smn/brd

[gabehm]

I am thinking of smn/brd. What are the pros and cons of this combo?

[Hamlet]

Re: smn/brd

Well, what are you planning on doing with this smn/brd?

[gabehm]

Re: smn/brd

Well, what are you planning on doing with this smn/brd?

i plan on support/dd.

[Tirrock]

Re: smn/brd

http://www.ffxionline.com/forums/bar...2-smn.brd.html

Let's just keep the replies on that topic, since it already has some replies in it already.

[gabehm]

Re: smn/brd

http://www.ffxionline.com/forums/bar...2-smn.brd.html

Let's just keep the replies on that topic, since it already has some replies in it already.

i know i was posting it in both places to get answers from both sides. one from the bard forums...and one from the summoner forums.

[Caspian]

Re: smn/brd

Merged that bard forum thread with this one, since its a smn main question.
Usually a main job will know if a certain subjob is viable. Also bards will see the /brd in the title on the "New Posts" section and should take an interest as well. Two birds, one stone.

[Tirrock]

Re: smn/brd

SMN/BRD
Pros:
-Able to buff party members up.
-Can give ballad as /BRD.
-Can give a +12%ish movement speed song. (At least I think that's 37...or was it 38?)
-Your song can work with a BRD main's songs, so long as they're not identical. (Ballad I + Ballad I + Ballad II = not working. Ballad I + Ballad II + Paeon = all three songs on.)

Cons:
-Unable to heal people more than a few points of paeon and one of 4 healing blood pacts.
-Unable to cast blink/stoneskin/cure/regen/sneak/invisible, not to mention teleport-holla/teleport-dem/teleport-mea.
-Speaking of regen. Regen is more powerful than a subbed paeon anyway.
-Unable to remove negative status effects from players without resorting to using Spring Water blood pact.
-Only able to have one song buff on people at a time, unlike BRD main, which can do two songs at once.
-Magic Finale gets highly resisted on things you exp on. (I've tried as WHM/BRD. Didn't work too well...)
-Subbed songs are pretty weak, due to overall lack of singing/string/wind skill.
-Offensive songs in general won't work in exp parties. (No requiem, lullaby, or threnodies. Elegy is 39, so won't even get that subbed.)

In reality, I don't think SMN/BRD is too useful unless you're in a special party, like a party of 6 SMN.

[gabehm]

Re: smn/brd

i just read somewhere that you can go afk with summoner while attacking and nothing will happen...is this true. so there is not much button pressing with summoner?

[Caspian]

Re: smn/brd

Maybe if you solo, but even then you still have blood pacts and such. In a party you will be doing a lot of summoning, performing a blood pact, then dismissing. In lower levels a lot of parties want you to be a cure tank (this isyour option on whether or not to be main healer in a party). Since blood pacts are up once a minute there isn't a lot of time to go afk.

[Tirrock]

Re: smn/brd

That's technically true, to a point.

This game uses an auto-attack system. All melee jobs punch on their own, so long as their weapons are out (player hitting attack button to do that). Pets automatically attack also. The player just has to tell the pet to attack.

However, the problem with just throwing a pet at something and going afk is that if it's weak, it'll die in under a minute without your help. If it's strong, it'll kill your pet and kill you while you're AFK.

Plus you can't use blood pacts (special avatar abilities, usable once a minute) while you're afk. And if you're in a party with other people, I don't think your party will appreciate you leaving mid-fight.

Avatars also drain MP while they're out (unless you have enough gear, MP regaining buffs, and/or special conditions to make them free, or even gain MP while they're out). So going afk with an avatar out and attacking can result in you killing one thing and being out of MP when you get back.

Most SMN sub WHM, since there's little to do as SMN other than a blood pact once a minute, and curing allows the SMN to be useful during times when blood pact isn't ready yet, which will be more often than not.

[Daryn2889]

Re: smn/brd

I would say that a Summoner/Bard is full party support. I don't know how much damage you'll be doing because that job focus is all about supporting, and the avatars buffs cost a lot of mp. You'll be summoning and resummoning a lot, and then add a song and rest.

