SMN Avatars - Melee

[Asir]

Are there any plans in the future to improve Avatar Melee ACC and damage?

I have read a lot of forums where everyone has grand, overly detailed plans on how to encourage SMNs to keep their Avatars out for meleeing. Most of these include things like lowering Bloodpact Timers, lowering perp costs and even giving each type of Bloodpact their own catagory on seperate timers. While I think they are nice ideas, I think they would be too much in one go.

I think if SE improved an Avatar's melee accuracy and damage, this would help encourage SMNs to keep their avatars out longer. I can only speak for myself when I say I would be happy to play SMN again and not worry about Bloodpact Timers or perp cost if the avatars could deal consistant damage.

[Shadowneko]

SE has some vauge plans they have outlined but nothing has come up yet...somthing to do with Summoning skill actully being a factor...

[Taskmage]

These are the changes that SE has officially announced:

[ Summoner ] - Powerful mages with the ability to use their mana to call forth mighty avatars.
Changes regarding summoning magic skill:
1. Blood Pact recast time will now be based on the type of special attack used--healing/enhancing or damage dealing.
2. Summoning magic skill may increase not only when summoning an avatar, but also while using Blood Pact.
3. Blood Pact special attack bonuses may be earned while equipping items that give summoning skill bonuses.

Nothing that directly encourages leaving the avatar out other than the fact that summoners will now be more free to use offensive BPs. Burstable BPs, if I'm not mistaken, gain potency with avatar TP, so perhaps while the DoT of the avatar won't be improved, the improved spike damage from letting it melee between pacts will make it more appealing to do so.

[Vyren]

But they also said during some .. interviewy QnA thing that they wanted Summoners to leave their avatars out, rather then just BPing and releasnig till the timer is ready. They said SMN was always meant to be a DD class, which is partly the reason they're trying to make it more beneficial to have a WHM in your PT.. which is stupid because we all know if there was a WHM seeking, we'd invite them and not a SMN. It's a matter of taking what's there.

[Karinya]

Well, they're trying to make it so you want to invite the WHM *and* the SMN. Currently many people view this as too defensive - the SMN won't be contributing enough to justify the party slot (and the WHM can't really shift the focus of their activities to share healing while also providing some offense, the way other mages can, unless you're fighting undead). That's the reason for the updates.

On the other hand, RDM+SMN is quite good now, even before the October update and whatever changes it makes. The SMN can contribute quite a bit with their avatars when they only have to do half the healing.

Old bloodpacts that are good in concept, but very weak in practice still need adjustment, though. Rolling Thunder, Lightning Armor, Frost Armor, Glittering Ruby come to mind. Rolling Thunder in particular could be such a cool ability to improve the whole party's damage, if it hit for amounts comparable to a RDM's instead of the current 0-2.

[Asir]

Yes, I read about the new update for SMN when it was announced. I'm looking forward to seeing the results as well as hearing what others think of these new changes. I hope it will encourage SMNs to allow their Avatars to melee but I do have a few doubts. As it stands now, the Avatars hit for very little damage when left out for DDing making it a waste of MP.

BSTs and DRGs have pets that deal consistant damage. I would mention PUP but I know very little about what sort of damage output they add to a party. A BST has a 1 minute timer ability called Sic that allows their pet to do a TP move for an extra attack. This is similar to SMNs except for the fact that a BST's pet does consistant damage. Every time a DRG does a weapon skill, their wyvern uses a Breath attack depending on the DRG's subjob. Again, their pet does consistant damage. SMNs were left out when it comes to dealing damage more then once a minute and I find this discourages them from doing more with their Avatars.