have godly timing.) but now I can sit back with the other mages and use assault and it hits everyone fighting the mob.

It also helped me rack over 7k in 2 hours of campain Ding, 74!