[Asir]

Re: smn/brd

Cons:
-Unable to heal people more than a few points of paeon and one of 4 healing blood pacts.
-Unable to cast blink/stoneskin/cure/regen/sneak/invisible, not to mention teleport-holla/teleport-dem/teleport-mea.
-Speaking of regen. Regen is more powerful than a subbed paeon anyway.
-Unable to remove negative status effects from players without resorting to using Spring Water blood pact.
-Only able to have one song buff on people at a time, unlike BRD main, which can do two songs at once.
-Magic Finale gets highly resisted on things you exp on. (I've tried as WHM/BRD. Didn't work too well...)
-Subbed songs are pretty weak, due to overall lack of singing/string/wind skill.
-Offensive songs in general won't work in exp parties. (No requiem, lullaby, or threnodies. Elegy is 39, so won't even get that subbed.)

In reality, I don't think SMN/BRD is too useful unless you're in a special party, like a party of 6 SMN.

Unfortunately, these are very true cons to being a SMN/BRD. I played around with this combo on my former taru both in a party and solo and it did very little that was beneficial.

If you want to be a SMN, subbing WHM would make you most versatile at being a back up healer or main healer with your avatars giving help. Carbuncle pulling is also amusing to watch sometimes.

If you're still looking for a helpful but busy job, BRD/WHM is an excellent way to go. I know in all 50 levels of BRD on my taru, I rarely got to rest.

[Rain_Blade]

Re: smn/brd

SMN/BRD
Pros:
-Able to buff party members up.
-Can give ballad as /BRD.
-Can give a +12%ish movement speed song. (At least I think that's 37...or was it 38?)
-Your song can work with a BRD main's songs, so long as they're not identical. (Ballad I + Ballad I + Ballad II = not working. Ballad I + Ballad II + Paeon = all three songs on.)

Cons:
-Unable to heal people more than a few points of paeon and one of 4 healing blood pacts.
-Unable to cast blink/stoneskin/cure/regen/sneak/invisible, not to mention teleport-holla/teleport-dem/teleport-mea.
-Speaking of regen. Regen is more powerful than a subbed paeon anyway.
-Unable to remove negative status effects from players without resorting to using Spring Water blood pact.
-Only able to have one song buff on people at a time, unlike BRD main, which can do two songs at once.
-Magic Finale gets highly resisted on things you exp on. (I've tried as WHM/BRD. Didn't work too well...)
-Subbed songs are pretty weak, due to overall lack of singing/string/wind skill.
-Offensive songs in general won't work in exp parties. (No requiem, lullaby, or threnodies. Elegy is 39, so won't even get that subbed.)

In reality, I don't think SMN/BRD is too useful unless you're in a special party, like a party of 6 SMN.

The ones in bold aren't really considered as "cons." They seem like comparisons toward another job (smn/whm) which isn't a summoner con of itself. Also, you can still play smn/brd. Your songs won't be as effective, but you'll see improvements everytime you lvl. The other subbed mage-like jobs improve only at higher levels. Smn/whm is just all-around good, but that doesn't mean you can't sub other mage jobs. The only con I know of for a whitemage is that people sometimes invite you as a main healer, but that doesn't mean you won't get invites as a summoner.

If you sub any other mage-like job for a smn besides whm, you need to handle and master that since there are many pros and cons. Once you've done that, you can enjoy your game more. Make use of your subs and make them a benefit the bets you can.

[Tirrock]

Re: smn/brd

SMN/WHM is standard (and proven the most useful in general), so I compared SMN/BRD to it.

Being asked to be a main healer isn't a always con. I didn't mind main healing, and I know somebody that wanted to level SMN as a main healer only, because she enjoys healing.

[tazirai]

Re: smn/brd

SMN/BRD is Viable Sj expecially in a 5 SMN, Rdm PT. SMN/BRD is also Viable in a SMN and BST Party. There are'nt many Cons with SMN in those situations. I dont agree with SMN as Main heal onry, but that's another thread. Think outside the box for SMn Sj's and the situtations, I never did much "Standard" PT'ing after 65, So I learned to play SMN very aggressively.